Depp rocks with Austin legend

Just not in the way youd think

ByMark C. BrownThu 12:31 PM

Ah, those wacky Russian politicians. If theyre not rigging elections or poisoning political enemies theyre busy trying to make more babies. And Vladimir Putin has come up with the perfect solution: Boyz II Men.

According to the Moscow Times, a concert by the long-past-their-prime 90s group will kick off a frenzy of reproduction, which in turn will swell Russias population, which will make the country literally a bigger player on the world scene. The 90-minute concert on Feb. 6 is all part of the plan, with the goal of "giving Russian men some inspiration ahead ofSt. Valentine's Day," according to the article. That's a mighty tall bill for the singers to attempt.

There might be a few flaws in the plan. First off the Times describe Boyz II Men as the most successful R&B group of all time. The source? Boyz II Mens own homepage. Im guessing a number of artists might take issue with that. Secondly, the Boyz have played Russia in the past and no sexual revolution took place.

So Putin's plan for each family to have at least three children might not get the jump-start he's looking for. But you've got to give him points for creativity. With the late Barry White no longer around to rev the romantic motors, Putin improvised and did what he could to rectify a hard, er, difficult situation.

Confusing new rules change the video landscape

Bypercy thrillingtonWed 3:23 PM

I'll be the first to admit I don't entirely understand what's going on in this story, but it's probably not that good for Lady Gaga and the other artists involved. The news that labels have been dispatching bots and hackers to artificially inflate the view counts on YouTube is no surprise, but for the channel to take this kind of action definitely sounds like a sinister rumble.

From NME:

Lady Gagahas had 156m views struck off her official YouTube account today just one month after the online video provider reduced the play counts of many major label acts by 2 billion views.
At the time of the first purge in December 2012, a YouTube spokesman toldBillboardmagazine that the removed views occurred when YouTube cleaned out all of the views that had once been uploaded to individual artists YouTube channels but had subsequently been replaced and were showing up on their VEVO channels instead.
However, the Lady Gaga view removal did not affect her YouTube channel with all 156m views being removed from the star's VEVO channel. Speaking at the time ofthe initial removal, a YouTube spokesperson stated the reasons behind the clear-up. "This was not a bug or a security breach. This was an enforcement of our viewcount policy."
The move came after the site conducted an audit of its viewing figures and suspected view count building techniques from hackers, who were allegedly artificially boosting views on certain videos.
VEVO is a music video website owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment and UMG inside YouTube. Artists affected by the clear up besides Lady Gaga include Michael Jackson, Chris Brown andBeyonce.

Flaming Lips Super Bowl ad online

Bypercy thrillingtonTue 12:36 PM

Would you care to see the Flaming Lips playing a new original song ("Sun Blows Up Today")in an ad for Hyundai that will air during the Super Bowl? Unsurprisingly, it's unembeddable, but click here, and you'll find it live at Billboard's fancy new website, along with some fairly hilarious (thought utterly typical) adspeak, such as:

"The Flaming Lips are very much like Hyundai," says
Hyundai VP of marketing Steve Shannon. "They're a little offbeat. They've been around a long time and they continue to reinvent themselves."

and

"Hyundai really understands and appreciates what the Flaming Lips are all about," says Lori Feldman, Warner Bros. Records senior VP of brand partnerships.

A band's gotta do what a band's gotta do. The new Flaming Lips album, "The Terror," is due out April 2.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson sings Clapton

Bypercy thrillingtonMon 2:54 PM

It may be cold and gray outside, but never fear: there is hope.

You could call it sacrilege, or you could call ithighmedium camp. But let's be serious: in this serenade, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson body slams the essence of "Wonderful Tonight" AND the still-beating he! art of pro! fessional wrestling, which is a pretty good one-two punch. More to the point, it accomplishes something the original recording hasn't done for years: it makes you listen all the way through.

Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child denies Super Bowl reunion rumors

Bypercy thrillingtonMon 1:37 PM

Well, this is an interesting 3rd down development. After a media blitz that included the release of the group's first new music in years and the announcement that they would be reuniting on the Super Bowl halftime show stage led by their fearless leader Beyonce, now comes word that perhaps Destiny's Child isn't reuniting?

Per HuffPo:

Destiny's Child bandmember Michelle Williams says there is no Super Bowl reunion in the works,despite numerous earlier reports to the contrary.
Speaking to WRUG radio, the singer said that nothing is confirmed. "It is rumored," she said. "I'm gonna be in the musical "Fela!" I hate to disappoint the people and tell them that it's not true."
That's a pretty surprising twist, given thata purported set list for the trio's return to the stagehas already been publish! ed. (Note! : We did suggest taking it with a grain of salt.) A reunion seemed logical -- after all, the trioput out a new songand are releasing an album on Tuesday. Performing at the Super Bowl seemed like the third step in a sure-fire plan to move the band's old material.

Were I a gambling man, I would venture that this is either A) a last minute negotiation tactic by Williams, B) a bit of misdirection to keep the story alive, or C) the fall-out from Beyonce's inauguration lip-sync controversy.

I guess we'll find out who the game day players are on game day...

Charlie Sheen croons for 'Charles Swan' soundtrack

Bypercy thrillingtonFri 4:46 PM

Enough time has passed since the great Charlie Sheen meltdown of 2011 (an age in pop culture time) that even his redemption narrative is now feeling like old news. However, didn't stop visionary music video director Roman "son of Francis, brother of Sofia" Coppola from casting our hero in his highly stylized new film,"A Glimpse Inside The Mind Of Charles Swan III," as a graphic designer who goes into a tailspin when his girlfriend dumps him. Katheryn Winnick (and who wouldn't love to hear Sheen say that last name out loud as an on-set goof?) plays the girlfriend, and the cast also includes Jason Schwartzman, Patricia Arquette and the great Bill Murray. But that's not what we're here to disc! uss. What! we're here to discuss is the fact that Sheen sings in the filma duet with co-star Winnick of"guas de Maro" ("Waters Of March")written by the legendary Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim.

You know you're curious, so you may as well click here to listen to the track, which is on the soundtrack album, which also features a score by Liam Hayes, a great musician whose workoften recorded under the name Plushhas been obscure for far too long.

Coachella fans baffled by British band

ByMark C. BrownJan 25, 2013 2:26PM

Yikes. The reunions that fans of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival hoped for didnt happen. The Replacements wont be headlining. The Smiths wont be headlining. Daft Punk wont be headlining despite a rumor that won't die.

Instead, youve got Red Hot Chili Peppers, Phoenix, and the recently reunited Manchester band Stone Roses, which has e! xactly on! e decent record under its belt, released 24 years ago. Its biggest single, "Fools Gold," never made the Billboard Hot 100.

All of this left Coachella ticket holders asking one question - "Who?" And also wondering why a long-defunct band adored by the critics but ignored by the public would get such a prominent spot on such a prestigious festival. Was Vanilla Ice too busy?

That led to a new blog site -- "Who Are the Stone Roses?" Here are some of the cleaner responses:

Who are they?

The most influential British guitar band of the past 20 years, according to this BBC documentary. They have the world at their feet.

Now theyve got the world scratching its collective head. Definitely not a good year for the Roses.

Can you spare $325,000, mon frere?

Bypercy thrillingtonJan 21, 2013 11:34PM

The Canadian dollar is not as weak as it used to be, but that doesn't mean the price tag for the church studio ! in rural ! Quebec where the Arcade Fire recorded its hit albums "The Neon Bible" and "The Suburbs" isn't a bargain. For only $325,000 (Can) plus a few thousand (between 24 and 44, actually) in repairs, some lucky investor/superfan can buy the historic and charming edifice.

The listing the band posted on its Twitter page:

Charming church which housed a small concert hall, followed by a recording studio also offering accommodation. Its architecture makes it a perfect location for an artist's studio, a place of worship, a cultural, community or other organization.
OFFER A UNIQUE SETTING TO YOUR PROJECT!
Very private church located on a quiet side street of village
The entire volume of the nave is intact
Kitchen and dining room adjoining the nave
Full height basement, renovated in 2006
Mezzanine (former jube)
Large lot surrounded by trees and greenery
Walking distance to main road, shops and schools
Main Floor: Entrance hall, kitchen and dining room, w.c., nave of the church
Mezzanine: Former or jube transformed into living space
Basement: 3 bedrooms, common room, 2 bathrooms, laundry room, storage room, mechanical room
OTHER INFOS
Wood frame
Exterior brick
Wooden sash windows
Electrical box 200 amp circuit breakers
Plumbing: copper and plastic
Hot water tank: 60 gallons
Heating: electric converters, electric forced air heat
Accessories: wall air conditioner, alarm system
Roof to be replaced: estimates from $ 24,300 to $ 44,200 available, depending on the materials chosen
Slight water infiltration in the basement during heavy rain in the mechanical room
Dimensions and areas are to be confirmed by the production of a new certificate of location, at seller's expense
In! stitutional zoning: it is the buyer's responsability to check with the relevant authorities if the proposed use of the building is permitted
Included :Rods and curtains of the nave, pews, refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, wall air conditioning unit, alarm system.