Music news

Hollywood's Most Overexposed Celebrities

2008-11-19T02:39:00.000-08:00

All press is good press, the old adage goes. This does not apply to Paris Hilton.

The celebutante's every move, from her club-hopping to her jail stint to her search for a new best friend has proved fodder for the flashbulbs and celebrity press. But what has the incessant coverage garnered her? Eye rolls--and worse, audience disinterest.

Success Party of GOLMAAL RETURNS!

2008-11-19T01:46:00.001-08:00

Dhilin Mehta of Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd. recently hosted the success party of GOLMAAL RETURNS which saw a lot of fun and frolic where friends, well–wishers, compatriots from the film industry descended to celebrate the stupendous success of this roller coaster laugh riot!

The cast of the film turned out in full force. Director Rohit Shetty was one of the earliest to arrive. Ajay Devgan was followed a little later by wife Kajol and Tanishaa. Tusshar Kapoor flew in from South Africa especially for the party while Celina Jaitley who came in directly from the airport, received a lot of compliments for her lovely pink dress. Shreyas Talpade was seen mingling with everyone while Anjana Sukhani. Tulip Joshi, Aushima Sahani, Sonal Chauhan all made a statement in black!

The guests included Jeetendra, Manish Malhotra, Anna Singh, Bhushan Kumar, Music Dir. Pritam, celebrity stylist Aalim, Murli Sharma and Ashwini Kalsekar, Vrajesh Hirjee, Mukesh Tiwari, Vatsal Seth, Kunal Khemu, Rakhi Tandon, Manoj joshi, Sajid and Farhad (writers of Golmaal Returns), Riddhima Tiwari, Robin Bhat, Ajay Acharya and many more while the directors brigade comprised Prakash Jha, Shivam Nair, Anthony D'Souza along with wife, Imtiaz Ali, Vipul Shah, Anil Devgan, Neeraj Vora, Milan Lutharia, Inder Kumar who all came in to show their support. Telly Queen Ekta Kapoor dropped in for a short while towards the end.

Ajay Devgan and the cast cut the cake and uncorked the champagne amidst a lot of cheers after which they gave bytes to the media and posed for the shutterbugs.

Kareena Kapoor and Amrita Arora who were also a part of the successful film GOLMAAL RETURNS were busy shooting for KAMBAKHT ISHQ while Arshad Warsi was in Wahi hence couldn't make it for the party.

Salman Khan promotes ‘Yuvraaj’ on Children’s Day

2008-11-19T01:27:00.000-08:00

This time Salman Khan is making an exception to his long time policy of not promoting his films. Taking active part in the promotion of his forthcoming ‘Yuvraaj’, Salman was first seen on the sets of ‘Sa Re Ga Ma’ with her lady love Katrina Kaif and now, he does it again on the Children’s Day.

The veteran actor made their day on 14th Nov 2008 at Globus, Bandra as he arrived to meet and greet the children at the promotional event of his forthcoming film “Yuvvraaj”. Chatting, laughing and performing for them, Salman looked every inch the true superstar.

‘Fashion’ movie success bash

2008-11-19T01:25:00.000-08:00

Madhur Bhandarkar’s ambitious project ‘Fashion’ did pretty well at the box-office. The cast and crew of the movie along with many other sizzling Bollywood personalities celebrated the success of the film at the bash held at Vie Lounge, Juhu, Mumbai, last Friday Nite.

Madhur Bhandarkar along with Priyanka Chopra, Kangna Ranaut, Mugdha Godse, Arbaaz Khan, Arjan Bajwa etc were present at the party.

under Bollywood, Gossip, Fashion, Events, News, Desi Hot Babes, Item Girl, Actress, Fans, Models, Actors, Director, Hot girls [ No Comments ; ]

Chitrangada shoots for the promotional video of ‘Sorry Bhai’

2008-11-19T01:21:00.000-08:00

Chitrangada Singh made her start in Bollywood through serious cinema like ‘Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi and ‘Kal – Yesterday and Tomorrow’ but the gal is all set to change her image with her first commercial venture ‘Sorry Bhai’.

The film has been directed by Onir and is all set to release on 28th November. Chitrangda has recently shot for a promotional music video which comes with the title ‘Sorry Bhai’. The video has just been unveiled on the music channels. The number has soft dance moves associated with it, the number is a feel good light hearted banter between Sanjay, Sharman and Chitrangda. The film revolves around them with the storyline as Chitrangda all set to get married to Sanjay before she falls in love with his younger brother Sharman. In the song Sharman questions them and the duo tries to make peace with him and explain their point of view.

Though Gaurav Dayal has composed the entire soundtrack of SORRY BHAI, the title song sees Vivek Phillip chipping in as the guest composer. He also writes the lyrics along with Amitabh Varma for this song which is sung by K.K., Sunidhi Chauhan and Abhishek Nailwal.

Onir is all praises for Chitrangda and says, “This is a gift that we all have given to each other. The promotional music video has been shot in all white color and would feature in the movie during the end credits roll. The video features Chitrangda along with the entire principal cast of the movie comprising of Sanjay Suri, Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi.”

Bollywood coming up with all merry n gay attitudes!

2008-11-19T01:16:00.000-08:00

The latest movies like Dostana and Fashion have again tickled the long subdued topic of homosexuality to the forefront and into the mainstream cinema.

Although every producer- director teams up to bring a ‘hat ke’ project, for long homosexuals have largely been supposed to be out of the orbit of the various formulas and incarnations that control the Bollywood box office.

Movies like Deepa Mehta’s Fire and Onir’s My Brother Nikhil that have made stirring efforts to break the orthodox depiction, but have been labelled as ‘parallel’ cinema. However, the current wave of films, like Fashion and Dostana, may be able to bring the much awaited acceptance to homosexuality.

Mahesh Dattani made a bold effort “Mango Souffle” to look at the gay community without prejudice and to de-marginalize homosexuality in our cinema. But the efforts went in vain as the film hardly got an audience worth citing.

With the release of Karan Johar’s Dostana where the Bollywood hunks and lead actors, Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham, pretend to be a couple in a bid to rent an apartment in Miami. Madhur Bhandarkar’s recent release, Fashion, in one of its sub-plots, has Harsh Chayya and Samir Soni play a homosexual fashion designer-couple thus indicating of the acceptance of the odd among the audience.

For many years, homosexual were essentially comic characters meant to lampoon men who, in every day jargon, aren’t “normal”. Like in- Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan in Kal Ho Naa Ho where Shah Rukh and Saif’s characters were mistaken to be gay by the latter’s housekeeper; Anupam Kher subsequently played in Rahul Rawail’s “Mast Kalander” and David Dhawan’s “Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge” and not to forget Sanjeev Kumar playing an effeminate character in A. Bhim Singh’s “Naya Din Nayee Raat”.

Now in Madhur Bhandarkar’s “Page 3″ for the first time a gay character is looked at without chauvinism and comes closest in Indian cinema to portraying a gay character with some air of sensitivity.

The director Madhur Bhandarkar comments: “All the characters you see in ‘Page 3′ is based on people I know. In our films, gay characters are used as props and gimmicks. In my film, Rehaan plays an identifiable character. We cannot reduce any community of people to tokens and emblems. We’ve to treat them as real.”

Homosexuality is still in the pothole of ‘minorityism’ and Hindi cinema has a long way off from pulling it out. The filmmakers can get honest about the matter on sc

Acoustic Guitar by Jeff Williams

2008-11-19T00:15:00.000-08:00

If you like what you see / hear please click SHARE
you can also SHARE this channel with the button in the contact section of this page.

ACDA Junior High National Honor Choir selects Emily McGurk of Roselle Park

2008-11-18T08:23:00.000-08:00

ROSELLE PARK - After rigorous auditions among thousands of students nationwide in early September, Emily McGurk of Roselle Park was accepted into the ACDA (American Choral Directors Association's Junior High National Honor Choir).

Emily, who is a freshman at The Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison, auditioned through Celebration Singers, a Cranford-based organization that has performed in the tri-state area for over 70 years. Emily is a member of Celebration's Children's Choir, which was founded in 1996 and is led by Tom Pedas.

From March 4 to 7, Emily will attend the 2009 National ACDA Convention in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where she will rehearse music memorized for the event, attend concert sessions with international choirs and conductors, as well as programs on "Music in Worship," jazz and other demonstration choirs.

Last year, Emily was selected to join the ACDA's Eastern Junior Honor Choir and performed at the organization's 2008 Eastern Division Convention in Hartford, Connecticut in February.

Founded in 1959, the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) is a nonprofit music-education organization whose central purpose is to promote excellence in choral music through performance, composition, publication, research, and teaching. In addition, ACDA strives through arts advocacy to elevate choral music's position in American society.

Emily is the daughter of Dr. James F. McGurk and Christine R. Cardi of Roselle Park.

Top award for a music man of many talents

2008-11-18T08:16:00.000-08:00

A MUSIC man of many talents has been awarded a prestigious prize for his innovative compositions and success in promoting his pieces world-wide.

Janek Shaefer, from Walton, was among three gifted performers to receive a Paul Hamlyn Foundation Com-posers Award on Thursday.

The award consists of £45,000, spread in equal instalments over three years, and exists to give artists the freedom to develop their creative ideas.

Shaefer was chosen for the award following a highly-acclaimed tri-instrumental piece, in which he cut a cello solo recording, a piano solo recording and a violin solo recording and played them simultaneously.

He said: “I’m many things but I mainly call myself a sound artist.

“I often use microphone recordings and change the music and use old records and take textures from them to make new soundscapes

‘Guitar Hero’ Wii Not Getting Jimi Hendrix DLC Due To Wii Limitations

2008-11-18T08:15:00.001-08:00

Wii owners will not be receiving additional Jimi Hendrix tracks for “Guitar Hero: World Tour,” an Activision Blizzard representative has confirmed to MTV Multiplayer.

“Due to technical or licensing restrictions, the DLC offerings will not be the same for every console platform,” explained the representative. “For example, certain artists prefer to keep the integrity of the track pack rather than releasing singles and the Wii’s infrastructure only allows us the ability to release single songs as DLC.”

We learned about this technical limitation a few weeks back from Harmonix. The Wii version of “Rock Band 2″ will not feature price-reduced bundle packs because Nintendo does not allow “duplicate” content on the Wii Store.

In this case, licensing restrictions from Jimi Hendrix’s people mean Activision Blizzard must offer the music as a “track pack” and not singles. The restriction, combined with Nintendo’s rules, mean Wii players won’t see the music.

This isn’t a new trend. It’s just new to music games. Similar licensing restrictions have stopped some artists from joining iTunes.

“The development team is committed to offering Wii fans worldwide as much variety of DLC as possible on a regular basis,” continued the spokesperson.

This could be a problem for “Rock Band 2,” too. We’ll keep watching.

Bands spread Air Force message through music

2008-11-18T08:03:00.000-08:00

"It's our job to get out there," said Master Sgt. Scott McPherson of the Air National Guard Band of the Southwest from Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Calif.

"The group is like that," he said. "They put the audience before themselves quite a bit."

Ash fell from the sky and smoke wafted through the Knott's Berry Farm amusement park in Buena Park, Calif., during two sets by Shockwave, a 10-member popular music group made of members of the 562nd Air Force Band, the organizational name of the Channel Islands' band. A plume of smoke blocked the sunlight, making it appear like dusk in mid-afternoon.

"The smoke restricts the breathing for the vocalists and the horn players," said Sergeant McPherson, the unit's first sergeant and drummer for Shockwave and other groups that spin off from the larger band to play Dixieland jazz, rhythm and blues and other popular styles. "It's not very comfortable and they woke up the next morning with headaches and some respiratory problems."

Shockwave performed rock, county and rhythm and blues music from the 1950s to the present on a stage decorated with red, white and blue bunting in front of a mock courthouse in the western-themed amusement park.

They played an earlier concert that morning at the Air Force Week Expo in Hollywood, Calif., and returned there the day after the amusement park show. Trumpet player Tech Sgt. Jerry Lockwood sang the Willie Nelson hit "On the Road Again" with a military twist: he changed the lyrics to "I'm Deployed Again" and described what life is like for modern Airmen.

Kenny Chesney wins country music entertainer award

2008-11-18T07:52:00.000-08:00

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - Kenny Chesney captured country music's top prize -- entertainer of the year -- for the fourth time in five years on Wednesday in an awards show that also saw big wins for Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley and traditionalist George Strait.

"It's very wonderful to stand up here and hold this trophy for the fourth time. I love what I'm doing," said the black-clad Chesney, who tied Garth Brooks for most wins of the Country Music Association's top award.

The show's two co-hosts also walked away with honors. "American Idol" champ Underwood won her third consecutive female vocalist of the year award, and Paisley won male vocalist for the second year in a row.

Search: Rediff.com The Web Click here! Advertisement Discuss | Email | Print | Get latest news on your des

2008-11-18T07:23:00.000-08:00

The Maharaja of modern Indian music, A R Rahman, has talent and vision the stuff of legend, a unanimously recognized musical genius that comes around once-a-generation.

So it was only a matter of time before Hollywood scooped him up and sampled his skills; and that's exactly what happened, first in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, the musical Bombay Dreams and now in Danny Boyle's mega-hyped, Mumbai-based Slumdog Millionaire.

Also Read: Slumdog Millionaire sold out!

As evidence of his rising celebrity, and to give you insight into the creative process behind the beats of Boyle's masterpiece, we point you to this interview from the prestigious pages of New York Magazine -- a lifestyle mag known especially for its fashion/celebrity/arts/gossip coverage, which always seems to be on the cutting edge of what's in, what's cool and what's happening.

So, given the elite-ness of the publication, this brief QnA session undoubtedly portends great things for Rahman's Hollywood future. And it appears a more comprehensive future is indeed likely.

In the interview, an effusive Rahman has nothing but kind words for director, calling him not only a fast worker and humorous, but also a 'good human being.'

Also Read: Making Slumdog Millionaire truly Indian

Explaining the differences between working for Hollywood and Bollywood, Rahman says, 'There's not many cues in the film. Usually a big film has 130 cues. This had just seventeen or eighteen: the end credits, beginning credits, that stuff.'

He went on to say that, 'It took two months of planning, two weeks of completing. Usually it takes six months with the musical films I'm doing in India.'

But does the film's music, which is earning near-universal praise from critics, paint an accurate aural portrait of Mumbai? Rahman believes that, 'The soundtrack isn't about India or Indian culture. The story could happen anywhere: China, Brazil [Images], anywhere. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is on in every damn country.'

Yes, really and truly, it appears that the West has woken up to India. We have a feeling Hollywood isn't quite finished with the uber-talented Rahman. So stay tuned!

Photograph: Rajesh Karkera

The Case of the Missing Michael Jackson Music

2008-11-18T07:06:00.000-08:00

On the down side, Michael Jackson has been sued yet again. On the plus side, the suit has absolutely nothing to do with underage children.

The son of the king of Bahrain, or as his closest friends refer to him, Sheik Abdulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, has filed a $7 million breach-of-contract suit against the pop star, claiming Jackson reneged on an exclusive recording contract.

In his lawsuit, which will be heard in London court later today, the sheik claims he paid Jackson more than $7 million as an advance on two albums, a stage show and a planned autobiography, built him a recording studio and gave him a Rolls-Royce worth roughly $275,000.

However, while Jackson was more than willing to accept the funds, the royal said that when the time came to actually record the promised music, Jackson, well, beat it.

Te erstwhile King of Pop has claimed all payments he received were "gifts" and that no project or contract was ever finalized. He voiced similar sentiments back in September 2006, when he announced he had split from Two Seas Records, the Bahrain-based record label he cofounded with Al-Khalifa, after just five months (and, for those keeping count, zero records).

Meanwhile, the sheik says the money was simply an advance that was to be repaid out of the proceeds of their planned entertainment endeavors and that he was simply doing his buddy a solid to help him out of his financial funk.

The unlikely business partners were onetime close friends: Back in 2005, Jackson, along with his children and entourage of advisers, stayed at the sheik's Bahrain residence for roughly six months during the singer's self-imposed exile in the wake of his acquittal on child-molestation charges.

Though the case is expected to go to trial at London's Royal Courts of Justice this afternoon, and indeed the British press was gathering en masse to await Jackson's possible arrival in court, it's believed the high-profile duo will likely settle the matter outside of court.

KCRW names Jason Bentley music director, 'Morning Becomes Eclectic' host

2008-11-18T07:02:00.000-08:00

The new voice of “Morning Becomes Eclectic" will be familiar to fans of KCRW-FM (89.9), if they like their evenings eclectic, also.

Jason Bentley, host of the public station's nighttime music show, will take over as music director at KCRW and as host of its signature music program when Nic Harcourt leaves both posts Nov. 30.

"I'm excited by this opportunity to grow personally and help grow the station," Bentley said. "It's a place where I've grown upBentley volunteered at the station while in high school and copied the style of former "Morning Becomes Eclectic" host Tom Schnabel when he was a DJ at his college station at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. For the last 16 years, Bentley has hosted his own KCRW show, formerly called "Metropolis," which he described as "the urban pulse at night -- that's a particular mood. Obviously, in the morning, I need to embrace a brighter sound."

"Morning Becomes Eclectic," which airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon, is not only the station's highest-profile show, it also has a reach far beyond its morning audience, mainly because among those listeners are Hollywood and music executives with the power to offer contracts to unsigned bands or give artists unheard on other radio stations wide exposure on television and film soundtracks. For example, Harcourt has been credited with bringing notice to Coldplay, Norah Jones, Dido and Damien Rice.
."

Pop & Hiss The L.A. Times music blog

2008-11-17T21:32:00.000-08:00

Jason Bentley, host of the public station's nighttime music show, will take over as music director at KCRW and as host of its signature music program when Nic Harcourt leaves both posts Nov. 30.

"I'm excited by this opportunity to grow personally and help grow the station," Bentley said. "It's a place where I've grown up."

Bentley volunteered at the station while in high school and copied the style of former "Morning Becomes Eclectic" host Tom Schnabel when he was a DJ at his college station at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. For the last 16 years, Bentley has hosted his own KCRW show, formerly called "Metropolis," which he described as "the urban pulse at night -- that's a particular mood. Obviously, in the morning, I need to embrace a brighter sound."

"Morning Becomes Eclectic," which airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon, is not only the station's highest-profile show, it also has a reach far beyond its morning audience, mainly because among those listeners are Hollywood and music executives with the power to offer contracts to unsigned bands or give artists unheard on other radio stations wide exposure on television and film soundtracks. For example, Harcourt has been credited with bringing notice to Coldplay, Norah Jones, Dido and Damien Rice.

The show celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, and former hosts Schnabel and Chris Douridas still host weekend shows on KCRW. Likewise, Harcourt will host his own program Sundays from 6 to 9 p.m.

Swift loves life in fast lane

2008-11-16T07:10:00.000-08:00

At 18, Taylor Swift plays by her own rules. After selling a remarkable 3 million copies of her self-titled debut, she has been setting up her second album the new-fashioned way: showcasing a new song at the Summer Olympics, another on "Grey's Anatomy," two singles on country radio and two others on iTunes.

She comes off as the girl next door -- preoccupied with boys, beauty and her blog. But Swift is also one of the shrewdest operators and boldest talents in Nashville.

She writes or cowrites her own don't-mess-with-me love songs, which have attracted a new generation of teen girls to country music. She's poised, polished and popular enough to appear this fall on the MTV Video Music Awards, "Good Morning America," David Letterman, Ellen DeGeneres, the American Music Awards and CMT's "Crossroads" to trumpet her new CD, the aptly titled "Fearless."

Greeting reporters, she exclaims, "Guess what I just did?"

It was the morning after her Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series -- she sang the national anthem at the first game in Philadelphia -- so some baseball talk was expected.

"I voted!" she says instead. "I waited in line for two hours and then I voted. It was like the most amazing feeling when I got to push the red button that says 'cast your vote.' When I pushed that button, I felt so completely 18 and American."

Because she says the songs on "Fearless" are mostly about boys, love and relationships, she's questioned about how many dates she's been on in 2008 -- and with how many guys?

An interview with Alabama Symphony music director Justin Brown

2008-11-16T07:01:00.000-08:00

ALABAMA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
When: Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $12-$65; go to www.alabamasymphony.org.
Where: Alys Stephens Center. 1200 10th Ave. South.
On the program: Messiaen, "Un Sourire"; Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488; Strauss, "Ein Heldenleben."
Concert comments: 7 p.m., Reynolds-Kirschbaum Recital Hall.

Justin Brown is the rare musician who has built a reputation both as a pianist and a conductor. In a previous incarnation, the Alabama Symphony music director was a violinist, and although his violin playing has fallen into the shadows, he regularly solos in piano concertos and performs chamber music at ASO events and throughout Europe. On Nov. 21 and 22, he descends from the podium to conduct from the keyboard in one of Mozart's most melodious and masterful piano concertos -- No. 23 in A major, K. 488.

A tireless advocate of 20th century music, Brown will honor Olivier Messiaen's birth centennial with the atmospheric and reflective "Un Sourire" (A Smile), a work composed in 1991 for Mozart's bicentennial. The concert closes with Richard Strauss' epic autobiographical tone poem, "Ein Heldenleben."

We asked Brown about his increasing multi-tasking, and how ASO musicians are responding.

Three stabbed at music awards night

2008-11-16T06:59:00.000-08:00

Hundreds of people at a major music awards show have been quizzed after a triple stabbing left one guest seriously injured and two others wounded.

There were chaotic scenes at the 6th Annual Urban Music Awards at the O2 Arena in London, forcing organisers to abandon the ceremony after an hour and a half.

Eyewitnesses spoke of seeing "blood all over the floor" after a huge brawl broke, sending champagne bottles and chairs flying and causing general "hysteria". Guns were also said to have been spotted inside the auditorium.

Quantum of Solace Wormy, arrogant villains, naked agents – latest film has it all

2008-11-16T06:50:00.000-08:00

James Bond is back, and this time it’s mighty personal. Daniel Craig’s craggy agent picks up exactly where he left off in another bruising thriller that leaves you feeling both drained and exhilarated.

There are hand-to-hand fights that make your eyes water and old-school stunts involving motorbikes, speedboats, jet fighters and expensive cars that give you whiplash just looking at them. Really, nobody does it better than the new 007.

What makes Marc Forster’s film such an intriguing watch is that this is the first of the 22 Bond movies where the plot flows organically from the last instalment, and Quantum of Solace looks a far stronger picture for this rare continuity.

Needless to say the plot is as forbidding as the title. After the death of his girlfriend, Vesper Lynd, at the end of Casino Royale, Bond mixes revenge and duty dangerously as he hunts down the shadowy group that blackmailed Lynd to betray him.

A link to a bank account in Haiti puts Bond on the scent of Mathieu Amalric’s chief creep and ruthless businessman, Dominic Greene. All great Bond adversaries are generously blessed with kinks and quirks and Greene is no different. Amalric has a wonderfully wormy arrogance.

Live review: The Walkmen

2008-11-15T04:06:00.000-08:00

Venue: Manchester Academy 3
Gig played: 29 October 2008

Eight hours of motorway hell isn't the best preparation for a show, but that was The Walkmen's pre-gig build-up tonight. Indeed, they were so late to the venue that there wasn't even time for a soundcheck before they found themselves thrust into the spotlight half an hour later than planned.

Understandably, they appear as a dishevelled and shell-shocked bunch. "Give us a minute," mumbles the fantastically monikered Hamilton Leithauser in response to one wit's cry of "You're late!" If ever a gig was on the knife edge of disaster, it's now.

Had it all collapsed into fatigue-fuelled tantrums, you'd have forgiven The Walkmen, so hats off to the five-piece for delivering maybe not the finest show of their careers, but an unexpectedly sturdy and enjoyable one.

The credit for that success has to be split between the leadership of Hamilton - whose stretching, yowling, craning performance could act as a lesson in professionalism for any wannabe star - and the rich depth that the New Yorkers bring to their live sound.

Live, their occasionally thin recorded sound is filled in as the band reveal themselves as an intriguing prospect, a fine halfway-point between the dark brood of Interpol and the psych expanse of Mercury Rev.
Highlights come from their recent You & Me album, with a freewheeling 'Donde Esta La Playa', the echo and splendour of 'On The Water' and a thrilling 'In The New Year', delivered with both stretched hands and vocal chords from Hamilton.

By the time they depart, weary but smiling, what could have been a disaster has turned into a minor victory. It seems the old adage is true: when the pressure is on, that's when you see a person's true worth. For all their tiredness and irritation, The Walkmen showed themselves to be real gems.

Chris Long

S Club reunion ends in chaos

2008-11-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

An S Club reunion gig ended abruptly on Wedensday (12 November) when lead singer Jo O?Meara was hit on the head with a glass bottle.

The vocalist dropped to her knees, clutching a two-inch wound on her head, and had to be assisted off the stage at Tokyo nightclub in Bradford.

Bandmate Bradley McIntosh told the crowd: "It takes just one idiot to ruin everybody's night.

"If you are going to throw a glass, throw it at me. You had to spoil it."

Jo, Bradley and Paul Cattermole reunited as S Club 3 earlier this month for a handful of appearances across Britain.

Now recovering at home in London, Jo told Contact Music: "We were all having a great time until the incident and would like to apologise to fans that our set was cut short."

A 20-year-old male is reportedly being questioned by police about the attack.

Britney Spears previews new material

2008-11-15T03:48:00.000-08:00

Britney Spears has provided fans with a taste of her new material.

Six songs from her forthcoming album, Circus, have been woven together to form an exclusive 'Beat The Leak' mixtape.

The mash-up, which includes the album's lead single 'Womanizer', can be heard on New York radio station KTU's website.

Thirty-second samples of all 15 album tracks have also been uploaded to Amazon, giving fans a preview of what they can expect when Circus is released on 1 December.

Britney made a return to the live stage last week, performing alongside Madonna during the Los Angeles leg of the veteran star's Sticky & Sweet tour. The pair dueted on 'Human Nature'.

Aria Bass Guitar Package

2008-11-15T03:43:00.000-08:00

Guitar Specs Body - Alder Neck - Maple, bolt on Fretboard - Rosewood, 34" scale Hardwared - Chrome Pickups - 1*OP1 Double Coil (P style), 2*OJ1
Single Coils (J Style) Controls - 1*vol (2 on J Style), 1*tone  Amp Specs * 10w RMS output (20w peak) * 6" speaker * volume control * Bass, Middle and Treble controls * Headphone socket

Vintage 'Metal Axxe' Wraith Active Bass Guitar

2008-11-15T03:36:00.000-08:00

Body - Eastern Poplar
Neck - Maple, Bolt on
Neck Inlays - Dot, with unique Vintage
double 'V' 12th fret inlay
Fretboard - Rosewood, 24 Frets                     
Scale - 864mm
Tuners- Wilkinson WJB150
Bridge - Heavy Duty multi-adjustable, raised tail
Pickups - 1 Wilkinson split PB, 1 Wilkinson PJ
Hardware - Satin chrome
Controls - 1*vol, 1*tone, 1*treble, 1 balance      £189