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A while back, we discussed Nirvana's Nevermind. One thing we did not discuss, however, is the album's cover. An iconic cover that jumpstarted the kinda-rebellious, pseudo-introspective 90s. Here is that cover:

And now here is a recent photo of the baby on the cover. His name was, and is, Spencer Elden, and he just turned 17.

Tagged as: Music

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You're Irritating, It's True

Posted on June 27, 2007 at 10:42 AM

It's an obvious choice (though a spokesman seems to disagree with me - see below). In a recent poll counting down the most irritating songs out there, James Blunt's You're Beautiful took bottom, make that top, marks. The combination of, frankly, dumb lyrics and an insanely catchy chorus (not always a good thing) vaulted You're Beautiful to the top. Note that this is a British poll - hence the appearance of Mr. Blobby. I believe Mr. Blobby is a children's TV show character. Not sure.

James Blunt's ballad You're Beautiful has been voted the most irritating song of all time.

The grating single topped the charts in 11 countries in 2005 and the ex-Army captain was No1 in Britain for five weeks.

Axel F, by Crazy Frog, was runner-up in the poll, followed by Mmm Bop by American brothers Hansen.

Mr Blobby, by Mr Blobby, was fourth, with The Tweets' Birdie Song in fifth spot.

John Sewell, spokesman for www.onepoll.com, who surveyed more than 5000 people, said: "James Blunt isn't the obvious choice.

"But any song that remains at No1 in the charts for so long does start to get annoying."

The other songs to make it to the top 10 were Shout - Lulu; Agadoo - Black Lace; Grace Kelly - Mika; My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion and Las Macarena by Los Del Rio.

Tagged as: Music

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More Discourse On The Kelly Clarkson Affair

Posted on June 26, 2007 at 10:10 AM

Mydecember No, not the affair that millions of regular guys would like to have with Kelly Clarkson, but rather the ongoing hubbub concerning Kelly Clarkson, her new album, her fight for creative control, and her ongoing battle for control with industry heavyweight Clive Davis.

As a quick recap, Clarkson wanted to write the tunes on her new album herself, keeping creative control from the freelance songwriters that labels generally have at hand. For example, Since U Been Gone was written by such a songwriter. However, Kelly felt it important that her stamp, and only hers, be on My December. Word is that when the label, RCA, heard the album, they heard no hits, and so tried to foist songwriters on Kelly. Kelly balked. A not-so-internal speech by Clive Davis made it to the public. Then, in a stunning and unrelated affair, Clarkson booked a tour of venues far too large for her. After poor sales, the tour was quickly canceled.

This whole sordid affair of attempted independence and Breakaways (ha ha) is one of those rare circumstances when compromise would have saved everyone a lot of trouble. Clarkson seems to have been unflappable in her mission to spread her wings; the label seems to have passive aggressively let her move forward, almost as if they knew they wouldn't like what they would hear. Really, Clarkson has earned at least SOME creative control; not to mention that she is beloved and has formed an image as a regular, non-Hollywood girl next door. However, she needs to realize that she signed a contract. Major labels exist for one reason - to make as much money as possible from their few artists that are profitable. The perverse economies of scale of major label marketing demand it. When Clarkson signed up for American Idol, she knew the winner would have a major label deal. Clarkson, while an admirable figure, needs to grow up a bit. And Clive Davis needs to realize how pathetic he looks, flailing his arms in an attempt to still matter in an industry that he no longer understands.

An excerpt from an article in the L.A. Times:

The fascination with Clarkson's possible slip in commercial viability equates her value as an artist (and as a person, since her assertiveness has been read by some as petulance and egotism) with record sales. Even her defenders feel obligated to suggest which tracks might become hit singles, as if the only way to appreciate "My December" is to imagine a way to salvage it.

The idea that this music might have a great effect on a smaller audience or that it's a valuable step in the evolution of someone whose talent should make for many fine albums pales next to betting on Clarkson like a prized racehorse.

The Clarkson affair reminds us that even our most popular artists don't have that much freedom once they're ensconced in the game. Mavericks such as Kanye West and the White Stripes are rare. Most big sellers dutifully (or reluctantly) play along, approximating whatever worked last time to claw their way back onto the charts. It's hard to blame artists for this; look at the viciousness that has greeted commercial less-than-successes such as Liz Phair.

This mess also, frankly, reeks of sexism. Casting Clarkson as a deluded ingénue and Davis as a father figure gone ballistic — not to mention the inevitable speculation about her weight — conceals other relevant issues. "My December" is a rock record, but rock radio plays barely any female artists. And there's a history of women trying to evolve and facing resistance: consider Lauryn Hill, Joan Osborne, Macy Gray, Paula Cole, even Sheryl Crow. Men experiment and they're applauded, or at least indulged; women do so and it's assumed that a boyfriend has led them astray.

The release of "My December" should have been a time of celebration for Clarkson; instead, it's a difficult moment, one that this strong and gifted performer will likely overcome. But she's not the only one who should be sad at how it's all gone down. Everyone who loves pop music needs to feel a bit chagrined about this one and try next time to do as another often-besmirched pop star, George Michael, once advised: listen without prejudice.

Tagged as: Music

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She's Out!

Posted on June 26, 2007 at 10:01 AM

The smile of wonder, the cute outfit, the Hollywood run into the open arms of her parents - it's all so fascinating. Want to know what happened to Paris Hilton in prison? Tune in tonight to Larry King Live, when Paris Hilton discusses her favorite subject, Paris Hilton, specifically what happened to Paris Hilton when Paris Hilton was in jail.

A smiling Paris Hilton walked out of a Los Angeles County jail early Tuesday, officially ending a bizarre, three-week stay that ignited furious debate over celebrity treatment in the jail system.

The 26-year-old celebutante was greeted by an enormous gathering of cameras and reporters upon leaving the all-women's facility in Lynwood about 15 minutes past midnight.

Hilton smiled and waved as she filed past deputies and the media, her blond hair pulled back in a braided ponytail. Her parents, Kathy and Rick, waited in a black SUV. Hilton hurried to the vehicle, where she hugged her mom through the window.

Hilton, who was wearing a sage jacket with white trim over a white shirt and skinny jeans, did not respond to reporters' questions.

"She fulfilled her debt. She was obviously in good spirits. She thanked people as she left," said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.

Tagged as: Music

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Hanson Will MmmBop For You

Posted on June 25, 2007 at 11:23 AM

Or more specifically, they'll write an MmmBop about you. In an effort to spread the word about their upcoming album, the former teen heartthrobs are offering to write a song about the person that best markets the band's new album. Banners, click-throughs, links... all will be assessed. The person that drives the most traffic will have a song written about them. This is assuming, of course, that you'd want Hanson to write a song about you. Which I would. I can take or leave MmmBop, but Where's The Love rules.

Pop band Hanson have launched an online competition where the winner will have a song written personally about them.

The trio of brothers, who have sold more than 15 million albums and whose most famous hit was "MMMBop" in 1997, are using the contest to publicise their forthcoming album The Walk.

The contest, which is part of a pre-sale, will reward those fans who help drive traffic to the band's website by placing customized banner ads, click-throughs, and links.

The person who drives the most hits will be rewarded with the song. A download of the track will be given away for free to anyone who enters.

In a statement, drummer Zac Hanson explained that the competition highlighted how bands have to be creative when marketing their music.

He said: "We are all music fans first so we know that inviting people to get a hold of the record early can only excite and motivate. If we are doing something we think is unique, it is only natural to encourage our fans to help spread the word."

His brother Isaac added: "Being independent makes it possible to build a stronger relationship with our fans. Doing the pre-sale is simply about giving our fans more."

Tagged as: Music

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Britney? A Nutjob?

Posted on June 20, 2007 at 09:31 AM

Britney Spears may be a bit bonkers, but that is her business. And other entities are not allowed to use images of a bonkers Britney to help THEIR business. Which is why Brit and her crack team of legal eagles descended upon Florida, demanding that billboards used to promote some radio show, and featuring an image of the bald Britney, be taken down. Is it just me, or are radio DJs, shock jocks, and others of that ilk simply awful? Like, awful, awful, kinda dumb people? Maybe it's just me.

Britney Spears has admitted to having some problems, but she's drawing the line at a "nut job."

Facing the threat of a lawsuit from the pop star, Clear Channel Communications has taken down billboards in Florida advertising a local radio show with a paparazzi shot of a scowling, bald Britney and the tag lines "Total Nut Jobs," "Shock Therapy" and "Certifiable."

In a June 14 missive obtained by The Smoking Gun Website, Spears' Los Angeles-based lawyer, Lynda Goldman, alleged Clear Channel misappropriated the singer's image without permission. Goldman also groused that the company reneged on a promise to remove the offending signs days ago.

For the past several weeks, the conscience-shocking signage had been lining highways in Clearwater, Tampa and Jacksonville. There were three variations, each featuring the same image of Spears after her ill-conceived haircut (and before her trip to rehab) paired with a photo of MJ Kelli, host of 93.3 FM's The MJ Morning Show. Each billboard bore one of the taglines.

"Do I feel betrayed? Yeah, I feel betrayed," the deejay, whose real name is Todd Schnitt, was quoted as saying on the air. "I feel let down. I'm not happy with my company taking it down. I don't think there's any problem with it."

Photo via.

Tagged as: Britney Spears

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Nirvana - Overrated?

Posted on June 19, 2007 at 12:22 PM

The Guardian newspaper in the U.K. recently engaged in an intriguing, nearly disturbing exercise: polling musicians to discover what albums THEY think are overrated? Blasphemy? Not according to Scritt Politti's Green Gartside, who thinks the Arcade Fire are nothing special. And not according to Tjinder Singh of Cornershop, who thinks that Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon is a bloated concept album that made punk very necessary. But perhaps the biggest heresy comes from Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, who takes on that sacred cow, Nirvana's Nevermind:

Nirvana, Nevermind Nominated by Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips It's better to be overrated than underrated. Besides, it's not the musicians' fault Nevermind is overrated - it's the public's, or the critics'. But you don't find yourself ever longing to listen to it, because there were - still are, in fact - so many mediocre bands that sound like it, that you're constantly experiencing it. I never get out Nevermind and think: what great production, what great songs. Nevermind had a poisonous, pernicious influence. It legitimised suffering. The sainthood of Kurt Cobain overshadows the album: Kurt's lyrics, his attitudinising and navel-gazing, were hard to separate from the band's image. You can never just hear the record. For me, Bleach and In Utero are superior. Even the album cover seems cheap: that stupid dollar bill just seems to have been airbrushed in there. If Alice in Chains had done it, we'd have thought it was a joke, but because it was Nirvana we thought it was oh-so-clever. If you think you're going to hear an utterly original, powerful and freaky record when you put on Nevermind, as a young kid might, Christ you're going to be disappointed. You're going to think, "Who is this band that sounds just like Nickelback? What are these drug addicts going on about?"

Tagged as: Music

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Kelly Clarkson's Rough Year Continues

Posted on June 18, 2007 at 10:49 AM

First came reports of an internal, majorly huge squabble with label boss and bigwig Clive Davis. Then came whispers that her latest album was overly dark and lacked the pop punch of Breakaway. Then came the (admittedly amicable) split with management, apparently due to creative differences stemming from this dark turn. Now comes a canceled tour due to sluggish ticket sales. LiveNation, you should not have booked in such large halls. Kelly, we still believe in you. You're just so darn cute.

Just two days after breaking away from her management, Kelly Clarkson is walking away from her summer tour.

Plans for the original American Idol winner's road trip in support of her upcoming album, My December, have been shelved due in part to disappointing ticket sales.

"I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to getting out there to perform for y'all," Clarkson said in a statement posted on her official Website. "In the craziness of the music business, performing is what I look forward to doing the most, so it really is disappointing for me to have to tell you that I won't be coming out to tour this summer.

"The fact is that touring is just too much too soon."

Clarkson's rep said the singer and her team would be "reevaluating her show's size and scope," before moving forward with any touring plans.

LiveNation CEO Michael Rapino issued a statement praising Clarkson's talent, but acknowledging that calling off the tour was the only logical option.

"Ticket sales have not been what we anticipated and we came to the realization that we had bit off more than we could chew," Rapino said.

The album is Clarkson's third, but the first on which she wrote or cowrote all of the songs. It is decidedly darker in tone than either her debut album, Thankful, or its multiplatinum successor, Breakaway, which has been a sticking point with her label and others trying to guide her career.

Though their parting was deemed amicable, Clarkson's split with her manager, Jeff Kwatinetz of The Firm, was said to be directly linked to a difference of opinion over the creative direction of the album.

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White Stripes Play For Vets

Posted on June 18, 2007 at 08:30 AM

When you're in a rock band, it's hard to keep the new album promo cycle fresh. Usually, it's record an album, do interviews, make a video, perhaps play an industry show, then hit the road for a regular old tour. But the White Stripes are not a regular old band. Witness their upcoming tour of Canada, which will see Jack White and Meg White play places like Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit (the capital of Nunavut, by the way). Also witness a show they recently played for a group of veterans in London. The show took place at the Royal Hospital Chelsea for a group of scarlet-clad (of course!) retired servicemen. The reaction? Fantastic! Of course.

The White Stripes won some new fans during an intimate and unusual gig at a home for elderly British military veterans.

The Detroit duo, dressed in their customary red and white, played for some 20 scarlet-clad Chelsea Pensioners on Tuesday. The retired servicemen, residents of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, wore red tunics and black tricorn hats modeled on the uniforms of 17th-century soldiers.

Jack and Meg White played an acoustic set in the hospital’s oak-paneled state apartments, where Mozart once performed.

In contrast to many of the rock band’s shows, the audience sat quietly in rows of chairs during the six-song set, which included the White Stripes’ hit “Hotel Yorba” and the traditional “St. James Infirmary Blues.”

“Fantastic!” said retiree Paddy Fox. “Normally we only get the odd carol service in here.”

The White Stripes are playing British dates to promote their new album, “Icky Thump,” which will be released next Tuesday by Warner Bros.

They plan to donate proceeds from another show in London this week to help fund a new infirmary at the Chelsea hospital.

The hospital, founded in 1692, houses elderly veterans on army pensions and those who have been wounded in battle.

Tagged as: Music

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K-Fed To Be A Dad Again?

Posted on June 14, 2007 at 09:51 AM

That's right! Word is that Kevin Federline may be the father of the unborn child of his sometime squeeze Shar Jackson. All this while he and Britney are apparently spending more and more time on the phone having exploratory tete-a-tetes and going through box after box of Puffs (box after box of Wheat Thins for K-Fed). Sh*t's about to hit the fan, methinks.

Kevin Federline is set to be a dad again, it has been reported.

Kevin, who was rumoured to be reuniting with estranged wife Britney Spears, has no idea his on/off lover Shar Jackson is expecting their third child.

A source told America's Star magazine: "Shar wants to tell Kevin, but she keeps getting cold feet! She's really scared of what he'll say - if he'll be excited or furious.

"What if he doesn't want another kid?'

Britney is allegedly desperate to patch things up with Kevin and used her recent New Mexico break to mull over their relationship.

A source said: "When she was on vacation she was in the best mood she's been in for ages. She confessed it was because she and Kevin are slowly moving towards getting back together."

Britney, 26, and Kevin, 28, are said to be having secret meetings and long heart-to-heart telephone conversations.

Tagged as: Britney Spears

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Kelly Clarkson: No Wonder She Can Breathe For The First Time

Posted on June 14, 2007 at 08:59 AM

Kelly Clarkson has a lot to worry about. She's got the pressure of following up her massive debut album, she has to contend with (alleged) feuding with label boss and industry heavyweight Clive Davis and she has the added pressure of being a female songwriter/star in an an industry that doesn't believe one can do both. All of which would be bad enough on its own, but holy cow, she's also NEVER BEEN IN LOVE. And as for motherhood? Forget it. She's far too selfless.

Kelly Clarkson, who rails against a former flame in her new song "Never Again," says she's never been in love. "I love my friends and family," the Grammy-winning singer and original "American Idol" tells Elle magazine in its July issue. "But I have never said the words `I love you' to anyone in a romantic relationship. Ever."

Clarkson, 25, doesn't take romance lightly.

"I am very old-school, conservative in my thinking when it comes to relationships," she says. "Love is something you work at. It doesn't come easily. There are going to be bad days. You are going to have to work at loving someone when they are being an idiot."

She adds: "People think they're just going to meet the perfect guy. Don't be ridiculous."

In her interview with Elle, Clarkson discusses the difficulties of taking control of her career.

"I've sold more than 15 million records worldwide, and still nobody listens to what I have to say. Because I'm 25 and a woman," she says.

"I am a good singer, so I can't possibly be a good writer," she continues. "Women can't possibly be good at two things. I haven't lost my temper about it. It only drives me more. If your thing is to bring me down, cool. I'll just work harder."

Photo via.

Tagged as: Music

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Boy Band Fat Man Treasure Trove Auctioned...

Posted on June 13, 2007 at 10:01 AM

...And no one cares! Well, that's not entirely true: according to this article by the AP, a man in a Pittsburgh Steelers shirt paid $2200 for a wall hanging commemorating the Backstreet Boys selling millions of records. Also, a few first-aid kits went for nearly 13 bucks. The reasoning behind this auction of one-of-a-kind items? Liquidation of assets formerly controlled by Lou Pearlman, the man behind N'Sync and the Backstreet Boys. As previously mentioned, good ol' Lou has disappeared - no one knows of his whereabouts, and he is ignoring multiple subpoenas. Kids, if you ever strike it rich creating, producing and mass-marketing boy bands, for pete's sake, don't throw it all away with illegal counts of fraud.

Platinum and gold records, autographed posters and even a key to the city all went "Bye Bye Bye" at an auction Tuesday as creditors liquidated the assets of boy-band impresario Lou Pearlman.

Hundreds of bidders packed a downtown building for the Chapter 11 bankruptcy sale. The auction was populated mostly by middle-aged men, not the screaming young girls who drove Pearlman's bands to multi-platinum success.

Pearlman's assets included memorabilia from the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, the two boy bands he created in the '90s that made him famous, and several of his lesser-known acts.

Pearlman allegedly defrauded about 1,000 investors of more than $315 million by selling for years a bogus savings account plan, then using their money to cover his losses in other businesses. Banks are hounding him and his companies for more than $120 million, according to court documents.

He also is being investigated by the FBI, IRS and state authorities.

Pearlman's whereabouts are unknown. He hasn't been seen or heard from in months, nor has he responded to multiple subpoenas.

Pearlman doesn't have an attorney in either bankruptcy case against him or his companies.

Everything he left behind was on the block Tuesday, from the ordinary (first aid kits for $12.50 apiece) to the opulent ($18,000 for a five-piece Chihuly glass art series).

A man wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers shirt paid $2,200 for a wall hanging commemorating the Backstreet Boys selling 7 million copies. He declined to be interviewed, but said he was still deciding whether to sell it.

The key to Orlando sold for $1,400 — a big raise from the $300 bidding start.

Photo via.

Tagged as: Music

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Manson Vs. My Chemical Romance - Gerard Responds

Posted on June 12, 2007 at 02:02 PM

You didn't think My Chemical Romance would just sit around and let themselves be called pitiful, did you? Well, they didn't, because they've gone and did up a response (oh yes they did). And it's pretty ouch. You see, Gerard WOULD be upset - if he took Marilyn Manson seriously. Which he does not.

My Chemical Romance have responded to Marilyn Manson's recent controversial comments about them.

As previously reported Manson said his song 'Mutilation Is The Most Sincere Form Of Flattery' from his new album 'Eat Me, Drink Me' is about Gerard Way's band.

Manson elaborated on his attack on the band, saying, "I'm embarrassed to be me because these people are doing a really sad, pitiful, shallow version of what I've done.

"If they want to identify with me then here's a razor blade. Call me when you're done and we'll talk."

The lyrics from the song contain the lyrics: "Hey, there's no rules today/You steal instead of borrow/You take all the shapes that I make/ And you think that you thought/All the thoughts that I thought/Don't you?"

In response, Way told Rock Sound: "We still haven't found someone that has knocked us down that we need to take seriously. If Elvis Costello said we sucked we would think about it a bit but usually it is comments from someone with a new record to promote so the remarks ring hollow."

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Paris Won't Go Away...

Posted on June 12, 2007 at 11:03 AM

...And there are two reasons for this. One, we won't stop paying attention to her. And two, God wants it that way. You see, a few unbearable days in a female prison in Los Angeles County has turned our favorite good-for-nothing starlet into an instrument of the Man Upstairs. Once Paris realized that her time in the clink was all part of God's plan, she wasted no time placing a call to Barbara Walters to fill Babs in on the news. The upshot of the call? Paris thinks that by going to jail God has released her, and that she used to play dumb but now she feels that is no longer cute. Got it. Oh and she's starting a Paris Hilton Playhouse (seriously) for sick children. It'll be like the Ronald McDonald Playhouse, but with crotch shots.

Imprisoned hotel heiress Paris Hilton has said she believes God has given her a new chance and she plans to stop acting dumb and put her influence to good use.

Hilton called television journalist Barbara Walters from the medical wing of a Los Angeles jail on Sunday, where she is being held for violating probation in a drink-driving case, and Walters recounted the conversation on her ABC television show, The View, on Monday

"I'm not the same person I was," Hilton told Walters.

"I used to act dumb. It was an act. I am 26-years-old, and that act is no longer cute. It is not who I am, nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who looked up to me.

"I know now that I can make a difference, that I have the power to do that. I have been thinking that I want to do different things when I am out of here. I have become much more spiritual. God has given me this new chance."

"I feel as if I'm a different person," said the Hilton Hotel heiress, known for her party-going lifestyle. "I've dropped my appeal. I don't want to cause any more problems."

Though distraught at the decision to return her to prison, Hilton said in a statement released through her lawyers on Saturday that she would not appeal.

"I told my attorneys not to appeal the judge's decision," Hilton said, describing being in jail as "by far the hardest thing I have ever done".

"I feel that the purpose of my life is to be where I am," Hilton told Walters. "My spirit or soul did not like the way I was being seen and that is why I was sent to jail. God has released me."

When she is released, Hilton said, she might like to help in the fields of breast cancer or multiple sclerosis, diseases that her grandmothers suffered, or build a "Paris Hilton playhouse" for sick children.

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So THAT's Where Kirk Cameron Went...

Posted on June 11, 2007 at 12:28 PM

Leokirkgrowingpains For children of the 80s, there was no cooler teenager than Mike Seaver, the studly oldest child of Jason and Maggie Seaver on Growing Pains. (In fact, Mike Seaver's status lives on today as Growing Pains is on Nick At Nite.) After such a star-making role, one would have expected Kirk Cameron to graduate to Hollywood royalty. Of course, this never happened. And if you've wondered why, Kirk would tell you it's because he became a Christian. Faced with more free time than he expeceted, Cameron now operates and appears in and on a netowkr of Christian websites, webcasts and radio and TV shows. WWBD (What would Boner do?):

At the height of his Hollywood success, former "Growing Pains" sitcom star Kirk Cameron started worrying about something his money couldn't buy: salvation.

He had more than just legions of fanatic fans. He also had stalkers and kidnapping threats, and was sometimes driven to the set in a bulletproof car. It got him thinking about his own mortality. He had it all, but still felt empty.

Kirk Cameron reaches a new audience these days through his Christian radio show, television show, and Web site.

"I was raised not going to church. We never prayed — didn't know how. Are you supposed to close your eyes, keep them open? Look up? Look down? Get on my knees? What do I do?"

Cameron started reading the bible and going to church. He became a Christian, but says his transition had some growing pains of its own.

On the set of his hit show, the easy-going prankster became detached and sullen. Once close to the other cast members, he pulled away from them all — except his co-star and fellow Christian, Chelsea Noble, whom he married in 1991.

He also started taking issue with some of the show's writing. One script called for his TV mom to have a nightmare in which Cameron's character, Mike Seaver, wakes up next to a beautiful girl and says, "Hey, babe. Good morning. By the way, what's your name again?"

Cameron balked, pushing for the writers to change the scene. They refused. Cameron says he wasn't trying to push his religious views on the show. He just didn't want to compromise his newfound moral principles.

Tagged as: Television

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Paris Released From The Slammer

Posted on June 7, 2007 at 11:57 AM

Um... what?!?! Reports are coming out of Southern California that Paris Hilton has been released from jail and will be confined to house arrest for the rest of her sentence. Tough life. According to the sheriff involved, a medical condition is partly responsible for the change in venue. I wonder what her lawyer cooked up. Here's hoping that Paris continues to reflect, which is what she did during her first night in jail, according to her lawyer. Ugh.

Paris Hilton was released from a Los Angeles County jail early Thursday because of an unspecified medical problem and will fulfill the reminder of her sentence in home confinement, a sheriff's spokesman said.

The 26-year-old hotel heiress was sent home shortly after 2 a.m. fitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet. She had spent five days at the Century Regional Detention Facility in suburban Los Angeles for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.

"I can't specifically talk about the medical situation other than to say that, yes, it played a part in this," said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.

Hilton was housed in the "special needs" unit of the 13-year-old jail, separate from most of its 2,200 inmates. The unit contains 12 two-person cells reserved for police officers, public officials, celebrities and other high-profile inmates. She didn't have a cellmate.

After she checked in Sunday, Whitmore said Hilton's demeanor was helpful.

"She was focused; she was cooperative," he said.

Hilton's lawyer, Richard A. Hutton, said Monday after his client's first night in jail that she was doing well under the circumstances.

"She's using this time to reflect on her life, to see what she can do to make the world better and hopefully, in my opinion, to change the attitudes that exist about her among many people," Hutton said after visiting Hilton.

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The Fray Frontman Inherits Castle

Posted on June 7, 2007 at 10:44 AM

File this under Real Estate, as well as simply unreal: Isaac Slade, frontman for The Fray, has discovered that he is the distant relative of a Sir Benjamin Slade, an English aristocrat with no heirs who started a search for distant relatives in order to find a suitable relation to whom to pass along his 13th century estate. Enter Isaac Slade, who was one of many Slades around the world to contact Sir Benjamin. It's now up to Isaac and his wife as to whether they want to inherit the place. Um, I would. And yes, I realize there are taxes involved.

Isaac Slade, frontman for The Fray, says he hasn't decided whether he wants to inherit a $15 million English mansion from Sir Benjamin Slade, a 60-year-old aristocrat who may be a distant relative.

Slade, who has no children, is looking for an heir for the 150-acre estate, Maunsel House, located 140 miles west of London. The 13th-century mansion boasts three lakes, a ballroom and hundreds of cattle.

The Denver-based rocker, who contacted his namesake, said he and his wife, Anna, had visited Slade and his wife at their estate.

"We had a wonderful couple of days with Ben and Kirsty, who were amazing hosts," he said in a statement this week. "For now, we're all just getting to know each other."

Benjamin Slade launched a well-publicized search for heirs because the estate faced an uncertain future.

"All my relatives in England have their own large houses and had no interest in taking on another place," he said.

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What Is Rage Against The Machine Counting Down To?

Posted on June 6, 2007 at 11:29 AM

All of a sudden, what has appeared on our beloved internets but the following site: www.ratm82407.com. Hmmm. ratm. The riff of Bulls On Parade. The classic Rage star. This is just a wild guess, but i would guess that Rage will be dropping something on August 24th.

Tagged as: Music

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Marilyn Manson Calls My Chemical Romance Pitiful

Posted on June 6, 2007 at 10:34 AM

And that's not all! The sexually ambiguous goth pioneer also called My Chem sad and shallow. Ouch. Manson's opinions are further explored on a new MM track called Mutilation Is The Sincerest Form Of Flattery. Apparently, it is about Gerard Way's outfit. As the quote belows makes clear, Manson won't be inviting Gerard out to Sephora anytime soon. The track appears on Manson's latest album Eat Me, Drink Me. [UPDATE: Gerard Responds]

Marilyn Manson has stuck the knife into fellow goth types My Chemical Romance, claiming they're ripping him off.

In an interview with The London Paper he revealed that the song 'Mutilation Is The Most Sincere Form Of Flattery', from his new album 'Eat Me, Drink Me', is about Gerard Way's outfit. It features the blunt lyrics, "F*ck you, f*ck you".

He elaborated on his attack on the band, saying, "I'm embarrassed to be me because these people are doing a really sad, pitiful, shallow version of what I've done.

"If they want to identify with me then here's a razor blade. Call me when you're done and we'll talk."

The swipe comes days before the two acts are set to share a stage, albeit one day after one another, at the Download Festival at Donington Park. MCR headline on Friday, with Manson playing before headliners Linkin Park the day after.

Tagged as: Music

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Um, This Is No Game

Posted on June 5, 2007 at 03:20 PM

Game The Game may be taking his game to jail! The Game was arrested yesterday in relation to an incident that took place in February during a pickup hoops game. The Game got angry, went to his Cadillac Escalade, got a gun, and threatened another player. What a silly incident. And how ironic, The Game was arrested because of a GAME... get it??? Hahaha. But seriously, this is serious. So serious that The Game's lawyer won't comment.

The Game was charged yesterday (June 4) in Los Angeles with making a criminal threat and possessing a firearm in a school zone. The felony charges against the 27-year-old rapper, whose real name is Jayceon Terrell Taylor, stemmed from a fight during a Feb. 24 pickup basketball game in South Los Angeles, the district attorney's office said.

Taylor pulled a gun from his red Cadillac Escalade after punching a player on the opposing team and threatened to shoot him, police said.

The hip-hop star was arrested May 11 at his Glendale home by police executing a search warrant and was released on $50,000 bail. He also is charged with exhibiting a firearm in the presence of an officer.

Taylor was scheduled to be arraigned today in Los Angeles. He faces more than five years in state prison if convicted. His attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Tagged as: Music

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Akon Tosses Fan... Literally

Posted on June 5, 2007 at 12:17 PM

Literally is such an overused word. Very often when people use the word literally, them mean to use the word metaphorically. But in this video you are about to see of Akon tossing someone offstage, you'll find that Akon literally did toss someone offstage. It's a total wrestling move. Dude picks up the guy, lifts him over his head, and tosses him to the crowd. I gotta think some charges are going to come outta this. Read a report of the incident (which went down in Poughkeepsie, NY), then peep the video below.

Video of yesterday's KFest at Dutchess Stadium, available on YouTube, shows rapper Akon getting himself into trouble again.

After a member of the audience hit him in the face with a black disc, Akon demanded that security bring the culprit on stage. He then lifted him up and threw him into the crowd before he continued to sing.

This incident comes on the heels of Akon mimicking sexual acts with a 14-year-old girl at Zen nightclub in Port of Spain, Trinidad in early April.

No word yet on whether the kid was hurt.

Tagged as: Music

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We All Went Down To... Kansas City

Posted on June 5, 2007 at 07:41 AM

It is surely the most recognizable guitar riff of all time. Even if you think you've never heard it - you've head it. The song is Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple, and on Sunday, almost 1700 guitarists turned up in Kansas City to collectively strum the signature opening bars. The reason? A highly coveted (or not so highly coveted) spot in the Guinness Book Of World Records. Previously, the record was 1323 guitarists playing the same song, a group that turned out in Vancouver in 1994 to play the very same Deep Purple tune. The lyrics of Smoke On The Water deal with a fire that took place at the casino in Montreux, Switzerland in 1971. Deep Purple had been recording their Machine Head album there but had vacated the premises for the evening to allow Frank Zappa and the Mothers to play a concert. The fire was started by a fan's flare gun and destroyed all of Zappa's gear.

The song is so popular that, according to Wikipedia, one famous guitar store in Denmark Street, London, has a poster saying "Absolutely, under no circumstances at all are customers allowed to play Stairway To Heaven, Sweet Child Of Mine or Smoke On The Water while trying out guitars. Thank you." Anyway, the record-setting riffage:

More than 1,680 guitar players turned out, tuned up and took part in what organizers say was a world record rendition of Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" -- a song that was the first many of them ever learned.

Some came from as far away as California and Germany on Sunday to take part in a Kansas City radio station's effort to break a Guinness world record for the most people playing the same song simultaneously. The record had been 1,323 people playing the same song in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994.

"It was cool to see little kids playing, people who had been playing for their whole lives, like older people, and then I'm sure there were people like me who just picked up the song a couple days before," said Autumn McPherson, of Winfield, a senior at the University of Kansas.

Preliminary numbers show 1,683 people played the popular early '70s guitar riff on Sunday at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

"I thought it was going to be kind of cheesy," said Hannah Koch, of Prairie Village, who came clad in an elf costume. "But after I got here, I got caught up in the excitement of it."

Tanna Guthrie, a morning show host for KYYS (99.7 FM), came up with the idea for the record attempt. She said her station will send participant sign-up lists, photos, videos and copies of media coverage to Guinness seeking official recognition of a record.

Guthrie said she chose "Smoke on the Water," a track off Deep Purple's "Machine Head" album, because it's one of the first songs many guitarists learn.

Photo via.

Tagged as: Music

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Paris Hits The Clink!

Posted on June 4, 2007 at 11:45 AM

There it was, the moment we all had been waiting for - Paris Hilton heads to the slammer! Except that she turned herself in under the black of night, many hours ahead of her Tuesday deadline. The early entry is not uncommon among celebrities hoping to avoid the camera eye, but it IS uncommon for Paris Hilton to be avoiding the spotlight, especially since, earlier yesterday evening, she had been cavorting on the red carpet at MTV's Movie Awards. For the next 23 days, however, the only cavorting Paris does will be in jail. And you know what kind of cavorting goes on there.

Admitting she was frightened, heiress Paris Hilton traded in her Guccis and designer clothes for jail garb on Sunday night as she began serving a 23-day sentence in Los Angeles for violating probation, her attorney said on Sunday.

"Paris Hilton has turned herself in to begin serving her sentence for violating probation at a Los Angeles County Jail located in Lynwood, California," attorney Richard Hutton said in a statement.

It also quoted the 26-year-old hotels heiress as saying: "This is an important point in my life and I need to take responsibility for my actions. In the future, I plan on taking more of an active role in the decisions I make ... Although I am scared, I am ready to begin my jail sentence."

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Hilton was booked at 11:38 p.m. PDT on Sunday (2:38 a.m. EDT/0638 GMT Monday).

Celebrity news site TMZ.com said the surrender was done out of the glare of photographers staking out the Lynwood facility.

It said Hutton picked up at Hilton at her parents' house at 10:30 p.m. PDT (6:30 a.m. British time Monday) , and drove to the Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles, where she surrendered to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. From there, she was driven to the jail in Lynwood, about 15 miles (24 km) away.

TMZ added that her family went with her to the surrender.

Hilton was due to turn herself in by Tuesday to start serving her term, which already has been cut from 45 days to 23 days under state sentencing guidelines.

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The Police Are Lame

Posted on June 4, 2007 at 10:43 AM

Or so says Stewart Copeland! The Police drummer took to his official website and wrote a rather brutally frank assessment of the tour's opening night, calling it unbelievably lame and lamenting the band's loose playing. Sting came in half a bar early on Message In A Bottle and Andy was in Idaho. According to the tightly wound sticksman, The mighty Sting momentarily looks like a petulant pansy instead of the god of rock. And so it goes, for song after song. He later noted that It usually takes about four or five shows in a tour before you get to the disaster gig. But we're The Police so we are a little ahead of schedule.

Read Stewart's entire report here.

Tagged as: Music

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It's Not Even Their Best Album

Posted on June 1, 2007 at 11:49 AM

Or their second, third, or fourth best. But for myriad reasons Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by a Liverpool quartet called The Beatles has burrowed itself into the public consciousness as the GREAT rock album of all time (or more specifically, the rock era). Why? A combination of a splashy cover, its release at the start of the fabled Summer Of Love, the legend of it being a response to the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, the technicolor aural splashes that dominate the album... the list goes on.

Anyway, it was forty years ago today that Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band was released. Time for a spin on the CD player, iPod or, most preferably, the turntable. Then when you're done, listen to better Beatles albums like Revolver, or Abbey Road. Or the White Album. Or Rubber Soul. Here are some notes from the BBC on Sgt. Pepper:

It is 40 years since the release of the iconic Beatles album Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Widely regarded as one of - if not the - greatest music albums of modern times, here are some of the stories behind the Fab Four's music.

* It was the band's eighth album.

* The album was recorded at the famous Abbey Road studios over a 129-day period, at a cost of £25,000.

* Pink Floyd were working on Piper at the Gates of Dawn in the next studio at the same time.

* Within weeks of the album's release, Jimi Hendrix started performing the title track in concert.

* The initial design was altered, deleting Hitler and Jesus from the image, before the album was released.

* It was rumoured that Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was about the drug LSD. Lennon always denied this, insisting it was inspired by a drawing done by his young son, Julian.

* The song was still banned by the BBC.

Tagged as: Music

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Prince To Jacko - Beat It, Etc.

Posted on June 1, 2007 at 10:24 AM

How could Michael Jackson even think this was possible. The desert-living, charges-defeating, Glove-wearing so-called King Of Pop is reportedly despondent over Prince's polite decline of an offer to tour with MJ. Jackson wants to revitalize his career; if Prince, in some moment of Lake Minnetonka waters-induced insanity had actually said yes, it would have been a good move for Jacko. As it stands, this (the leaked news of this exchange, that is) is just another sign of Michael Jackson's colossal fall from grace.

Prince has reportedly snubbed Michael Jackson's offer of a joint tour.

The 'Thriller' singer is said to have begged Prince to perform a string of concerts with him to help Michael re-launch his career.

However, Prince told Michael he wasn't interested as he already has plans for his own tour later this year.

Michael was reportedly overheard complaining about the snub at the Sultan of Brunei's son's 25th birthday party, for which he received £5 million ($9.8 million USD) for making a personal appearance.

A fellow partygoer is quoted by Britain's The Sun newspaper as saying: "Michael seemed pretty upset about it. He said he'd approached Prince to see if he would like to work together, but Prince wasn't interested."

Sources claim Prince was concerned that the hype surrounding Michael's comeback would over-shadow the concerts, and he wasn't prepared to be the 'Beat It' singer's support act.

Tagged as: Music

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