No surprises here, but Prince has again taken his anti-fun copyright claims a bit too far.
The Associated Press reported today that the artist's label, NPG Records, has requested that all versions of his Radiohead cover of "Creep" be removed from YouTube. The artist sang the song at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.
For those who have forgotten, Prince had earlier stopped a video of a baby dancing to his "Let's Go Crazy," which was barely audible in the background of the clip. One of the ironies in that case, and likely here as well, is that Prince has only served to make more people aware of the video and will once again send music fans on a scavenger hunt to find it.
But at least "Let's Go Crazy" was Prince's song. The AP story quotes Radiohead's Thom Yorke as saying that he wants Prince to unblock the tune:
"Really? He's blocked it?" asked Yorke, who figured it was their song to block or not. "Surely, we should block it. Hang on a moment."
Yorke added: "Well, tell him to unblock it. It's our ... song."
YouTube apparently declined to comment to the AP. But for now, you can click this link and find it on YouTube. It's a muffled, poorly shot, 1 minute and 14 second clip, and it will surely destroy Prince's career if it's allowed to stay online.
The Times' Ann Powers reviewed Prince's performance and noted of his version of "Creep" that he "changed it from a dissection of self-loathing to an admonition to feel uplifted." But was the re-interpretation enough for Prince to claim ownership of the tune?
Following the news this week that new "American Idol" David Cook placed a whopping 14 songs on the U.S. digital songs chart comes some staggering sales figures from Nielsen SoundScan. During the week of the finale, the 10 "Idol" finalists sold a total of 1.5 million digital downloads, led by Cook, who moved 924,000 of them.
"Idol" runner-up David Archuleta sold 323,000 downloads, and Jason Castro was a distant third with 64,000 copies. Two things to note: The sales figures represent multiple tracks from the artists, and fans were encouraged to download the songs this week, as most of them disappeared from Apple's iTunes store Wednesday night. So if you were wondering why America seemed a little brighter -- perhaps just a little happier -- on Thursday, there was your reason (sorry, boss).
The kind kids at Show Tracker noted that songs from Cook and Archuleta would still be available after the Wednesday night deadline, but an iTunes search for "Archuleta" did not reveal any songs. It appears that his soullessly professional version of John Lennon's "Imagine" can no longer (legally) infect MP3 players.
So here's the complete breakdown:
Cook: 942,000 downloads
Archuleta: 323,000 downloads
Castro: 64,000 downloads
Brooke White: 47,000 downloads
Michael Johns: 40,000 downloads
Carly Smithson: 33,000 downloads
Syesha Mercado: 18,000 downloads
Kristy Lee Cook: 10,000 downloads
Chikezie: 5,000 downloads
Ramiele Malubay: 3,000 downloads
Artists who appeared on the "Idol" finale also saw a nice benefit. Carrie Underwood's "Last Name" went from 22,000 downloads to 64,000, and OneRepublic's sappy "Apologize" rocketed from 6,000 downloads to 40,000.
So while execs at Fox ponder how to reinject some life into the competition, they can rest assured that the show still has a tight grip on the music marketplace.
Update from the A.M.: The post was changed to include sales figures from Ramiele Malubay.
Alexander "Sandy" Courage, the man who composed the theme for the original "Star Trek" TV series, died May 15. He was 88.
The Times obituary, written by Dennis McLellan, notes that Courage had been in declining health since 2005. His 54-year career began at CBS Radio in 1946, and through the decades Courage's music could be heard in a string of popular musicals and films, including "Annie Get Your Gun," "Gigi" and "Jurassic Park."
But Courage's best-known work will probably remain the opening them for the 1960s "Star Trek" series, arguably the most recognizable piece of television scoring of all time. Writes McLellan, quoting film music historian John Burlingame :
The eight-note brass fanfare that Courage wrote to herald the starship Enterprise became one of the most familiar musical signatures in TV history.
"I'd argue that it's the most famous fanfare in the world," Burlingame, who teaches film music history at USC, said Thursday. "It's been around 42 years -- and it's all around the world -- and when you hear those eight notes you immediately think of the Enterprise."
Though composer Jerry Goldsmith became associated with the "Star Trek" franchise beginning with the release of the first film in 1979, Courage's original fanfare continued to be linked with the films.
A YouTube clip from the original show is below:
Awhile back, Extended Play chatted with composer Michael Giacchino, who will be scoring the upcoming "Star Trek" film from J.J. Abrams. Giacchino talked briefly about the daunting task of writing music for "Star Trek."
Keira Knightley's latest period piece, "The Edge of Love," has an U.K. release date of June 27, and while an U.S. date doesn't appear to have been set, you can bide your time with this clip of Knightley singing in the film.
"The Edge of Love," which also stars Cillian Murphy, Sienna Millerand Matthew Rhys, is a romantic drama inspired by the life of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (played by Rhys). A while back, the Daily Mail had a bit more info on the music in the film, reporting that Knightley sings such songs as Irving Berlin's "Maybe It's Because I Love You Too Much" and "Drifting and Dreaming."
The paper also reported that the film opens with Knightley singing "Blue Tahitian Moon." That appears to be the clip that hit the Internet, courtesy of the U.K.'s "We Are Orange," and then was re-clipped by a Knightley fan site.
And finally, also according to the Daily Mail, the film will additionally feature vocals from Madness singer Suggs, Siouxsie Sioux, Beth Rowley and Patrick Wolf.
It's a long way from such inspiring songs as "Break Stuff," but the trailer for Fred Durst's football drama "The Longshots" hit the Web this week.
The film, which opens July 25 and stars Ice Cube and Keke Palmer ("Akeelah and the Bee"), is inspired by the true story of one Jasmine Plummer, who at age 11 is said to be the first female to play in the Pop Warner football tournament.
Watch below. Cue tears.
While Durst is behind the camera in "The Longshots," Idolator has a clip of his acting chops, for those interested in exploring further.
-- Peach Arch Entertainment has picked up a bio-pic on defining L.A. punk band the Germs, "What We Do Is Secret," for distribution, and will release it to theaters later this summer, according to a spokesman for the company. Peach Arch, the company behind the music-infused road movie "The Go-Getter," will open the film in Los Angeles on Aug. 23. "What We Do Is Secret" is also slated to play in New York (Aug. 8) and Chicago (Aug. 15).
More than a decade in the making, "What We Do Is Secret" screened last year at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Actor Shane West earned a positive review from Film Threat for his portrayal of Germs singer Darby Crash, and the band went so far as to reunite to play shows with West as the frontman. Crash died of a heroin overdose at the age of 22, and surviving Germ-turned-Foo Fighter Pat Smear served as a music producer on the film.
The film is the directorial debut of Rodger Grossman. He told the Times in 2007 that he cast West prior to his stint on "E.R." "I'm embarrassed to admit, I didn't know who he was, hadn't seen [the teen romance opposite Mandy Moore] 'A Walk to Remember'," Grossman recalled. "I still had my sights set on a lot of different names, but I looked at him and saw Darby. And he took me outside and just said, 'Look, you know, I'm your guy.' "
The Times piece, which is no longer online, spoke to Grossman about his long struggle to make the movie. Grossman was intent on chronicling that tragic demise of the Germs, and he earned in the process that Crash's death was allegedly the fulfillment of a pact the singer made with himself to bring his life to an end after five years onstage.
"This script was rewritten more times than probably any script I know of," Grossman said, "because what Darby did was so shrouded in secrecy that his character and story revealed itself very slowly. It was very late in the process that I had even heard that he had a five-year plan to make his mark and then commit suicide, thereby ensuring his legend."
-- Yesterday, the success of a pair of actress-turned-musicians was chronicled. Today comes news (The Hollywood Reporter via The Playlist) that Garbage singer Shirley Manson will try her hand at acting with a role in "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." Manson is said to play Catherine Weaver, the CEO of a tech company.
With Garbage on hiatus, Manson has a long-in-the-works solo project. Producer/Garbage member Butch Vig spoke about working on the album on a recent episode of Sound Opinions, but there is no release date as of yet.
Photo: Shane West, Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times
With a pair of Hollywood starlets gracing the world with albums this fall, could their combined box office draws pump some life into a struggling music industry?
Deschanel's "She & Him" project with indie singer/songwriter M. Ward was released back in March, and the much-hyped debut from Johansson hit digital and online outlets last week. Out of the gate, "She & Him" exactly doubled the first-week sales of Johansson's "Anywhere I Lay My Head," her love letter to indie eccentric Tom Waits.
Johansson's album came with a bit more star power -- David Bowie guests, and it was produced by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek -- and it earned a heavy online marketing push from Warner Bros. imprint Rhino. But audiences haven't yet seemed to have taken to Johansson's deadpan delivery and the set's atmospheric swirl. "Anywhere I Lay My Head" sold 5,100 copies in its debut week.
Meanwhile, "She & Him" took a more traditional approach, and scored better results, all while releasing the album with indie label Merge Records. The act's debut, "Volume One," sold 10,200 copies when it premiered back in March. To be fair, it's a more accessible record, driven by Deschanel's understated, soulful pop approach.
As a side note, Thursday night brings the premiere of Deschanel film "The Go-Getter," which will screen at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The film actually brought Deschanel together with M. Ward, and the pair recorded a cover of Richard and Linda Thompson's "When I Get to the Border" for the its soundtrack.
I'll be in attendance and will share some thoughts as soon as I can, but in the meantime, The Playlist has posted an interview with the film's director, Martin Hynes. The director talks about introducing the two in the post: “I had no idea they would hit it off the way they did,” Hynes is quoted by Playlist. “I remember Zooey turning to Matt and saying, ‘Hey, do you know the chords to ['50s classic] “Mr. Sandman’? And he did."
Watch a trailer below:
Johansson photo courtesy Rhino Records, Deschanel photo courtesy Merge Records
After he scored 14 songs on the digital tracks chart today, Cook will debut with 11 songs on the U.S. singles chart, according to Billboard.biz. That's the largest number of debuts on Billboard's Hot 100 since one Miss Miley Cyrus placed six cuts on the tally in November 2006.
Cook's 11 debuts are the most by any artist since Nielsen SoundScan began charting sales in 1991. Before the Nielsen SoundScan era, the Beatles once placed 14 songs on the chart in 1964.
Cook's charge is led by his schmaltzy "The Time of My Life," which enters at No. 3. Cook probably would have been charting all "Idol" season long, but Apple withheld the reporting of the sales of all the contestants until the conclusion of the season. Cook's record, however, was based entirely on sales during the week ending May 25.
Runner-up David Archuleta landed three songs on both charts, led by his John Lennon cover "Imagine" at No. 36 on Billboard's Hot 100.
-- Rock act 3 Doors Down has the No. 1 album on the U.S. pop charts this week, but the real action is on the digital singles chart. After being crowned "American Idol," singer David Cook scores a whopping 14 debuts (yes, 14) on the digital singles chart, according to Billboard's Chart Alert. The maudlin "The Time of My Life" is No. 1 after selling 236,000 downloads. His "Dream Big" is at No. 7, and his U2 cover "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is at No. 9. All told, Cook's 14 digital tracks sold a total of 888,000 copies. -- Teeny power-poppers Jonas Brothers doing Bond? Not quite, but Billboard notes that "Burnin' Up," the act's first single from its upcoming album, "A Little Bit Longer," will come equipped with an "action-packed James Bond-esque adventure" video. But the band isn't trying to pitch itself to sing the next Bond theme. Instead, the video will likely serve as a nice advertisement for upcoming Disney series, "J.O.N.A.S. (Junior Operatives Networking As Spies)." The act's "A Little Bit Longer" is due Aug. 12, and it will surely be the Jonas Brothers' second top-10 album this summer, as the soundtrack to "Camp Rock" is due June 17.
-- The long-awaited film from the Flaming Lips, "Christmas on Mars," finally premiered last weekend at the Sasquatch Music Festival outside of Seattle. The blog from public radio station KEXP has a little review. Flaming Lips singer Wayne Coyne was on hand to provide an introduction, and KEXP writes of the film, "Coyne arrives from a large vaginal comet to put on a Santa costume, visions and actual infants appear, and there are a whole lot of intense noise interludes, and occasional flashes of vibrant color. I don’t want to spoil the whole plot (and there isn’t much of it to give away); so I’ll just say that it is an incredibly weird, slow-paced, and jarring thing to be watching from midnight until two in the morning and it just might be about saving all of our souls." Your ability to finish/not finish that paragraph will likely mirror your appreciation of the film.
Photo: Jonas Brothers on "American Idol," courtesy AP/Fox
The Recording Academy has set Feb. 8, 2009, as the date the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, to be held once again from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Grammys have been telecast live from the Staples Center since 2000, with one exception coming in 2003, when the awards were held in New York.
The 2009 awards will once again fall on a Sunday, where, overall, the show has enjoyed solid TV ratings. In 2006, the Grammys aired on a Wednesday and lost its night to "American Idol," but bounced back in 2007. This year's telecast, which featured performances from Alicia Keys, Kanye West and Amy Winehouse, scored 17.5 million total viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research, about a 12% dip from the 2007 broadcast.
With today's announcement from the Recording Academy, the eligibility period for the 2009 Grammy Awards has also been confirmed. Once again, the Grammys will recognize albums released between Oct. 1, 2007, and Sept. 30, 2008. While allowing more time for votes to be tabulated, the eligibility period forces the Grammys to recognize some of the year's blockbuster releases a year late, as October and November tend to be two of the music industry's busiest months.
Set to open prior to next year's Grammy telecast will be the 30,000-square-foot Grammy Museum, located next to the Staples Center at the L.A. Live entertainment complex (home to the Nokia Theatre). The four-floor museum, with a small theater and a rooftop terrace for private events, is slated to open in late 2008, according to a Grammy spokeswoman.
Nominations for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards will be announced on Dec. 4 from Los Angeles. The Feb. 9, 2009, awards will once again be broadcast live on CBS, airing on a tape delay for West Coast viewers.
Do Is Secret," for distribution, and will release it to theaters later this summer, according to a spokesman for the company. Peach Arch, the company behind the 
The Recording Academy has set Feb. 8, 2009, as the date the 51st Annual 