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It's not always easy to find cool, non-over the top Halloween stuff, but here's some - Jarvis Cocker, he of Pulp, reading a Halloween story! It's all via Drowned in Sound, which relays that the story is called Rats and is a:

14-minute download - a tale from a book taken from Jarvis' grandparents' house, by M.R. James.

Listen and get in a ghoulish mood.

Tagged as: Music

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This Charity Compilation Will Change Your Life

Posted on October 29, 2007 at 11:50 AM

That Natalie Portman sure loves tunes. She famously turned the romantic indie flick crowd onto the Shins, she's recently professed her love for EuroFolk-recalling Brooklynite Beirut, and she was recently spotted, by yours truly, at a recent Clap Your Hands Say Yeah show. All of which, when combined with her massive celebrity, qualifies her to curate a charity compilation for FINCA International, an organization that provides funds for low-income entrepreneurs. The tracklisting to this compilation has just been revealed! Via Pitchfork, that would be:

Big Change: Songs for FINCA:

01 Tokyo Police Club: "Be Good"
02 Beirut: "My Night With the Prostitute From Marseille" [exclusive]
03 Tom Brosseau: "Plaid Lined Jacket"
04 Curumin: "Tudo Bem Malandro"
05 The Shins: "Australia (Bjorn Yttling Mix)" [exclusive]
06 Brett Dennen: "Ain't No Reason"
07 Sean Hayes: "Turnaroundturnmeon"
08 Thee More Shallows: "Oh Yes, Another Mother"
09 Angus & Julia Stone: "The Beast"
10 Antony & the Johnsons: "Paddy's Gone"
11 Vetiver: "Idle Ties"
12 Norah Jones: "Broken"
13 Devendra Banhart: "There's Always Something Happening" [exclusive]
14 M. Ward: "What Is a Soul?" [exclusive]
15 Wooden Wand: "Forgiveness Figg (Bethany Hotel Blues)"
16 Rogue Wave: "How We Landed" [exclusive]

Even with all that indie cred, Portman isn't afraid to wave her Norah Jones jones (or business sense) around in our virtual faces. Good for her.

Tagged as: Music

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Not To Mention The Hypotenuse...

Posted on October 26, 2007 at 01:00 PM

Tagged as: Television

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Aerosmith + Coconuts

Posted on October 24, 2007 at 10:51 AM

It's a tough time to be a Hawaiian Aerosmith fan, but it's an even tougher time to be Aerosmith. You see, Aerosmith up and canceled a gig scheduled for Maui. In any other jurisdiction, this would be fine, annoying at most. However, in Hawaii, a state renown for drawing tourists, some liability is involved. Specifically, according to KITV in Honolulu:

...plaintiffs could be eligible for triple their losses in damages and up to $5,000 if over the age of 62.

This is all due to the fact that many potential concertgoers would have forked over dough for airline tickets, hotels and car rentals. Aerosmith could be responsible for a lot of money. A website called SueAerosmith.com has been created. Is this karmic comeback for never going away?

Tagged as: Music

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Kid Rock Rocks Out, Gets Munchies, Brawls

Posted on October 22, 2007 at 11:17 AM

Writers of a future Kid Rock biopic received a syrup-drenched gift this weekend - the former Robert Ritchie was arrested for fighting an Atlanta gentleman named Harlen Akins at an area Waffle House following Kid Rock's show at the Tabernacle (we are not making this up). According to reports, Akins began arguing with a female member of Kid's entourage. Kid and male members of the entourage got involved. And then, according to the New York Daily News:

Kid Rock, 36, and his pals jumped into their tour bus and drove off, but cops said they stopped the bus nearby and arrested them. Akins was charged with felony criminal mischief. Kid Rock and his pals were hit with misdemeanors. The singer walked out of the DeKalb County jail after putting up bond - and signed autographs as he walked back to his bus.

Eating at Waffle House, defending the honor of a woman, and then trying to escape down a morning-misty Georgia highway, and finally signing autographs - Kid Rock still rules.

Tagged as: Music

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The Killers. Bathrooms. Privacy.

Posted on October 16, 2007 at 09:57 AM

The Killers have reached a certain level of celebrity in which appearances at music festivals like, for example, the Echo Project Music Festival in Atlanta, which took place this past weekend, come with a guarantee of a private port-a-john. It's where they do all those things that they do.

Tagged as: Music

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A Britney Update...

Posted on October 15, 2007 at 11:21 AM

Is it funny, or sad, or both?

1. Britney Spears calls Kevin Federline, threatens to kill herself.

2. PETA fears for the welfare of Britney's pets and has written a letter to Kevin Federline asking him to pursue custody of her pets.

3. Another sex tape may be coming out soon, and thieves took her dominatrix outfit. Story:

Britney Spears may face a new sex-tape scandal after it has emerged that kinky videos and photographs were among the items stolen from the star’s Los Angeles home last weekend.

The British tabloid The Sun reports that Spears is distraught after the gang made off with personal items, including a dominatrix-style outfit, after breaking into her 12 -million Beverly Hills home.

The Sun quoted a source as saying: “Britney is beside herself with worry — having your home broken into is bad enough for anybody, but when you’re famous and you have had some pretty personal things taken, it’s 10 times worse.

“These guys went first for all Britney’s personal stuff. They seemed to know in the long run this will be worth far more to them if they can sell it to the highest bidder.”

Tagged as: Britney Spears

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T.I. Nabbed By A.T.F. In the ATL

Posted on October 15, 2007 at 10:19 AM

Wondering why rapper T.I. was a no-show at this weekend's BET Hip-Hop Awards? [You weren't?] Turns out he had his hands full, being arrested by purchasing illegal machine guns for his totally illegal arsenal of guns in his totally legal home in Atlanta. The story: T.I. is unable to purchase firearms because he is a convicted felon, so he sent his bodyguard. His bodyguard was caught purchasing guns for T.I. by an undercover Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent, and offered a deal. The bodyguard rapped like a canary, and now T.I. is an a heap of crap. Not to fear, however - he still won two awards that night. From the NY Daily News:

He allegedly sought military caliber guns that are popular with counterterrorism units in Brazil and some SWAT teams in the United States.

The guns, which included a Mac-10 and Mac-11, can fire between 1,000 and 1,600 rounds per minute and are small enough to conceal under loose clothing. In fully automatic mode, the guns can empty a magazine in about 1.5 seconds.

Tagged as: Music

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Lou Pearlman - REALLY Loves Boy Bands

Posted on October 12, 2007 at 10:55 AM

An article in this month's Vanity Fair magazine contains disturbing and fairly unsurprising allegations against Lou Pearlman, the Orlando-based boy band impresario behind such mega-successes as N'Sync and the Backstreet Boys. Guess what - he liked boys. The formerly-on-the-lam boy band fat man, who made his fortune with blimps, of all things, is being accused of having had improper relationships with his boy band charges. These include nude wrestling and career rewards for sexual favors. Pearlman denies the allegations. Nick Carter's mother claims that Pearlman actions nearly tore her family apart. None of this sheds any light on how the Backstreet Boys, the ugliest boy band of all time, made it so big. From ABC News:

In the November issue of Vanity Fair, Pearlman, for the first time publicly, is described by several former singers, aspiring singers and their parents as a lecher, who used the same deceptive charms to cop cheap feels off teenage boys as he did to allegedly bilk 1,400 investors out of more than $300 million.

Through his authorized biographer, Pearlman has denied the allegations from prison.

Tagged as: Music

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Madonna Tells Warners To Kiss Her Butt

Posted on October 11, 2007 at 01:22 PM

What a week for the industry. First, Radiohead released In Rainbows for a price to be determined by you, then Trent Reznor announced that Nine Inch Nails would no longer be on a label, at least in any traditional sense. Next up for paradigm-shifting? None other than Madonna. The Material Girl (a moniker she'll carry to her grave) has signed a $120 million deal with Live Nation, the concerts promotions comany. The deal will encompass both record releases and touring - an ideal arrangement for the industry in this age of shrinking product profit. More from the Times of London:

Madonna will receive a signing bonus of about $18 million and an advance of roughly $17 million, in cash and shares, for each of three albums under a ten-year deal, a source told Associated Press.

It is increasingly common for labels to strike deals that give them access to artists’ ticket sales.

Tagged as: Music

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Breaking News: Lindsay Lohan To Stop Clubbing

Posted on October 10, 2007 at 11:54 AM

In LA, at least! According to the NY Daily News, Lindsay Lohan has come to a momentous and, frankly, poignant decision - she is going to stop hanging out with people that will drag her to clubs, and she is going to stop going to clubs - in LA. Also, she plans to to surround herself with people that love her for her. Also, she's seeing someone. His name is Riley. He sounds nice. From the article:

"Going out all the time was very self-destructive."

"The biggest thing is not being in L.A. and staying away from the nightlife."

"I hit rock bottom."

"I plan on returning to Utah so I can stay focused and avoid other distractions."

"The people who want to go out and party, that's not what I'm about now."

"Yes, I'm seeing someone. His name is Riley. I am really happy and taking it day by day."

Lindsay should be careful what she wishes for - the New York Mets took it day by day and we all know what happened to them.

Tagged as: Celebs

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Nine Inch Nails: Bye Bye Labels

Posted on October 9, 2007 at 05:05 PM

First it was Radiohead, now it's Nine Inch Nails... Trent Reznor posted the following on the NIN site:

08 October 2007: Big News
Hello everyone. I've waited a LONG time to be able to make the following announcement: as of right now Nine Inch Nails is a totally free agent, free of any recording contract with any label. I have been under recording contracts for 18 years and have watched the business radically mutate from one thing to something inherently very different and it gives me great pleasure to be able to finally have a direct relationship with the audience as I see fit and appropriate. Look for some announcements in the near future regarding 2008. Exciting times, indeed.

Also, thinking of going label-less: Oasis, Jamiroquai and the Charlatans. Via Productshop NYC.

Tagged as: Music

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Tall Concertgoers Have (Angry) Feelings, Too

Posted on October 8, 2007 at 11:16 AM

Tall people. They're everywhere. Often, they play basketball. Additionally, the music-loving members of this unique tribe will attend concerts, where they are sometimes derided for the height by those in shorter frames. This person at this weekend's Arcade Fire show on Randall's Island in New York had a message for all. Via BV.

Tagged as: Music

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That Britney Fan

Posted on October 8, 2007 at 11:04 AM

Crock Remember the androgynous dude that defended Britney Spears in that YouTube clip? Here is a photo of him by the AP, thanks to the NYT. Crazy.

Tagged as: Britney Spears

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Be Glad You're Not Famous

Posted on October 8, 2007 at 10:53 AM

[Photo via BrooklynVegan via arcadefire.net]

Let's take a look around the internet:

Pamela Anderson marries Rick Salomon in between two of her magic shows (not MAGIC shows, mind you). Tommy Lee and Kid Rock sad. World amazed. Aliens observing from above aghast, thinking twice about invading Earth.

The Gray Lady herself has devoted some print-n-pixels to the Crazy Lady herself. In it's analysis of the latest twists in The Britney Spears Saga, the New York Times acknowledges the poignancy inherent in Brit losing her kids, and declares websites like TMZ.com the real winners in the publicly-fought Spears Wars. And also the New York Times, of course, who finally figured out a way to justify writing about Britney Spears.

Arcade Fire unveiled a truly amazing new website and also announced at a weekend NYC show that they would be going away for a couple of years. You mean like every other big band that's nearing the end of a touring cycle and will then take a break and then write and record a new album?

Tagged as: Celebs

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Pay What You Want For the New Radiohead

Posted on October 2, 2007 at 10:25 AM

Very few bands have the opportunity to make a grand statement like this: Radiohead will be releasing their next album In Rainbows in nine days on their website. A download will be available for whatever price you wish to pay, including nothing. In December, a package of a CD, vinyl and bonus CD will be available for 40 pounds (approx. 80 USD). Additionally, the album will be available in a conventional format, IE a CD in stores, in 2008.

Buzzword time: Paradigm shift! New model! Death knell sound!

It's all very cool. ANY stab at innovative marketing and sale is welcome. Plus, Radiohead are fantastic.

And finally, a bit of trivia: From what Talking Heads song did Radiohead get their name? That would be Radio Head, from the album True Stories.

Tagged as: Music

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