In her latest single, “You Belong With Me,” Taylor Swift sings “She wears short skirts/I wear t-shirts,” but on the August cover of Glamour magazine, she’s dubbed a “Bomb-Shell in Blue Jeans.”
July 2, 2009 — The GAC offices will be closed Friday, July 3. GACTV.com news will resume Monday, July 6.
July 2, 2009 — A funny thing happened when Wynonna Judd came to the GAC studio to tape an episode of The Collection — she and Bill Cody enjoyed their chat so much, they lost track of time! At the end of the taping, there was so much must-see footage that editors created an episode of Master Series.
July 2, 2009 — Nan Kelley hosts a red, white and blue-themed edition of GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown this weekend, with Kellie Pickler remaining at No. 1 for the fifth straight week.
July 2, 2009 — Marty Stuart will share a concert with an ex-president, Willie Nelson will share a stage with Bob Dylan, Kid Rock will launch a new beer, Brad Paisley will likely hang out at home, and Jason Michael Carroll will spend the holiday with … Chuck Wicks’ girlfriend!? Indeed. A bundle of events are slated across the good ol’ U.S.A. on the Fourth of July, and country music is right smack-dab in the heart of it all.
July 1, 2009 — Count Reba McEntire as one of the many country stars who’ve joined the Twitter craze. Dial-Global reported that yesterday, Reba’s tweet said she was doing interviews all day (including an interview with GAC and GACTV.com). She also busted her husband Narvel Blackstock’s client Blake Shelton, who has been tweeting like a madman and isn’t always very nice or “PG” in his tweets.
July 1, 2009 — Getting signed to a major record label is the dream of many singers and songwriters. But when it was time to make her new record, Terri Clark actually asked to be released from her contract with Sony/BMG Nashville.
July 1, 2009 — While Josh Turner and the Lost Trailers’ Stokes Nielson have each had babies in the last 10 days, they’re hardly the only country stars with significant developments in their lives. SHeDAISY’s Kassidy Osborn, Aaron Tippin and Country Music Hall of Famer Ray Price have turned important pages — and Kellie Pickler’s ended something that never really started.
July 1, 2009 — Brooks & Dunn are adding a hits compilation to autumn’s album release schedule, perhaps around the time of Indian summer, while Tim McGraw’s decided on a name for his first project of new material in two years. They’re among the leading projects slated for late summer and fall release. Brooks & Dunn’s #1s … and then some features “Indian Summer” and one other brand new song, “Honky Tonk Stomp,” in a 30-track collection stuffed with 23 chart-topping singles. It hits the streets Sept. 8.
Brad Paisley will perform a concert in Central Park on Friday (July 3) for the Good Morning America Summer Concert Series.
Wynonna will sign autographs at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, as well as sing with the Nashville Symphony, on Saturday (July 4) in downtown Nashville.
Terri Clark plans to release a new album, The Long Way Home, independently in September.
Alan Jackson has listed his Nashville-area home on the real estate market for $38 million.
David Nail will release his debut album, I’m About to Come Alive, on Aug. 18 on MCA Nashville.
Old Crow Medicine Show will release their first live concert DVD, Live at the Orange Peel and Tennessee Theatre, on Aug. 18 on Nettwerk Records.
• Watch Jackson at His Final Rehearsals
• Jackson Memorial Proposed for July 7th
• Drake Debuts Kanye-Directed Video
• What Should Happen to Neverland Ranch?
• DEA Joins Jackson Investigation
• Reznor Honored For Helping Fan
• Foo Fighters to Rock D.C. July 4th Bash
• Play: Moby’s Track by Track Guide
• New Music Report: Regina Spektor
• Obama Calls Jackson “One of Our Greatest”
• Film Featuring Jack White Goes to Comic-Con
• Rihanna Moonlights as Tattoo Artist
• Steve Howe Talks Yes/Asia Tour
• Weekend Rock List: American Tunes
• News Ticker: Aerosmith, Whitney
• Jackson’s Will Names Diana Ross Guardian
• U2 Launch 360 Tour With Call to Space
• Aerosmith in Boston: Backstage Photos
• Watch Britney Spears’ “Radar” Video
• Inside DJ Hero With Grandmaster Flash
• Jackson Catalog Busts Chart Records
• Jay-Z Talks Ditching Def Jam, New Deals
• Kevin Jonas Gets Engaged
• Crosby, Stills and Nash on 40 Years of Music
• Promoters Say MJ Show Was “Amazing”
• Breaking: Screaming Females
• Al Jardine: “Fleet Foxes Are Awesome”
• Sharpton Defends Jackson at Apollo Tribute
• Stevie Wonder Ignites Montreal Jazz Fest
• Jackson “Desperately” Sought Sedative
• Jackson’s Body Goes to Neverland for Viewing
• Mariah Dresses Like Eminem for “Obsessed”
• Jackson Tribute Concert In the Works
• Hear Levon Helm’s Take on “Tennessee Jed”
Scroll down for full news stories, commentary and much more in Rock Daily.
The New Music Report’s Christian Rock! kicks off this week with Regina Spektor, who scored her highest chart debut with her new third album, Far. The New Yorker via Moscow is a classically trained pianist as well as an appealing weirdo, like Fiona Apple and Bjürk combined, says Christian Hoard. Her vocal hiccups (there’s even a dolphin impression on the record) can be indulgent, but she has pop songwriting gifts. Spektor’s confessionals grab you by the lapels without getting maudlin or overly emotional. Hoard says Far is a brightly produced album, but it’s also pretty straightforward, featuring piano, strings, percussion and keyboards. This time around Spektor’s lyris are deep and open — she’s sad on “Laughing With” but also whimsical on “Dance Anthem of the 80’s” where she wanders around the city with her slip showing. Hoard says he’s a fan because Spektor doesn’t try like she’s trying hard.
Jon Dolan concurs in his four-star review of the album: “Spektor is a woman who doesn’t need much excuse to have an emotional Chernobyl (in one song, it’s finding a wallet with a Blockbuster card in it). But she’s also the rare screwball who gets more universal as she gets weirder.”
>>Watch every episode of our weekly New Music Report video podcast by subscribing via iTunes (when prompted, click “Launch application”). Every Tuesday, a new episode will be delivered to your iTunes. [If you don’t have iTunes, download it here.]
Photo: snitcherdesk.com/Splash News
Rihanna’s love of tattoos is no secret, as it seems like every time the “Umbrella” singer is photographed, she’s sporting new ink somewhere. According to MTV, RiRi took her painful hobby to a new extreme yesterday at New York tattoo parlor East Side Ink, trying her hand at being a tattoo artist by inscribing the letter “R” into the bodies of the parlor staff. MTV says Rihanna initially came in to get lessons from her personal tattoo artist BangBang, but the student soon became the teacher when Rihanna tattooed BangBang and two other artists, plus East Side Ink owner Yadira, who got an “R” on his leg as well. “We had a blast,” Yadira told MTV. “It was so funny and cute.” And, apparently, illegal.
TMZ reports that, following news of Rihanna’s tattoo clinic, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said they’d go to East Side Ink to investigate the incident. “Only licensed tattoo artists can administer tattoos in the city according to the City’s Health Code. We are sending someone down to follow up on this,” the NYC Health Department told TMZ, who have video of Rihanna putting her permanent art on the parlor workers. The whole tatting incident might cost Rihanna, literally: If the singer is charged, the misdemeanors carry fines of $300 for the first offense, $500 for the second and $1,000 for the third. If an investigation is opened up, East Side Ink might face some fines from the New York Health Department as well.
Photo: Wong/Getty
Throngs of fans and media descended on Neverland Ranch following Michael Jackson’s death last week, demonstrating once again how the 2,800-acre property in California’s Santa Barbara County is synonymous with the King of Pop. However, plans for a Neverland public memorial and burial have been abandoned, and it’s unclear what will become of the cultural landmark now. Jackson himself left the land after his second trial for child-molestation charges (the police search of his home “violated” it, he said), and in November 2008 the ranch’s deed was transferred to Sycamore Valley Ranch Company, LLC and billionaire Thomas Barrack, a casualty of Jackson’s mounting debt, according to the Santa Barbara EdHat. The property’s amusement park rides were removed, and Jackson memorabilia headed to the auction block.
(Get a look at Neverland’s historic contents.)
So what should become of Neverland now? A few suggestions:
Neverland, the Graceland: While the mayor of Gary, Indiana lobbies for the Jackson family to establish a museum dedicated to their lives in Jackson’s former hometown, turning Neverland into a public museum much like Elvis Presley’s Graceland seems like the most obvious idea, given the fame surrounding the property. It’s probably the most cost-feasible option as well, as it would just require the Ranch to be restored to its previous state prior to Jackson’s departure. Decades after Presley’s death, Graceland continues to attract fans and earn money, so it’s a given Neverland could operate the same way. However, California law prevents an individual from being buried at a private residence, so the site would have to serve more as a museum than a final resting ground.
Neverland, the Amusement Park: The Ranch previously housed a kiddie roller coaster, Ferris wheel, merry-go-round and many more rides to entertain its young visitors. Southern California is already a hotbed for theme parks, from Disneyland to Six Flags to Universal Studios, and Neverland could be the latest addition to the club. Imagine, a roller coaster called Moonwalker or Dangerous: The Ride. They can even resurrect the 3D Captain EO attraction that was at the Epcot Center and Disneyland.
Neverland, the National Park: It would probably the favorite option to the quiet residents of Santa Barbara, the plan would mean restoring the Ranch to its original, scenic state. Without the frills of the previous two options, the Ranch would be similar to the Strawberry Fields memorial dedicated to John Lennon in Central Park. Maybe once a year, on Jackson’s birthday or the anniversary of his death, a public concert could be held on the land to pay tribute to the singer.
Neverland, the Children’s Hospital: This is probably the closest thing Jackson had in mind when he established the Neverland Ranch, and it’s most likely the best way to honor his memory. Even as Jackson was preparing for his This Is It! tour, his spokesman told Rolling Stone that Jackson was returning to the stage not for the money, but that “he’s doing it for his children and the children of the world.” What better way to honor his legacy as a humanitarian than with a children’s hospital on the site, complete with the rides?
What would be a fitting fate for Neverland? Leave your suggestions for Jackson’s former home in the comments.
Photo: Wong/Getty
President Barack Obama has commented publicly about the death of Michael Jackson, telling the AP “I grew up on his music — still have all his stuff on my iPod.” Obama added that Jackson “will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers.” As Rock Daily previously reported, Obama personally sent a letter of condolence to the Jackson family, the contents of which were not revealed.
“I think that his brilliance as a performer also was paired with a tragic and, in many ways, sad personal life,” Obama said. “I’m glad to see that he is being remembered primarily for the great joy that he brought to a lot of people through his extraordinary gifts as an entertainer.” The President’s comments today mark the first time a news agency has asked him to speak publicly about Jackson. Obama was prepared to address Jackson’s death during a press conference with the German chancellor last week, but no one asked the President to comment on the King of Pop.
“The president obviously believes that he was an important and magnificent performer,” Obama’s senior adviser David Axelrod told Meet The Press last weekend. “Obviously, he led a sad life in many ways as well but his impact is undeniable.” Obama’s press secretary Robert Gibbs spoke on behalf of the President after Jackson’s death, saying “I talked to [Obama] about it this morning. He said to me that obviously Michael Jackson was a spectacular performer, a music icon, and I think everybody remembers hearing his songs, watching him moonwalk on television during Motown’s 25th anniversary.”
Related Stories:
• Barack Obama Sends Condolences to Michael Jackson’s Family
• Music World Mourns Michael Jackson’s Death
• Inside Barack Obama’s iPod