Quick quips: Eddie Van Halen, Rolling Stones, Reba McEntire, Lionel Richie, Dolly Parton, Jim Reeves, John Parr

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added: 12 Jan 2012 // by: VVN Music 

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Eddie Van Halen has donated 75 electric guitars from his collection to music programs at schools throughout the Los Angeles area. The gift was made in cooperation with the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation.
Van Halen said in a statement, "Music is the universal language. It has the ability to transcend and convey every human emotion that exists without saying a word. Music kept me off the streets and out of trouble and gave me something that was mine that no one could take away from me.
"Music education and families are dealing with the economic times, and I wanted to help them. If I can help a kid discover a liking, or even a passion for music in their life, then that's a wonderful thing. Music has provided a good life for me and hopefully it can help make life better for others with this donation."

A group called the Rolling Stones Liberation Front have issued six demands prior to the group's announcement of any 50th anniversary tour. They say if all six aren't met, they will wage a non-violent disruptive action. The demands are:
We want smaller venues.
We want lower ticket prices.
We want a set list overhaul.
We want to eliminate the horn section and back-up singers.
We want the expulsion of all opening acts.
We want all fans to take responsibility for themselves.
To read the details behind each of the demands, check out the article at Classic Rock magazine.

The Academy of Country Music has announced that Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton will return for their annual awards show on April 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It is Blake's second year as host and Reba's fourteenth.

The next night, the stars will return to the venue to tape ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends - A Lifetime of Hits. The special will air later in the year on CBS.

k.d. lang has filed papers to dissolve her domestic partnership with Jamie Price. The two first met in 2003 and entered into a partnership contract in 2009.

Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede in Pigeon Forge, TN has reached a major milestone, it's 25th anniversary year. Parton said of the restaurant "Over the years, some incredibly talented performers, those with two legs and those with four legs, have thoroughly amazed audiences with their talents, and our 25th anniversary season will be no exception!"

Jim Reeves is one of the most successful artists in country music history, racking up hits for years after his death in a 1964 plane crash. Larry Jordan, who knew Reeves and was close friends with his wife, Mary, has written a new book on the singer, Jim Reeves: His Untold Story.

John Parr, who hit in 1985 with the Theme From St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion), has recorded a new version of the song for Denver Broncos' quarterback Tim Tebow.

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'CBS This Morning': A worthy wakeup TV alternative

NEW YORK (AP) — Hooray for "CBS This Morning"! It's not silly!

This is not meant to damn with faint praise the brand-new wakeup show CBS is billing as "a more thoughtful, substantive and insightful source of news and information."

What CBS actually seems to be saying: "CBS This Morning" is more thoughtful, substantive and insightful than longtime NBC ratings champ "Today," or than narrowing-the-gap ABC runner-up "Good Morning America."

And it is.

After nearly 60 years and countless overlooked knockoffs of the morning-show format "Today" pioneered, CBS has dared to stray from the beaten path and try something different from its crushing competition. And in its first week, "CBS This Morning" (airing at 7 a.m. EST) proved itself a welcome alternative.

"CBS This Morning" has no jovial weather guy; no throngs of sidewalk fans waving signs; no rock bands; no we're-just-one-big-happy-family camaraderie among the co-hosts.

Hallelujah!

Increasingly, both "Today" and "Good Morning America" share a default position of fluff interrupted only when breaking, urgent news yanks them into sobriety.

"CBS This Morning" has, in effect, vowed to keep the silliness to a minimum, and its first week is promising.

This happens to be a week when "Today" was strutting its stuff even more than usual, celebrating its 60th anniversary with much hoopla. But for any viewer who yearned for a morning show that places a premium on news and information while holding the line on crime and star-gazing, "Today" as well as "GMA" was instantly upstaged by "CBS This Morning." It's an answered prayer.

The show is hosted by Charlie Rose (weathering an ill-timed cold and, by Friday, a sore throat). His calm, urbane, Southern-cured manner is counterbalanced by the caffeinated Gayle King. The third member of this hosting trio, Erica Hill, a holdover from the defunct "Early Show," falls somewhere in between.

In their first week, they seem like professional colleagues who get along fine. But refreshingly, "CBS This Morning" seems conceived not so much as a showcase for masterfully matched hosts as a destination for the information it dispenses.

The setting (dubbed Studio 57) is beautiful — spacious, brick-and-woody and blessedly free of any windows.

The show begins in sleek, elegant fashion, quickly seguing into a 90-second "Eye Opener" video montage that sets the stage for the program (and day) ahead.

Then most of the action takes place at a glass-topped roundtable where, in various combinations, members of the anchor team, CBS correspondents and interviewees appear, and then seamlessly depart. There's no "news reader," as on the other two shows, which have a decentralized structure and whose pace seems inspired by a game of hot potato.

Here, the news, like the rest of the show, flows steadily through its hosts at this information hub. The show is brisk but grounded.

Not that its first week was perfect. Maybe the worst segment: a vacuous interview with Julianna Margulies, star of CBS' "The Good Wife," that had no point other than to plug a network series and fill time — way too much of it.

For anyone not mesmerized by the British royals, Monday's show also included interminable coverage and analysis of Kate Middleton turning 30.

But Wednesday's edition found Gayle King interviewing first lady Michelle Obama, who refuted claims that she's "some angry black woman." It was a revealing segment made even more timely by "The Obamas," a just-published book in which she didn't participate.

 

Friday's show had an investigative report by Sharyl Attkisson on troubled clean-energy companies that got billions of dollars from the government and then, in several cases, went belly-up. And correspondent Mo Rocca had a smart feature on, fittingly, the stigma of Friday the 13th.

But does "CBS This Morning" have enough that's special to draw enough viewers?

Thursday's edition had a report by correspondent Elizabeth Palmer from inside Syria, where the government has severely limited access by most foreign media. And Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger offered reassuring words about flying in the wake of reports of planes diverted to foreign airports to refuel when crossing the Atlantic Ocean: "It's a passenger convenience issue, not a safety issue," he declared.

 

But otherwise, viewers of the first hour of "Today" would have gotten pretty much the same menu of news — however differently packaged — as those who watched "CBS This Morning."

Of course, during this first hour (where hard news traditionally gets the emphasis) "Today" viewers would also have seen lengthy reports on tabloid boldface names Casey Anthony and Joran van der Sloot, a prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway.

Did those stories really matter? What "CBS This Morning" didn't have — that, too, provides a good argument for watching.

___

Online:

http://www.cbsnews.com

___

EDITOR'S NOTE — Frazier Moore is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. He can be reached at fmoore(at)ap.org and at http://www.twitter.com/tvfrazier

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Portico Quartet ask fans to remix new album track �Steepless�

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added: 13 Jan 2012 // by: newsdesk 

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Portico Quartet have teamed up with Soundcloud to celebrate the upcoming release of their new album 'Portico Quartet' out 30th January 2012 by inviting the world to remix their phenomenal album track 'Steepless' which features singer-songwriter Cornelia.

The Mercury nominated East London based outfit's unique music has expanded to embrace new sonic territories on their third album release. Drawing on the inspiration of electronica, ambient, classical and dance music they take their strange, beautiful, cinematic, future music to exciting new vistas where the inspiration of Burial, Mount Kimbie and Flying Lotus rubs shoulders with the textures of Arve Henriksen and Bon Iver and echoes of Steve Reich and Max Richter.

Portico Quartet are encouraging fans and newcomers to their music the chance to remix 'Steepless', a track from their upcoming self titled album. Uniquely for them the track features a vocal collaboration, with East London based Swedish singer, Cornelia, whom they met through their friend Jamie Woon.

First prize includes a Pro SoundCloud account worth over £200 (courtesy of SoundCloud.com), all 3 Portico Quartet Vinyl LP releases, a limited edition EP and a pair of tickets to one of their upcoming gigs (excluding festivals). Two runners up will receive a Soundcloud Lite account and a copy of the new album.

To enter the competition and for more information on obtaining the stems and submitting remixes please visit ' http://www.facebook.com/porticoquartetmusic

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Tiesto DJs First-Ever Live Twitter Concert At 2012 CES

CES saw the power of dance music firsthand Wednesday night, as Tiësto took the booth at Las Vegas nightclub XS to make social media history.

Video streaming by Ustream

The DJ/producer and Billboard cover star partnered with HP and Intel to stage the first-ever live concert stream on Twitter, for a room full of the sponsors' best clients - some still wearing their CES badges and trade show comfort shoes - and an online audience of thousands.

"The coolest aspect for me is to be the first one to do it," the 42-year-old global superstar said earlier that day. "Twitter is here to stay; it's a long-term thing. And to be a part of it, to help its development, is amazing."

The private, invite-only set also marked the launch of another social media initiative for the man his friends call Tijs: "In The Booth," a 10-part video series meant to document Tiësto's fast-paced, globetrotting life, is set to premiere on the artist's YouTube channel on January 17. Produced by Believe Entertainment Group - the digital content company behind Lebron James' animated Web series "The Lebrons" - the documentary was also underwritten by HP and Intel, and features Tiësto prominently using the brands' products.

"He's the king of electronic dance music, but he's also a guy who gets it," said Believe co-founder William H. Masterson III from the event's "black carpet" (HP's key brand color). "He tries to create experiences for his audience that they've never had before."

For the sponsors, the Tiësto partnership was an ideal way to showcase their top priority for 2012: The new ultrabook category, created by (or according to event signage, "inspired by") processor giant Intel to compete with Apple's MacBook Air. Ultrabooks are meant to be light, thin and powerful; aesthetically pleasing but undeniably high-functioning. While Intel has charged all of its manufacturing partners to try their hands at making the lithe machines - with Acer, Lenovo and Dell also debuting new models at CES - the focus at XS was HP.

With media sponsorships that span other verticals - like "Project Runway" (Season 9 winner Anya Ayoung-Chee made an appearance at the HP booth, and at the Tiësto event) - HP likes to position itself as a facilitator of creativity, for a slightly younger and hipper audience. Its Envy 14 Spectre, a lightweight, visually striking Gorilla Glass-encased 14-incher; and Folio 15, a 15-inch addition to the Folio series, which boasts long battery life, were splashed all over the venue, on video screens, banners, and even in glass cases for revelers to gawk at.

Tiësto played his heart out for the full 90 minutes, blasting his trademark confetti cannons, and dropping a greatest-hits type of set, including Avicii's omnipresent "Le7els," Kaskade's "Turn It Down," a new remix of Oasis classic "Wonderwall," and his own "Maximal Crazy." The UStream video feed appeared in the extended body of a traditional Tweet, on HP and Intel's enhanced Twitter pages. The video player was tiny - but the real-time quality of the platform, now augmented with sight, sound and motion, was undeniably game-changing.

With logos strewn around every corner of the room - sketched on mirrors, projected on walls, even stretched over male dancers in branded unitards - there was no doubt that HP and Intel were in full support of their smiling Dutch DJ star, and his 847,000 Twitter followers.

"Five years ago, no way - brands like this wouldn't have gotten behind a DJ," says Believe co-founder Dan Goodman. "They wouldn't have known who you were talking about. Even now, I think it's early; we're just at the beginning."

"Never before has their been a form of music that's taken hold so hard," said Masterson. "Electronic music is probably the most dominant category globally right now. The way people react to the music, and the enjoyment they get out of it - that tells the entire story."

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Joe Kennedy III engaged to fellow Harvard Law grad

BOSTON (AP) — Joseph Kennedy III now has a wedding to look forward to as he considers a congressional run in Massachusetts.

The son of former U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II and grandson of the late Robert F. Kennedy is engaged to Lauren Anne Birchfield, a fellow Harvard Law School graduate.

Friday's announcement comes a little more than a week after the 31-year-old Kennedy formed an exploratory committee as a first step toward a run for the U.S. House seat held by retiring Rep. Barney Frank.

The engagement was announced by Birchfield's parents, the Rev. Dr. James Birchfield and Marta Birchfield of Houston. They did not say if a wedding date has been set.

Kennedy plans to leave his job as a prosecutor with the Middlesex District Attorney's office later this month.

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Lana Del Rey Heading to 'Letterman,' 'Ellen,' Reveals 'Born to Die' Track List

by David Greenwald, L.A.  |   January 12, 2012 6:17 EST

Lana Del Rey's television tour won't end with this weekend's "Saturday Night Live" performance.

Following her U.S. television debut, Rey, who covers Billboard this week, will sing on "Late Show with David Letterman" on Feb. 2 and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" at a February date yet to be announced.

Hooked: Lana Del Rey Lands Modeling Deal

Her Interscope debut, "Born to Die," is due Jan. 31, led by singles "Video Games," a track that's racked up 18 million YouTube views, and title track "Born to Die," which currently stands at 10 million views.

Find the newly announced track list for "Born to Die" below. The digital deluxe edition will be available via iTunes:

1. Born To Die  
2. Off To The Races  
3. Blue Jeans  
4. Video Games
5. Diet Mountain Dew  
6. National Anthem  
7. Dark Paradise  
8. Radio  
9. Carmen  
10. Million Dollar Man  
11. Summertime Sadness  
12. This Is What Makes Us Girls  

Deluxe Bonus Tracks:
13. Without You  
14. Lolita  
15. Lucky Ones

In addition to her domestic gigs, Del Rey recently performed "Video Games" at London's Corinthia Hotel. Watch the performance below:

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Freed Moroccan rapper promises more protest songs

RABAT (Reuters) - A Moroccan rapper who has become one of the monarchy's boldest critics was freed on Thursday after serving four months for assault, a charge which his lawyers say was a ploy to muzzle the popular singer.

After his release from Casablanca's Oukacha prison, Mouad Belrhouat, known as El-Haqed or "The Sullen One," said he would continue singing rap to protest "against the contempt ordinary Moroccans endure at the hands of the state and politicians."

"I will continue to spread my message and denounce the massive corruption in our country," he told Reuters by phone.

His trial had been seen as a test of the Justice and Development Party's commitment to ensuring full independence for the judiciary. The moderate Islamists are leading a government for the first time - like their Tunisian counterparts - after winning elections in November.

The Arab world's oldest monarchy, seeking to preempt popular revolt, made the judiciary constitutionally independent last year. But the courts retain a reputation for taking cues from the authorities, notably in graft and Islamic militancy cases.

BITTERSWEET VICTORY

Earlier on Thursday, a court in Casablanca sentenced 24-year-old Belrouat to four months and three days in jail and fined him 500 dirhams ($57), sources in the court said.

Belrhouat was arrested in September after a brawl with a monarchist. Bail requests by his lawyers were rejected and the trial was adjourned six times.

"It's a bittersweet victory for us," said activist Maria Karim, who has led the campaign for Belrhouat's release.

He has become the singing voice of the movement, inspired by Arab world uprisings, demanding a constitutional monarchy, an independent judiciary and a crackdown on corruption.

Morocco's main human rights group, AMDH, considers him to have been a prisoner of conscience.

His lyrics telling Moroccans to "wise up" have angered many monarchists. In one song he says the king spends so much time giving orders that he has little time to count his money in Switzerland.

Belrhouat has struck a chord with young Moroccans who are disenchanted with the lack of jobs and widespread corruption. One song "Bite just as much as you can chew" has had more than 600,000 hits on YouTube.

($1 = 8.7220 Moroccan dirhams)

(Editing by Louise Ireland)

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Aussie fly named after Beyonce

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added: 13 Jan 2012 // by: Noise11 

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Australian scientists have name a fly after Beyonce because of its 'bootylicious' shape.

The Scaptia (Plinthina) was first identified in Queensland in 1981, the same year Beyonce was born. To date, it has never been officially named.

Researchers for the CSIRO noticed that the fly's huge behind made it 'the diva of flies' and named in Beyonce in honour of her shapely figure.

Beyonce the fly is a rare horse fly only found in Northern Queensland.

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Bruce Springsteen's New Album: His 'Angriest' Yet

by Tim Appelo & Shirley Halperin, THR  |   January 13, 2012 1:57 EST

Bruce Springsteen is gearing up to release a new album with the E Street Band -- his 24th -- and a source tells the Hollywood Reporter it's The Boss' "angriest" yet.

"He gets into economic justice quite a bit," says an earwitness who's heard some of the music. "It's very rock'n'roll. He feels it's the angriest album he's ever made. Bear in mind, though, that [Springsteen] wrote and recorded the majority of the album before the Occupy movements started, so he's not just setting headlines to music."

Produced by Ron Aniello ( Patti Scialfa, Jars of Clay), the album, which was recently played for label execs, is described as veering into "unexpected textures -- loops, electronic percussion… an amazing sweep of influences and rhythms, from hip-hop to Irish folk rhythms." The as-yet-untitled effort is said to be "terrific."

While no release date has been set, Springsteen is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the music conference portion of South By Southwest in Austin, Texas on March 15, fueling speculation that an album may coincide with the appearance. The boss and the E Street Band, who lost two members ( Danny Federici and legendary saxophonist Clarence Clemons) in 2011, have also announced a round of U.K. tour dates set for June, listed below.

June 21: Sunderland, England (Stadium of Light)
June 22: Manchester, England (Etihad Stadium)
June 24: Isle of Wight, England (Isle of Wight Festival)
July 14: London, England (Hard Rock Calling)

(Additional reporting by Jillian Mapes, Billboard)

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Heather Locklear taken to Calif. hospital

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Heather Locklear was taken to a Southern California hospital for precautionary reasons Thursday after an emergency call was made from her home, authorities said.

Paramedics and sheriff's deputies responded Thursday afternoon to Locklear's home in Westlake Village, which is 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

Locklear was taken to Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, where a spokeswoman told KCAL-TV the actress was stable and her parents were by her side.

"Her parents wanted everybody to know that she's doing well, she's fine, she's not in any danger, she's healthy," hospital spokeswoman Kris Carraway-Bowman told the station.

Ventura County sheriff's Capt. Mike Aranda said he did not know Locklear's condition but deputies were not investigating.

Locklear has been hospitalized several times over the years. In 2009, she pleaded no contest to reckless driving after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of prescription medication.

The 50-year-old actress's publicists did not return messages seeking comment.

Locklear and "Melrose Place" co-star Jack Wagner recently ended their engagement. She was previously married to Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, and they have a daughter together.

 

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