Archive for News World
Vatican makes peace with Beatles after 40 years
Alessandra Rizzo
Associated Press
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has finally made peace with the Beatles, saying their drug use, “dissolute” lives and even the claim that the band was bigger than Jesus are all in the past — while their music lives on.
Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano paid tribute to the Fab Four in its weekend editions, with two articles and a front-page cartoon reproducing the crosswalk immortalized on the cover of the band’s album “Abbey Road.”
The tribute marked the 40th anniversary of the band’s breakup.
“It’s true, they took drugs; swept up by their success, they lived dissolute and uninhibited lives,” said the paper. “They even said they were more famous than Jesus,” it said, recalling John Lennon’s 1966 comment that outraged many Catholics and others.
“But, listening to their songs, all of this seems distant and meaningless,” L’Osservatore said. “Their beautiful melodies, which changed forever pop music and still give us emotions, live on like precious jewels.”
It is not the first time the Vatican has praised the legendary band from Liverpool.
Two years ago, Vatican media hailed the Beatles’ musical legacy on the 40th anniversary of the “White Album.” And last month the Vatican paper included “Revolver” in its semiserious list of top-10 albums.
Now, L’Osservatore says that the Beatles’ songs have stood the test of time, and that the band remains “the longest-lasting, most consistent and representative phenomenon in the history of pop music.”
Giovanni Maria Vian, the editor in chief of L’Osservatore Romano, said Monday that he loves the Beatles.
He said that at the time of Lennon’s sensational statement, Osservatore “commented that in reality it wasn’t that scandalous, because the fascination with Jesus was so great that it attracted these new heroes of the time.”
Source: Associated Press
Shruti Haasan to compose music for Kamal Haasans next
chocolate boy Imran Khan, is a musician first. Shruti Hassan as many people must know is the daughter of superstar Kamal Hassan and beautiful actress Sarika.
And not many know that Shruti is not just a big screen actress, but also a music composer for films. She has earlier scored for Tamil film ‘Unnai Pol Oruvan’ that had her father Kamal Hassan as hero. And now she is gearing to compose for filmmaker K.S Ravikumar s’ ‘Yaavarum Kelir’.
This film stars Kamal Haasan and there is a lot more scope for her to compose music in ‘Yaavarum Kelir’, which is an out-an-out commercial flick unlike her previous film which was a thriller. So Shruti can finally fill the movie with lots of songs.
After showcasing her talent on-screen, Shruti is set to show her musical talent to people and so actress Shruti switches to her original musician self and is ready to rock and roll!
Source: blog.taragana.com
Joyeux Noël | Merry Christmas
Meilleurs voeux pour un Noël plein de joies et une nouvelle année remplie de bonheur.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
-Music Star News-
Making life easy for Fleetwood Mac concertgoers
Taranaki Daily News
Tips for thousands of out-of-towners descending on New Plymouth for the Fleetwood Mac concerts tonight and tomorrow have been issued by the New Plymouth District Council.
It suggests several ways to get to the concerts at the TSB Bowl of Brooklands.
Taking a shuttle bus or walking to the venue are the best options, says the council’s manager of customer and regulatory services, Simon Pickford.
Buses are being provided to and from the concerts.
Eight shuttle buses will leave the bus station on Ariki St in a continual loop from 5.30pm to 7.30pm, returning to town from Kaimata St from 10.35pm. The buses will run as long as there is a demand. Bus rides will cost a gold coin donation per person per trip.
“The buses are there, but we really want people to walk through the park and take advantage of the lights,” Mr Pickford says.
Walkers should head up Liardet St and through Pukekura Park to the Dell entrance to the Bowl.
Parking will be available for those who want to drive, but streets around the venue will be very busy.
The council recommends that people park in town in the Centre City, Downtown and The Warehouse carparks which will be open until 2am on Sunday and Monday. Parking in council off-street car parks and the Centre City parking building will be free after 5pm on Saturday, with free parking all day on Sunday.
Free parking areas closer to the venue include Pukekura Raceway, via the entrance off Coronation Avenue, Vogeltown Park and the Witt car park after 4pm.
Parking is also available at Highlands Intermediate School (entrance off Coronation Avenue) for $5 as a school fundraiser.
Alcohol, glass, opened beverages, commercial food, hard-sided chairs, or recording devices cannot be taken into the venue.
The Kaimata St waiting area has a food village with 22 different food outlets and a bar, and there are two smaller food and beverage areas at the front of the Bowl.
The weather for the concerts does not look good, with northwesterlies and drizzle turning to rain tonight, and rain and showers with strong westerlies tomorrow.
Source: stuff.co.nz
The Simpsons celebrate 20th birthday
Arguably the world’s most famous dysfunctional cartoon family, The Simpsons, celebrate their twentieth birthday today.
The now distinctive yellow characters of Homer, Maggie, Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie first burst onto American TV screens on December 17, 1989.
The Fox network show’s influence on popular American culture was highlighted when ‘The Simpsons’ were idolized on US postage stamps earlier this year, and in November Marge Simpson was the cover girl for Playboy magazine.
The show’s success has surprised even creator Matt Groening, who said earlier this year at a TV press conference in Cannes: “I knew that the show would be a success, but I didn’t know that it would be so big, last so long and become a global phenomenon”.
The multi-award winning series is now the longest running comedy in US television history.
In 2007 they hit the big screen for the first time with a feature-length film ‘The Simpsons Movie’, which took four years to complete.
Responding to queries about a follow-up, Groening said: “I suppose someday there might be a sequel, but not yet.”
Fox is planning to mark the 20th birthday with a special documentary about how the world views The Simpsons to be directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, star of ‘Super Size Me’ and ‘30 Days’.
Speaking about the film, Spurlock said: “When they first called me about this, I thought it was a prank and I hung up”.
“And then my agent called back and said, ‘No, no, this is for real,’ at which point I fainted. Then when I woke up, I called everyone I knew because it was the coolest thing I could ever get to do in my career.”
The documentary ‘The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special in 3D on Ice’ will air stateside on 10 January.
Source: rte.ie
Kesha/Ke$ha snatches Australian No.1 from Lady GaGa !!
American pop singer Ke$ha snatched the rank of Australian No.1 from Lady GaGa, thus preventing her from being scoring the title for the third time. Lady GaGa’s “Bad Romance” got a second position.
Kesha debut single “TiK ToK” stood atop the ARIA singles chart for the fifth week, pushing back Lady GaGa’s “Bad Romance” to settle for a next place to her TiK ToK.
Tik Tok is the lead single from Kesha’s debut album Animal. The song is co-written by Kesha and Benny Blanco. It has found success in Australia, Canada and New Zealand where it became a number one hit on each of their national charts.
At the other positions in ARIA singles chart, Australian Idol winner Stan Walker has fallen at third place from second position with his debut single “Black Box”. Jay-Z and Alicia Keys moved from sixth to fourth with “Empire State of Mind”. Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne is at fifth with “Down”.
At number sixth is 30H!3 featuring Katy Perry with “Starstrukk”. At number seven is a new entry from American R&B singer Jason Derulo who shoot from eleventh to seventh with “Whatcha Say”.
Kesha Rose Sebert or Ke$ha began her music career in 2006 but she became a popular face only in early 2009 after appearing on Flo Rida’s number one single, “Right Round.”
With TiK ToK crawling up to the first place in ARIA and staying there for the fifth week, Kesha surely gives us a hint that she is also going to stay and rock the world with her music.
Source: entertainmentandshowbiz.com
Rolling Stones Guitarist Ron Wood “Is An Evil Goblin King”
Nick Neyland
Prefix Mag
Stories emerged last week that Ron Wood had got into a violent altercation with his 21-year-old Russian girlfriend, Ekaterina Ivanova, and the couple broke up shortly afterwards. Now, Ivanova has spoken out about her relationship with Wood, who is 62 years old.
”The whole thing started off like a fairytale,” she said. “But then it felt like an evil fairytale. When Ronnie and I moved into a tower my friends were laughing and saying I was like the princess trapped in the tower. He went all Jekyll and Hyde. I’d be trapped there with an evil goblin king.”
Ivanova doesn’t elaborate much on what acting like an “evil goblin king” entailed, but does comment on Wood’s drinking. “He was like a child with tantrums when he was drunk, throwing water bottles and doing impressions of my voice,” she said. “It was like trying to keep a child under control. In the end I was so unimpressed by everything.”
Souce: prefixmag.com
SHAKIRA CALLS FOR UNIVERSAL EDUCATION IN OXFORD SPEECH
IANS-WENN
Track India News
SHAKIRA has followed in the footsteps of stars including MICHAEL JACKSON and JON BON JOVI by addressing students at England’s prestigious Oxford University – using her speech to call for better access to education across the world.
The Hips Don’t Lie hitmaker stood up in front of an audience at the institution’s famed Union on Monday night (07Dec09) to talk about her role as an ambassador for charity UNICEF and her own The Barefoot Foundation, which aims to improve education for impoverished children.
The singer thanked the students for taking the time to listen to her talk, and went on to address the topic of universal access to education.
She said, “I am somewhat mystified as to why you are here because there won’t be any singing, any hip shaking whatsoever.
“I was born in Colombia, growing up in the developing world where education is perceived as a luxury and not as birthright. So how do I go from Barranquilla, Colombia, come to occupy the same stage as Newton, Churchill? Lord knows, I am no Mother Theresa. But here I am nonetheless. My career gives me an enormous opportunity to communicate issues that I believe strongly should be communicated.”
Source: track.in
Shakira’s new album She Wolf
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, also known as Shakira, is back in action with something wild. Her third studio album “She Wolf” will be launched on October 2nd and it’s set to bring a new side of her. She’s presenting a tight bond between art and artist, featuring jaw dropping torques vertebrae moves.
Featured in a golden cage, transforming from a wolf into a girl, paying tribute to King of Pop Michael Jackson and then hitting the dance floor with other dancers. Shakira is doing all, not leaving any stone unturned. It seems for Shakira even excess is also not enough. That’s why the Colombian beauty always comes with bomb blasting performance. Be it dancing moves, lyrics or the gorgeous herself.The song is less experimental sound-wise than the previous single, but the demos portray it as an up-tempo, nostalgic ballad. The catchy club-esque track is filled with self-examination and new-found strength.
Source: momento24.com
Michael Jackson buried tonight in hidden monument
GLENDALE, Calif.–Michael Jackson will finally be buried this evening in a private ceremony that will be a stark contrast to a life played out on a world stage, with headlines screaming his every move and frenzy following his footsteps.
His death, memorial and investigation amplified the delirium and prolonged the anguish of family and fans. Ten weeks after he died June 25, he is scheduled to be interred in what will be a hidden monument in a mausoleum made of marble and mortar.
There will be only silence. No marquees, no spotlights, no paparazzi.
His burial was delayed by police and coroner investigations, which concluded his death was a homicide. Investigators focused on sleep medications and other drugs administered to the pop singer at his Los Angeles mansion. No charges have been laid.
The funeral was eventually scheduled for Aug. 29, which would have been Jackson’s 51th birthday, but it was delayed until today at the request of some family members who did not want to mark his birthday that way.
Jeryll Cohen, an attorney for the administrators of Jackson’s estate, said his debt-ridden estate has enough cash to pay for the funeral and a judge authorized the payment after a hearing yesterday.
“The expenses are extraordinary, however, Michael Jackson was extraordinary,” Cohen said.
Few details about the service have been disclosed. Cohen told the judge that part of the reason it will be so expensive is because 12 burial spaces are being bought.
Jackson is scheduled to be interred in a mausoleum at Forest Lawn Glendale, which is about 13 kilometres north of downtown Los Angeles. He will be placed in the Great Mausoleum, where he’ll join Hollywood legends such as Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, W.C. Fields and Red Skelton.
Cemetery websites and blogs have been buzzing ever since Jackson’s family announced the Forest Lawn plan. Hits to Lisa Burk’s blog at
www.gravehunting.com have gone through the roof, she said. Interest in him “blows everything else out of the water because he was so internationally known.”
Jackson’s burial will not stop the tributes, however. Oprah Winfrey’s Sept. 16 show will be dedicated to Jackson and will feature “never-before-revealed personal details” from her 1993 interview with him.
Source: thestar.com
