Courtney Love Unloads!

In an astonishing interview with Maer Roshin of thefix.com Courtney Love points the finger of blame at a journalist for tipping Cobain over the edge, insists she has lost $900m dollars to unscrupulous lawyers and tells of the agony of addiction

Reported by Eric MacKinnon

Published: May 30, 2011. © Rock AAA.

Courtney Love

Courtney Love has taken aim and unloaded both barrels at a host of targets including journalist Lynn Hirschberg who she claims was the final straw which tipped her late-husband Kurt Cobain over the edge and pushed him towards suicide.
The Hole singer also claims to have lost an eye-watering $900million at the hands of unscrupulous lawyers who left her so skint she and her and Kurt’s daughter Frances Bean were forced to move in with a relative.
In an astonishing interview with The Fix Love also fires back at Kelly Osbourne for calling her a ‘crackhead’ but admits her struggles with drug addiction are not over after she was recently tempted into taking a ‘bump’ of cocaine.
When asked when she first realised her drug use had become a problem Love told The Fix:
“When I was pregnant with Frances. When my doctor informed me I was having a baby, I knew I had to get clean real quick. I checked in to a hospital to detox. But then my world was turned upside down by a very bitter, very ugly woman named Lynn Hirschberg, who published an article about Kurt and me in Vanity Fair.
“She is famous for doing hatchet pieces on other women and blow-jobs on famous Jewish men. She’s constantly falling in love with celebrities like Rick Rubin, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Weinstein, and Jerry Seinfeld. In fact, she was fired from Vanity Fair because she sent Jerry Seinfeld an article she had written about him and allowed him to edit it before it appeared in the magazine. She’s a monster—that’s all I can say. I don’t have hate in my heart for anybody, but she’s more responsible for my husband’s death than anyone.
“I went to rehab before her story came out. I had checked myself into Cedar-Sinai’s chemical dependency centre to come down off of opiates. The guy who ran the unit at the time was an addict himself, and he offered me morphine to induce an abortion. I told him, ‘I want this child. Are you out of your mind?’ He told me, ‘Oh, if you kick heroin, you’ll miscarry anyway.’ But you know what? I’m built like an ox. I wasn’t about to lose my baby. She came out a few months later and she was beautiful and healthy and perfect.
“I think the stress caused by Lynn Hirschberg’s article had a lot more of an impact on her than anything I ever did. When that article came out, I’d been in a chemical dependency unit for a whole week! After I went home, Kurt was using a lot of heroin, so I usually spent the night with friends. I didn’t stay around Kurt too much when I was pregnant. That whole episode made us drift apart.
“Yes, it’s true, I used heroin in the first three weeks of my pregnancy—but so fucking what!? I didn’t even know I was pregnant at the time! I also took a few puffs on a cigarette when my belly was out to here, but most of those nine months, I walked around with nicotine patches all over my body. When you have a baby inside you, you’re not going to do drugs or something stupid.”
When asked if blaming Hirschberg for her husband’s suicide was unfair Love responded:
“Stop being such an asshole! Who do you think you are? Barbara Fucking Walters? Go read that article again! Do you know what it’s like when someone sets out to do a hit piece on you?
“As a writer, wouldn’t it be your worst nightmare if you drove someone to suicide? I hope so. Because that’s what Lynn Hirschberg did to Kurt, all right? She humiliated and emasculated him. She sent him over the edge. She deserves most of the blame for his death. Do you really want to challenge me on that fact?”
Cobain took his own life in 1994 and Love admits she almost did the same after she claims she uncovered a trail of deceit and fraud which almost ruined her financially.
She continued:
“It was shortly after I found this huge box in my house, filled with fraudulent credit cards. There were hundreds and hundreds of them, all made out to different names and entities, and they were all being charged to me.
“It was the first time I realised that I was being taken for a ride. My lawyers and accountants had literally stolen hundreds of millions from me right under my nose.
“The whole thing sent me into a real tailspin. For a long time, it was all I could think about. I was spending all my days obsessively going through these documents, smoking crack, and getting high all the time.
“You know, when Kurt died he left behind hundreds of millions of dollars. His estate earns more money every year than any other deceased musician in history. Even more than Elvis! But despite all this, at one point I was so broke that myself and Frances had to move in with my stepfather. These people were feasting on billions of dollars, and my child and I didn’t have a dime.
“After I figured out what was going on, I was determined to find a paper trail. I hired a forensic accountant to find out how all these fucking people had managed to screw me so royally. The strange thing is, while the drugs screwed me up in a lot of ways, they improved me in certain others. I’ve never been good with numbers, but when I was on crack I could do math really, really well. I became a fucking whiz at calculus. But I also became kind of psychotic, unfortunately.
“You know, I’ve been through a lot of trauma, I’ve witnessed a lot of death. I’ve looked the devil in the eye. According to the London Times, I’ve had $900 million stolen from me. I’ve had my daughter metaphorically and literally kidnapped.
“My husband’s money is supporting a squad of corrupt lawyers who fucked me over. It hasn’t been easy. I can be eccentric, egotistic and temperamental. I can be a real bitch. But I also know that I’m a really good artist.
“So do you really expect me to be well-adjusted all the time? Look at all these little stars—Britney and Lindsay and all the others. Being famous is a dangerous profession these days.”
The above article is an excerpt from an interview by Maer Roshin of “The Fix” with Courtney Love. A full transcript of the interview is available at www.thefix.com

One-liners: ‘The only way to fly a jet was to get a job’

Why Dickinson became a pilot; Bonzo voted number one; plus Jack Black, John Corabi, Shinedown, Great White, AC/DC and Korn

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Flight fight: Bruce Dickinson

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson says he became a commercial airline pilot because he’s not rich enough to own a jet plane. He reports: “I never intended to become a professional pilot. But, not being John Travolta, I realised the only way I was ever going to fly one was if I got a job.” The customised Boeing 757 used by Maiden would cost $80m to buy.
Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham is the number-one sticksman of all time, according to Gibson. The guitar makers say: “He was famous for his speed, intensity and swift right foot, but above all he was a soul drummer – in the end he was simply a groover.” The company’s top ten continues with Neil Peart, Keith Moon, Dave Grohl, Lars Ulrich, Mike Portnoy, Ginger Baker, Josh Freese, Stewart Copeland and Ringo Starr.
Jack Black says he has no plans to make a sequel to 2003 movie Shool of Rock – because it would be unlikely to match the quality of the original. “It’s my favourite,” he comments. “It was tailor-made for me, and so brilliantly written and directed. It was a great experience. I’m pretty sure School of Rock 2 would be the film to go on my tombstone.”
Former Motley Crue and Ratt singer John Corabi is set to release an acoustic album which, he says, includes “old songs, new songs and a sample of things to come.” He’ll tour an acoustic set in support of CInderella over the summer.
Shinedown singer Brent Smith says the band refuse to be rushed into releasing the follow-up to 2008′s The Sound of Madness. Smith explains: “The beautiful thing is the journey, and finding out where you are in your life, how far you’ve come and how much you’ve grown. It’s crucial for us that the fourth record is as strong as possible, so we take our time.”
Great White guitarist Mark Kendall has confirmed the band’s current singer Terry Ilous is just standing in for Jack Russell: “Jack’s had a ton of health issues that’s made it literally impossible for him to perform. He was doing it with the aid of stools and we were getting ridiculed. He’s working with a trainer and wants to come back, but he has to get himself a little more mobile before we take him out. In the meantime Terry is doing great – he still has all his range, while Jack has a few notes missing from the past.”
If AC/DC tour again they won’t stage a two-year extravaganza, says frontman Brian Johnson – and in fact, they didn’t intend to do so with their Black Ice world trek. “It just got bigger and bigger, and we were like, ‘What the hell is happening?’” Johnson reports. “We enjoyed every minute of it, but I don’t think we could do two years again. It was really brutal.”
Korn bassist Fieldy says his bandmates have been surprisingly noncommittal about his side-project Stillwell, who are opening on the nu-metal outfit’s current tour. “They watch us every night, but they don’t seem very animated about things,” he comments. “They’re not coming up to me like, ‘Dude, that is so dope,’ but I’ll see Jonathan Davis watching from the side of the stage, and I saw Munky watching us from the soundboard the other night.”

VAN HALEN - Two Former Singers Unite For One-Off Show In Tucson This Saturday

Posted on Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 02:27:28 EST

EXTREME / ex-VAN HALEN frontman GARY CHERONE will support the man he replaced, SAMMY HAGAR, with his new outfit HURTSMILE this Saturday, June 4th in Tucson, AZ at at Casino Del Sol. Go to this location for venue and ticket information.



Hurtsmile will also perform on June 3rd in Tempe, AZ at Club Red.

Following is an excerpt from BW&BK scribe Carl Begai's recent interview with Cherone:

Cherone’s high profile stint with Van Halen from ‘96 – ’99 fell flat for seemingly everyone but the band, and his industrial-flavoured TRIBE OF JUDAH solo project from 2002 also failed to catch on.

“Obviously there’s more to the record than the few demos from 2007, but the majority of people liked Hurtsmile and a lot of them said what you did, that Tribe Of Judah had a few too many bells and whistles going with their rock n’ roll.”

Tribe Of Judah’s sole album, Exit Elvis, proved to be much too cold and impersonal for fans that had quite literally grown up with Cherone playing the role of flamboyant rock star. It was as if the life had been sucked out of his music.

“Looking back on it, I agree,” says Cherone. “If you put Tribe Of Judah in context of me coming out of Van Halen, the last thing I wanted to do was put together a four piece rock band. I was open to working with some new people and trying to do what I do on a different template. But, you are what you are and it was more of an experiment. This is what I grew up on, and my favourite bands are three and four piece rock bands.”

Hurtsmile is quite literally a homegrown affair for Cherone, as it features his younger brother Mark as the band’s guitarist. He considers is a long overdue musical partnership.

“We all grew up in Boston in the clubs, and my brother is a few years younger than me so he started a little later than I did,” Cherone says of their roots. “Back in the day we were playing the same clubs, though, and the singer in Mark’s band was Nuno’s brother Paul. We were a very tight knit group. Mark and I have always been close. He’s a great guitar player and a great songwriter, and I knew that someday the schedules would permit us to work together. When we started Hurtsmile in 2007 I wasn’t bummed that Extreme was getting back together, but I was bummed for my brother because I’d been looking forward to doing some music with him.”



Comparisons to Extreme were guaranteed the moment Cherone put his voice to tape. Fans will find they’re able to take comparisons further with regards to his brother’s guitar work, which has a definite Bettencourt flavour. Cherone is quick to point out, however, that working with a different guitarist brought out different qualities in his own songwriting.

“When Mark was growing up there was no one in Boston that wasn’t influenced by Nuno. Mark was a little younger and Nuno was so prolific – he was on another planet back then (laughs) – and they were and are very close. Not that Nuno tutored Mark, but Mark learned a lot from being around him. For me, it wasn’t until Mark moved to L.A. and got away from Extreme that he kind of found himself. They both have the same heroes, but Mark reminds me more of an Angus Young whereas Nuno’s playing is more Van Halen influenced. That does bring out different melodies and attitudes from me. The first song we worked on was ‘Just War’ and he’d written the verse and the chorus, and I put my chorus melodies over his verse and the verse melodies on his chorus (laughs). He thought it was great and just wanted more of that”

Roger Waters has ‘no wish to reunite with Pink Floyd ever again’

The past is best left in the past.

NME reports Roger Waters has dashed any hopes Pink Floyd fans had for a reunion of the legendary group by telling the BBC that he has “no wish to reunite with Pink Floyd ever again.”

"I'm really glad that I was in that band for the 20 years that I was in it and I really enjoyed it,” said Waters on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs show Sunday morning. “I think we did some great work together but I have no wish to do it ever again.”

Rogers’ comments come just two weeks after he was joined onstage by former Floyd bandmates David Gilmour and Nick Mason at London’s 02 Arena, as part of Waters’ “The Wall Live” tour. The unannounced May 12 guest appearances happened during Waters six-night run at the venue, shows that were being filmed and recorded for future release.

Gilmour played on “Comfortably Numb,” while both he and Mason appeared during the show’s closing number, “Outside The Wall” - with Gilmour on mandolin and Mason on tambourine, it was only the second time that the three surviving members had played together in the last 30 years.

The 02 “reunion” sent Floyd fans into a frenzy, re-energizing hopes and speculation that there might be more to come, but it sounds like Waters has moved on.

As have the others.

Gilmour’s blog advised fans that the event was “most definitely a one-off; David is not repeating his special guest performance at a later occasion,” while Mason told Rolling Stone “there are absolutely no plans” to reunite.

Pink Floyd

Roger Waters – Comfortably Numb
With special guest David Gilmour
02 Arena - London, UK - May 12, 2011

'Kung Fu Panda 2,' 'The Hangover Part II' Lead Busy Weekend At The Box Office

5/25/2011 2:46 PM ET

(RTTNews) - While "Pirates of the Caribbean" should still draw a sizeable crowd this weekend, "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "The Hangover Part II" are ready to hit theaters and take over the box office, which could make Memorial Day weekend the busiest of the year at the movies. Aimed at completely different demographics, "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "The Hangover Part II" will reach theaters on Thursday and are set up for tremendous worldwide box office runs.

Though animated films were formerly dominated by Pixar/Disney, Paramount/Dreamworks has found a way to tap into the sizeable family demographic in recent years. The original "Kung Fu Panda," released in 2008, was a big hit with younger audiences as it went on to gross $66 million its opening weekend and $215 million domestically. It was a big hit overseas as well, helping it haul in a spectacular $631 million worldwide.
But while the first "Kung Fu Panda" ended up as one of the most impressive earners of 2008, the ceiling for the sequel is considerably higher. More than any demographic, family audiences tend to massively support sequels, as has been seen with the "Shrek" and "Toy Story" franchises as well as much smaller releases like "Alvin and the Chipmunks." Following its own blueprint from the "Shrek" series, Paramount/Dreamworks is releasing "Kung Fu Panda 2" just three years after the original, which should guarantee that family audiences are still very familiar with the characters.
Also contributing to the auspicious outlook of the weekend for "Kung Fu Panda 2" is a general lack of competition for younger family audiences, even though "Pirates" will provide at least a little competition. "Rio" has pretty much owned the younger portion of the family demographic for a little more than a month, but it doesn't have much appeal left as it heads into its seventh weekend in theaters. "Kung Fu Panda 2" should earn somewhere in the neighborhood of $80 to $85 million for the three-day weekend and surpass $100 million when the Monday holiday is included.
Also getting released on Thursday is "The Hangover Part II," the follow-up to the biggest R-rated comedy of all-time. After "The Hangover" grossed nearly $500 million worldwide in 2009 and become somewhat of a phenomenon, the sequel brings back all of the main characters and could end up with the biggest comedy opening of 2011. This time around, the story goes abroad to Thailand, following the recent trend of taking sequels out of the U.S. to attract an even wider international audience.
Even though "The Hangover Part II" has been mostly panned by critics so far, it's very unlikely that will affect weekend numbers. Both "Meet the Fockers" and "Little Fockers" were also heavily criticized but still managed to put up enormous overall box office totals, a trend that will likely continue with "The Hangover." With its tremendous built-in audience, look for "The Hangover Part II" to surpass $50 million for the three-day weekend and to post a five-day opening total closer to $75 or $80 million domestically.
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'50/50' Trailer Shows Seth Rogen In New Style Of Buddy Comedy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5/27/2011 4:18 PM ET

Though funny man Seth Rogen has made his name in raunchy R-rated comedies, from "Superbad" to "Pineapple Express," comedy/drama "50/50" looks to be heading in a slightly different direction. A new trailer for the Summit film pairs Rogen with a young man (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is coming to grips with having cancer that could potentially be terminal.

Van Halen Makes Gibson.com’s Top 50 Cover Songs of All Time

Friday, 27 May 2011

From Gibson.com:
Some of the most famous songs in music history are cover versions – whether it’s The Beatles doing Motown hits, Elvis tackling R&B tunes or just about everyone covering Bob Dylan songs. In honor of the artists who didn’t write the songs, but recorded legendary versions of them, Gibson.com is counting down the Top 50 Cover Songs of All Time.
Gibson.com recently enlisted its editors, writers and you, the readers, to vote for the greatest cover songs ever released. After announcing #50-41, #40-31, #30-21 and #20-11, we’re ready to reveal the Top 10 Cover Songs of All Time – with the original artist, or, in some cases, the most famous previous artist in parentheses.
33. “Oh, Pretty Woman,” Van Halen (Roy Orbison)
The Big O’s 1964 original made #1 on both sides of the Atlantic. Nearly 20 years later, Van Halen decided it was ripe for a party-metal makeover. Hey, why not? They had already mashed The Kinks, to devastating effect. Van Halen’s version walks a fine Spinal Tap line of clever/stupid, but it somehow works. EVH’s riffing sounds super-steely and David Lee Roth adds a comedic “grrrrrrrrr.” A hit was guaranteed. The fact remains, more wannabe bands rock Van Halen’s version than Orbison’s original. Mercy! – Michael Leonard
9. “You Really Got Me,” Van Halen (The Kinks)
Van Halen’s cover of this Kinks classic was the first thing that most of the rock world ever heard of VH. The year was 1978 and the song’s pairing with “Eruption” on the band’s self-titled album of that year was one of the most devastating one-two punches ever delivered by four dudes from Pasadena. Opening with Eddie’s legendary “brown sound” (augmented by washes of reverb on the opposite side of the stereo spectrum), the guitar was right in your face, the energy was cranked up to burning point, and David Lee Roth’s sassy delivery made fans momentarily forget all about The Kinks’ version, much to Dave Davies’ later chagrin. The guitar solo has it all: syrupy phaser tones, two-handed tapping, wide bends and a cool toggle-switch stutter effect, all topped off with a killer pick slide. The breakdown after the solo would set the stage for future classics like “Mean Streets” and “Panama,” and the closing legato and hint of feedback made you hold your breath just in case there was more coming. – Peter Hodgson
Here’s their Top Ten covers:
10. “Respect,” Aretha Franklin (Otis Redding)
9. “You Really Got Me,” Van Halen (The Kinks)
8. “The House of the Rising Sun,” The Animals (Traditional)
7. “Mr. Tambourine Man,” The Byrds (Bob Dylan)
6. “Hallelujah,” Jeff Buckley (Leonard Cohen)
5. “Crossroads,” Cream (Robert Johnson)
4. “I Fought the Law,” The Clash (The Crickets, Bobby Fuller Four)
3. “Hurt,” Johnny Cash (Nine Inch Nails)
2. “Twist and Shout,” The Beatles (The Top Notes, The Isley Brothers)
1. “All Along the Watchtower,” The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Bob Dylan)

A Brief History of the “Parodying a Bunch of Recent Videos” Music Video

Thursday, 26 May 2011

PopDust.com has a story featuring five classic MTV videos that parody some of the iconic-but-overblown music videos of the time. One of which is David Lee Roth’s Just A Gigolo / I An’t Got Nobody” (1985).
The prototypical “parodying a bunch of recent videos” (PABORV?) video, David Lee Roth used the clip for his second solo single, a cover of Louis Prima’s melding of pop standards “Just a Gigolo” and “I Ain’t Got Nobody,” to have a little fun with his pop peers. Freed from the shackles of Van Halen, Roth roams onto the video sets of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself,” and anonymous Michael Jackson and Culture Club clips, generally creating chaos wherever he goes, and even causing poor Billy to get electrocuted. It all goes down on Dave TV, the 24-hour David Lee Roth video channel for which Dave himself is also the VJ, in some sort of weird version of egomaniacal music video purgatory.

Trailer For George Clooney's 'The Descendants' Is Heavy On Melodrama

	5/26/2011 4:09 PM ET From acclaimed writer/director Alexander Payne ("Sideways," "Election") comes "The Descendants," a drama/comedy with George Clooney starring as a father struggling to raise two daughters. Though Clooney's character considers himself the backup parent in the recently released trailer, he's soon thrust into a more prominent role when his wife becomes gravely ill.

Puddle of Mudd Cover Elton John, Neil Young, AC/DC on New Album

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 05.26.2011

Post-grunge group Puddle of Mudd have announced their next album will be a collection of cover songs from a hand-picked list of artists – everyone from AD/DC to the Steve Miller Band to Elton John.
The set, titled re:(disc)overed, will drop August 2. The collection is the follow-up to 2009’s Volume 4: Songs in the Key of Love & Hate.
While the band set out to record an album of new material, the toll of the road pushed them to do a covers collection instead.
“Since we started we’ve been non-stop – make a record, go on tour, then right into rehearsals and the next record, then back on tour...,” guitarist Paul Phillip told Billboard.com. “We were really burned out, and when we started trying to write again it just wasn't time yet. And we had been doing [AC/DC’s] ‘TNT’ and [the Steve Miller Band’s] ‘The Joker’ and had so much fun with those that one thing led to another and we decided to make a covers record. It was just something fun to do, and we had a blast.”
The album packs 15 songs, 11 of which Puddle of Mudd recorded with producer Bill Appleberry earlier this year at Los Angeles’ Bomb Shelter, a recording space owned by Stone Temple Pilots drummer Eric Kretz. The first single, The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” is scheduled to hit radio in mid-June.
The guys took special care to choose an eclectic variety of performers to cover.
“We chose a lot of things that were challenging,” Phillip said. “People hear Puddle’s gonna do a covers album and they think it’ll be Nirvana and the Ramones and Metallica and stuff like that. And that's something we wanted to do, but we wanted to stretch our legs, and it was a very challenging thing to have songs that have piano and these big, crazy arrangements and stuff. I mean, doing an Elton John song with piano and backup singers and stuff is not easy. It’s easier to record a Puddle of Mudd song, but to tackle an arrangement like that is a lot more difficult to do, and that’s what we wanted.”
Puddle of Mudd just wrapped up a last-minute gig at Rock on the Range music festival in Columbus, Ohio, last weekend, and they’re set to tour this summer, starting Memorial Day weekend with festival shows in St. Louis and St. Paul, Minnesota, and a stint at the U.K.’s Download Festival on June 10.
The track list for Puddle of Mudd's re:(disc)overed:
“Gimme Shelter” (Rolling Stones)
“Old Man” (Neil Young)
“TNT” (AC/DC)
“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” (Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers)
“The Joker” (Steve Miller Band)
“Everybody Wants You” (Billy Squier)
“Rocket Man” (Elton John)
“All Right Now” (Free)
“Shooting Star” (Bad Company)
“Funk 49” (James Gang)
“D'yer M'ker” (Led Zeppelin)

'Kung Fu Panda 2,' 'The Hangover Part II' Lead Busy Weekend At The Box Office

5/25/2011 2:46 PM ET

(RTTNews) - While "Pirates of the Caribbean" should still draw a sizeable crowd this weekend, "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "The Hangover Part II" are ready to hit theaters and take over the box office, which could make Memorial Day weekend the busiest of the year at the movies. Aimed at completely different demographics, "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "The Hangover Part II" will reach theaters on Thursday and are set up for tremendous worldwide box office runs.

Though animated films were formerly dominated by Pixar/Disney, Paramount/Dreamworks has found a way to tap into the sizeable family demographic in recent years. The original "Kung Fu Panda," released in 2008, was a big hit with younger audiences as it went on to gross $66 million its opening weekend and $215 million domestically. It was a big hit overseas as well, helping it haul in a spectacular $631 million worldwide.
But while the first "Kung Fu Panda" ended up as one of the most impressive earners of 2008, the ceiling for the sequel is considerably higher. More than any demographic, family audiences tend to massively support sequels, as has been seen with the "Shrek" and "Toy Story" franchises as well as much smaller releases like "Alvin and the Chipmunks." Following its own blueprint from the "Shrek" series, Paramount/Dreamworks is releasing "Kung Fu Panda 2" just three years after the original, which should guarantee that family audiences are still very familiar with the characters.
Also contributing to the auspicious outlook of the weekend for "Kung Fu Panda 2" is a general lack of competition for younger family audiences, even though "Pirates" will provide at least a little competition. "Rio" has pretty much owned the younger portion of the family demographic for a little more than a month, but it doesn't have much appeal left as it heads into its seventh weekend in theaters. "Kung Fu Panda 2" should earn somewhere in the neighborhood of $80 to $85 million for the three-day weekend and surpass $100 million when the Monday holiday is included.
Also getting released on Thursday is "The Hangover Part II," the follow-up to the biggest R-rated comedy of all-time. After "The Hangover" grossed nearly $500 million worldwide in 2009 and become somewhat of a phenomenon, the sequel brings back all of the main characters and could end up with the biggest comedy opening of 2011. This time around, the story goes abroad to Thailand, following the recent trend of taking sequels out of the U.S. to attract an even wider international audience.
Even though "The Hangover Part II" has been mostly panned by critics so far, it's very unlikely that will affect weekend numbers. Both "Meet the Fockers" and "Little Fockers" were also heavily criticized but still managed to put up enormous overall box office totals, a trend that will likely continue with "The Hangover." With its tremendous built-in audience, look for "The Hangover Part II" to surpass $50 million for the three-day weekend and to post a five-day opening total closer to $75 or $80 million domestically.
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Priest rock American Idol

Reported by Bruce Henne

Published: May 26, 2011. © Rock AAA.

Halford & Durbin

They came. They rocked. They conquered.
Metal gods Judas Priest debuted their new lineup – including latest addition Richie Faulkner – on the American Idol finale Wednesday night.
Priest teamed up Idol contestant James Durbin for a double-shot of metal, playing two of their classics, “Livin’ After Midnight” and “Breaking The Law.”
James rocked Priest’s “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming,” back in March, possibly the first time heavy metal has hit the Idol stage. All season long, Durbin encouraged Idol viewers to get behind the heavy with his slogan, “give metal a chance”; he was eliminated two weeks ago and ended up in fourth place.
Priest have just announced North American dates for the band’s Epitaph Tour, billed as the band’s final world tour, which kicks off June 7 in Holland.
“We’re pulling out all the stops,” singer Rob Halford told the media at an L.A. press conference Tuesday. “We’ve built a brand new stage set, we’ve got all the effects that people love us for — the lasers, the fire, the bombs, the smoke, new costumes, and the bike. It’s just a full-on metal extravaganza.”

Staind Confirm New Studio Album Coming Later this Year

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05.25.2011

Staind have confirmed they will release their much-anticipated new studio album later this year. As reported by NME.com, guitarist Mike Mushok told Michigan-based radio station WGRD that the album, titled Seven, marks something of a return to the harder-edged style of Staind’s early albums.
“It’s a modern-sounding version of a heavy Staind record,” said Mushok. “It’s completely different than the last record [2008’s The Illusion of Progress]. It’s more of a throwback to where we came from. [But] I don’t think there’s any rehashed riffs; I definitely think it’s fresh.”
Mushok went on to say the album, which the band began working on in late 2010, has been difficult to make. “It was a tough one,” he said. “And it wasn’t even the music or writing it; it’s just that there were a lot of things going on, and it made for a long, drawn-out process, it seemed. But I’ll tell you what – looking back, now that it's done, I’m really, really happy with it.”

Tyler plays American Idol without Aerosmith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His band might have blanked the show, but Steven Tyler Dreams On alone **VIDEO FOOTAGE**

Reported by Bruce Henne

Published: May 26, 2011. © Rock AAA.

The finale (at long last)

It was the moment American Idol viewers and rock fans had been waiting for all season: Steven Tyler finally took the Idol stage to perform.
Dressed all in white, Tyler pulled out the Aerosmith classic, “Dream On,” for the biggest show of the season.
After playing judge and mentor all year, Tyler finally had a chance to shine, and while he was unable to convince his bandmates to join him, Steven did bring brothers Robert and Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots along to get the job done.
It was an abbreviated version of “Dream On,” which begs the question: what were the Idol producers thinking? They cut short a classic of the rock era in favor of brutal medleys by the Top 13 contestants – the bulk of who were not popular enough to make it to the finale – and appearances by everyone from Lady Gaga to Carrie Underwood to Beyonce (did she really need to do two songs???).
Those annoyances aside, the producers did schedule Tyler’s performance in the right spot in the show – moments before the winner was announced – which only managed to further the anticipation among viewers and, likely, those at L.A.’s Nokia Theatre.
Playing live at the Idol finale must have been a hugely proud moment for Tyler, as he put his stamp on his first season as a judge, one where he made many new fans with his encouraging words of support for the contestants throughout, kept everyone in stitches with his remarks, all while launching both a solo single and an autobiography.
Steven’s memoir, “Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?”, recently debuted at #2 on the New York Times “Hardcore Nonfiction” Best Seller list. Tyler is expected to regroup with Aerosmith through the summer, as the band works on music for a new album, it’s first since 2004’s “Honkin’ On Bobo”; a fall tour of Latin America has already been announced. The bad boys from Boston released “Tough Love: Best Of The Ballads,” on May 10.
Steven Tyler -- Dream On
American Idol finale – May 25, 2011

"CARRIE" REMAKE IN THE WORKS

(RTTNews) - Roberto Aguirre-Sacassa, the writer behind the book for Broadway's "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark," has reportedly signed on to write a remake of the 1976 thriller "Carrie." The film is based on Stephen King's book of the same name.

The remake will mark the second collaboration between Sacassa and King, as the pair previously connected for a graphic novel of King's "The Stand." According to movieweb.com, the project is under the umbrella of MGM Pictures, though the studio has not yet announced any details.
Sissy Spacek starred in the original "Carrie" film alongside Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, Betty Buckley, Nancy Allen, John Travolta and P.J. Soles. It originally hit theatres on November 3, 1976 and was directed by Brian De Palma.
by RTT Staff Writer

JUDAS PRIEST US DATES

Published: May 25, 2011. © Rock AAA.

Judas Priest have announced the first series of dates for the North American leg of the band’s Epitaph Tour.
Things kick off on October 12 in San Antonio, Texas and run for about 6 weeks, wrapping up in East Rutherford, New Jersey on November 18.
Thin Lizzy and Black Label Society will share the bill with Priest as the metal legends embark on their farewell world tour.
“It’s not exactly the end of the band, it’s just the fact that we won’t really be doing any more world tours,” guitarist Glenn Tipton tells Rolling Stone.
“It takes a big chunk out of your life. We’ve been doing it for 40 years now or close to it, and we all love that moment on stage, but it’s difficult to be away from home and all the traveling involved. Now, if somebody came along and said, ‘Would you do a small string of dates,’ we wouldn’t automatically say no to that. But in general, this is probably the last chance you’ll get to see Priest live.”
And the band plans on going out with a bang. “We’re pulling out all the stops,” says Rob Halford. “We’ve built a brand new stage set, we’ve got all the effects that people love us for — the lasers, the fire, the bombs, the smoke, new costumes, and the bike. It’s just a full-on metal extravaganza.”
Priest introduced new guitarist Ritchie Faulkner to the media during a press conference at the Renaissance Hotel in Los Angeles on Tuesday; Faulkner steps into the lineup following the recent retirement of K.K. Downing, just six weeks before the tour’s start on June 7 in Tilburg, Holland.
During the press conference, it was revealed that Priest will release the “Single Cuts” CD-singles box set and the “Classic Albums Collection” later this year containing the following material:
1. “Single Cuts” – CD Singles box set:
• The complete UK CBS/Columbia singles from 1977-2008 – featuring all 7″ and 12″ tracks from 1987-2008.
• All singles will carry original artwork.
• This box will only be available online and sold through the official Judas Priest website.
• Fans can pre-order the box starting in June; the product will ship later in the summer.
2. The Classic Albums Collection:
• Timed for the start of the US tour, Judas Priest will be releasing the Classic Albums Collection
• Box set – featuring all the albums from the classic line up years, including first two Gull records
• Includes 17 albums – 19 discs in total
• All re-mastered albums with original artwork
Here’s the first series of North American shows for the Epitaph Tour; more dates are to be announced…
Judas Priest
Epitaph Tour
2011 North American leg
Oct 12 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center
Oct 14 – Corpus Christi, TX – Concrete Street Amphitheater
Oct 15 – Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Oct. 16 – Allen, TX – Allen Event Center
Oct 18 – Tucson, AZ – Ava Amphitheater
Oct 19 – San Diego, CA – Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
Oct 21 – Phoenix, AZ – AZ State Fair
Oct 22 – San Bernardino, CA – San Manuel Amphitheater
Oct 23 – Las Vegas, NV – Hard Rock
Oct 25 – Los Angeles, CA – Gibson Amphitheater
Oct 26 – Oakland, CA – Oracle Arena
Oct 29 – Seattle, WA – WaMu Theater
Oct 30 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Nov 01 – Edmonton, AB – Shaw Conference Center
Nov 02 – Calgary, AB – ScotiaBank Saddledome
Nov 04 – Salt Lake City, UT – Maverik Center
Nov 05 – Denver, CO – 1st Bank Center
Nov 12 – Chicago, IL – The Venue At Horseshoe Casino
Nov 13 – Detroit, MI – Joe Louis Arena
Nov 18 – East Rutherford, NJ – Izod Center

Sebastian Bach almost became singer for Judas Priest

This is a refreshing change.

In recent months, we’ve heard stories of ‘name’ singers turning down offers to join huge bands: Steven Tyler claims he turned down Led Zeppelin, while Sammy Hagar claims he turned down everyone from Aerosmith to Motley Crue to Velvet Revolver.

Now, we hear a story of an offer that was only considered, but never made.

At one point in time, Judas Priest considered Sebastian Bach for their lead singer role, but never got around to making the offer.

This news came to light thanks to a Facebook posting Sunday by Bach. Along with a photo of Sebastian with Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton and Rita Haney, the longtime girlfriend of late Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, taken at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in Hollywood, California, was the following note by Bach:

"Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest, Rita @dimebagzhag & me at the Rainbow last night. Glenn & I talked about me almost being the singer of Judas Priest he told me it almost happened! Wow. What a great guy."

While Bach didn’t mention the timing of the Priest decision, you’d have to think it happened somewhere between Rob Halford’s departure in 1992 and the hiring of Tim “Ripper” Owens in ’96.

Halford left Priest to form Fight, while Owens was picked up after a stint as lead singer in a Priest tribute band called British Steel. With Owens, Prist released two albums, "Jugulator" and "Demolition," as well as two live double-albums.

Owens' move from fan and weekend tribute band singer to frontman for the actual band was the inspiration for the film Rock Star. Priest later distanced themselves from the film because the content bore only a resemblance to Owens's actual history with the band.

Skid Row – Delivering The Goods
With guest Rob Halford of Judas Priest
Original by Judas Priest
MTV Headbanger’s Ball - 1992


See also:

VIDEO: Sebastian Bach rocks M3 Festival
VIDEO: Sebastian Bach goes acoustic in Allentown
Sebastian Bach arrested for marijuana possession
VIDEO: Sebastian Bach rocks Revolver Golden God Awards with Asking Alexandria
Sebastian Bach tells Skid Row: “Kiss my ass!”
New album: Sebastian Bach to enter studio on Monday

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" Tops Weekend Box Office

5/23/2011 12:01 PM ET

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(RTTNews) - In a weekend with only one wide release, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" was far and away the top movie at the box office, earning a studio estimated $90 million on a per theater average of more than $20,000. "Bridesmaids" also posted a big second weekend as the R-rated comedy hauled in $21 million to bring its 10-day total to an impressive $59 million. "Fast Five" and "Thor" did struggle a little with the release of "Pirates," though both still posted strong overall numbers considering the level of competition.

Though enthusiasm for the series has waned a little bit since "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" hit theaters in 2007, "On Stranger Tides" still proved that Buena Vista/Disney can find its audience. With a $90 million domestic opening, the latest "Pirates" surpassed the $86 million that "Fast Five" earned to post the biggest weekend of the year thus far.
But "On Stranger Tides" didn't just do well in the U.S., as it also received an aggressive worldwide release as well. "On Stranger Tides" hauled in a ridiculous $256 million worldwide in just a single weekend, giving it the top foreign release of all-time. Though "On Stranger Tides" will have some major competition over the next month, it will likely remain a significant foreign earner due to the familiarity of the series, the popularity of Johnny Depp and the top-tier special effects. Look for "On Stranger Tides" to continue to roll well into June.
While mainstream audiences packed in to see "Pirates," the young adult crowd still came out in droves to see comedy "Bridesmaids." Backed by very strong critical support and positive internet buzz, "Bridesmaids" brought in a respectable $21 million in its second weekend in theaters. With a drop of just 19.8% from its opening a week ago, it looks like "Bridesmaids" has a significant audience and will likely continue to do fairly well even with major competition next weekend from "The Hangover Part II."
Considering that "Bridesmaids" carries a production budget of just $32.5 million, a 10-day total right around $60 million is a very nice figure for distributor Universal and it looks to be one of the top comedy releases of the year. Even if "Bridesmaids" won't have much appeal outside of the U.S., it will likely come close to $100 million in the U.S. by the time its theatrical run is finished.
Also continuing to succeed on a much smaller scale is "Jumping the Broom." With a miniscule production budget of just $6.6 million and a release in the 2,500-theater range, "Jumping the Broom" has hauled in an impressive $31 million for distributor TriStar in 17 days in theaters. Even though "Jumping the Broom" isn't likely to last in the top ten for much longer, it's already a quiet commercial success and will likely inspire similar releases in the future.
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Cheap Trick rock NHL post-game in Tampa Bay

VIDEO: Cheap Trick rock NHL post-game in Tampa Bay

It’s a rare sight in Florida, but it does happen from time to time: I’m talking about an NHL Playoff game in May.

As the Tampa Bay Lightning battle the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals, there was a rumbling sound outside the St. Pete’s Forum on May 21, following game 4 of the series (Tampa won the game 5-2 to ties the series at two apiece.).

It was Cheap Trick.

The legendary Illinois band packed in the fans outside the Forum for a 12-song, 50-minute set of high-energy rock, full of classic Trick songs, with a few covers thrown in.

Cheap Trick

Cheap Trick – I Want You To Want Me
St. Pete Times Forum - Tampa Bay, FL – May 21, 2011


Cheap Trick – Surrender
St. Pete Times Forum - Tampa Bay, FL – May 21, 2011


Cheap Trick – Dream Police
St. Pete Times Forum - Tampa Bay, FL – May 21, 2011

Smithsonian’s Q & A with Eddie Van Halen

Recently, guitarist Eddie Van Halen donated his guitar, the Frank 2, to the National Museum of American History. Smithsonian corresponded with him via email about his decision to give up his cherished guitar.
“Eruption” is widely regarded as one of the greatest-if not the greatest-guitar solos ever. What’s the best guitar solo you ever heard performed by another musician?
There are so many, it’s difficult to pinpoint it down to one.
You’ve collaborated on projects with a number of musicians over the years, including Brian May, Geezer Butler, and Thomas Dolby. Do any collaborations stand out as your favorite?
Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” is a stand out for me. Quincy Jones called me up and asked me to play on it. When I got there it took me 15 minutes to rearrange the song and I played 2 solos and told them they could pick the one they liked best. Then Michael walked in and said wow! I really like that high fast stuff you do. It was a lot of fun to do. Its crazy that something could take such a short amount of time and can grow into something beyond anything you could ever imagine.
You patented a “musical instrument support.” What is that?
That patent came out of a technique I used when playing the guitar’s fingerboard: laying it flat, using both of my hands at the same time. To do this I needed the fingerboard to face upward like the keyboard of a piano. The device I patented enabled me to do that. It also comes in very handy for lap steel players.
You donated Frankenstein 2 to the Smithsonian, but tell us about the original Frankenstein.
The original Frankenstein was a result of me tinkering and experimenting with different elements of electric guitars that I liked. The thing was that some guitars had elements that I liked, but at the same time had certain elements that I didn’t care for either. If I could combine those elements into one guitar, then I could have an instrument that enabled me to create and play what I heard in my head without any restrictions.
You’ve said that you hated “store-bought, off-the-rack” guitars, because they would not do what you wanted them to do. What did you want from your guitar?
I wanted the electronics (humbucking pickups) of one manufacturers guitar, while I preferred the body, neck and tailpiece of another manufacturers guitar.
And how did you achieve that?
I combined the 4 elements into Frankenstein, which resulted in a guitar that did what I wanted it to do, more than anything I had ever played before. In addition, I created an instrument that wasn’t offered as an “off the rack” guitar by any manufacturer at the time.
What became of Frankenstein 1?
I retired it from regular use. It took so much abuse from endless touring and recording; I wanted to pay some respect to it and let it survive and not let it get destroyed completely. At the same time it became something so well known beyond my wildest dreams that it’s value made it a target for theft and I wanted to protect it. I still play it every now and then. It’s priceless to me.
What did you think of Frankenstein 2, the first time you played it?
I was blown away. We did a blindfold test and it took me a while to figure out which one was the original and which one was Frank 2. The aesthetic accuracy was astounding.
And how did the Replica Frank 2 compare to the original?
From a playability stand point Frank 2 was actually easier to play and fought me less than the original. Frank 1 was something I built around 1975, so it reflected my experience in building guitars at that time.
How could you part with it?
What better home for it than the Smithsonian Institution where it could be on display for the rest of time so others can appreciate it. It’s the highest honor I could imagine for something so dear to me.

Blink-182 Leads 2011 Honda Civic Tour

05/24/2011
. Blink-182 is set to head up the 2011 Honda Civic Tour, 10 years after they played the trek's inaugural run. The summer and fall tour is set to run for 40-plus dates nationwide will kick off on Friday, August 5th and will run until October 15th when it wraps in San Diego, CA.
Support acts for the anniversary tour include Manchester Orchestra, Rancid and Matt & Kim.

"It's great to be going back out on the Honda Civic Tour," said Mark Hoppus of blink-182. "We had a blast kicking off the tour ten years ago, and this summer we'll be taking it to the next level with our friends ."

2011 Honda Civic Tour
FRI-August 5 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center *
SAT-August 6 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater *
SUN-August 7 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater ~
TUE-August 9 Boston, MA Comcast Center *
THU-August 11 Buffalo, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center *
FRI-August 12 Washington, DC Jiffy Lube Live *
SAT-August 13 Hershey, PA Hershey Park Pavilion *
SUN-August 14 Hartford, CT The Comcast Theatre *
FRI-August 19 St. Louis, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre *
SAT-August 20 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Pavilion *
SUN-August 21 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center *
TUE-August 23 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheater *
THU-September 1 Seattle, WA White River Amphitheater +
SAT-September 3 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheater +
SUN-September 4 Denver, CO Comfort Dental Amphitheater +
WED-September 7 Minneapolis, MN Xcel Energy Center ^
THU-September 8 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena ~
FRI-September 9 Kansas City, MO Sandstone Amphitheater ^
SAT-September 10 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center ^
SUN-September 11 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre ^
TUE-September 13 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center ^
THU-September 15 Pittsburgh, PA First Niagara Pavilion ^
FRI-September 16 Saratoga, NY SPAC ^
SAT-September 17 Philadelphia, PA Susquehanna Bank Center ^
SUN-September 18 Virginia Beach, VA Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach ^
TUE-September 20 Charlotte, NC Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheater ^
WED-September 21 Atlanta, GA Aarons Amphitheatre at Lakewood ^
FRI-September 23 Miami, FL Cruzan Amphitheater ^
SAT-September 24 Tampa, FL 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre ^
MON-September 26 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion ^
TUE-September 27 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion ^
THU-September 29 Albuquerque, NM Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque Presents: The Pavilion ^
FRI-September 30 Phoenix, AZ Tempe Beach Park Amphitheatre ^
SAT-October 1 Anaheim, CA Honda Center ^
SUN-October 2 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre ^
TUE-October 4 Concord, CA Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord ^
WED-October 5 San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre ^
FRI-October 7 Las Vegas, NV Red Rock Resort, Spa & Casino ^
SAT-October 8 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl ^
SAT-October 15 San Diego, CA Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre ^* with Manchester Orchestra
+ with Rancid
^ with Matt & Kim
~ support TBA