Billy Ray Cyrus says Hannah Montana destroyed his family.

Billy Ray Cyrus

In an in-depth interview with GQ magazine, the country singer credits the Disney series for ending his 17-year marriage to wife Tish.

Billy Ray Cyrus and wife file for divorce

"The damn show destroyed my family," he says in the March issue. "I sit there and go, 'Yeah, you know what? Some gave all.' It is my motto, and guess what? I have to eat that one. I some-gave-all'd it all right. I some-gave-all'd it while everybody else was going to the bank. It's all sad."

In addition to his separation, Cyrus has dealt with his daughter, Miley, who shot to fame on the series, consistently being the public eye for such scandals as her racy Vanity Fair cover and pole-dancing at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. Last year, he said he was "so sad" over a video of Miley hitting a bong.

"I'm scared for her. She's got a lot of people around her that's putting her in a great deal of danger," he tells the magazine. "I know she's 18, but I still feel like as her daddy, I'd like to try to help. Take care of her just a little bit, to at least get her out of danger. I want to get her sheltered from the storm. Stop the insanity just for a minute. When you go through what she's been through, it takes a beating on you."

Billy Ray Cyrus "so sad" over video of Miley hitting a bong

Cyrus, who's currently not on regular speaking terms with his daughter, draws parallels between the 18-year-old and late stars Michael Jackson, Kurt Cobain and Anna Nicole Smith. "I'm concerned about Miley. I think that [Cobain's] world was just spinning so fast and he had so many people around him that didn't help him."
Ultimately, the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer wishes Hannah Montana had never happened.

"I'd take it back in a second," he says. "For my family to be here and just everybody be okay, safe and sound, and happy and normal, would have been fantastic."

WHITESNAKE'S NEW VIDEO "LOVE WILL SET YOU FREE":

JUST IN TIME FOR VALENTINE'S DAY…WHITESNAKE'S NEW VIDEO "LOVE WILL SET YOU FREE":

Whitesnake has partnered with VEVO for the world premiere of the brand new video Love Will Set You Free. The video can be viewed below. Directed by Devin DeHaven/Fortress Entertainment (Papa Roach, Method Man, Talib Kweli), the video was shot in Lake Tahoe, NV. “Love Will Set You Free” is the first single from the forthcoming Whitesnake album, Forevermore, and is available for purchase from February 21 at all digital stores.
Forevermore is due out on March 29 in North America and March 25 in Europe and finds founder/singer/songwriter David Coverdale and company returning to their no-holds-barred, bluesiest, sexiest rock n' roll roots.  This will be Whitesnake's 11th album and the first release via the Italian-based Frontiers Records label. Forevermore was recorded, produced and mixed by Los Bros Brutalos (Coverdale, Doug Aldrich and Michael McIntyre) at Snakebyte Studios and Grumblenott Studios & Villas in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, with additional work at Casa Dala, Sherman Oaks, CA.
About Whitesnake - Formed in 1977, and steered by the legendary David Coverdale, Whitesnake carry a rightful reputation as one of the world's leading rock n' roll bands. Coverdale's blues roots, combined with a feral sense of rockin' and rollin', have consistently shaped the 'Snake's sound along with Coverdale's love and appreciation of impeccable musicianship.  Whitesnake's ascent to the very top of the rock n' roll heap was confirmed with 1987's self-titled mega-platinum album, which saw two massive Top 10 hits, two #1 singles with “Here I Go Again” and “Is This Love” and a virtual 24-hour domination of MTV around the world. Whitesnake is David Coverdale (vocals), Doug Aldrich (guitars), Reb Beach (guitars), Michael Devin (bass) and Briian Tichy (drums).
About VEVO - VEVO is the leading premium music video and entertainment service with 1.7 billion worldwide streams and over 60 million unique visitors in the U.S. and Canada each month. VEVO's programming is made available across the VEVO platform, which includes VEVO.com (the service's marquee destination site), VEVO Mobile (iPhone, iPod touch), VEVO connected devices (Google TV, Boxee) and a VEVO-branded embedded player. VEVO also syndicates its programming to additional internet destination sites, including AOL, BET, CBS Interactive Music Group (including Last.fm), Univision and, through a special partnership, VEVO on YouTube, expanding the platform's reach across the worldwide web.
For more information please visit: www.whitesnake.com / www.frontiers.it.

Energy Drinks Pose Serious Health Risks For Kids!

AFP/Getty Images

Energy drinks not only may make your kid hyper, but it turns out they might also make them seriously unhealthy.

A study issued Monday from the University of Miami School of Medicine says energy drinks could pose a risk for serious adverse health effects in some children, especially those with diabetes, seizures, cardiac abnormalities or mood and behavior disorders.

The study, called "Health Effects of Energy Drinks on Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults," says the energy drinks "have no therapeutic benefit to children, and both the known and unknown properties of the ingredients, combined with reports of toxicity, may put some children at risk for adverse health events."

According to study surveys, adolescents account for half of the energy drink market, and as many as 50 percent have reported consuming some kind of energy drink.The study says high levels of stimulants such as caffeine, taurine and guarana are in the energy drinks and that safe levels of consumption of these ingredients haven't been established for children.

It also says energy drink overdose can lead to seizures, stroke and even sudden death.

But some are saying the study's findings are hogwash, and that mainstream energy drinks like Red Bull contain as much and even only half as much caffeine as a cup of coffee.

“This literature review does nothing more than perpetuate misinformation about energy drinks, their ingredients and the regulatory process,” said Dr. Maureen Storey, senior vice president of science policy for the American Beverage Association, in an e-mail to the Miami Herald.

McCartney And Young Take Home Grammys

Paul McCartney and Neil Young were among the winners at Sunday night's Grammy Awards. McCartney took home the award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for "Helter Skelter," a cut from his live album Good Evening New York City. Young was honored with the Grammy for Best Rock Song for his "Angry World." Jeff Beck was another classic rocker to bring home an award. He won for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Hammerhead."

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Paul McCartney and Neil Young were among the winners at Sunday night's Grammy Awards.
McCartney took home the award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for "Helter Skelter," a cut from his live album Good Evening New York City. The former Beatle beat out the likes of Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Neil Young and Robert Plant's Band of Joy.
Young was honored with the Grammy for Best Rock Song for his "Angry World." He beat Mumford & Sons, Kings Of Leon, Muse and the Black Keys.
Jeff Beck was another classic rocker to bring home an award. He won for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Hammerhead," edging out the Black Keys, Los Lobos, Dweezil Zappa and Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds.
Copyright(c) 2011 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved

Weekend Movie Box Office

SATURDAY PM UPDATE: Sources tell me that the studios are having difficulty getting their nightly Rentrak numbers. But initial intel is that this back-and-forth North American box office battle for #1 isn't over yet and may continue until Sunday night. Sony Pictures' Just Go With It, starring the sometimes funny Adam Sandler and the always annoying Jennifer Aniston had a big Saturday jump (+41%) from Friday with $13.4M in grosses. If that holds, then this latest Valentines Day-timed rom-com could come in at $31.2M for the weekend. As for Paramount's PG-rated Justin Bieber: Never Say Never 3D, "Bieber fever hasn't broken but at least he's sweating," a rival studio exec said tonight. Even with higher 3D ticket prices but about 450 less theaters, the punk kid held strongly from Friday to Saturday with only a -13% drop for $10.7M which would put the kid at $30.2M for the weekend. As for other openers, Disney's Gnomeo and Juliet 3D opened with a soft $6M Friday but that was doubled Saturday by the matinee kiddie bump for a $25.4M weekend. And Focus Feature's PG-13 The Eagle had decent numbers in both major cities and suburbs.
Here's the Top 10:
1. Just Go With It (Sony Pictures) NEW [3,548 Theaters]
Friday $9.7M, Saturday $13.4M, Weekend $31.2M
If the rom-com holds at No. 1, then like him or not, Adam Sandler's track record as one of the most consistent top performers in the business continues. This latest is based on the old Cactus Flower play/movie (which itself was based on a French play) by Sandler's Happy Madison production company and directed by Dennis Dugan. But by now who hasn't seen this dumbass premise of a single man who pretends to be married all over The Hallmark Channel? Yet it received an "A-" CinemaScore overall and an "A" from females despite lousy reviews. Just Go With It, should also be the main Date Night movie choice on Valentine's Day so expect to see a substantial spike on a typical non-holiday Monday. Last weekend, Adam did a lot of press during the Superbowl as well as MTV Networks (including VH-1, Spike, and Comedy Central) where special interstitials were created with footage from the film. Additionally, there was a TNT and NBA promo tied to the upcoming NBA All-Star Game, while Sony worked with ESPN for a special “Just Go With It Moment” promo which was cut using footage from last year’s Game 7 final match-up, and a clip from the film.
2. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never 3D (Paramount) NEW [3,105 Theaters]
Friday $12.5M, Saturday $10.7M, Weekend $30.2M
In terms of Disney comps, this is less than the $31M opening weekend of Disney's 2008 Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best Of Both Worlds Concert Tour pic but massacres 2009's Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience opening weekend of $12.5M. Considering Bieber's pic had a budget of only $13M, the punk did fine. (But if he's "living his dream" at soon-to-be age 17, then mine is to send him packing from Hollywood until his testicles descend.) Born out of production boss Adam Goodman's Paramount Insurge initiative overseen by Amy Powell to find talent from the Internet, this is the first offering. Goodman came up with the idea of pursuing a Bieber pic, so he, Powell, Megan Colligan, and Rob Moore traipsed to the Target Center in Minneapolis to watch the kid's concert first-hand at the end of June. Negotiated with LA Reid of Island Def Jam records and Bieber's manager Scooter Braun, the idea was to follow Bieber's journey to a sold-out Madison Square Garden. Justin's Internet army of fans were enlisted to submit photos and videos that would be incorporated into the film and the initial one-sheet. At the end of November, the decision was made to let fans pay $30 to sneak the film complete with souvenir purple glasses and wrist bands. About 60,000 fans saw the film Wednesday so they could spend Thursday and Friday spreading the word at schools. Paramount only included the value of the ticket in its box office reporting, though. The premiere featured a stunt with Ellen DeGeneres (who early on identified Justin as a star) after his Tuesday appearance on her show: Usher showed up with a fleet of vans and brought Ellen's entire audience of over 300 people to the premiere. The promotion included sister company MTV's Jersey Shore and The Situation to let teens know this film was not just for tweens. Meanwhile, Bieber's mom went on Christian Radio to make inroads with faith-based audiences.
3. Gnomeo and Juliet (Disney) NEW [2,994 Theaters]
Friday $6.1M, Saturday $11.5M, Weekend $25.4M
The project was at Miramax and, as part of the recent sale, Disney kept the film which was distributed by Touchstone. Executive Produced by Elton John and his Rocket Pictures, Gnomeo & Juliet is the only animated film in the marketplace right now. The soundtrack released February 8th from Buena Vista Records  features 9 songs from the songwriting team of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, performed by Sir Elton. (There's a remake of Elton’s 1973 hit, “Crocodile Rock” sung with Nellie Furtado.) The voice cast included James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Jason Statham, Patrick Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, Dolly Parton, and Hulk Hogan. Shrek 2's Kelly Asbury directed what was billed as  "the greatest love story ever told" starring... garden gnomes with plastic pink flamingoes and lawnmower races in the mix.
4. The Roommate (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 2 [2,534 Theaters]
Friday $2.6M, Saturday $3.8M, Weekend $8.5M (-43%), Cume $26.1M
5. Eagle (Focus Features) NEW [2,296 Theaters]
Friday $2.7M, Saturday $3.5M, Weekend $8.5M
Focus will hit projected numbers if the film makes $8 million for the weekend. Tracking best with men both over and under 25 (strongest with men over 25), the film had a budget of mid-$20sM and strong international pre-sales. Reviews were only mixed (35% positive on Rotten Tomatoes, 55% on Metacritic). The film drew a mostly male, ethnically diverse audience: 64% Male, 47% Under 30, 62% Under 35, 38% Caucasian, 27% Hispanic, 21% African American, 13% Asian.
6. The King's Speech (The Weinstein Co) Week 12 [2,263 Theaters]
Friday $1.8M, Saturday $3.3M, Weekend $7.4M, Cume $93.8M
7. No Strings Attached (Paramount) Week 4 [2,756 Theaters]
Friday $1.6M, Saturday $2.6M, Weekend $5.9M, Cume $60.1M
8. Sanctum 3D (Universal) Week 2 [2,789 Theaters]
Friday $1.4M (-60%), Saturday $2.6M, Weekend $5.4M, Cume $17.8M
9. True Grit (Paramount) Week 8 [2,072 Theater]
Friday $945M, Saturday $1.8M, Weekend $3.7M, Cume $160.3M
10. The Green Hornet (Sony) Week 5 [2,090 Theaters]
Friday $885K, Saturday $1.8M, Weekend $3.7M, Cume $92.4M

Mötley Crüe And New York Dolls To Tour This Summer

 

 

Mötley Crüe and the New York Dolls will be teaming up to go on tour with each other this summer. New York Dolls guitarist Sylvain Sylvan revealed the news of the upcoming tour in an interview he did with Australian journalist/guitarist Joe Matera. "We're about to go on the road for 40 nights with Mötley Crüe this coming June-July in the States," said Sylvan.

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Mötley Crüe and the New York Dolls will be teaming up to go on tour with each other this summer. New York Dolls guitarist Sylvain Sylvan revealed the news of the upcoming tour in an interview he did with Australian journalist/guitarist Joe Matera.
"We're about to go on the road for 40 nights with Mötley Crüe this coming June-July in the States," said Sylvan.
The guitarist also said that Blondie guitarist Frank Infante, who appears on the band's new record, Dancing Backward in High Heels, will not be present for the tour.
"We made some calls and now we finally have got Earl Slick playing guitar," Sylvain said. "So Earl's going to be joining us for the upcoming tour. He's the newest member of the New York Dolls."
Slick has toured and worked on previous albums with David Bowie, in addition to John Lennon and Robert Smith.
Copyright(c) 2011 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved

Steve Miller Announces New Album And Tour Dates

 

 

"The Joker" hit maker Steve Miller returns with his new studio album Let Your Hair Down on April 19. The new record follows Miller's 2010 release Bingo!, which hit stores last summer, and finds him reconnected with harmonica great Norton Buffalo. As a warm up to the release date, Miller and his band will hit the road for a string of U.S. tour dates in the south and northeast. The run will kick off February 23 at the House of Blues in Dallas.

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"The Joker" hit maker Steve Miller returns with his new studio album Let Your Hair Down on April 19. The new record follows Miller's 2010 release Bingo!, which hit stores last summer, and finds him reconnected with harmonica great Norton Buffalo.
As a warm up to the release date, Miller and his band will hit the road for a string of U.S. tour dates in the south and northeast. The run will kick off February 23 at the House of Blues in Dallas and will continue through April 30 when they'll hit Bethlehem, Pennsylvania's Musikfest Café.
In addition to these tour dates the Steve Miller Band will also christen the new Austin City Limits performance space in Austin to film the first edition of the show's new season.
Steve Miller tour dates:
.02/23 - Dallas, TX - House Of Blues
.02/24 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Gala
.02/25 - Houston, TX - House Of Blues
.02/26 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits TV Show
.04/16 - Live Oak, FL - Wanee Music Festival
.04/17 - Knoxville, TN - Tennessee Theater
.04/19 - North Charleston, SC - North Charleston PAC (special guest Gregg Allman)
.04/20 - Cary, NC - Kota Booth Amphitheater (special guest Gregg Allman)
.04/22 - Columbus, OH - LC Pavilion (special guest Gregg Allman)
.04/23 - Toledo, OH - Huntington Arena (special guest Gregg Allman)
.04/26 - Philadelphia, PA - USA Tower Theater (special guest Gregg Allman)
.04/27 - Indiana, PA - Kovalchick Complex (special guest Gregg Allman)
.04/30 - Bethlehem, PA - Musikfest Cafe (special guest Gregg Allman)
Copyright(c) 2011 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved

New Stevie Nicks Album Due This Spring

New Stevie Nicks Album Due This Spring

Stevie Nicks has confirmed that her new album, In Your Dreams, is set to hit stores on May 3. It's the first new album in over ten years for Nicks, and the singer says she found inspiration in some unexpected places. "I had written a song in Brisbane, Australia when I was on tour with Fleetwood Mac in 2009 called 'Moonlight -- A Vampire's Dream' which was inspired by the 'New Moon' film," the Fleetwood Mac singer reveals in a press release.

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Stevie Nicks has confirmed that her new album, In Your Dreams, is set to hit stores on May 3. It's the first new album in over ten years for Nicks, and the singer says she found inspiration in some unexpected places.
"I had written a song in Brisbane, Australia when I was on tour with Fleetwood Mac in 2009 called 'Moonlight -- A Vampire's Dream' which was inspired by the 'New Moon' film," the Fleetwood Mac singer reveals in a press release.
The album was co-produced by veterans Glen Ballard and Dave Stewart. They recorded the album in Nicks' Los Angeles home and she says she was eager to start recording again.
"When I finished writing that song, which came together really quickly, I knew the time was right to start recording. We had a core group of five people who were at the heart of the creation of 'In Your Dreams.' Dave and myself, my longtime friend and musical director, Waddy Wachtel, and my girls, Sharon Celani and Lori Nicks. It was a perfect blend," commented Nicks.
In Your Dreams follows Trouble In Shangri-La, which was released ten years ago.
Copyright(c) 2011 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved

Justin Bieber Wins Friday With $12.5M; But Adam Sandler Should Finish Weekend #1

Justin Bieber Wins Friday With $12.5M; But Adam Sandler Should Finish Weekend #1

By NIKKI FINKE | Friday February 11, 2011 @ 9:06pm PST

 

 

FRIDAY PM: Sources tell me that the latest lame Adam Sandler's Valentines Day-timed rom-com with the annoying Jennifer Aniston Just Go With It has been coming on strong all night and now has a real shot at $10 million Friday which Sony Pictures wanted. (Who hasn't seen this dumbass premise all over The Hallmark Channel?) The No. 2 film should reach $30+M to take the weekend. But Paramount's Justin Bieber: Never Say Never 3D, the annoying musician's biopic, "is going in the opposite direction" considering the higher ticket prices, according to a rival studio exec. The teen was King For A Day with $12.5M Friday due to strong pre-sales but should sink 40% on Saturday. That would make for a $28M first weekend. In terms of Disney comps, it's much more than 2009's Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience opening weekend of $12.5M but less than 2008's Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour rake of $31M. Considering Bieber's pic had a budget of only $13M, the punk did fine. (But if he's "living his dream" at soon-to-be-17, then mine is to send him packing from Hollywood until his testicles descend.) As for another opener, Disney's Gnomeo and Juliet opened with a soft $6M Friday but should climb to $22M with the Saturday kiddie bump over the weekend.
More analysis shortly. Here's the Top 10:
1. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never 3D (Paramount) NEW [3,105 Theaters]
Friday $12.5M, Estimated Weekend $28M
2. Just Go With It (Sony Pictures) NEW [3,548 Theaters]
Friday $10M, Estimated Weekend $30M
3. Gnomeo and Juliet (Disney) NEW [2,994 Theaters]
Friday $5.8M, Estimated Weekend $22M
4. Eagle (Focus Features) NEW [2,296 Theaters]
Friday $3M, Estimated Weekend $8.5M
5. The Roommate (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 2 [2,534 Theaters]
Friday $2.4M (-62%), Estimated Weekend $7.5M, Estimated Cume $25.2M
6. The King's Speech (The Weinstein Co) Week 12 [2,263 Theaters]
Friday $1.9M, Estimated Weekend $7M, Estimated Cume $93.4M
7. No Strings Attached (Paramount) Week 4 [2,756 Theaters]
Friday $1.7M, Estimated Weekend $5.5M, Estimated Cume $59.7M
8. Sanctum 3D (Universal) Week 2 [2,789 Theaters]
Friday $1.4M (-60%), Estimated Weekend $4M, Estimated Cume $16.5M
9. True Grit (Paramount) Week 8 [2,072 Theater]
Friday $1.1M, Estimated Weekend $4M, Estimated Cume $160.6M
10. The Rite (New Line/Warner Bros) Week 3 [2,207 Theaters]
Friday $975K, Estimated Weekend $3M, Estimated Cume $28.8M

David Lee Roth’s “Nothing But Yeah!” Zen of Life

David Lee Roth’s “Nothing But Yeah!” Zen of Life

Friday, 11 February 2011

“Diamond” David Lee Roth. Rock ‘n’ Roll frontman. Kung Fu sage. Living, breathing action figure. As the quarterback for legendary bad boy rock band Van Halen, a successful solo artist, music video pioneer, best selling author, and world traveler, “Diamond” David Lee Roth has led the life that most folks only dream of and has gone places most people will never go, even in their wildest dreams.
Roth’s unique combination of classic pop stagecraft, burlesque humor and startling wit has made him one of the most famous — and infamous — names in Rock ‘n’ Roll. Since his 1977 debut, Roth has become one of the most beloved characters in popular music to grace the stage and screen.
YouTube user, AtomicPrep, put together a montage of David Lee Roth sharing his life philosophy.

Filed under: David Lee Roth   •   37 Comments

Rolling Stones To Release New Singles Box Set

 

 

The Rolling Stones have confirmed new details on their forthcoming box set titled The Rolling Stones Single (1971-2006). The set will include all 45 of the band's singles from the period starting with "Brown Sugar" and running through to 2006's "Biggest Mistake." Each single will be featured on its own CD and will have a mix of outtakes and previously unreleased tracks. The set will include a total of 173 songs, 80 of which have never been released by the band.

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The Rolling Stones have confirmed new details on their forthcoming box set titled The Rolling Stones Single (1971-2006). The set will include all 45 of the band's singles from the period starting with "Brown Sugar" and running through to 2006's "Biggest Mistake."
Each single will be featured on its own CD and will have a mix of outtakes and previously unreleased tracks. The set will include a total of 173 songs, 80 of which have never been released by the band.
In addition to the massive new chunk of music, the band is also including a 32-page hard-cover photo journal complete with an interview with bassist Bill Wyman. All will be housed in a hard-sided pink box featuring the Stone's iconic lips logo prominently on the front.
The Stones have also made headlines recently after denying rumors that they are planning to connect for a tour later this year. This rumor first broke when details from a lawsuit involving promotion giant Live Nation leaked onto the web.
Copyright(c) 2011 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved

STEVE VAI ONLINE GUITAR LESSON RECORD BID:

STEVE VAI ONLINE GUITAR LESSON RECORD BID:Berkleemusic, the online continuing education division of Boston's renowned Berklee College of Music, along with Grammy®-award winning guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, announced a call to action for guitarists around the world to join forces and set the Guinness® World Record for the largest online guitar lesson on March 3rd, 2011. This first-of-its-kind initiative will bring together the worldwide community of guitarists in an unprecedented online celebration of music education.
Vai, who is currently recording a new album and preparing for an extensive world tour, is a Berklee alumnus with a devoted fan base in over seventy countries. Although he is not a guitar instructor, Vai is a passionate advocate for music exploration and hopes the event will encourage players to continue to cultivate their own unique style and spirit on the instrument. "This online event, and the larger efforts Berkleemusic is making to teach students around world, is a great example of the collaboration that happens at Berklee," says Vai. "Whether you're in Boston, Bombay, or Brussels, we'll all be together on March 3rd."
The World's Largest Online Guitar Lesson is a one-time event that takes place Thursday, March 3rd, 2011 at 1:30PM EST. Berkleemusic has partnered with Livestream, the pre-eminent live streaming video platform, to host this event in their New York City studio. Participants can learn more about the online lesson at www.berkleemusic.com/vai-live.
Vai's FREE online lesson will last 30 minutes, and will provide a look into Steve's technique with a focus on how guitarists can develop and gain insight into their own playing. In order to further engage with his fans, Steve is also encouraging participants to submit questions to him online, which he will answer onstage at the conclusion of his online lesson. Interested participants can submit questions to Steve on the event's web page, located here: www.berkleemusic.com/vai-live.
As a gesture of its commitment to music education, Berkleemusic will donate one dollar for every person that joins the online lesson to the Steve Vai Online Scholarship Fund at Berkleemusic, which is designed to reward and assist outstanding students studying in Berkleemusic's multi-course certificate programs.
"Steve Vai is one of the most popular guitarists on the planet, and deservedly so," says Dave Kusek, CEO of Berkleemusic. "We're thrilled and honored to partner with Steve for this unique online guitar lesson, and excited to play a part in exposing a record-setting number of guitarists from around the world to his 'otherworldly' techniques."
Berkleemusic and Steve Vai have also partnered to author a brand new 12-week online course: Steve Vai Guitar Techniques. This online course presents students with the chance to gain a deep understanding of Vai's death-defying playing styles, repertoire, techniques, and musical concepts from anywhere in the world, and incorporate their learnings into their own playing. The Steve Vai Guitar Techniques online course builds upon the renowned guitar curriculum that Berklee has been providing to students for decades. The course is now open for enrollment for the school's spring term which begins on April 4th, 2011. For more information regarding the course, registration information, and to sample an online guitar course, visit Berkleemusic.com.

Rush Planning To Remix 2002's Vapor Trails

 

 

Alex Lifeson of Rush has revealed that the band has never been satisfied with the final mix of their 2002 album Vapor Trails and are now planning to remix it. While speaking with Classic Rock magazine, the guitarist said they probably should have taken more time with the album the first time around. "We were never happy with the production," said Lifeson. "Perhaps we should have taken more time over the record. But now we've got the chance to improve things."

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Alex Lifeson of Rush has revealed that the band has never been satisfied with the final mix of their 2002 album Vapor Trails and are now planning to remix it.
While speaking with Classic Rock magazine, the guitarist said they probably should have taken more time with the album the first time around.
"We were never happy with the production," said Lifeson. "Perhaps we should have taken more time over the record. But now we've got the chance to improve things. There will be no re-recording, just a remix."
The news comes at a busy time for the prog-rock giants, who head out for the second leg of their American Time Machine tour on March 30. According to Lifeson, they will also hit the studio soon.
"We only have two or three more songs that we feel we need for the album. So we can start reworking the material and get it in great shape. Then we'll prepare for the tour in March, finish in July, take the summer off then start work in earnest in September," he recently told Guitarist magazine.
Copyright(c) 2011 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved

Jon Bon Jovi Reportedly Looking At Stake In Atlanta Falcons

 

Jon Bon Jovi is supposedly in talks with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank on the possibility of buying a minority stake in the football team, according to CBS News. The New Jersey rocker could potentially own 15 percent of the team if he wishes to go through with the deal after paying a hefty $150 million. Blank confirmed he talked with the singer, but would not disclose specific details about their agreement.

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Jon Bon Jovi is supposedly in talks with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank on the possibility of buying a minority stake in the football team, according to CBS News.
The New Jersey rocker could potentially own 15 percent of the team if he wishes to go through with the deal after paying a hefty $150 million. Blank confirmed he talked with the singer, but would not disclose specific details about their agreement.
Bon Jovi also owned the Philadelphia Soul, an Arena Football League team, from 2004 to 2009.
In other recent news, the singer has signed on to star in Garry Marshall's new romantic comedy film, New Year's Eve, which is being released on December 9, 2011.
Copyright(c) 2011 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved

Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstein on cover of Guitar Legends “Most Iconic guitars” issue!

 

Wednesday, 9 February 2011

Besides making into the Smithsonian, Edward Van Halen’s homemade Frankenstein guitar made it onto the cover of the latest Guitar Legends issue, “100 Of The World’s Most Iconic Guitars.”
Here’s an small excerpt from the extensive article:
Should Edward Van Halen ever decide to auction off his original Frankenstein guitar, conservative estimates are that it will set an all-time record price for a celebrity guitar, well in excess of a million dollars. Not bad for an instrument that Ed originally pieced together in 1976 from about $200 worth of spare parts.
From the Fifties through the Seventies, the vast majority of guitarists played off-the-rack instruments, and only a handful made modifications such as swapping pickups or changing electronic circuits. Eddie was the first well-known guitarist to put together his own instrument since Les Paul scrapped together his experimental solidbody Log guitar in the late Thirties. Like Paul, Van Halen found that readily available products on the market didn’t meet his needs, so he set out on his own to create a custom instrument that satisfied his exact requirements for performance, playability and sound.
Performing with Van Halen in the late Seventies, Ed literally reinvented the guitar. In the process, he inspired millions of guitarists and dramatically changed how the instruments are made and played. Van Halen’s playing style and requirements influenced the development of the Floyd Rose tremolo while his guitar and amp creations spurred on the Eighties trends for custom and kit guitars and modified amps. Furthermore, his experiments with pickups, which included rewinding the coils and potting them with surfboard wax, gave the replacement pickup industry a significant boost. In their attempts to duplicate Van Halen’s signature “brown” sound, manufacturers devised all kinds of products, ranging from high-gain amps and hot-rodded guitars to effect pedals and custom-wound pickups. While many profited from Van Halen’s contributions, Ed never asked for anything in return. “I never demanded anything from anyone, and I still don’t,”he says. “I just keep going.”
Over the years, the story of how Ed built his original homemade Frankenstein has become riddled with errors, some of which he dropped deliberately to confuse copiers. Today, Ed no longer sees any point in obscuring the truth and has given Guitar Legends the in-depth story behind this unique instrument’s creation.
The magazine, which also has an article on Eddie’s Ibanez Destroyer, is currently in stock at VanHalenStore.com.

DEF LEPPARD ANNOUNCE AN ANNOUNCEMENT!

DEF LEPPARD ANNOUNCE AN ANNOUNCEMENT:Def Leppard have announced that they will soon be making an announcement! And what of this upcoming announcement? One would presume it is news of the band's planned 2011 tour and (hopefully) a release date for the planned Double Live CD that is set to include up to 5 new studio tracks. Stay tuned.

Axl Rose Squashes Guns N' Roses Tour Rumor

Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose has publicly denied the rumor that he will be touring with the band in North America. In a statement released on twitlonger.com, Rose explained: "Contrary to anyone's claims, there are no concrete plans nor were there ever for a tour, a relaunch or sponsors (n' certainly not to replace anyone in the band) beyond a collection of random ideas thrown out by various individuals [without] any real foundation or negotiations . . ."

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Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose has publicly denied the rumor that he will be touring with the band in North America.
In a statement released on twitlonger.com, Rose explained: "Contrary to anyone's claims, there are no concrete plans nor were there ever for a tour, a relaunch or sponsors (n' certainly not to replace anyone in the band) beyond a collection of random ideas thrown out by various individuals [without] any real foundation or negotiations in place other than our prior involvements (which wouldn't take a rocket scientist to put together)."
He also noted that the band's former manager Doc McGhee was not involved with the band or his own affairs.
The band last released an album with Rose, entitled Chinese Democracy, in 2008. Rose granted only two promotional interviews for the album and they were his first in-person interviews in over 14 years.
Copyright(c) 2011 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved

New Cars Album Slated For May

 

The Cars have revealed that their long-awaited new LP will be released in May. The album, entitled Move Like This, will be their first since 1987's Door to Door (after which the band broke up) and includes the lead single "Sad Song," which will be officially released in March. A short clip of the single has been made available online through the band's Facebook page, where they have also posted a snippet of a song called "Blue Tip" and 90 seconds of a song called "Free."

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The Cars have revealed that their long-awaited new LP will be released in May.
The album, entitled Move Like This, will be their first since 1987's Door to Door (after which the band broke up) and includes the lead single "Sad Song," which will be officially released in March. A short clip of the single has been made available online through the band's Facebook page, where they have also posted a snippet of a song called "Blue Tip" and 90 seconds of a song called "Free."
The LP includes the group's original lineup of Ric Ocasek, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson (original bassist Benjamin Orr having passed away in 2000).
A promotional tour for the album has yet to be announced; however, the Cars will be playing this year's Coachella Music Festival.
Copyright(c) 2011 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved

Mark Sanchez’s 17-Year-Old Lady Friend Has Found A Lawyer

A.J. Daulerio — So

We've been working on a story the last couple weeks about Mark Sanchez's romancing of a 17-year-old girl. She reached out to us first and agreed to cooperate. Then she didn't. Then she did again. Now, of course, her lawyer has contacted us.

The entire story of what this legal letter hints at will be revealed on Tuesday. Rest assured, the lawyer has left out a few details. We won't publish this young lady's full name, but if the photos she sent to us from her Blackberry of Mark Sanchez's bedroom — supposedly taken on her cell phone after she spent the night with him a few weeks ago — were not sent by her, then there's more to this than previously suspected. Most likely, not, though. Just a hunch.
Members of the Jets organization have been made aware of our and her story. They're in the process of fact-gathering and working on a statement. We'll keep you updated if anything else happens before Tuesday.
Back into the grime. Again.

David Lee Roth Back In Studio With Van Halen

Image Credit: Fin Costello/Redferns/Getty Images

David Lee Roth is apparently back in the studio with Van Halen. There have been rumors for some months that the singer was set to reunite with his old band and those rumors have seemingly been confirmed by producer John Shanks, who has previously overseen albums by Bon Jovi and Miley Cyrus, amongst others. First Shanks tweeted the message “here we go kids…..vh” and then he posted a photograph of Eddie Van Halen’s amplifier accompanied by the message, “Wtf!”

Last August, Billboard reported that a release by music publishers Warner Chappell—who represent Eddie and Alex Van Halen—had stated that a Van Halen CD featuring Roth would be released in 2011.

Roth fronted Van Halen during their successful 2007-8 tour but hasn’t actually recorded an album with the band since 1984′s 1984, which was certified platinum eight times.
Needless to day, that was a looooong time ago. Are you excited to hear what Dave and Eddie sound like in 2011?