March 11th, 2008: This day in the music history

Barack Obama in Rolling Stone

2008-03-11 15:00:11.521237
href="http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/19106326">Barack Obama's Machinery of Hope by Tim Dickinson [From RS1048 — March 20, 2007]

href="http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/19066990/barack_obama_a_photo_historyn" tar="tar" get="blank">Photo Gallery: Barack Obama, a History in Pictures [From RS1048 — March 20, 2007]

href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/19106551/a_new_hope"> An Endorsement: Barack Obama for President by Jann S. Wenner [From RS1048 — March 20, 2007]

href="http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17652931/obamas_moment"> Obama's Moment by Matt Taibbi [From Issue 1042/1043 — December 27, 2007-January 10, 2008]

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Cover Story: Jack Johnson - The Dude Abides

2008-03-11 18:00:14.42634
Click href="http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/18653440/jack_johnson_rocks_mellowest_sup" target="blank">here for a photo gallery of rock's mellow superstar onstage and off.

"I get completely haunted," he says. In his most vivid dream, Johnson is standing on the beach with a guitar, gazing into the shore break. "Our stage crew was there, the band were all set up, it was a normal show, but the ocean was where the crowd should be," Johnson recalls. "I was thinking, 'What's going on here?' " Johnson and his band played on as the tide crept up. "We were knee-deep, then waist-deep, and still playing. I had a feeling like, 'When do we stop?'

"You've got to listen to your dreams," says Johnson, sitting at a picnic table in the quiet, grassy back yard of his home in Santa Barbara, California. He's wearing his usual outfit — board shorts, a T-shirt and flip-flops — and talking in a relaxed surfer's lilt. "That's when I know I've got to take a break, kick...

Jack Johnson, Filmmaker

2008-03-11 05:00:25.081056
Jack Johnson isn't just a chart-topping songwriter and former professional surfer - he's also a filmmaker. In fact, he co-directed the acclaimed 2000 surf movie Thicker Than Water, a zen-like meditation on life in the waves. Click the video to hear Johnson's thoughts on filmmaking and to see some choice footage from Thicker Than Water and color="#ff0000" href="http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/18684236/cover_story_jack_johnson_8212_the_dude_abides" target="blank">click here to read the cover story.

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The Machinery of Hope

2008-03-11 04:00:23.774368
href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/19106551/a_new_hope"> Click here for Rolling Stone's endorsement of Barack Obama.

• href="http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/19066990/barack_obama_a_photo_history" target="blank">Barack Obama: A History in Photos

It's Presidents day, two weeks before the Texas primary, and Adam Ukman has come to the small city of San Marcos to train precinct captains for Barack Obama. A soft-spoken native of Houston, Ukman has served on the campaign's front lines in Iowa and Utah, organizing grass-roots supporters to secure decisive victories in both states. This evening, more than eighty residents of San Marcos have crammed into a yellow clapboard recreation center on a street dotted with shacks that date from the Jim Crow era. "Our job is not to run in here to tell you how it's going to be," Ukman tells them. "This is your campaign. Not our campaign."

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'Soulful' offering from Billy Bragg

2008-03-11 15:00:11.405831
Billy Bragg has apparently revealed he's evolving as an artist, saying his new album is 'quite soulful'. The English musician, better known for his folk and punk rock sound, says he sings with more soul in his voice on his latest offering, Mr Love And

An almost overnight success for Shepherd (AP)

2008-03-11 14:00:11.391606

By JOHN GEROME, AP Entertainment Writer 1 hour, 4 minutes ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Country singers often joke that they're a "10-year-overnight success" because no one really makes it in this business overnight, right?

That's generally true — but some have a faster route to success than others.

About two years ago, Ashton Shepherd was a young housewife and mother from south Alabama who wrote songs and sang them in her backyard shed.

The extent of her professional experience was playing bars in a makeshift band with her husband, Roland, and brother-in-law, Adam Cunningham; Shepherd and Roland both played guitar, while Adam played bass.

She won a talent contest and recorded a three-song demo that by fluke landed her an audition with Luke Lewis, chairman of Universal Music Group Nashville, in January 2007.

Lewis liked what he heard, signed her to MCA Nashville and poof: Her first single "Takin' Off This Pain" is now a top 30 hit on the Billboard country chart and her debut CD "Sounds So Good" was just released.

"It's really something because this is the way I wanted it to happen. This is the way I dreamed it would happen," says Shepherd, a pretty 21-year-old brunette from Coffeeville, Ala., a cottonpatch of a town on the Tombigbee River about 70 miles north of Mobile.

Not that she's lived a fairytale life, though. Her husband worked construction. She picked peas and sold them from the back of a truck. She lost a brother in a car wreck when she was only 13.

She'd been writing songs and singing since she was a little kid, but mostly for friends and family around town.

"I remember when Garth Brooks' 'Shameless' was out and I'd sing it with feeling and squint my eyes and my brothers would make fun of me. I remember mama calling daddy over and saying 'Donnie, listen to her. She knows every word.'"

She says that when she was a girl she'd tell her teachers she wanted to be a country singer and they'd smile and say something like, "No, honey, you don't want to do that. You want to go to college."

"It was stirring around in me all the time," she recalls. "But I also had scared feelings. What would it be like for my family? How are we going to do this? Is my daddy going to quit his job and go to Nashville? It's not that I didn't want it to happen, I was afraid to make a big step."

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Apple Inc. downplays Beatles "speculation" (Reuters)

2008-03-11 15:00:12.542377

By Tom Ferguson 2 hours, 8 minutes ago

LONDON (Billboard) - Apple Inc has dismissed claims in the U.K. press that the Beatles catalog is about to be made available online through the computer giant's iTunes Music Store as "unsubstantiated speculation."

Reports on Friday suggested that unnamed sources "close to Sir Paul McCartney" had confirmed that the Beatles catalog would be available online though iTunes and other legal services "within months." However, the claim has been met with a string of "no comments" from the Beatles' own label Apple Corps, and EMI. "This is not news nor is it a scoop," says an Apple Inc. spokesman, declining further comment.

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Are excessive lyrics ruining pop music?

2008-03-11 18:00:13.128598
music box: Pop, jazz, and classical. Words Words Words Posted Tuesday, March 11, 2008, at 3:54 PM ET Fifty years ago, Link Wray's 'Rumble,' a snarling instrumental, was banned by radio stations because programmers worried that the song's grinding

Art Brut Leave EMI

2008-03-11 09:00:12.474237
Art Brut are the latest band to leave EMI but not under the same circumstances as Radiohead or Paul McCartney. This time, it seems that band have simply been dropped. But then, things are never that simple chez Brut...

Asian music artists shine at glittering award ceremony

2008-03-11 07:00:11.125888
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Behind the Scenes Footage of Lil Wayne's Lollipop Video Leaked Online

2008-03-11 23:00:12.380525
Video features Static Major, who died three weeks after filming Behind the scenes video footage, as well as a rough cut for Lil Waynes Lollipop single has surfaced on the internet, and features some of the last footage of singer, producer, and

Britney will guest star on CBS' `Mother' (AP)

2008-03-11 15:00:11.402937

By ERIN CARLSON, Associated Press Writer 39 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Britney Spears' upcoming appearance on the CBS show "How I Met Your Mother" could be — to borrow scene-stealer Barney's favorite word — legendary.

Spears will guest star in a March 24 episode of the cult series, CBS spokeswoman Kelli Raftery told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The pop star will portray a receptionist in a dermatologist's office named Abby who becomes "smitten" with Ted (Josh Radnor), Raftery said.

Craig Thomas, the show's creator, told Usmagazine.com that Spears attended a table reading with the cast on Monday, and that her scenes will probably be filmed later this week. He said representatives for Spears approached the CBS about "Mother" because "she was looking for a small part on a funny show."

Spears has previous TV sitcom experience playing a character on a 2006 episode of "Will and Grace." She was also the host and musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" in 2000.

"How I Met Your Mother," returning Monday with all-new episodes following the writers strike, co-stars Radnor, Jason Segal, Alyson Hannigan, Cobie Smulders and Neil Patrick Harris as twentysomethings living in New York City. Harris portrays serial bachelor Barney Stinson, who frequently uses the word "legendary" to describe his various exploits.

Spears has been under the conservatorship of her father, James, following bizarre behavior and two hospitalizations. She is also locked in a custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline over the former couple's sons, Jayden James, 1, and Sean Preston, 2.

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CBS is owned by CBS Corp.

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On the Net:

CBS: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/how_i_met_your_mother/

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CAB's Radio Music Award Winners

2008-03-11 12:00:10.847176
State of Shock led a who's who of Canada's hottest rising radio music stars today as the group captured two prizes at the 11th Annual Canadian Radio Music Awards. The CRMAs take place each year during Canadian Music Week. Presented by the Canadian

CORRECTED: R&B singer India.Arie eyes Broadway bow (Reuters)

2008-03-11 14:00:12.290456

By Andrew Salomon 1 hour, 10 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Back Stage) - Grammy-winning R&B singer-songwriter India.Arie will star in the first Broadway revival of "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf."

Often described as a choreopoem, the play presents the stories of seven women of color from the African Diaspora. No other cast members have been chosen, nor has a theater been named. It is scheduled to begin previews in mid-July, ahead of an opening in early August.

Shirley Jo Finney will direct, and three-time Tony winner Hinton Battle will choreograph.

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Doherty fronts drug doc

2008-03-11 22:00:13.219929
Pete Doherty is to front an anti-drugs documentary on British TV later this year, it has been claimed.The Babyshambles star will appear in an upcoming show focusing on addicted children on two estates in the UK.The singer, who is famed for his perennial

Dr. Dre's Mother&Former Associate Release Tell-All Books

2008-03-11 03:00:12.045627
Dr. Dre's mother, Verna Griffin, and former associate of his Aftermath label, Bruce Williams, are both set to release books on their experiences with the influential producer later this year. In her upcoming book, Long Road Outta Compton, Griffin, who

EVENT: Fab Faux Recreate Beatles Music in D.C., 4/26

2008-03-11 08:00:11.656726
Returning to Washington 4/26, Following Last Year's Sold-Out Debut: The Fab Faux Tackles The Beatles' Most Complex Studio Work Without Breaking a Sweat' Recently Profiled On NPR's Morning Edition: The Fab Faux is a Collective That's About Attention to

Fans embrace, clerics condemn TV's "Afghan Star" (Reuters)

2008-03-11 22:00:12.77636

By Hamid Shalizi 53 minutes ago

KABUL, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Hundreds of fans clamored on Tuesday to catch a glimpse of their favorite finalists from the TV show "Afghan Star," Afghanistan's version of "American Idol," which is watched by millions but condemned by Islamic clerics as immoral.

The finalists, two men and for the first time a woman, will appear in Friday's competition, where one will be eliminated before the last show to decide the winner a week later.

Kabul's Islamic council of clerics has branded the show un-Islamic and demanded it be taken off the air.

"'Afghan Star' encourages immorality among the people and...

First look: remix Hollywood with PowerDVD 8

2008-03-11 11:00:12.693269
Cyberlink has given PC Pro a preview of the new version of its popular PowerDVD software. In addition to expected features such as Blu-ray playback and HDMI sound, PowerDVD 8 is tightly integrated with the company's 'MoovieLive' [sic] portal, which lets

Former 'Idol' stripper: So what? (AP)

2008-03-11 02:00:14.495795

Mon Mar 10, 10:57 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (AP) — First-season "American Idol" finalist Nikki McKibbin says she was upfront with "Idol" producers about her stripping past seven years ago.

McKibbin, who came in third during the first season of the Fox singing competition, says she stripped for "five or six months" in Fort Worth, Texas. When asked on an "Idol" application if she had any professional dance experience, McKibbin says she wrote: "Yes — exotic."

Current finalist David Hernandez made headlines last week when it was revealed he steadily worked as a stripper for three years, dancing nude for the "mostly male" clientele at Dick's Cabaret in Phoenix.

McKibbin's advice to Hernandez: Have "no regrets" about his past.

"He did what he did for a reason, whether he loved what he was doing or he needed the money," said McKibbin.

The now-married mother of two is rebutting a report that she had a suicidal breakdown on Feb. 21 over her mother's death last August. McKibbin said the incident has been "blown out of proportion."

"I broke my foot and had a bad reaction to pain medication," McKibbin told The Associated Press on Monday.

McKibbin insists she was never suicidal.

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On the Net:

http://nikkimckibbin.com/

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It's Pop music with a twist as Madonna enters Hall of Fame

2008-03-11 12:00:10.848883
LEAVE it to Madonna to make the right gesture. For her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she didn't worry about whether her career as a pop hit-maker, image-maker, sex symbol and provocateuse qualified her as an important figure in any

Jackson gets flu, bails from `SNL' show (AP)

2008-03-11 22:00:13.562971

Tue Mar 11, 6:23 PM ET

NEW YORK - Janet Jackson has dropped out of her upcoming "Saturday Night Live" performance because she has the flu, the singer's representative said Tuesday.

"Janet did go to the hospital last night due to the fact she's been suffering from this flu that's kicked a lot of people's behinds," publicist Patti Webster told The Associated Press in an e-mail. "She was never admitted and she is fine."

Still, Webster said Jackson — who visited a Los Angeles hospital — was pulling out of the March 15 "SNL" telecast because "she needs some time to get better."

"SNL" spokesman Marc Liepis said he did not know what music act will replace Jackson.

Jackson, 41, was scheduled to perform live Saturday night in support of her latest album, "Discipline," which was released last month.

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NBC is owned by General Electric Co.

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NBC:

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/

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Jazz like that: Music can tell how brain works

2008-03-11 20:00:13.955976
WASHINGTON: Scientists inspired by the legendary improvisation of Miles Davis and John Coltrane are peering inside the brains of today's jazz musicians to learn where creativity comes from. Think dreaming. This isn't just a curiosity for jazz fans but a

Juanes sings for 'peace without borders' (AP)

2008-03-11 22:00:13.218048

2 hours, 49 minutes ago

BOGOTA, Colombia - Some of Latin music's biggest stars plan to join Juanes to perform a free concert atop a bridge linking Colombia and Venezuela in a show of unity among neighboring South American countries still recovering from a diplomatic crisis.

Others scheduled to perform: Juan Luis Guerra, Miguel Bose, Carlos Vives and Alejandro Sanz.

Juanes, the Grammy-winning Colombian rocker, said the "Peace Without Borders" concert — scheduled for Sunday — is an effort to ease tensions caused by a Colombian raid into Ecuador to kill a top rebel leader on March 1. In response to the attack, Ecuador and its ally Venezuela briefly sent troops to their Colombian borders.

"We want to consolidate the union between our peoples," he told reporters Tuesday by telephone from the Dominican Republic. "We are brothers and sisters, we are equals. We just have to raise one flag together, the flag of peace."

The artists will perform on the Simon Bolivar Bridge linking Cucuta, Colombia, and San Antonio del Tachira, Venezuela, while fans from both countries line the banks of the narrow Tachira River that marks the border, local officials said.

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Kid Rock causes scene at a Waffle House (AP)

2008-03-11 19:00:10.834979

1 hour, 44 minutes ago

DULUTH, Ga. - Kid Rock caused another scene at a Waffle House — this time, for charity.

The entertainer came to sign autographs for hundreds of fans during a fundraiser at the suburban Atlanta eatery. The event came just a week after Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, pleaded not guilty to a charge of battery from a fight last fall at another Waffle House.

Waffle House spokeswoman Kelly Thrasher said the Atlanta-based company wanted to "take a negative situation and turn it into a positive situation."

Proceeds were to go to Nicholas House, a homeless shelter for families in DeKalb County, where the 37-year-old entertainer was arrested last October following a fight with a customer. Ritchie was scheduled to serve food to Waffle House customers Tuesday but changed plans when he realized he would only have time to sign autographs before his concert scheduled for later in the evening at nearby Gwinnett Arena.

Ritchie said he wanted to make up for the fight.

"The whole situation before was kind of silly," he said as he signed autographs for fans. "We just thought after that unfortunate incident we'd try to do something silly but something more positive."

With posters, CDs, guitars and hats in hand, the line of Kid Rock fans snaked around the building for hours waiting for an autograph and photo with the hick-hop star.

Some of the fans drove hundreds of miles to see him.

First in line: Ashley Miles, 21, from Morgantown, W. Va., and her mother, Terri Miles, from Maryland. They arrived at 8:30 p.m. Monday, set up chairs and waited all night.

"I love him; he is gorgeous," the daughter said.

Next in line: Alisha Mullen and husband Wes Mullen, who arrived at 3:30 a.m. from Point Pleasant, W. Va. They brought sons Carson Taylor, 7, and Brady Taylor, 10.

When asked what he would say to Kid Rock, Carson smiled and said, "I'm a cowboy, baby," mimicking Ritchie's hit song.

Police say Ritchie's tour bus had stopped at another area Waffle House on Oct. 21 after a performance in downtown Atlanta; an exchange of words with a customer escalated into a fight that spilled from the restaurant out into the parking lot.

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Kid Rock slings short-order meals (AP)

2008-03-11 17:00:12.497247

1 hour, 24 minutes ago

DULUTH, Ga. - Kid Rock replaced his signature fedora Tuesday with a paper Waffle House hat.

The entertainer came to sling hash browns and sign autographs for hundreds of fans during a fundraiser at a suburban Atlanta diner. The event came just a week after Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, pleaded not guilty to a charge of battery from a fight last fall at another Waffle House.

Waffle House spokeswoman Kelly Thrasher said the Atlanta-based company wanted to "take a negative situation and turn it into a positive situation."

Proceeds from the fundraiser were to go to Nicholas House, a homeless shelter for families in DeKalb County, where the 37-year-old entertainer was arrested last October following a fight with a customer.

Ritchie was met by enthusiastic fans, some of whom drove hundreds of miles to see him.

First in line: Ashley Miles, 21, a nurse from Morgantown, W. Va., and her mother, Terri Miles, from Maryland. They arrived at 8:30 p.m. Monday, set up chairs and waited all night for a chance to see the star.

"I love him, he is gorgeous," the daughter said.

Later Tuesday, Ritchie was scheduled to play a show at Gwinnett Arena, north of the city.

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Leif Ove Andsnes: A magical mystery

2008-03-11 22:00:12.793454
Geoffrey Norris reviews Leif Ove Andsnes at the Festival Hall A central component of this masterly piano recital was Grieg's Ballade in G minor, a rarely performed piece but one that Leif Ove Andsnes has identified as being of seminal significance in

Leonard Cohen announces first tour in 15 years (Reuters)

2008-03-11 11:00:12.279723

1 hour, 39 minutes ago

LONDON (Reuters) - Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen unveiled plans on Tuesday for his first tour in 15 years, starting in Toronto on June 6.

The announcement comes a day after the gravel-voiced performer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York, along with Madonna, John Mellencamp, The Dave Clark Five and The Ventures.

The tour will include major gigs like the Glastonbury Festival in Britain on June 29, where he could be performing to a crowd as large as 150,000 people, to the more intimate Opera House in Manchester.

It includes dates in Toronto and Montreal and a series of...

Lisa Marie Presley sues over 'fat' story (AP)

2008-03-11 08:00:11.654753

By TARIQ PANJA, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 27 minutes ago

LONDON - Lisa Marie Presley has sued a British newspaper for alleging that she was piling on the pounds because of her unhealthy appetite, her lawyer said Monday.

Presley, who is pregnant, alleges in a suit filed at London's High Court on Friday that the story in Britain's Daily Mail was slanderous and degrading. The newspaper has since reported on the 40-year-old singer's pregnancy.

"Once they got a glimpse of my expanding physique a few days ago, they have been like a pack of coyotes circling their prey whilst eerily howling with delight," she said on her blog.

The daughter of the late singer Elvis Presley claims the pictures taken at a Hollywood restaurant last week forced her to go public about the baby she is having with her fourth husband, music producer Michael Lockwood.

"It really upset her," Presley's attorney Jo Paton told The Associated Press. "She was about to announce her pregnancy and was shocked and hurt by the unkind article about her appearance."

Paton said Presley was seeking an apology and damages.

The Daily Mail said the first indication they had of Presley's complaint was when they were served with court documents.

"We are investigating the matter," the newspaper said in a statement.

The child will be Presley's third.

She has an 18-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son from her first marriage to musician Danny Keough, which ended in 1994. She was briefly married to Michael Jackson and to actor Nicholas Cage.

She married Lockwood in January 2006.

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MTV rocks with musical reality shows (Reuters)

2008-03-11 04:00:23.150866

By Kimberly Nordyke 57 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - MTV is giving young people the chance to follow their dreams through several new music- and dance-themed projects, including a drama from Nick Lachey that's described as a reality version of "Fame."

The network also has ordered two singing competitions -- "Rock the Cradle" and a concept with the working title of "Celebrity Music Mentor Project." It has also renewed the dance competition "Randy Jackson: America's Best Dance Crew" for a second season.

The untitled pilot from Lachey, the former star of MTV's "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica," revolves around the students at...

Madonna, Mellencamp Lead Rock Hall's '08 Class

2008-03-11 00:00:12.701568
Pop superstar Madonna, heartland rocker John Mellencamp, singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen, British Invasion pioneers the Dave Clark Five and instrumental rock legends the Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tonight (March 10) during

Madonna, Mellencamp head to rock hall (AP)

2008-03-11 04:00:23.506063

By DAVID BAUDER, AP Entertainment Writer 1 hour, 7 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Madonna, pop music's quick-change artist, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday and paid tribute to people who encouraged her and even critics who panned her for helping drive her career.

Heartland hitmaker John Mellencamp, with his son Speck playing guitar and his parents watching from a balcony above the Waldorf Astoria Hotel ballroom, joined the rock-kicking with a rumbling version of "Authority Song."

"I wrote this song, and I still feel the same way today as I did when I wrote it 25 years ago," Mellencamp said.

Philly soul producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, literate songwriter Leonard Cohen, British rockers the Dave Clark Five, and surf instrumentalists the Ventures were among the other inductees.

Madonna recalled key moments of her career, from playing her demo tape for record company president Seymour Stein when he was in a hospital bed hooked up to an IV, to her shock at looking out from the stage at thousands of girls dressed like her. "It freaked me out," she said.

She fondly remembered a teacher who encouraged her to follow her dreams when she was only 14, and said she's lucky to have people around her that are still doing that.

Even the people who "said I was talentless, that I was chubby, that I couldn't sing, that I was a one-hit wonder, they helped me, too," she said. "They inspired me because they made me question myself repeatedly and pushed me to be better."

Singer Justin Timberlake, who helped produce Madonna's upcoming album, inducted her with an innuendo-laden speech.

"The world is full of Madonna wannabes. I might have even dated a couple," said Britney Spears' ex. "But there is truly only one Madonna."

Timberlake told of how he felt ill one day while working on Madonna's new album and she asked whether he wanted a B-12 shot. He said sure, expecting a doctor to show up, but Madonna pulled out a syringe and said, "drop 'em."

After he pulled his pants back up, "she looked at me and said, 'That's top shelf,' and that was one of the greatest days of my life," he said.

"Everything he said is basically true," Madonna confirmed, "but I didn't say 'drop 'em,' I said, 'pull your pants down."

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Madonna, Mellencamp help fill Rock Hall (AP)

2008-03-11 00:00:12.331409

By DAVID BAUDER, AP Entertainment Writer 11 minutes ago

"I wrote this song, and I still feel the same way today as I did when I wrote it 25 years ago," Mellencamp said.

Philly soul producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, literate songwriter Leonard Cohen, British rockers the Dave Clark Five, and surf instrumentalists the Ventures were among the other inductees.

Madonna recalled a teacher who encouraged her to follow her dreams when she was only 14.

"Thirty-five years later, people are still encouraging me to believe in my dreams," she said at the induction ceremony. "What more could I ask for?"

Singer Justin Timberlake, who helped produce Madonna's upcoming album, inducted her with an innuendo-laden speech.

"The world is full of Madonna wannabes. I might have even dated a couple," said Britney Spears' ex. "But there is truly only one Madonna."

After he pulled his pants back up, "she looked at me and said, 'That's top shelf,' and that was one of the greatest days of my life," he said.

"Everything he said is basically true," Madonna confirmed, "but I didn't say 'drop 'em,' I said, 'pull your pants down."

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New Gnarls Barkley video too crazy for MTV U.K (Reuters)

2008-03-11 10:00:13.76874

By Jonathan Cohen 1 hour, 47 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Billboard) - The video for Gnarls Barkley's new single, "Run," may feature a cameo from Justin Timberlake, but it's still not quite ready to air on MTV in the U.K.

That's because of its strobe effects, which caused the clip to fail the Harding Test -- guidelines established to prevent TV images from triggering epileptic seizures.

However, the video is available on various online outlets, and Gnarls Barkley member Danger Mouse was hopeful the situation could be resolved shortly.

"I don't know exactly what's going on, but we're having issues. I think (the video) is cool. It works for me. But I'm...

New Gnarls Barkley video too crazy for MTV UK (Reuters)

2008-03-11 05:00:18.552745

By Jonathan Cohen 22 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Billboard) - The video for Gnarls Barkley's new single, "Run," may feature a cameo from Justin Timberlake, but it's still not quite ready to air on MTV in the U.K.

That's because of its strobe effects, which caused the clip to fail the Harding Test -- guidelines established to prevent TV images from triggering epileptic seizures.

However, the video is available on various online outlets, and Gnarls Barkley member Danger Mouse was hopeful the situation could be resolved shortly.

"I don't know exactly what's going on, but we're having issues. I think (the video) is cool. It works for me. But I'm...

R&B singer India.Arie eyes Broadway bow (Reuters)

2008-03-11 17:00:12.107121

By Andrew Salomon 1 hour, 17 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Back Stage) - Grammy-winning R&B singer-songwriter India.Arie will star in the first Broadway revival of "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf."

Shirley Jo Finney will direct, and three-time Tony winner Hinton Battle will choreograph.

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R.E.M. launching album on social networking site (Reuters)

2008-03-11 12:00:11.630468

By Jessica Letkemann 2 hours, 59 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Forget the traditional radio premiere: R.E.M.'s new album, "Accelerate," is set to debut on the social networking application iLike.

The roll-out, the first of its kind for a major act, will allow fans to stream and share "Accelerate" in its entirety beginning March 24, a week ahead of the album's April 1 U.S. release date.

"It was one of those ideas that was presented to us and it seemed like a good one so we ran for it," R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe told Billboard.com.

He also noted that the way people embrace music "has...

Ra Ra Riot Announce Massive Tour

2008-03-11 00:00:12.703131
Syracuse sextet Ra Ra Riot have announced a massive tour to follow up Friday night's sold out headlining show at NYC's Bowery Ballroom. The indie-rock troupe is in especially high demand considering they haven't had a release since their self-released,

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts Madonna, Cohen (Reuters)

2008-03-11 01:00:21.550607

By Michelle Nichols 52 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Madonna spoke of being possessed by magic as she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday along with Leonard Cohen, rocker John Mellencamp, British pop band The Dave Clark Five and instrumental group The Ventures.

"I felt like I had been possessed by some magic and luckily for me I have been miraculously and continuously possessed by some kind of magic," Madonna said at the annual Hall of Fame ceremony in New York.

"I have gone on to do so many things in my life, from writing children's books, to designing clothes, to directing a...

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to induct Madonna and Cohen (Reuters)

2008-03-11 00:00:13.076875

By Michelle Nichols 2 hours, 57 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pop star Madonna, folk singer Leonard Cohen, rocker John Mellencamp, British pop band The Dave Clark Five and instrumental group The Ventures were being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday.

The five artists have been chosen by 600 music industry professionals, and beat out disco queen Donna Summer, New York-based funk group Chic, rap pioneer Afrika Bambaataa and hip-hop group The Beastie Boys for the 23rd annual induction.

Artists become eligible for the Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first single or album and are represented in an exhibition at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum in...

Spears' lawyer fights K-Fed's legal fees (AP)

2008-03-11 09:00:12.472252

By LINDA DEUTSCH, AP Special Correspondent 2 hours, 26 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears' new lawyer has a tip for Kevin Federline: If you're going to ask for your legal bills to be paid, don't leave a $2,000 tip for the waiter on a $365 check.

Attorney Stacy Phillips, who recently took over Spears' case, told a court Monday that the pop star has already spent more than $1 million on her child-custody case and objects to paying nearly a half-million dollars in legal fees for her ex-husband, who has enough money to have recently left the exorbitant gratuity.

Phillips had asked for the hearing to challenge a move by Federline's lead lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, to have Spears pay his legal bills. Commissioner Scott Gordon did not rule during the hearing, part of which was held behind closed doors. Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini said the decision may be made Tuesday.

Federline has sole custody of his two little boys by Spears, who is under the conservatorship of her father, James, following bizarre behavior and two hospitalizations. Federline and James Spears chatted amiably at court.

During the hearing, Phillips said that Federline's lawyers have billed excessively and are entitled to only about $150,00 to $175,000.

Phillips also said Federline has the money to pay his lawyers himself, citing excessive personal spending by him. She said he recently had a $365 check at a restaurant and gave the waiter a $2,000 tip.

"God bless!" Phillips said. "If he's willing to tip someone that much for serving him, he should be willing to pay his legal fees."

Kaplan argued that the $600-an-hour fees charged by him and partner James Simon were for legitimate work in an extraordinary case.

"If the court views this as a simple custody case, I'm in trouble," Kaplan told Gordon.

Kaplan pointed out there were numerous hearings involving Spears' behavior, which created emergencies involving the safety of her children.

"When you have a case with monitored visitation, that is not a regular case," he said.

He insisted that it requires the complete attention of himself and his partner.

...

The Top 5 lists (AP)

2008-03-11 18:00:13.126561

By The Associated Press 1 hour, 32 minutes ago

TELEVISION

1. "American Idol" (Tuesday), Fox.

2. "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox.

3. "American Idol" (Thursday), Fox.

4. "The Moment of Truth," Fox.

5. "20/20: The Royal Family," ABC.

(From Nielsen Media Research)

FILM

1. "10,000 B.C.," Warner Bros.

2. "College Road Trip," Disney.

3. "Vantage Point," Sony Pictures.

4. "The Bank Job," Lionsgate.

...

Van Halen scraps more shows amid mystery ailment (Reuters)

2008-03-11 05:00:19.773106

1 hour, 1 minute ago

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Rock band Van Halen's reunion tour fell into disarray on Monday when it announced it would postpone all shows through April 19 while guitarist Eddie Van Halen undergoes tests for an unspecified medical condition.

The news came a week after the group postponed four shows for the same reason.

Seventeen shows are now affected, beginning Tuesday in Charlottesville, Va., and running through April 15 in Baltimore, which was one of the four postponed last week. The next scheduled show is set for April 19 in Las Vegas.

According to organizers, Van Halen, 53, who has battled cancer and substance abuse, "is currently under doctors' care"...

Where the Glitterati Go to Listen, Hip-Hop Meets Indian Classical

2008-03-11 04:00:23.533857
Bauchklang, an Austrian hip-hop band that makes music using vocal and other mouth sounds, performs at the Blue Frog, in a former warehouse. (By Emily Wax -- The Washington Post) Enlarge Photo Buy Photo TOOLBOX Resize Text Save/Share + COMMENT

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