Grammys Still Love L.A.
(8/5/04) Joal Ryan E!

Justin Timberlake has six months to get his next Grammy apology speech down.

Of course, if Timberlake steers clear of further Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunctions, he won't have to issue a mea culpa at the 47th annual Grammy Awards, put down on the calendar for Feb. 13 in Los Angeles.
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As usual, CBS will carry the planned three-and-a-half-hour telecast, to be hosted for the second straight year from L.A.'s Staples Center.

In issuing the scheduling announcement Thursday, Grammy boss Neil Portnow said the Recording Academy and CBS looked forward to another evening's worth of "Grammy Moments."

Presumably, Portnow wasn't talking about the unprecedented five-minute delay slapped on last February's "live" broadcast by CBS in the wake of Jackson's Timberlake-assisted breast-baring stunt on the Super Bowl. (As of now, CBS is planning to broadcast next year's Grammys on a 60-second delay, the network said Thursday.)

Last year, with performers on their best behavior, relatively speaking, critics labeled the 46th annual Grammys "somber" and anything but "cutting edge."

Still, the Super Bowl controversy spiked interest. Viewership was up 6 percent from the 2003 New York-based telecast, with 26.3 million tuning in--the largest Grammy audience in three years.

Jackson did not attend last February's Grammys, banned by CBS after she refused to agree to apologize on air for her breast.

Timberlake, who was a performer and a winner that night, did accept the network's ultimatum, assuring the TV nation that the Super Bowl bust was "unintentional, [and] completely regrettable."

Nominations for the 47th annual Grammy Awards will be announced Dec. 8.

Among the albums eligible for consideration: Jackson's Damita Jo.

 

Sony Music Entertainment and BMG Unite to Create Sony BMG Music Entertainment
New Joint Venture Brings Together Premier Worldwide Labels and Top Global and
National Artists
(8/5/04) PRNewswire

NEW YORK, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Music Entertainment and BMG have
completed the creation of Sony BMG Music Entertainment, a global recorded
music joint venture with a roster of current artists that includes a broad
array of both local artists and international superstars, as well as a vast
catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. The
announcement was made today by Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann AG,
the parent companies, respectively, of Sony Music Entertainment and BMG. Sony
BMG will be headquartered in New York.

...Sony BMG Music Entertainment will be 50% owned by Bertelsmann and 50%
owned by Sony Corporation of America. The new company will be helmed by a
management team from both companies, including Andrew Lack, who will serve as
Chief Executive Officer, Sony BMG Music Entertainment (formerly Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer, Sony Music Entertainment). In addition, Michael
Smellie, formerly Chief Operating Officer, BMG, and Kevin Kelleher, formerly
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Sony Music
Entertainment, will each retain his role in the new company.

Sony BMG Music Entertainment will be governed by a Board of Directors
consisting of six representatives of Bertelsmann and Sony. Rolf Schmidt-Holtz
will serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Sony BMG Music Entertainment
(formerly Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BMG). Board members will also
include Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sony
Corporation of America, and Vice Chairman, Sony Corporation; Katsumi Ihara,
Executive Deputy President, Group CSO and CFO, Sony Corporation; Andrew Lack,
CEO of Sony BMG Music Entertainment; Gunter Thielen, Chairman and CEO of
Bertelsmann AG; and Siegfried Luther, Chief Financial Officer and Head of the
Bertelsmann AG Corporate Center.

The new company does not include the parent companies' businesses in music
publishing, physical distribution and manufacturing, or Sony Corporation's
recorded music business in Japan, SMEJ.

Andrew Lack, CEO, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, commented, "Sony BMG Music
Entertainment has access to an extraordinary array of creative resources,
ranging from a current roster that includes some of the most talented artists
in the world today, as well as an archive that encompasses some of the most
important and influential recordings ever made. By pooling the resources of
two of the most creative companies in the music industry we are perfectly
positioned to help our artists realize their creative goals, while at the same
time providing greater value to music consumers around the world. I look
forward to working with the entire Sony BMG team as we combine the very best
elements of both companies in order to create one of the most creative and
dynamic organizations in the history of recorded music and entertainment."

Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Sony BMG Music
Entertainment, commented, "The creation of Sony BMG Music Entertainment is a
historic opportunity for us to build a new music company that we believe can
thrive creatively and financially in a highly challenging worldwide music
market. I look forward to working closely with Andy to develop a corporate
culture that draws on the best of everything Sony Music and BMG bring to the
joint venture. Andy and I are privileged to be working with some of the most
successful creative executives and artists in the business."

Gunter Thielen, Chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann AG, commented, "Sony BMG
Music Entertainment is a global creative powerhouse with an exciting future.
The joint venture is home to international superstars, major national artists
and numerous talented newcomers. The music business offers abundant
opportunities for Sony BMG Music Entertainment to succeed. The joint venture
holds an excellent position in the market and has a superb management team."

Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sony
Corporation of America, said, "The announcement of Sony BMG Music
Entertainment marks the beginning of a new and critically important era in the
history of recorded music. Sony BMG Music Entertainment will combine the best
creative, operational and strategic assets of two very accomplished music
businesses, and provide a vital new platform to further the development of
talent and enjoyment of music around the world. Tremendous praise is due the
managements of both Sony Music Entertainment and BMG for the extraordinary
wisdom and vision with which they approached the negotiation and merger
process. They have created a bold new company which will provide consumers
with the best in music entertainment, and at the same time address the
important issues that will enable this art form to evolve and prosper into the
future."

 

The Awful Truth
(8/5/04) Ted Casablanca E! (thanks 1107red!)

Revealing Replies Have It

...Dear Ted:
Nice laundry list of stars attending 'N Sync's Miami charity gala, babe. But you managed to leave off...er...'N Sync. Sorry, but we remaining fans of the group were plenty peeved enough that every photo taken that weekend seemed to be of Cam 'n' Justin, when we were so eagerly awaiting shots of the boys together. The same thing happened when Justin brought Britney to the event a few years back.
Rainee Scott
Flowood, Mississippi

Dear Outta Sync:
Then you should be used to the reality that is virtually no media interest whatsoever in Lance Bass' makeover...

 

Ballard's owners say Monday's show will be held
(8/5/04) Katie Mulvaney Providence Journal

BLOCK ISLAND -- The show will go on, the owners of Ballard's Inn said yesterday about a Victory Day concert expected to draw as many as 2,000 military men and women and their families to the beachside restaurant and bar.

The Town Council on Monday suspended Ballard's outdoor entertainment license for six days, beginning at 12 a.m. Friday. The restaurant's liquor license will also be suspended for one day, Wednesday. But, Paul Filippi, whose family owns Ballard's, said the Military Appreciation Day event will proceed, with modifications. Filippi, who helps run the business, said they are prepared to put on an acoustic show.

"Everyone would have to be very quiet," he said.

Joseph DeAngelis, lawyer for Shoreham, Inc., which holds the liquor and entertainment licenses for Ballard's, said he plans to seek legal recourse from the sanctions today after conferring with Town Solicitor Merlyn O'Keefe.

"My plan is to seek relief," said De Angelis.

The council voted to suspend the licenses after more than a dozen residents complained during a show-cause hearing last week about loud music coming from Ballard's. Twenty-seven noise complaints had been filed against the establishment from May 15 through July 19.

First Warden Martha Ball said yesterday that no mention was made of the Victory Day show at that hearing, and that, typically, the council is notified about large events planned for a holiday weekend.

"This never came up," she said. "I'm a little surprised. They never mentioned this at the meeting."

Ballard's also constructed a wood sound-containment stage on the patio without a building permit, the council concluded.

"We can't sanction that sort of thing -- not getting approvals before they did it," she said. "That's the driving point of it all."

Filippi said the structure had been built to reduce noise, in response to the complaints.

Ballard's is free to continue with the show -- but indoors, she said.

"Outdoor entertainment is outdoor entertainment," she said. "They can do things inside. Ballard's is huge."

Ballard's, which is located in Old Harbor, seats 750.

Ball added: "We'll see what the court says."

Organizers expect the event to draw 2,000 to 3,000 people. Performers include American Idol finalist Kimberly Locke, former 'N Sync member J.C. Chasez, Howie Day and the Roomful of Blues.

Ballard's plans to provide free food and non-alcoholic drinks to members of the military and their families.