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| 7/27/04 |
Stars sing melodies for deep-sea cartoon Every great 'toon needs a few tasty tunes to set the mood. Shark Tale, the latest from DreamWorks, has hooked some of the hottest names in the music biz for its soundtrack, due Sept. 28. To go along with the computer-animated comedy about Oscar, a little fish in a bustling undersea metropolis who gets tangled up with the Mob, music supervisor Darren Higman lined up such chart-toppers as Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott (who put a fresh shine on '70s hit Car Wash), Sean Paul and Ziggy Marley (with a reggae/hip-hop version of Three Little Birds) and Mary J. Blige (updating Cheryl Lynn's Got to Be Real). Both Justin Timberlake and Will Smith (the voice of Oscar) are cooking up fresh numbers with super producer Timbaland. And Fantasia, the newest American Idol, will also contribute a song. "The film takes place in a city not unlike New York, and it made sense to use urban music," Higman says of Shark Tale, coming out Oct. 1. "A lot of (these artists) usually have parental advisory stickers on their records, so this might expose them to a whole new audience." DreamWorks also is cooking up a series of splashy premieres in three countries — Sept. 10 at Venice's Piazza San Marco, Sept. 12 in Toronto and Sept. 27 in New York's Central Park — for the fishy tale, which also features the voices of Renee Zellweger, Robert De Niro and Jack Black.
'Senorita' gets VMA nom The 2004 MTV Video Music Awards is set for Aug. 29 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. Justin's "Senorita" video is nominated in the Best Male Video category, along with Jay-Z's "99 Problems", Prince's "Musicology", Kanye West's "All Falls Down" and Usher's "Yeah".
Timberlake wins privacy case US singer Justin Timberlake yesterday won a court order forcing a celebrity photographer to keep his distance, the singer's publicist said. A judge in Santa Monica, California ordered Artemus Earl Lister to stay away from the former 'N Sync singer, publicist Ken Sunshine said. Timberlake, 23, alleged on July 7 that Lister was stalking him. Timberlake also sued the London tabloid News of the World for publishing what Timberlake said was false information, that he had cheated on his girlfriend, Cameron Diaz, with British model Lucy Clarkson, Sunshine said. "Justin never met the woman in question, and we are confident a lot of money will be won for a wonderful charity when we win this case," Sunshine said. The tabloid stands by its story.
Ultimate Celebrity Guy Poll ...He's just a Queer Eye intervention away from being
a hottie: You'd like to dress your boyfriend like: He'd be great to bring home to the folks: He's hot, but he knows it a little too much: It'd be really fun to hit the tattoo parlor with: Love his look, not his music:
Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors to Close Aug. 22 The Broadway bow of Little Shop of Horrors — currently starring pop star Joey Fatone as nerdy plant-shop worker Seymour — will end its run at the Virginia Theatre after the Aug. 22 performance. The musical, which features a book by the late Howard Ashman and a score by Ashman and Alan Menken, will have played 40 previews and 372 regular performances. Directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall, Little Shop of Horrors officially opened at the Virginia Oct. 2, 2003, with a cast that included Hunter Foster as Seymour and Kerry Butler as Audrey; Foster was Tony-nominated for his performance. The new musical, Little Women, will find a home at the Virginia starting with previews around Dec. 10...
Catching up with Justin ...Meanwhile, Shelby Forest native Justin Timberlake, another up-and-coming singer, has been popping up all over the place. Ireland Online says he surprised Ellen Degeneres on her talk show Friday when he made a quick appearance to join her for a dance segment. She said, "There's a rule here that no one ever surprises me." And he countered with: "I don't work here." He told the flabbergasted comedienne: "I just wanted to drop by and say congratulations on your Emmy, and to say that if there's anybody that deserves it, you definitely deserve it." After he departed, she said, "I've got to do a show now and I'm hot and everything." But wait, there's more: The Miami Herald documented a Justin appearance with his 'NSync buddies and a gaggle of other notables at the sporty Celebrity Skills Challenge, a charity event for kids over the weekend in Miami. The Herald reports that Justin was tackled by an opposing player, knocked an obtrusive camera out of his face and then retreated to a tent with companion Cameron Diaz. He came back out with a bandaged left ankle and finished the event, to the delight of fans...
'NSYNC Reunite For One Song, But No Word Yet On Possible
LP MIAMI — It was short and sweet, but it's something that 'NSYNC fans had been anticipating for well over a year. All five members of the boy band reunited over the weekend to sing the national anthem at what's become both a charitable and star-studded tradition: the group's annual Challenge for the Children basketball tournament (see "'NSYNC To Perform, Discuss Future At Charity Basketball Game"). The performance marked the group's first since its Bee Gees tribute at the 45th annual Grammy Awards in February 2003. "It was good to hear them all together again," Usher said after the performance. "Not anyone can sing the national anthem," Good Charlotte's Benji Madden said. "It shows if you're good or not, and those guys are really talented." Click for photos from 'NSYNC's Challenge for the Children Basketball Tournament Things have changed a lot since 'NSYNC last trotted out that talent at the Grammy Awards, and even more so since the group released Celebrity in 2001. The notion of "boy bands" has changed tremendously, as young audiences find their heartthrobs not among pop groups but rather in the ranks of groups like Good Charlotte, Yellowcard and New Found Glory. Plus, the men of 'NSYNC have, for the most part, gone their separate ways. Joey went to Broadway, JC went solo, Lance went to space camp, Chris went to fashion shows and Justin ... well, Justin went big (see "Joey Fatone Finds Broadway Exciting, But 'A Lot Of Work'," "JC Chasez Previews Schizophrenic Solo Debut," "Looks Like Cargo, Not Lance Bass, Will Be Shot Into Space" and "'NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick Showing Off His Women's Clothes"). But solo success hasn't kept Beyoncé from rejoining her fellow Destiny's Child divas for another album, so what are the chances that 'NSYNC will hit the studio again as well? "You caught us on the wrong day," JC said. "If you would have caught us [tomorrow] we would have had a better answer for you." "We're going to enjoy the weekend, and as Monday rolls around, we'll get to the business stuff and we'll go from there," Justin added. We'll keep you posted.
With a glitzy megastar blitz, who needs talent? ...Watching (Ashlee) Simpson waiting for fabulousness to descend upon her like fairy dust is another tiresome reminder that this decaying industry's primary wizardry is the ability to transform meager artistic potential into sellable goods. It's the scheme that has prevailed, at the big labels, forever, but has become particularly entrenched since the boy-band bubble. Think of it as the giant revolving door at Spectacle Central, through which pass any number of exciting-looking young people whose calling card lies primarily in the refinement and promotion of an image. Everybody gets a turn grabbing the bandwidth, and through coordinated strikes at MTV and radio and the Internet, the multi-platform superstar thrives for a shining moment. Then, when it comes time to deliver the follow-up artistic statement, the anointed ones falter and graciously disappear into the post-fame glow of guest appearances on TRL, leaving behind a trail of inconsequential singles and hucksterish I'll-do-anything TV appearances. How tiresome that cycle has become: Christina Aguilera. Mandy Moore. Willa Ford. JC Chasez (whose entire solo career seemed to zip by on fast forward). Clay Aiken. Whatever karaoke star won American Idol this year. Now Ashlee Simpson. The next executive who whines about times being tough should go back to the ledger sheets and the sordid spending history on those "sure things" of the last decade: The sensations, from the instant stars of Idol all the way back to Brandy, have had the benefit of lavish promotional excess, while the less-pliable artists - musicians and singers who actually have something to say - have been treated like expensive (if not dangerous) liabilities. The music business has evolved into a curious two-tiered game - the mega-exposure Sensation level and the less-pushy Grassroots level, which usually exists beneath the radar of MTV and commercial radio. The irony, in this summer of ticket-sales panic, is that the more-creative, lower-wattage artists are emerging as shining examples of survival, while the bigwigs are watching their massive outlays bring embarrassingly poor returns. Not all the dreadful news about ticket sales centers on the short-term phenoms, but when you look closely among the "multi-platform" stars such as the singing Simpsons, only Hilary Duff seems to be pulling consistently big draws. Meanwhile, less-airbrushed acts, who have cultivated audiences through steady and imaginative touring, are doing just fine. Bob Dylan, on a run of minor-league baseball parks with Willie Nelson that comes only as close as Aberdeen, Md., next month, is bringing his fans a distinctly different experience and is having no trouble selling tickets. The Dave Matthews Band did two sold-out nights here this week with no new album to sell. The Phish farewell trek is fetching ridiculous dollars on eBay. These acts understand that it's not about one tricked-out blitz, it's about winning hearts the way Duke Ellington and James Brown did - one night at a time, grinding through grueling travel and unfavorable performance conditions. It means coming back time and time again, often enough to take advantage of word of mouth: Following the strategy of the Dave Matthews Band, a number of emerging rockers, notably My Morning Jacket, are returning to some markets four and five times in a touring cycle, whether they have new music or not. By adhering to a stoic work ethic, they're quietly proving that interesting music can be its own reward. Focusing on the sounds, they offer the prospect that some transcendent moment may happen when they hit the stage - and if you're lucky, you will be in the house when it does. No matter how much hype-machine Ashlee Simpson has going, that's an offer she simply can't make.
Stadium Tours? Not This Year NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Are stadium tours extinct? Once an integral and lucrative facet of the warm-weather concert business, the stadium tour is completely absent from this summer's landscape. A mere decade ago, such tours were plentiful. In the summer of 1994, Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, the Eagles, Billy Joel/Elton John and the Rolling Stones were all enjoying huge summer runs at North American stadiums. This summer, not one act dares mount a U.S. stadium tour. In fact, the summer of 2004 is noteworthy for the number of acts that cannot fill considerably smaller amphitheaters. ...In fact, the last full-blown stadium tour -- one that plays stadiums in markets coast to coast -- by a single act was 'N Sync's Pop Odyssey tour in 2001. 'N Sync's 48 stadium dates that year took in more than $90 million, second only to U2 for the year... |
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