- Music marketers target female shoppers at home
(Reuters)
Reuters - With CD sales dropping fast, the music business is exploring nontraditional ways to expose consumers to recording artists. Among the new sales and marketing vehicles are Tara Leigh Music Party and musicShop.
- Music fans opting for layaway plans on tickets
(Reuters)
Reuters - What's good enough for Kmart is evidently good enough for rock festivals.
- Latin indie label undergoes digital conversion
(Reuters)
Reuters - Musicalatina.com, the only Latin-owned, Latin-centric U.S. digital download store, launched in December.
- Hyundai Super Bowl ad to feature music by Yo-Yo Ma
(Reuters)
Reuters - Hyundai Motor Co. will use music by famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma in a Super Bowl XLIII television commercial that consumers can re-edit online, Billboard has learned.
- Los Angeles club Conga Room stages a comeback
(Reuters)
Reuters - Across the United States, only a handful of small venues are focused on Latin music. The reopening of the Conga Room in Los Angeles gives the genre's acts a glitzy stage within the city's new entertainment complex, L.A. Live.
- Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider quits band
(Reuters)
Reuters - Florian Schneider, the co-founder of legendary German electronica band Kraftwerk, has quit the lineup, leaving it with just one original member.
- Rock's vets shouldn't be overlooked
(AP)
AP - "Why don't you come back, baby? Why don't you go away?" Elvis Costello sings in the duet "Go Away" with indie rock favorite Jenny Lewis on his recent CD, "Momofuku."
- The AP notes 2008 CDs that deserve a second look
(AP)
AP - The AP takes a look at some of 2008's overlooked albums:
- Is Madonna's Little Girl Meant for Stardom?
(E! Online)
E! Online - We've been anxiously awaiting the acting/singing/modeling debut of Madonna's firstborn, Lourdes Ciccone Leon, for a while. The 14-year-old, who looks like she just fell out of an American Apparel ad, always seemed destined to follow in her mother's creative footsteps.
- Bhutto's daughter sings of pain in hip-hop tribute
(Reuters)
Reuters - The elder daughter of Pakistan's assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto has written a rap song expressing her anguish over her mother's death.
- Top 5 lists in entertainment
(AP)
AP - 1. "Sunday Night Football: Denver at San Diego," NBC.
- Bon Jovi to sing at NYC Hillary Clinton fundraiser
(AP)
AP - The final note of Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign may very well be sung by Jon Bon Jovi.
- Big Bopper's coffin to be sold on eBay
(Yahoo! Music)
Yahoo! Music - The son of iconic '50s rock n' roller the Big Bopper has said he plans to sell his late father's casket--which he was buried in for 48 years--on eBay in the next few weeks.
- Lupe Fiasco abandons rap and launches post-punk band?
(Yahoo! Music)
Yahoo! Music - Rapper Lupe Fiasco is rumored to have started a post-punk band called Japanese Cartoon.
- Bon Jovi to Hillary Clinton: I'll Be There for You
(E! Online)
E! Online - Forget government bailouts! Former first lady Hillary Clinton is hoping Jon Bon Jovi can help with her financial crisis.
- Britney Spears' official Twitter account hacked
(Yahoo! Music)
Yahoo! Music - An anonymous hacker has reportedly hacked into Britney Spears' official Twitter account, leaving an obscene message.
- Katy Perry No Longer Kissing Travis McCoy
(E! Online)
E! Online - "Hot N Cold" singer Katy Perry's relationship with Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes is officially on ice. A source close to the couple has confirmed to E! News that the two called it quits just before New Years.
- Mariah Carey told off by scientists for E=MC2 claims
(Yahoo! Music)
Yahoo! Music - Scientists have criticized Mariah Carey's mathematics skills, after she appropriated Albert Einstein's mass-energy equivalence formula for an album title.
- The Dead to Roam the Earth
(E! Online)
E! Online - The Dead have turned the page on their differences.
- Spoleto Festival USA unveils modest 2009 schedule
(AP)
AP - Tributes to longtime chamber music director Charles Wadsworth, a return visit by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and an operetta inspired by movie actor Peter Lorre highlight a more modest 2009 season of the Spoleto Festival USA.
- Directors and studios sharing economic pressure
(Reuters)
Reuters - Catherine Hardwicke had every reason to celebrate as her latest film, "Twilight," opened to nearly $70 million in November.
- Michael Phelps to pitch Mazda in China
(Reuters)
Reuters - The greatest Olympian in history is returning to China, this time as a brand spokesman for Mazda.
- Music marketers target female shoppers at home
(Reuters)
Reuters - With CD sales dropping fast, the music business is exploring nontraditional ways to expose consumers to recording artists. Among the new sales and marketing vehicles are Tara Leigh Music Party and musicShop.
- Music industry eases tactics in fighting piracy
(Reuters)
Reuters - The Recording Industry Association of America's decision not to pursue new lawsuits against online file-sharers marks a fundamental shift in the music business's battle against piracy, from one focused on enforcement to one emphasizing education.
- A solid first step for NBC's "Dance"
(Reuters)
Reuters - NBC's new year got off to a fine start with the premiere of "Superstars of Dance" on Sunday
- Music fans opting for layaway plans on tickets
(Reuters)
Reuters - What's good enough for Kmart is evidently good enough for rock festivals.
- Studio chief, producer Ned Tanen dies at 77
(Reuters)
Reuters - Ned Tanen, the former president of Universal Pictures who championed such filmmakers as George Lucas and John Hughes, died Monday of natural causes at his home in Santa Monica. He was 77.
- Hyundai Super Bowl ad to feature music by Yo-Yo Ma
(Reuters)
Reuters - Hyundai Motor Co. will use music by famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma in a Super Bowl XLIII television commercial that consumers can re-edit online, Billboard has learned.
- Lionsgate to buy TV Guide for $255 million
(Reuters)
Reuters - Lionsgate agreed to buy TV Guide and TV Guide Network, seen by 83 million homes, for $255 million, from Macrovision Solutions Corp, the companies announced on Monday.
- Prime-Time Ratings: Friday and Saturday Results
(Mediaweek.com)
Mediaweek.com - -Friday's Losers (excluding repeats):
Lipstick Jungle (NBC)
- `Marley' digs in at No. 1 spot with $24M weekend
(AP)
AP - Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson's family dog tale "Marley & Me" nuzzled its way to another top finish at the box office, pulling in $24.3 million over its second weekend.
- Ratings Box: What's Hot/What's Not
(Mediaweek.com)
Mediaweek.com - Based on the metered markets, ABC remained on the forefront on Dec. 31 with Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve at an average 8.5 rating/20 share from 11:30 p.m.-1:15 a.m. But, comparably, that was its lowest overnight average since 2004 (off three percent from one year earlier). Next was New Year's Eve with Carson Daly on NBC at a 5.0/11 up two percent from 2007. And last, and very least, was New Year's Eve Live on Fox at a 3.4/ 7.
- Americans stay away from TV on holiday week
(AP)
AP - Viewers celebrated the holidays last week in large part by staying away from their sets.
- Apple's Jobs reassures investors about his health
(Reuters)
Reuters - Apple Inc Chief Executive Steve Jobs sought to soothe investor concerns about his health on Monday, saying his weight loss was caused by a hormone imbalance that is relatively simple to treat.
- TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest
(Mediaweek.com)
Mediaweek.com - Want the scoop on all of your favorite CBS programs? Survivor, The Amazing Race, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, the CSI franchise, NCIS, The Mentalist, Criminal Minds
the list goes on and on. Bi-monthy in-house publication CBS Watch Magazine is offering a free one year subscription. Just go to www.cbswatchmagazine.com and click on the top left hand corner to subscribe.
- List of top 20 shows in prime-time Nielsen ratings
(AP)
AP - Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for Dec. 22-28. Listings include the week's ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses. An "X" in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.
- Prime-Time Metered Market Wednesday Ratings: CBS Dominates, ABC, Fox and NBC Neck and Neck for Distant No. 2
(Mediaweek.com)
Mediaweek.com - -Yesterday's Losers (excluding repeats):
Pushing Daisies (ABC), Little Spirit: Christmas in New York (NBC), Life (NBC), Stylista (CW), Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)
- Publication of disputed Holocaust memoir canceled
(AP)
AP - The publisher of a disputed Holocaust memoir has canceled the book, adding the name Herman Rosenblat to an increasingly long line of literary fakers and bringing down with a crash his story embraced by Oprah Winfrey, among others of meeting his future wife at a Nazi concentration camp.
- Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings: CBS Dominates Despite Airing All Repeats
(Mediaweek.com)
Mediaweek.com - -Yesterday's Winners:
NCIS R (CBS), House (Fox), The Mentalist R (CBS), Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
- WB shrouds 'Dark Knight' from Chinese audiences
(AP)
AP - Just because Batman landed in Hong Kong doesn't mean "The Dark Knight" will.
Reuters - NBC News denied Monday that conservative author Ann Coulter has been banned from the network after "Today" dropped her from Tuesday's program because of breaking-news events.
AP - Patricia Arquette has filed for divorce from her actor-husband.
AP - QVC is traveling to Washington to mark President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration this month and is bringing along plenty of coins, stamps, jewelry and even a small handbag to sell.
E! Online - Weekend TV's Big Winners: Dancers, or as they should now be called Prime Time's Most Bankable Kind of People.
AP - Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell are new parents times two.
AP - Though he wasn't picked in the finale of "The Bachelorette," Jason Mesnick isn't just giving love another shot he says he's found it.
AP - "Damages" arrives just in time to help you start the new year right: off-kilter ... on edge ... hooked ... and loving it!
E! Online - Are Nicollette Sheridan and David Spade actually becoming a couple?
Reuters - Here it is, Season eight of "Scrubs" -- the one that never was supposed to happen. Like "Diff'rent Strokes" more than 20 years ago, the hospital sitcom has defected from NBC to ABC for what is presumed to be its final season. Or maybe not.
E! Online - Winter TV starts next week, and there's such an embarrassment of riches this season that it's hard to know where to start. Lucky for you, we've got a countdown of the top 10 winter series most worth your attention. Is your favorite show included? Find out...
E! Online - Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are looking to perfect their pas de deux.
Reuters - Soon new battles will wage in primetime: ABC's hit thriller "Lost" against Fox's new crime drama "Lie to Me" on Wednesday. NBC's comedy favorite "The Office" vs. Fox's reality hit "Hell's Kitchen" on Thursday.
E! Online - It was a sweet New Year's Day for Holly Madison and Criss Angel.
Reuters - Meet David E. Kelley's newest discovery -- Charity Wakefield.
E! Online - Katy Perry was the belle of ball at the Gridlock New Year's Eve party in Hollywood.
Reuters - A relative unknown will take over the title role of Doctor Who in the British science fiction television show, making him the 11th time lord in 45 years to travel across the universe in the Tardis time-ship.
E! Online - Heather Locklear is a wanted woman.