Sunday 7 September 2008

No Retreat, No Surrender

Jason Stillwell, a Bruce Lee fan, is beaten numerous times and trains from the ghost of Lee. Jason then must use his newly acquired skills to save Seattle from a crime family, whose cover martial creative person is the deadly Ivan.






Download No Retreat, No Surrender: DivX, DVD or iPod/Zune Version

Friday 8 August 2008

O Brother Where Art Thou?

O Brother Where Art Thou?   
Artist: O Brother Where Art Thou?

   Genre(s): 
Soundtrack
   



Discography:


Soundtrack   
 Soundtrack

   Year:    
Tracks: 19




 





Jacksons to reign as BMI's 2008 Icons

Thursday 19 June 2008

Offonoff, Clash

With an album called Clash and an opening track titled Rabbit Punch, the odds are against Offonoff's music approximating anything like a gentle lullaby. Factor in that the trio is comprised of the extraordinarily powerful drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, Terrie Ex, guitarist with Dutch avant-rockers The Ex and Massimo Pupillo, bass player for Italian group Zu, and some form of spiky mayhem is inevitable.

A rabbit punch is a blow delivered to the neck or base of the skull which can result in paralysis or death. Offonoff's track by the same name begins with bass and guitar goading each other on almost good-naturedly. The music gradually escalates into a strummed fury, thrashed on every side by Nilssen-Love. Pupillo plays lead instrument alongside his co-conspirators: the trio attack on all fronts. At the seven minute mark, Terrie Ex scrapes the most angular of repetitive figures out of his guitar - imagine a blade scratching a sign into stone. There's a resultant pause in proceedings, scrabbling and drum stabs before the three men rally in angular, driving energy that's literally thrilling in its variegated power.

Calls is full of brooding space and sudden runs. There's a real sense of pleasure in the noisiness of the group's interplay. Kicking Stones is at times Neanderthal in its base determination to thrash out a one-note offensive, but it ends in squeaks, pitches and shudders which illustrate Offonoff's sense of dynamic range. Some power improv can seem unremitting, but it's the space and the sense of each player's intent listening that makes this album special. The music sometimes recalls the magisterial terror of Last Exit, at other times the haunted, structured expanses of Naked City's longform compositions. Whichever way they turn though, Offonoff are a group in touch with their inner ur.


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Tuesday 10 June 2008

Doyle Bramhall II

Doyle Bramhall II   
Artist: Doyle Bramhall II

   Genre(s): 
Rock
   



Discography:


Hope and Desire   
 Hope and Desire

   Year: 2005   
Tracks: 12




 





George Clooney not returning to ER

Wednesday 4 June 2008

The Billboard Q&A: AI Finalist Kristy Lee Cook

Kristy Lee Cook may be from Oregon, but she gave her AI appearance a hearty Texas try. The 24-year-old talks to Billboard on her experiences in the Lone Star State, being formerly signed to a major and her interest in martial arts.



Growing up as the youngest of three children in Selma, Oregon, when did music become an important part of your life?



I really started thinking about singing when I was 12 years old. I listened to the radio most of the time. My mom had some records and my brother played a lot of country music when I was growing up, so I was listening to country music because of him. He would listen to Garth Brooks, Shania Twain and Tim McGraw. I bought LeAnn Rimes' album "Blue" and I bought some Jason Aldean. I never really had a lot of money to buy records. I'd rather buy stuff for my horse.



What happened at 12 that led to your being interested in singing?



My mom heard me singing "Blue" by LeAnn Rimes and she got me a vocal coach. She found a lady named Sarah Faith and I took some lessons from her and then she got me some gigs. The first thing I did was the national anthem at the Medford Rodeo. I wore a red, white and blue striped thing around my hat. It was pretty funny.





Then I opened up for Glen Campbell and Creedence Clearwater Revisited and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Then I got a manager and my career started taking off.



Not every 14-year-old can get a gig opening for Glen Campbell. How did Sarah manage that?



She had a lot of connections in the area. Since I was the "local singer," within the vicinity of an hour-and-a-half, people had an idea of who I was, so it was pretty easy to get me to go open for Glen Campbell or whoever.



What do you remember about opening for Glen?



It was called the Brick Festival. I had a band backing me up and I sang six or seven songs and I remember choreographing my moves onstage because I was so new to it, but it was a lot of fun.


I met Glen Campbell and got my picture with him. He was very nice and said that I did a great job opening for him and he couldn't believe that I was as young as I was It was a great experience.



At what point did you first consider having a musical career?



As soon as I sang the national anthem at the rodeo and then I did the concert, I liked being in the spotlight and performing for people. It was a lot of fun, so I knew after that.



Did your parents suggest having another career choice as a back-up plan?



They really pushed my music. I was leaning toward other things like softball and swimming and being a barrel racer. I always kept doing my music so obviously I was loving it too much.



Did you sing in the school choir?



I was home schooled, so I would get up and do my schoolwork and then ride my horse the rest of the day, so I was very lucky because that's what I wanted to do. I went to every single school dance there was and played softball with the high school for four years. They let me sit in on classes, but being home schooled was a lot more fun for me because you can sleep in a little more and you get to ride the horses the whole rest of the day.



After opening for Glen Campbell and the other acts in Oregon, what was the next professional step?



I moved to Texas and found a manager. Her name was Marty Rendleman and she managed me for seven years. I performed at a bar called Cowboys. I sang the national anthem for the Rangers, for ranches, for charity events, for pretty much everything. I did singing gigs all over because Marty had a lot of connections. Then I went to Nashville when I was 17 and sang for Joe Galante at RCA and they signed me to Arista and I cut some tracks with them. They were never released and then I was let go with a couple of other new artists as well. I came home and tried to start over.



How tough was it for you, at 17, to be signed to a major label and then be dropped before anything was released?



It was tough, because you have a chance and then all of a sudden, it's gone. But if that hadn't happened, I never would have made it to where I am now. So I guess everything happens for a reason. I ended up moving home and then I auditioned for "American Idol."



Where did you audition?



I auditioned first in San Diego and I didn't make the first cut. I went home and didn't have any money to go to any of the other cities, so sold my horse to go audition. A guy was interested in him and I could sell him and go try out for "American Idol" or I could keep him. So I had to sleep on it and it was kind of a rough night for me but I made the decision and I'm very happy with it.



You must have believed you were going to succeed at a second audition if you were willing to sell your horse to fund the trip.



I don't like being told no. It just was weird to me that I didn't even get a shot. So I didn't want to end on that note. I wanted to go and give it another shot because that's what Jordin Sparks did. I'm too competitive to back down.



You went to Philadelphia for your second audition. Did you change anything from trying out in San Diego?



I changed my song. I sang "Amazing Grace." [In San Diego] I sang Christina Aguilera's "Hurt" and then "Blue" by LeAnn Rimes.



Why "Amazing Grace"?



Because my voice suits it really well and I love that song. I didn't know what to sing and the night before I called my parents and asked if they had any ideas of what I should sing. We all prayed about it and woke up that next morning and it was kind of weird because my mom thought "Amazing Grace" and then I thought "Amazing Grace" and it worked out.



We all know how important song choice is. Which of your choices were you happiest with?



"God Bless the USA" and "Anyway" were my best two songs. I might have changed "Forever," the last song I did, because I was told it was not the right song, but I don't think I would have changed anything before that.



You sang "God Bless the USA" when the theme was songs from your birth year and "Anyway" during "Idol Gives Back." How did you choose those two songs?



I was researching songs and realized that "God Bless the USA." was [originally] done in 1984. It was funny because my sister had called me within a couple hours and said, "I think you need to do ‘God Bless The USA.' I was excited because that's my dad's favorite song and he fought in Vietnam, so it was a really cool opportunity to be able to sing it, plus you don't get a lot of opportunities to do patriotic songs, so I was really happy with the choice.


"Anyway" was inspirational week and at first I was confused because I thought it was something that inspired us as singers and in that case, I would have done some upbeat fun western song, but after other people were picking these really inspiring songs, I realized I needed to find something country that's inspirational. And my fiancé said, "I think you should do ‘Anyway,'" and I immediately put it on as my first choice and I got it.



How is life different since you were voted off "Idol"?



Everybody recognizes me now, so it's completely different. People want my autograph. I'm not used to it, but I'm figuring it all out.



How do you see your future?



I definitely see that the future is definitely going to hold a record deal and an album and going on tour. I want to get my career going and get an album out there and start recording. I'm at the top of my game right now, so now is my opportunity to get things going for me again.



Are you interested in writing songs?



I do some songwriting. I am not very good when I write by myself. When I have somebody working with me, I'm pretty good about coming up with words, so I'm looking forward to working with a writer to learn how to write a lot better than I do. what I'm told I have a natural ability to write, so I'm excited to see if I can or not.



We learned on the show that you are interested in martial arts. How did that develop?



My dad was a Golden Gloves boxer and we grew up with him teaching us self defense. He has a friend that works at the Y.M.C.A. and teaches martial arts. So I worked with him and trained for seven months straight. It was a lot of fun and I worked with a lot of the guys who fight. It's good to know if you're by yourself, you know how to defend yourself. You don't have to feel scared.



You'll be working on your career – will you still have time to go a few rounds?



Oh, yeah. I love training with all the martial arts pads and the boxing gloves. It gets you in really good shape and I don't like being on a treadmill and running in one spot. You don't go anywhere. It's so boring. This is so much fun because you get toned and it gives you confidence that you didn't have before.










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Thursday 29 May 2008

Rihanna - Rihanna Set To Make Us Pop Chart History

RIHANNA is all set to make pop chart history in America on Thursday (15May08) when she becomes the female artist with the biggest jump to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Her Take a Bow is expected to rocket to the top of the singles chart from a lowly 53, thanks to a whopping 267,000 digital download sales.

The song's jump is the second-best leap to the top, trailing only Rihanna's duet partners Maroon 5 who scored a number one with Makes Me Wonder a year ago (May08) after a 63-position hike from 64.

Rihanna's collaboration with Maroon 5 on If I Never See Your Face Again is expected to be one of the new charts highest debuts when the official countdown is released.




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Wednesday 28 May 2008

Indy To Set Box-office Record?

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull blasted off Thursday night with signs that it could overtake last year's Spider-Man 3 and set a record for a box-office debut. The Spider-Man sequel opened on a non-holiday weekend last May with $151.6 million. The best Memorial Day results were posted last year by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End with $153 million. Paramount figured that midnight shows of Crystal Skull in the U.S. Wednesday night brought in about $4.5 million. The studio did not release any full-day estimates for Thursday but rival studios keeping an eye on ticket sales figured that the film probably took in $25-30 million.


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Carnifex

Carnifex   
Artist: Carnifex

   Genre(s): 
Rock
   Trance
   



Discography:


Firefight Ep   
 Firefight Ep

   Year: 2007   
Tracks: 3


Dead in My Arms   
 Dead in My Arms

   Year: 2007   
Tracks: 10




 






Lindsay Lohan Backs Out Of Manson Film

Despite online reports to the contrary, Lindsay Lohan has walked away from a role in a new movie about killer Charles Manson saying that it "didn't come together quickly enough".Lohan, 21, was set to star in "The Manson Girls" as one of his cult member's Nancy Pitman, but instead has chosen a six episode guest role on television's 'Ugly Betty' and has been cast in a new movie entitled 'Labor Pains'. Leslie Sloane, her representative, told Reuters that, "Unfortunately (the Manson movie) didn't come together quickly enough, and she was offered other roles, which she accepted and is looking forward to doing,"  Additionally, Sloane denied online stories claiming that she was dropped from the project due to other actors refusing to work with the actress.Photo courtesy of TriStar Pictures.

Paul Kantner and Grace Slick

Paul Kantner and Grace Slick   
Artist: Paul Kantner and Grace Slick

   Genre(s): 
Rock
   



Discography:


Baron Von Tollbooth And The Chrome Nun   
 Baron Von Tollbooth And The Chrome Nun

   Year: 1973   
Tracks: 10




 






Shania Twain - Twain Splits From Music Producer Husband

Country star SHANIA TWAIN and her music producer husband ROBERT `MUTT' LANGE have filed for divorce.

The Canadian singer, 42, and music mogul Lange, 59, married in 1993 and share one child together.

In a statement, their spokesperson, Jason Owen, says, "This is a private matter and there will be no further comment at this time."




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Lustra Claims Hannah Montana Stole Song

Los Angeles indie band Lustra [ tickets ] is claiming the Hannah Montana [ tickets ] song "Rockstar" is identical to their song "Scotty Doesn't Know," from their album "Left For Dead," according to a statement issued on the band's behalf. "Scotty Doesn't Know," which was recorded for the movie "Eurotrip," was released in 2004 while "Rockstar" was released in 2006.The band's statement said their unnamed producer, out of Boston, was "connected" to the "Hannah Montana" television show. When confronted, the producer allegedly refused to return phone calls.The band says it is considering various options to rectify the situation.The "Hannah Montana scandal," as Lustra called the situation," hasn't been half-bad for the band, however. When the news broke, Lustra's MySpace page received more than 3 million profile views in less than 24 hours, according to the release.Lustra guitarist Nick Cloutman added his two cents to the situation: "If Annie Liebowitz is interested in photographing us nearly nude, we are certainly open to it and we look forward to her call."

Blur - Celebs Competing For Proms Opportunity

Eight celebrities will compete for the chance to conduct at the last night of the Proms in a new BBC2 reality show.

The winner of Maestro, featuring hip-hop artist Goldie, Blur bassist Alex James and actress Jane Asher, will conduct the BBC Concert Orchestra in front of a 30,000-strong live audience on September 13th.

The programme, which is due to air over the summer, will see a judging panel led by eminent conductor Sir Roger Norrington decide which of the eight contestants gets kicked off the show every week.

Newsreader Katie Derham, presenter Peter Snow, actor David Soul, comedienne Sur Perkins and comic actor Bradley Walsh are the other five conducting-wannabes.

"Maestro will take the audience on a fascinating, surprising, thrilling and informative journey into the heart of music-making," commented Peter Maniura, head of BBC Classical Music Television.

"It will delve into the practicalities, magic and mystery of what a conductor actually does to make great music happen."


23/05/2008 16:38:26




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