1. Production has been shut down on the current season of Two And A Half Men, prompting Charlie Sheen to write an open letter to TMZ about the show’s creator, Chuck Lorre. Among the highlights: “I wish him nothing but pain in his silly travels especially if they wind up in my octagon. Clearly I have defeated this earthworm with my words — imagine what I would have done with my fire breathing fists.” [via Vulture]
2. Perhaps inspired by the financial success of Avenue Q, producers have announced a new off-Broadway production of Rent that will open August 11 at New World Stages. Previews begin July 14. [via EW]
3. Mark your calendars: The Beastie Boys have finally set April 19th as the US release date for their long-delayed album Hot Sauce Committee Pt 2. The record will feature Nas and Santigold among other acts. [via NME]
4. Zachary Chesser, the man who threatened violence against South Park’s creators for depicting Mohammad, has been sentenced to 25 years in jail for “inciting violence and providing material support to terrorists.” [via Gawker]
5. Last night 30 Rock parodied Jezebel when Jenna was featured on a blog called JoanOfSnark.com. (As Liz Lemon explained, “It’s this really cool feminist website where women talk about how far we’ve come and which celebrities have the worst beach bodies.”) Watch a clip here.
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s star-studded collaborative concept album about the life of Imelda Marcos may sound strange, but it’s no less stunning for it.
Featuring a staggering list of guest vocalists that includes Santigold, Tori Amos, Nellie McKay, Florence Welch, St. Vincent, Cyndi Lauper, Róisín Murphy, Sia, and Sharon Jones, the double-disc set plays like a stage show minus the stage, telling the story of the former Filipino first lady’s rise and fall — often through lyrics based on her own words.
Not long ago we told you about Here Lies Love, a rather unconventional concept album about Imelda Marcos due out later next month from David Byrne and Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim). Now Stereogum has posted the first track, “Please Don’t,” which features vocals from Santigold. “I think Santi did a perfect version of this song, which describes, pretty much in her own words, Imelda Marcos’ adventures in what she called ‘handbag diplomacy,’” Byrne has said. Other contributors include Tori Amos, Róisín Murphy, Alice Russell, Martha Wainwright, Florence Welch, and Sharon Jones. Learn more about the project here.
Talking Heads alum David Byrne and dance beat guru Fatboy Slim are finally releasing Here Lies Love, their disco-influenced concept album based on the life of ex-Philippine first lady/shoe-hoarding diva Imelda Marcos and her life-long servant, Estrella Cumpas. If your first reaction is to rub your eyeballs and re-read that last sentence, we felt the same way.
Though, after some thought, we realized that this is just what we’ve come to expect from the awesomely eccentric Byrne. The new-wave hero played a rough draft of the project in a New York City showcase at Carnegie Hall in 2007, receiving decent reviews (it was a rough draft, after all). The original goal was to stage the songs as a musical, and while there have been a couple of theatrical performances with a few different ladies at the helm, the official album release features vocals by 23 artists.
Art Basel Miami Beach opened to a smart-dressed crowd of VIPs, collectors, and the press on Tuesday afternoon. Bigger than ever, we kept getting lost as we tried to navigate the labyrinth-like arrangement of gallery booths. Eventually we stopped trying to plot a direction and just followed our eye, wandering from one aisle to the next while spotting noteworthy work here and there. Things that didn’t really look like art stood out, such as Michael Beutler’s gigantic rag rug at Galleria Franco Soffiantino. After believing we had seen everything, which wasn’t really the case, we dropped into the VIP lounge for champagne and nibbles, courtesy of Cartier.
Total bedlam with a good soundtrack, that’s Lollapalooza. The last time I was in Chicago’s Grant Park with this many people — estimates show 200,000 bought tickets — we’d all just voted out a malevolent Washington administration that was past its expiration date. This time the masses and I were there to see as many different bands as humanly possible during a three-day free-for-all. People may not have been crying tears of joy, but spirits were definitely high. It would be nice to think that the world is a gentler place now than it was last November, but it’s not exactly true. Instead, the Midwest’s main music festival just seemed to prove that we’re pretty good at ignoring hard times. As Perry Farrell himself said, Lollapalooza is recession proof. Read More »
The latest Viva Radio broadcast featured psych-folk freak outs, mixtape mash-ups marrying the L.E.S. to the Dirty South, and a danceable take on Swedish domestic life. Culling our favorite cuts from the show, Viva la Mix is back again to hook you up with 11 of the best new tracks you’ll find online. Click through for downloads from our last Viva Radio playlist, and be sure to check back and listen to the show itself — we update every week. Read More »
Cruisin’ for a bruisin’: While it’s managed to survive the current crunch, don’t be fooled; the Louvre could be in serious trouble come 2010. [via NYT] Have mercy: John Stamos is working a Full House movie; he sees James Franco in his old role and Tracy Morgan playing Uncle Joey. [via NYDN] Stop the presses: Chris Martin went to see Anvil play. And he really, really liked it. And the “nubile babes” in the audience. [via NYDN] Two wrongs: Miley Cyrus is teaming up with BCBG Max Azaria to bring a new line of clothes to Wal-Mart; the company is sponsoring her summer tour. [via NYP] Cease and desist: Santigold’s label, Downtown Records, was not happy about this dude’s awesome-sounding mixtape, Southerngold. [via Nah Right]
Like most of the snowbirds, I was at Miami’s annual Winter Music Conference for some sun, beach, dancing, and schmoozing. As often happens, my first night descended into a series of mix-ups: was Gui Boratto playing or not? Was I “sorted” at Danny Tenaglia‘s marathon? Fortunately, I’d caught both of them last year, so calling it a night (especially after a two-hour flight delay) came easy. Read More »
Music opinions are like assholes: up close, they all sort of stink. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a difference between records, people, and events that are only sort of awful, and ones that are actually evil. After the jump, musical cribbage master The Beard separates the wheat from the chaff, explaining why Sant(i/o)gold should have stuck it out, why the media ought to lay off Chris Brown, how the Grammys aren’t just the industry’s golden shower, and what this week has in common with the one where Diana AND Mother Teresa died. It involves Fred Durst.
