Musicians and actors rarely cross over well: witness the string of dreadful films by pop stars (think Madonna, Sting) and arguably worse recordings by actors (Russell Crowe’s stinky 30 Odd Foot of Grunts or Keanu Reeves’ Dogstar).
But what about an actor playing the role of a rock star… does that work? The world will soon to find out.
Aerosmith screamer Steven Tyler really likes Burger King’s new crispy Chicken Strips. In fact, he likes them so much that he’s promoting them in a TV ad… and not some obscure TV ad seen only in Japan à la Lost in Translation, thus saving face with fans who might think it unseemly for a beloved rock star to be shilling fast food. Nope. Our man is pushing cheap and greasy chicken en Anglais.
Click below to see the American Idol judge cheerily flogging dead bird.
Oh that Bob Dylan… is there anything he can’t do? He has inspired countless musicians, sparked a star-studded movie (I’m Not There), played to audiences across the globe, painted, wrote, made music… all the while making the U.S.A. a cooler place. Says who? President Barack Obama, that’s who.
I have always been a Tom Jones maniac (“Tomiac” is the preferred moniker). His choice of material wavers, but his voice… pow! You just can’t touch it for sheer umph and expressiveness. Having seen the dude live a zillion times (in Vegas even), I know he’s the real deal. But even so, I was unprepared for his mesmerizing cover of Leonard Cohen’s classic “Tower of Song.”
Check it out below.
Queen has done it, and so has Aerosmith, Judas Priest, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Lana Del Ray and others. Now Britpop gods Coldplay are set to perform on American Idol May 3. Which is all sorts of interesting when you think about it.
More than just an overt attempt to curry favour with the mainstream, appearing on Idol these days seems like an essential rite of passage for any performer at the top of their game but not coincidentally benefitting from screaming headlines in TMZ about DUI, bar brawls and messy divorces.
You could wake up this morning, read the music headlines and be forgiven for thinking Y2K had never happened (though doesn't that seem like the quaintest of notions now?) and that Michael Jackson is bound for a comeback any second.
Various stories across the interwebs are noting activity from a bunch of names deeply familiar to 90s-era Britpop fans, namely popsters James, two members of Blur (plus singer Damon Albarn's latter-day combo Gorillaz) plus Gaz Coombes, singer/songwriter with guerilla pop trio Supergrass, and even eerily long-lasting 80s stalwarts Duran Duran.
File under: unlikely friendships. Then again, given the pair's shared affection for tats, scary movies, skanky chicks and black eyeliner, maybe not.
New BFFs Marilyn Manson and Johnny Depp have been turning up all over the place lately, notably with Depp joining the perennial fashion risk during a performance Revolver magazine’s Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles earlier this month and Manson performing at Depp’s son John's 10th birthday party recently.
The volatile history of this band forces us to take this suggestion with a huge grain of salt… but given how utterly awesome it would be if it were true, we have to risk it.
England's Music-News.com reports that wildly influential Manchester combo The Smiths (see "How Soon is Now," "The Queen is Dead," "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" et al) are reforming, possibly for a show and maybe (oh pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease) a tour or more.
It seems like a match made in heaven: guitar god and former White Stripe/Raconteur Jack White is set to write, produce and perform the soundtrack to Disney's upcoming film adaptation of onetime TV show The Lone Ranger, which stars White's doppelganger Johnny Depp as Tonto to Armie Hammer’s masked crime fighter.
One day, there will be a shiny, happy good news story about Courtney Love… but today is not that day. Lawyers at the firm Pryor Cashman, who currently represent the notorious Hole singer, are hoping to withdraw their counsel following what they call a "complete breakdown" in communication with their client.
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March 2012
