March 20th, 2008: This day in the music history

Artists to Watch: Seven Acts Who Are Defining Rock, Soul and Hip-Hop in 2008

2008-03-20 01:00:14.447162
height="72"> href="http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/13883400/rolling_stones_10_artists_to_watch/10"> src="http://i.realone.com/assets/rn/img/9/4/6/8/17358649.gif href="http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/19545041/artists_to_watch_seven_acts_who_are_defining_rock_soul_and_hiphop_in_2008/2"> src="http://i.realone.com/assets/rn/img/7/4/6/8/17358647.gif color="#bb1111">FOALS Buzzy U.K. post-punk act digs funky African grooves, will rock a house party

onclick="popupVideo('rtmp://flashplay.rbn.com/a41/d1/rstone/rstone/download/flash/ATW-1049-foals.flv', 'Artist to Watch', 'Foals'); return false;"> src="http://i.realone.com/assets/rn/img/0/6/0/9/19519060-19519070-lmedium.jpg onclick="popupVideo('rtmp://flashplay.rbn.com/a41/d1/rstone/rstone/download/flash/ATW-1049-foals.flv', 'Artist to Watch', 'Foals'); return false;"> Click above for exclusive footage of the Foals on their way from the U.K. to the U.S. and get a taste of their live performance.

Growing up on the Greek island of Karpathos, Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis watched his father and other local men perform...

Chris Rock Isn't Laughing

2008-03-20 05:00:21.764725
Click href="http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/chrisrock/articles/story/19400269/video_gallery_chris_rock" target="blank">here to watch Chris Rock's greatest film and stand-up moments.

There in the time of rock, wherein Christopher Julius Rock III rules again as he has ruled before, but only more so — international sweep! colossal forums! better transportation! — promptness counts for much. "There's no such thing as early," Rock himself will tell you, just as his late heroic father often impressed upon him under threat of belt strap. "There's on time and late. I'm always on time." Unsurprisingly, then, he has made it a point to be on time for his Time, which is a very good thing for a dire populace that suddenly seeks racial clarity with historic fervor (no mortal, of course, sifts matters of class and skin divide with sharper acuity than Rock, who is black but sometimes employs the term "a fine mocha" because he is just that precise.) Moreover, he concedes that seizing this seismic American...

Video Gallery: Chris Rock

2008-03-20 17:00:16.147018
Click href="http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/19551925" target="blank">here for an excerpt of the Chris Rock cover story.

Though Chris Rock had minor success on Saturday Night Live and with the HBO special Big Ass Jokes, his true breakout came in 1996 with the premiere of Bring the Pain. The stand-up special (and subsequent album Roll With the New) introduced the world to a number of instant-classic Rock bits, including "Niggas vs. Black People." The controversial routine is everything that's great about Rock: it's honest, insightful, vulgar and above all hilarious.

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AudioStreet.net Launches Breakthrough Features For Recording Artists And Music Fans Remix Hotel Miami Returns To The National Hotel For Its Sixth Annual Flagship Event The 2008 MuchMusic Video Awards Shuts Down The Streets And The Fans Take Over PLAT

2008-03-20 04:00:21.515799
Ckrush Digital Media, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Ckrush, Inc., announced that its leading indie music community AudioStreet.net has launched new breakthrough features for artist and fans. The AudioStreet 'A&R Radar' chart will rank emerging

Bollywood and opera meld in Paris (AP)

2008-03-20 11:00:15.22095

By JENNY BARCHFIELD, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 24 minutes ago

PARIS - As the rousing overture reaches its operatic climax, the curtains part and Ganesh, the elephant-headed Hindu god, descends from the rafters.

"Padmavati," currently playing at Paris' gilded Theatre du Chatelet, is not your typical operatic fare. It's equal parts straight-laced European opera and Bollywood blowout, with a cast that includes a top French mezzo-soprano, scores of classical Indian dancers and a live tiger.

The director is hit Indian filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, whose pathos-filled 2002 musical "Devdas" became a crossover international blockbuster and made him hot Bollywood property.

"Padmavati," the revival of a long-neglected French ballet-turned-opera from 1923, is Bhansali's first foray into the rarified world of opera — which he had rarely listened to before beginning work on the project.

"There was an e-mail that came (proposing the project) and I thought somebody was joking," said Bhansali, speaking in his dressing room at the theater. "I though 'Opera? An Indian director? What are they talking about? Somebody's playing a prank.'"

But then he started listening to the score — written by sailor and composer Albert Roussel after a 1909 trip to South Asia and based on the legend of a 13th-century queen who chooses death over surrender.

Soon, Bhansali warmed to the idea.

"It was the chance to come to stage, an unknown discipline, and unfold Indian history."

Indian history in French, that is.

The opera's libretto is the language of Moliere, and most of the cast's classically trained singers are French, too.

French mezzo-soprano Sylvie Brunet lends just the right dose of defiance and submission to the role of Queen Padmavati — who legend has it committed sati, throwing herself onto her husband's funeral pyre to keep from being abducted by a rival leader.

A troupe of classical Indian dancers weaves around the singers, fleshing out the plot with their flex-footed movements. They shimmer and shake, spin and leap, taking center stage during long orchestral movements originally intended for ballet solos.

...

Celebrity Birthdays (AP)

2008-03-20 00:00:14.038687

By The Associated Press 19 minutes ago

Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 23-29:

March 23: Comedian Marty Allen is 86. Singer Ric Ocasek (The Cars) is 59. Singer Chaka Khan is 55. Actress Amanda Plummer is 51. Actress Hope Davis ("About Schmidt") is 44. Actor Richard Grieco is 43. Country drummer Kevin Griffin of Yankee Grey is 43. Actress Marin Hinkle ("Two and A Half Men") is 42. Singer-keyboardist Damon Albarn of Blur is 40. Drummer John Humphrey of The Nixons is 38. Actress Keri Russell ("Felicity") is 32. Actress Nicholle Tom ("The Nanny") is 30.

March 24: Singer Nick Lowe is 59. Bassist Dougie Thomson of Supertramp is 57. Comedian Louie Anderson is 55. Actor Robert Carradine is 54. Actress Donna Pescow is 54. Actress Kelly LeBrock is 48. TV personality Star Jones is 46. Actress Annabella Sciorra is 44. Singer-violinist Sharon Corr of The Corrs is 38. Actress Lara Flynn Boyle is 38. Rapper Maceo of De La Soul is 38. Actress Alyson Hannigan ("How I Met Your Mother," "Buffy The Vampire Slayer") is 34. Actress Keisha Castle-Hughes ("The Nativity Story," "Whale Rider") is 18.

March 25: Movie critic Gene Shalit is 76. Singer Anita Bryant is 68. Singer Aretha Franklin is 66. Actor Paul Michael Glaser (TV's "Starsky and Hutch") is 65. Musician Elton John is 61. Actress Bonnie Bedelia is 60. Actress-comedian Mary Gross is 55. Actor James McDaniel ("NYPD Blue") is 50. Saxophonist Steve Norman of Spandau Ballet is 48. Actress Brenda Strong ("Desperate Housewives") is 48. Actress Marcia Cross ("Desperate Housewives") is 46. Actress Lisa Gay Hamilton ("The Practice") is 44. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker is 43. Singer Melanie Blatt of All Saints is 33. Actor Lee Pace ("Pushing Daisies") is 29. Singer Katharine McPhee ("American Idol") is 24. Singer Aly Michalka of Aly and AJ is 19.

March 26: Actor Leonard Nimoy is 77. Actor Alan Arkin is 74. Actor James Caan is 68. Singer Diana Ross is 64. Actor Johnny Crawford ("The Rifleman") is 62. Singer Steven Tyler of Aerosmith is 60. Singer-actress Vicki Lawrence is 59. Actor Ernest Thomas ("What's Happening") is 59. Singer Teddy Pendergrass is 58. Actor Martin Short is 58. Country singer Ronnie McDowell is 58. Drummer Monte Yoho of The Outlaws is 56. Country singer Dean Dillon is 53. Country singer Charly McClain is 52. Talk show host Leeza Gibbons is 51. Actress Jennifer Grey is 48. Actor Michael Imperioli ("The Sopranos") is 42. Guitarist James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins) is 40. Country singer Kenny Chesney is 40. Actor T.R. Knight ("Grey's Anatomy") is 35. Rapper Juvenile is 33. Actress Amy Smart ("Road Trip," "Felicity") is 32. Actress Keira Knightley ("Pride and Prejudice," "Pirates of the Caribbean") is 23. Rapper J-Kwon is 22.

March 27: Actor Julian Glover is 73. Actor Austin Pendleton is 68. Actor Michael York is 66. Keyboardist Tony Banks of Genesis is 58. Keyboardist-guitarist Andrew Farriss of INXS is 49. Saxophonist Dave Koz is 45. Director Quentin Tarantino is 45. Singer Mariah Carey is 38. Drummer Brendan Hill of Blues Traveler is 38. Actress Elizabeth Mitchell ("Lost") is 38. Singer Fergie of Black Eyed Peas is 33. Actress Emily Ann Lloyd ("Something So Right") is 24. Actress Taylor Atelian ("According to Jim") is 13.

March 28: Actress Conchata Ferrell is 65. Actor Ken Howard is 64. Actress Dianne Wiest is 60. Country singer Reba McEntire is 53. Country singer Rodney Atkins is 39. Actor Vince Vaughn is 38. Rapper Mr. Cheeks of Lost Boyz is 37. Actor Ken L. ("The Parkers") is 35. Guitarist Dave Keuning of The Killers is 32. Actress Julia Stiles is 27.

March 29: Host John McLaughlin ("The McLaughlin Group") is 81. Comedian Eric Idle is 65. Composer Vangelis ("Chariots of Fire") is 65. Singer Bobby Kimball of Toto is 61. Actor Christopher Lambert ("Highlander") is 51. Singer Perry Farrell of Porno for Pyros and Jane's Addiction is 49. Comedian Amy Sedaris is 47. Model Elle Macpherson is 45. Singer-harmonica player John Popper of Blues Traveler is 41. Actress Lucy Lawless ("Xena: Warrior Princess") is 40. Country singer Regina Leigh of Regina Regina is 40. Country singer Brady Seals is 39. Singer Kelly Sweet is 20.

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Costello skips CD format on next album (Reuters)

2008-03-20 20:00:14.648451

By Jonathan Cohen 45 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Elvis Costello's next solo studio album, curiously dubbed "Momofuku," will arrive April 22, and plans are for the set to be released only on vinyl, with a digital download code included in the package.

No other details are available about the Lost Highway release, which follows 2004's "The Delivery Man," Costello's debut on the label with his band the Imposters.

Since then, Costello recorded "The River in Reverse" with pianist Allen Toussaint and supervised the first wave of his back-catalog reissues through Universal. The most recent of those, "This Year's Model," arrived March 4.

...

Disney Channel keeping up with Jonases (Reuters)

2008-03-20 07:00:14.848308

By Kimberly Nordyke Thu Mar 20, 2:01 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The Disney Channel has green-lighted a reality series centering on the pop-rock band the Jonas Brothers.

The series, which is shooting under the working title "Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream," will follow the on- and off-stage lives of the platinum-selling trio -- Kevin, 20; Joe, 18; and Nick, 15 -- on their current Look Me in the Eyes tour.

"Dream" will get up close and personal with the brothers as they rehearse, travel on the tour bus and perform. It also will follow them as they interact with their parents and younger brother, go sky-diving and race go-carts.

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Divorce costs former Beatle McCartney $48.7 mln

2008-03-20 06:00:12.407152
Britain's Paul McCartney (R) leaves the High Court in London March 17, 2008. Former Beatle Paul McCartney was ordered on Monday to pay his estranged wife Mills 24.3 million pounds ($48.7 million) after an acrimonious divorce battle.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Fall Out Boy Are Goin' Down... In The Guinness Book Of World Records

2008-03-20 07:00:11.927485
Fall Out Boy are already known for quick jet-setting to play shows that are far apart, but they'll hit the record book on March 25 when they become the first band to play all seven continents in nine months. Patrick Stump (vocals, guitars), Pete Wentz

Fall Out Boy Suicide Drama

2008-03-20 12:00:15.187188
at 12.39Fall Out Boy's bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz has sensationally confessed that he attempted to take his own life in a failed suicide attempt a few years ago. Speaking to MTV, Wentz said: "I got in my car. I remember I was listening to Jeff

Fat Joe vs. the Volcano

2008-03-20 23:00:13.864211
more music most popular most commented by Ben Westhoffby Rob Trucksby Mike Powellby CHRISTOPHER R. WEINGARTENby Evan McGarvey Savage Love by Dan Savage by Michael MustoRunnin' Scared by Sean Gardinerby Tom RobbinsRunnin' Scared by Adam Weinstein David

Film shows Gorillaz fans what makes cartoon band tick (Reuters)

2008-03-20 09:00:11.875593

By John DeFore Thu Mar 20, 2:09 AM ET

AUSTIN, Texas (Hollywood Reporter) - Once upon a time, the painted rock demons of KISS took off their makeup. The unmasking offered in "Bananaz" might be less iconic, but it has its pleasures, especially for the dedicated fans of Gorillaz, a platinum-selling rock/hip-hop group whose members are cartoon characters.

Not only does the documentary show fans the faces of the real musicians who voice the cartoon hitmakers (and of the many guests who have peppered their records, from De La Soul to Buena Vista Social Club singer Ibrahim Ferrer), but it charts the combo's evolution almost from the moment of conception...

Gutter Twins Unite

2008-03-20 11:00:15.575144
Related A full transcript of Michael D. Ayers's interview with the Gutter Twins more music most popular most commented by Ben Westhoffby Rob Trucksby Mike Powellby CHRISTOPHER R. WEINGARTENby Evan McGarvey Savage Love by Dan Savage by Michael

Hip-Hop Newbie Raps About Google

2008-03-20 18:00:14.447263
Rappers have been giving gadgets shout outs on their albums for years now, but this takes it to a whole new level. Teyana Taylor, signed to Pharrell William's Star Trak label, has dropped the first single from her debut album (From a Planet Called

Hip-Hop Team Vote 2008 Campaign

2008-03-20 09:00:11.500387
*Vote or who?* -Vote-or participation is particularly important for this upcoming election! Alright, I know the aforementioned joke is a disaster, but c'mon: who has ever created a genuinely decent knock-knock joke? (Believe me, I've tried). But let's

Jonas Brothers burn up the road this summer

2008-03-20 00:00:14.473176
As the Jonas Brothers [ tickets ] get ready to wrap their wildly successful 'Look Me in the Eyes Tour,' the pop-rock trio has already announced dates for another major North American trek.The summer jaunt, dubbed 'The Burning Up Tour,' will see the tween

Judge: T.I. can attend Easter services (AP)

2008-03-20 18:00:14.444653

By HARRY R. WEBER, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 24 minutes ago

ATLANTA - T.I. didn't get to host a Thanksgiving gathering at the suburban home where he is under house arrest, but he will be able to attend Easter services.

A federal magistrate judge ruled Thursday that the 27-year-old rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris, can be away from home from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday for services by New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

Harris is awaiting trial on weapons charges. He must be accompanied by a court-approved monitor and one of his attorneys, the judge said.

He was arrested Oct. 13, just blocks away and hours before he was to headline the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta. Harris was allegedly trying to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers.

He is charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He was released on bond, but is under house arrest at a home in Henry County.

Harris faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the weapons charges filed against him.

He had asked to host a Thanksgiving Day gathering at the home where he's staying, but the plan was scrapped after the government opposed it. His bond conditions require court approval of visitors.

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Kaki King's Busker Therapy

2008-03-20 21:00:14.229565
more music most popular most commented by Ben Westhoffby Rob Trucksby Mike Powellby CHRISTOPHER R. WEINGARTENby Evan McGarvey Savage Love by Dan Savage by Michael MustoRunnin' Scared by Sean Gardinerby Tom RobbinsRunnin' Scared by Adam Weinstein David

L'Oreal Fashion Week: The Remix

2008-03-20 22:00:13.642599
Nothing sucks the air out of a show faster than an ill-chosen tune. The Raveonettes, or Joy Division at their most morose (at the edgy and dark Denis Gagnon show on Monday) are cool and certainly build a mood, but with sluggish tunes like that it's often

Legal deal restores good vibrations to Beach Boys

2008-03-20 23:00:13.862739
(Reuters) - An out-of-court settlement has restored good vibrations among the three surviving original members of the Beach Boys, an attorney involved in the case said on Thursday. The agreement, reached on Wednesday after two days of talks mediated by a

Legal deal restores good vibrations to Beach Boys (Reuters)

2008-03-20 21:00:13.713884

By Steve Gorman 40 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An out-of-court settlement has restored good vibrations among the three surviving original members of the Beach Boys, an attorney involved in the case said on Thursday.

The agreement, reached on Wednesday after two days of talks mediated by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, put to rest years of litigation stemming from a dispute between Al Jardine and his ex-bandmates over the group's name, which defined the California surf sound of the 1960s.

Jardine -- a co-founder of the band with brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson and their cousin, Mike Love -- had been...

Opera star Florez cooks "Shrimp a la Pavarotti" (Reuters)

2008-03-20 23:00:13.860941

2 hours, 31 minutes ago

LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - World-famous opera tenor Juan Diego Florez, visiting his native Peru before his wedding next month, made his cooking debut with a Peruvian-Italian fusion dish called "Shrimp a la Pavarotti."

Dressed in a white chef's shirt at a restaurant overlooking Lima's Pacific Ocean waters on Wednesday, Florez whipped up a shrimp flambe in a sauce of orange juice and balsamic vinegar to pay homage to the late opera great Luciano Pavarotti.

"I've liked to cook since I was a child," Florez, 35, told journalists.

The event was part of a push by Peru to showcase its diverse cuisine, which includes rich seafood, ingredients from...

Pearl Jam recharges for summer tour (Reuters)

2008-03-20 21:00:14.226301

By Jonathan Cohen 1 hour, 15 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Billboard) - After playing just two shows in 2007, Pearl Jam will return to the road this summer for a 10-date tour beginning June 11 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The dates are in conjunction with the group's previously announced co-headlining appearance at Tennessee's Bonnaroo Festival in mid-June.

"I'm looking forward to Bonnaroo," bassist Jeff Ament told Billboard. "The thing that's probably the most exciting to me is that we've been a band for 17 or 18 years and there's still things like this that we haven't done."

The trek includes a June 24-25 stand at New York's Madison...

Petty Dusts Off Mudcrutch For Album, Tour

2008-03-20 15:00:15.212321
Tom Petty has revived his pre-Heartbreakers group Mudcrutch for a new album, and will mount a spring tour of California beginning Apr. 12 in Malibu. The lineup will consist of Petty, Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench as

Queen/Rodgers Return For Fall Tour, Album

2008-03-20 15:00:15.213922
As expected, Queen + Paul Rodgers will embark on a four-month European tour this fall in support of its new as-yet-untitled studio album, scheduled for release in Britain on Sept. 1 via EMI. The Cosmos Rocks Over Europe 28-date arena tour, which visits

Quincy Jones to get honorary doctorate (AP)

2008-03-20 20:00:14.316989

30 minutes ago

SEATTLE - Quincy Jones will receive an honorary doctorate at the University of Washington commencement, where the musician-composer-producer-arranger will speak on June 14.

The university's regents voted to award the degree at their meeting Thursday.

The 75-year-old Jones moved to Bremerton, Wash., with his family at age 10 and began playing the trumpet in junior high school. He also sang in a gospel quartet before moving to Seattle.

He has toured with Lionel Hampton's band, and has arranged for other musicians including Duke Ellington, Ray Charles and County Basie.

He's best known, though, as the producer of two of the biggest selling records of all time: Michael Jackson's 1982 album "Thriller" and the single "We Are the World."

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Remixes need to be done properly: Manna Dey

2008-03-20 11:00:15.573623
Bangalore (PTI): Remixes can be good if done properly otherwise they end up as 'nonsense' stuff, according to veteran Bollywood singer Manna Dey. 'If remixes are done properly, they are good. Otherwise, they are just nonsense,' he said during the launch

Supremes "Play" again on rarities set (Reuters)

2008-03-20 19:00:12.596999

By Jonathan Cohen 40 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Nearly 50 rare Supremes tracks will see the light of day on a new double-disc set, "Let the Music Play: Supreme Rarities 1960-1969."

The project is due April 29 via Motown/Hip-O-Select.com.

"Play" sports a wealth of alternate versions or vocals on favorites such as "You Can't Hurry Love," "Back in My Arms Again," "Someday We'll Be Together" and "I'll Set You Free," plus extended or alternate mixes of "Uptight," "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" and "Don't Let True Love Die."

Perhaps of most interest to fans will be an array of covers, ranging from Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual" to the...

THE HIP-HOP HERALD

2008-03-20 09:00:11.498784
The Fat Joe/50 Cent/Papoose love triangle is joined by another artist, Ghostface Killah preparing ANOTHER album, Ca$his and his involvement with the Royce beef, details on the new Usher album and Master P dressing up as a Pig? You'd better believe it.

That Was the Week That Was (AP)

2008-03-20 00:00:13.49512

By The Associated Press 19 minutes ago

Entertainment highlights during the week of March 23-29:

1950: The best picture of Academy Award went to "All The King's Men."

1958: W.C. Handy, the composer known as "the father of the blues," died of natural causes in New York at the age of 84. He's perhaps best known for his "Memphis Blues" and "St. Louis Blues."

1961: Elvis Presley performed what would be his last live concert for eight years, at a show in Hawaii. He instead concentrated on his movie career.

1973: Singer Lou Reed was bitten on his rear end by a concert-goer who leaped on stage in Buffalo, N.Y., and shouted "Leather!" Reed commented afterward that, in his words, "America seems to breed real animals."

1979: Eric Clapton married Patti Boyd, the ex-wife of his friend, George Harrison. They separated in 1986.

1985: Singer Billy Joel and model Christie Brinkley got married in New York City. They have since divorced.

1986: Van Halen released their "5150" album, their first with Sammy Hagar on vocals.

1991: "Dances With Wolves" won seven Academy Awards, including a best director Oscar for Kevin Costner.

1995: Rapper Eazy-E died of AIDS in Los Angeles.

1996: Phil Collins announced he was leaving Genesis.

2002: Milton Berle died after a battle with colon cancer at his home in Los Angeles. He was 93.

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The Top 5 lists (AP)

2008-03-20 17:00:14.822662

By The Associated Press Thu Mar 20, 11:53 AM ET

TELEVISION

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

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

3. "Survivor: Micronesia," CBS.

4. "Lost," ABC.

5. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," ABC.

(From Nielsen Media Research)

FILM

1. "Dr Suess' Horton Hears a Who," Fox.

2. "10,000 B.C.," Warner Bros.

3. "Never Back Down," Summit Entertainment.

4. "College Road Trip," Disney.

...

US conductor named Basel music director (AP)

2008-03-20 16:00:14.289978

2 hours, 28 minutes ago

NEW YORK - American conductor Dennis Russell Davies has been named music director of the Basel Symphony Orchestra, filling a position that had been vacant since 2006.

The five-year appointment with Switzerland's biggest orchestra begins with the 2009-10 season, the office of New York publicist Mary Lou Falcone said Thursday.

Davies will retain his position as chief conductor and music director of the Bruckner Orchestra Linz and the Linz Opera. That appointment began in 2002 and runs through 2014.

The year he starts in Basel, he will have completed an 11-year project of performing and recording the complete cycle of Haydn's 107 symphonies with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, where he was chief conductor from 1995-2006. Completion of that project coincides with the 200th anniversary year of Haydn's death.

Davies, 63, has been chief conductor at several orchestras for nearly four decades, including the Brooklyn Philharmonic and the New York-based American Composers Orchestra, which he co-founded more than 30 years ago.

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Usher tops singles chart for third week (Reuters)

2008-03-20 19:00:13.533073

By Jonathan Cohen 44 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Usher's "Love in This Club" featuring Young Jeezy begins a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 amid a static top 4 that includes Chris Brown's "With You" (No. 2), Flo Rida's "Low" featuring T-Pain (No. 3) and Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" (No. 4).

Also unchanged from Thursday from the previous week are Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music" (No. 5), Jordin Sparks' "No Air" featuring Chris Brown (No. 6) and Ray J and Yung Berg's "Sexy Can I" (No. 7), which is the chart's fastest-growing track on radio.

U.K. phenomenon Leona Lewis scores her first top 10 hit on...

Wrap-up of entertainment quotes (AP)

2008-03-20 13:00:15.871865

By The Associated Press 1 hour, 29 minutes ago

"I meant no disrespect to Ms. Jennifer Garner when I met her at the Oscars and apologize if I made her uncomfortable." — Gary Busey, apologizing for awkwardly embracing Garner on the red carpet at the Oscars last month.

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"To some extent she is her own worst enemy. She has an explosive and volatile character." — Hugh Bennett, a British judge, in his ruling on Heather Mills' bitter divorce from Paul McCartney. Bennett awarded Mills a $48.6 million settlement after her four-year marriage to the former Beatle, and said her $250 million claim "is and was unreasonable, indeed exorbitant."

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"He was a sweet, warm, bright and funny man who was interested in everything from football to opera, films, music, literature, people and most of all his family whom he adored and to whom I send my thoughts and love. I shall miss him hugely." — Jude Law, in a statement following the death of Anthony Minghella. The Oscar-winning filmmaker died of a hemorrhage Tuesday at age 54.

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"The story is a lie. It is beyond ridiculous and completely false. Neither (the late rapper Notorious B.I.G.) nor I had any knowledge of any attack before, during or after it happened. ... I am shocked that the Los Angeles Times would be so irresponsible as to publish such a baseless and completely untrue story." — Sean "Diddy" Combs, denying a report by the Los Angeles Times that his associates were responsible for the 1994 robbery and shooting of Tupac Shakur at a New York recording studio, and that he knew about the attack in advance.

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"It's a dichotomy, I understand. I understand that people think I am a ditzy moron." — Mariah Carey, on how her indisputable talent clashes with her sexed-up image as a "ditz."

___

"I fully plan to, like, bring an iPod in my sport jacket and run the headsets up to where they can't see it into my ears so I won't even hear half of it. But I will tell you right now: I'm not going to invite my mom or anything like that. I have a feeling it's gonna be way over the edge for someone like that to be there." — Matt Lauer, on preparing to be humiliated when "Today" show colleague Al Roker roasts him at the Friars Club later this year.

___

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Yes turns 40 with summer tour, live disc (Reuters)

2008-03-20 19:00:13.034723

42 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - English progressive rock act Yes will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a 26-date North American amphitheater and arena tour, beginning July 12 at Canada's Quebec City Festival and wrapping August 22 at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.

Tickets for the "Close to the Edge and Back" summer trek will go on sale March 29 via LiveNation.com. Along with the upcoming jaunt, Yes will commemorate its 40 years with a live album. Details are still being worked out, but the album could be released this summer, according to a spokesperson.

The trek brings Yes back into the touring fold for the first time in four years. The band's current lineup includes...

ZZ Top gets busy on first album since 2003 (Reuters)

2008-03-20 23:00:13.325117

By Gary Graff 1 hour, 35 minutes ago

AUSTIN, Texas (Billboard) - With a live DVD, a new album and some touring on the docket, ZZ Top is revving up for a busy year.

While he was hanging out at this year's South by Southwest Music + Media Conference in Austin, Texas -- where he performed at Rachael Ray's Feedback party and psychedelic rocker Roky Erickson's annual Ice Cream Social -- the band's guitarist, Billy Gibbons, told Billboard.com that bandmates Dusty Hill and Frank Beard were back in Dallas "in the studio, preparing a new series of sessions of new material" for ZZ Top's first studio set since 2003's "Mescalero."

...

`American Idol' axes Amanda Overmyer (AP)

2008-03-20 11:00:15.571679

By ERIN CARLSON, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 38 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Amanda Overmyer sang "Back in the U.S.S.R." — and now, she's going back home.

The 23-year-old nurse from Mulberry, Ind., was voted off "American Idol" Wednesday, leaving 10 hopefuls to vie for the title and record contract.

Overmyer — a crowd-pleasing performer with streaked hair and a flair for southern rock — seemed to take her departure from the Fox show in stride.

"It's been a run. ... No. 11 out of all them people is more than I could expect," she told host Ryan Seacrest.

Carly Smithson and Kristy Lee Cook were the other lowest vote-getters.

Cook, a 24-year-old from Selma, Ore., has been a bottom-three fixture in the past weeks and the finalist that judge Simon Cowell picks on the most.

Cowell — who has called Cook "forgettable" and compared her voice to "Dolly Parton on helium" — continued his harsh criticism Tuesday after the country singer's take on the Beatles' "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away."

"(You're) like musical wallpaper, insomuch as you notice it, but you can't remember it," he said. "And that's what you're doing week after week: You're making no impact."

Cook talked back to the acid-tongued judge, saying: "I can blow you out of your socks, and you know it."

Wednesday's "Idol" featured a performance by season-five finalist Kellie Pickler.

Seacrest also announced this year's roster of celebrity mentors: Parton, Mariah Carey, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Neil Diamond.

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`American Idol' axes another contestant (AP)

2008-03-20 04:00:20.630795

By ERIN CARLSON, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 6 minutes ago