The Academy Awards show on February 24th is getting more and more super-sized with A listers. The Academy just announced four Best Actress winners to present awards–Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, and Reese Witherspoon. Add them to Meryl Streep and last year’s winners, plus the Triple Diva Threat of Barbra Streisand, Shirley Bassey and Adele, not to mention the movie musicals tribute. And the James Bond tribute. No news yet about Uggie the Dog from “The Artist.” I hear he wants to present with Scarlett Johansson. More to come…
Bad News Bieber: Album Sales Drop 79%, Feud with Grammy Winner, Low “SNL” Ratings
It’s a bad week for lil’ Justin Bieber. The 18 year old tween pop star wasn’t nominated for any Grammys or invited to the show. So he took a gig hosting and performing on “Saturday Night Live.” And the result: some low ratings for the show, which had been on a ratings roll of late. Ratings were down 4% from the previous episode.
Bieber was so stressed for attention on Sunday night during the Grammys that he posted a shirtless picture of himself on Instagram to appear “sexy,” offered his Twitter followers a bite of a new song, and wailed most of the night about being “frustrated.” No one was watching him!
On top of that, after debuting at number 1 on the charts with 212,000 copies, Bieber’s “Believe (Acoustic)” dropped 79% in its second week, selling just 44,000 copies. Maybe some of the people who bought it realized they already had all those songs on “Believe,” the original album, and told their friends on the playground.
But it’s the feud with Grammy award winning Black Keys’ drummer Patrick Carney that’s heating up the internet. After Carney said in an interview on the Grammy red carpet that Bieber should be happy with all the money he’s made–because the Grammys are about music and not money–Bieber imploded. He Tweeted that someone should slap the Black Keys drummer around. Of course, that would be someone else, not Bieber. He will send a bodyguard to do the job.
All of this begs the question of where this Justin Bieber story will end one day. He’s on TMZ nearly every day being pulled over in some $100,000 car that he can’t drive. He’s had numerous embarrassing moments of being snapped while smoking pot– a no no for role models for 13 year olds, his main audience.
Meantime, to add insult to injury–Bieber’s ex-girlfriend showed up at a show put on by a better Bieber, the original Justin, Timberlake, on Sunday night after the Grammys. I spoke to her for a few minutes. She was very nice. But she also seemed a little interested in country singer Hunter Hayes–who’d actually been on the Grammys to represent the teen audience. Yikes.
the black keys drummer should be slapped around haha
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) February 12, 2013
Adam Levine: Moves Like Jagger, But Hawks Products Like Martha Stewart
I like Adam Levine, and Maroon 5, but really, is this what Mick Jagger or Eric Clapton ever did? Levine, who boosted his career by being on TV’s “The Voice,” is now hawking perfume at Macy’s. And it’s not named for one of his songs, or called Maroon. Oh no. It’s actually called “Adam Levine.” As in: “Would you like to spray some Adam Levine all over yourself?” He may have “Moves Like Jagger,” but Levine is turning into Martha Stewart. Idea for next product: stencil of his entire body of tattoos so you can move like Levine, while smelling like Adam Levine.
I kid you not. Here’s a description of his upcoming appearance at Macy’s:
“Maroon 5 frontman and “The Voice” judge Adam Levine will be in NY for the launch of his own signature fragrance for men and women, Adam Levine, on Friday, February 15, at 6 PM at Macy’s Herald Square. The first 300 customers who make a $90 qualifying fragrance purchase from February 8–15 at Macy’s Herald Square will have the opportunity to meet Adam Levine in person and have their photo taken with him and receive an autographed photo frame, exclusive microphone pendant, money clip, and tote bag. (While supplies last.) Adam Levine is available exclusively at Macy’s and Macys.com in the U.S. and Shopper’s Drug Mart in Canada. The fragrances will be sold in 1.0, 1.7, and 3.4 fl. oz. sizes at suggested retail prices of $35, $45, and $65, respectively.”
Grammy Bounce: Timberlake, Rihanna Up, Plus Record Ratings
The Grammys were a big hit, that’s for sure. The show grabbed 28.4 million viewers and its second biggest audience in 20 years. Only last year’s was bigger, with the Whitney Houston death and Adele’s big wins bringing in viewers by the droves. This year’s show, I thought, was very good because the music quality was exceptionally high. There was less fakery and more real artistry than in many many years. Granted, I do not understand what that group fun. (with a period) is supposed to be, but everyone else was top notch.
And the Grammys have been great for CD and download sales. Justin Timberlake’s unreleased album, “The 20/20 Experience,” has presales that have put it at number 1 on iTunes. Even the “stupid f—ing media” likes him. He has two singles in the iTunes top 10, also. Rihanna is number 1. And all the Grammy performers are up, up, up in sales, all in the top 20. Only Taylor Swift hasn’t gotten much of a bounce, but her “Red” album is pretty much saturated among her audience.
On Amazon.com, Album of the Year “Babel” by Mumford and Sons, is number 1, with the Lumineers and the Grammy CD of nominated songs in hot pursuit. Amazon only has Timberlake at number 99, and doesn’t feature it at all on their MP3 chart. That must be because iTunes, as usual, has a one or two week exclusive on the download when the music is released on March 19th. I wish record companies wouldn’t agree to this. Not everyone wants to be hamstrung by iTunes.
Elton John Picks Emeli Sande to Perform at Oscar Party
Sir Elton John has chosen Emeli Sande to perform at big Oscar party on February 24th. She’s the Scottish singer who’s about to break as big as Adele here in the US with her album “Our Version of Events.”
I went to see Emeli last night in Hollywood at the Key Club in a showcase sponsored by Pfizer and Chapstick (Viagra joke can be made here). She was absolutely sensational, mind blowing, unique. By accident I’ve seen Emeli sing three times in LA since Saturday and she’s just been outstanding and astouding each time.
Each year Elton gets a cutting edge act to perform at his all star celebrity party set up next to the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. Proceeds from the dinner and party benefit his and David Furnish’s Elton John AIDS Foundation, one of the few charities that really achieves its goals and has vanquished AIDS in many parts of the world.
In the past they’ve had Nelly Furtado, the Scissor Sisters, and even Prince at the party. They also get the creme de la creme of celebs, from Sting and Paul McCartney to Hugh Jackman (this year’s co chairman of the dinner) to Sharon Stone and Quincy Jones.
Today in a release Elton called Emeli’s album “a true work of art. I predict that by next year she will be a multiple Grammy winner.”
Indeed, he’s right–the next year is going to be a big, slow build for Emeli. I just hope she can keep calm as her career explodes. I do think people are going to be fighting to get into the EJAF Oscar party to see her– and maybe hear her sing with Elton on at least one song. After hearing her last night, it’s easy to imagine her big soulful voice on one of his many hits.
Lady Gaga’s New Album: Wait Until November
Everyone would like a new Lady Gaga album, from her label, Interscope, to the 2014 Grammy Awards. But it does seem like Stefani Germanotta will miss the Grammy deadline of September 30th, and release “Art POP” sometime in November. That will be about two and a half  years after her “Born this Way” was dropped in May 2011.
Gaga has to finish the record, plan her new outfits, and record a duets album with Tony Bennett for release in 2014 as well. That should keep her busy. And she will be one of a few likely candidates to sing the next James Bond theme song, for Bond 24, already being written. Adele’s “Skyfall” has revived interest in the James Bond song business. Gaga is right up there if the producers want a contemporary artist.
You can just imagine the costumes Stefani will come up with to commemorate that tantalizing event!
No Susan Lucci: “All My Children” or Some of Them?
Jeff Kwatinetz’s Online Network announced today that “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” will begin production on February 25th. In the case of “OLTL,” most everyone is back among the key actors, and there are still negotiations over three who went to “General Hospital.”
But “All My Children” looks spotty at best from the Online press release. And glaringly missing still is any word on Susan Lucci, the nominal star of “AMC” since its debut in 1970. Lucci has been busy since the end of “AMC” on ABC, working on a lot of projects including Marc Cherry’s new “Devious Maids” series on Lifetime. So far, the cast announcements for “AMC” have carefully not mentioned Lucci at all, or any of the members of Erica Kane’s fictional family from the show.
Of course, the online versions of these soaps will be quite different than the network ones. The new soaps will be 30 minutes long and only run Monday-Thursday with recap days on Fridays. That means fewer of everything–characters, plots, storylines, and actors. To afford Lucci, Online would have to get her to agree to a sort of cameo situation. Hopefully it will get worked out, because it’s hard to have “AMC” without its central figure.
Meantime, two very key players seem to have been signed at last– Michael E. Knight and Cady McClain. It seems like they, along with Debi Morgan and Darnell Williams, will be the core of the new “AMC.”
PS “All My Children” issued a casting call for two villains today–seems like father and son Russia Mafia. Also seems like cartoon characters. The Russian Mafia in Pine Valley? Not when Erica Kane lived there.
Grammy Wrap Up: Lee Ann Rimes Steals Foundation Show, OneRepublic Wows
There were a lot more parties, shows, and showcases this weekend in LA around the Grammy theme that I didn’t even get to tell you about.
On Thursday, The Grammy Foundation– the sister group to MusiCares–showcased a dozen acts at the Saban Theater at something called Play it Forward: A Celebration of Music’s Evolution and Influencers. Seagate, the company that makes hard drives, was the sponsor–they just launched a new line of attractively packaged 1T drives. NARAS VP Kristen Madsen gave a great speech about the importance of music through the ages including recent events in Timbuktu.
But who played: Lee Ann Rimes, who’s more in the tabloids recently, performed a remarkable blues number that blew the doors off the house. Good for her. Yolanda Adams led a gospel choir and was simply sublime–she went to church big time. She should be a bigger deal. Ed Sheeran, the new “it” guy, was lovely. George Thorogood rocke the house with “Bad to the Bone.” And Dionne Warwick, who opened the show, remains the class act of all time. She’s a pleasure.
On Saturday afternoon I ran into producer Don Was at the Universal-Interscope-DefJam lunch showcase at Lure in Hollywood. This was a first time event, and I hope they do it again. This is what all the record companies should do–offer a two song look at their cool artists to press. OneRepublic, Emili Sande, Florence and the Machine–were all the well known artists. Chrisette Michele was a revelation–she plays the guitar! I really liked Churchill and Imagine Dragons and Mayer Hawthorne too. Trinidad James, however, is a trip. Ellie Goulding has a beautiful, fragile sound.
Motown and Stax were built on their traveling revues, and in late 70s we killed for tickets to see Elvis Costello, Wreckless Eric, Lene Lovich and Rachel Sweet on the Stiff tours. We need more more more of this type of thing, especially with so many new artists hitting the scene.
PS One newer artist you must download, buy or stream: K’Naan. He’s in the UMG family. I wish they’d included him.
Donald Byrd Dies, Famous for “Walking in Rhythm”
Donald Byrd passed away a couple of days ago at age 80. Probably every jazz fan will know Donald Byrd a different way. He had a huge jazz career in the 1950s and 60s as a trumpeteer, playing with all the greats like John Coltrane and Clifford Brown, and establishing himself as one of them. In 1973, in Washington DC, he formed the Blackbyrds, an R&B/jazz group combo that soared up the charts and became part of the popular music canon with “Walking in Rhythm.” The group had other hits but “Walking in Rhythm” was their pinnacle. The old charts say it only made it to number 6, but that record is number 1 forever. And so is Donald Byrd.
PS You think everything is on YouTube, but I couldn’t find any video of “Walking in Rhythm” anywhere. Do yourself a favor and download it or stream it.
Grammy Notes: Bonnie “Raitts,” Elton Conquers, Sting Swings
Some notes from backstage and all around the Grammys: Bonnie Raitt won Best Americana album during the afternoon for her “Slipstream” recording. It’s a blues album she and Joe Henry produced in his home studio, it’s some of the best work she’s ever done. Bonnie released it herself and sold 250,000 copies, which is quite an achievement. “We won!” she said when we met on the Grammy red carpet afterwards. (Her award was given off camera during the pre-show.) Bonnie “raitts.” She is a true artist, a great musician, and lovely person…
…Elton John had two victories at the Grammys. First he was at the top of the show with newcomer Ed Sheeran. Then he led the Levon Helm tribute. Has anyone noticed that every couple of years Elton, now in his fifth decade of an amazing career, joins a new guy on the Grammys. They come and go, he remains. His piano playing is like Stevie Wonder’s harmonica. It brings texure and depth to everyone else’s compositions…
…Sting got the last laugh on the Bruno Mars thing–by joining in with Bruno in the medley last night, Sting scored big time. Mars’s song “Locked in Heaven” is an homage to Sting’s big hits with the Police. Or a rip off. But Sting, ever the canny gentleman, sang along with “Locked” on stage, then forced Bruno to back him up on “Walking on the Moon.” Now everyone knows where “Locked” came from, and Sting didn’t have to say a word. When Sting started playing “Walking” the entire arena went nuts, and the whooshing sound of applause and screams was quite amazing. A real rock star, a real hit, and a point nicely made…Backstage, members of the Mars band and Bob Marley’s family all came by to have their pictures taken with Sting, who obliged a couple dozen people graciously…
In the Governor’s Room, a small sort of clubhouse backstage where dinner is served for the elite, Sting and wife Trudie Styler mixed and mingled with Lumineers and a few other of the acts who came and went. But they were the central attraction, bringing star power to a room full of execs from various record companies, as well as Billboard’s number 1 ranked entertainment attorney Joel Katz. While the jazz segment of the Grammys aired on the big TVs in the room, Styler confessed to loving Miles Davis and John Coltrane, but no Mingus. “Too complicated,” she declared…
Mavis Staples emerged in the long backstage hallway right off the stage from the Levon Helm tribute in fine form. She met her sister Yvonne, who also used to be a Staples Singer. Now they’re Staples Singers in the Staples Center. Hmmm…Mavis and Yvonne are the best sisters in contemporary music. true stalwarts and real tributes to their late dad, Pops Staples…
…Lots of stars crossed paths backstage, starting with Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, who shared a nice moment before going in opposite directions…
…Rihanna, who is simply gorgeous if not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, got a huge security team to walk with her wherever she went. Ironically, they should have been protecting her from seatmate, Chris Brown…
Adele must get a stylist and advice for her Oscar appearance. She looked like a sofa someone threw away in 1979. Her disarming and truly charming personality overcome everything, but still. Everyone wants more for her…
…Carole King missed the whole Grammy show and Special Merit Awards because of longstanding concert dates in Australia. She owes Kelly Clarkson big time. Kelly’s rendition of “Natural Woman” peeled the paint off the walls. I was sitting about four feet from her while she sang, and I can tell you, the audience is still gobsmacked. She’s the real deal…
And yes, the rain was real for the group fun. It was limited to just their stage, and to them, but everything got wet…
Many kudos to folks from both AEGLive (Arlyne Lewiston) and Live Nation (Alicia Geist) this weekend. The two concert agencies are rivals, but boy, they are run so well, so organized and cheerfully under pressure. Randy Phillips and Arthur Fogel are doing the right things.