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Linkin Park Talk ‘New Divide,’ Spill ‘Transformers 2′ Secrets
‘We knew the movie was going to be epic, so we wanted to make an epic-sounding song,’ Chester Bennington says.
“We got together with Michael, since we had such a good experience with the first film [LP's 'What I've Done' featured prominently in Bay's original 'Transformers' flick], so he had us come in, and he ended up showing us, like, a third or half of the movie,” Shinoda recalled. “So we took that, and we recorded a song based on what we saw, and really, we thought that was it. Only it wasn’t.
When Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda met with “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” director (and fan of explosions) Michael Bay, they had no idea what to expect. And, it turns out, they got more than they could’ve ever imagined.
Not only did they get an extremely advanced look at the film, they ended up playing a role in its very creation. Which, you know, wasn’t originally in the cards.
“Michael started passing our song around to some of his people, and one of those people was Hans Zimmer — who is a world-famous, incredible film composer — and he loved it. He thought there were a lot of musical themes in the song that could work in the score,” Shinoda continued. “So he basically took those themes and turned them into string arrangements, horn arrangements, all this stuff, and he had us come in and listen to them, and he proposed to do more of that for the score of the film but with us involved. And to be honest, it blew our minds. We’re part of his machine now. We’re working on the score of the film!”
It’s a pretty amazing experience, and it’s all thanks to “New Divide,” the song they wrote for “Transformers 2.” Based loosely on the story of Shia LaBeouf’s character in the film, it showcases a new area of growth for the band — writing for something other than an LP album — but still doesn’t stray from their sweet spot (read: big, huge guitars, various electronic frippery, vocal fireworks, etc.).
“This song could definitely fit on any of our albums. It’s got a classic Linkin Park feel to it,” Bennington said. “And that’s because we treated it as if we were going to put it on one of our records and release it as the first single off that record. We knew the movie was going to be epic, so we wanted to make an epic-sounding song.” (Head over to Buzzworthy for a behind-the-scenes peek at the making of the video.)
“This new ‘Transformers’ film is slightly darker. … The themes are more about the main character, Sam, and what he’s going through,” Shinoda added. “He’s going off to college, and there’s more of a separation going on in his life, not to mention the fact that he’s caught in this battle between his past and his future. So we tried to incorporate all that into the song.”
And to that end, witness the just-premiered video for “Divide.” Directed by LP DJ Joseph Hahn, it melds the band and the film together, thanks to some rather flashy digital tricks (which kind of look like Radiohead’s “House of Cards” video) and kick-ass, high-energy performance footage. In fact, if you didn’t know better, you’d swear Linkin Park were actually in the film. And who knows, maybe that’s where they’ll be in “Transformers 3.”
“It’s a performance video to be sure, but we wanted to keep it along the lines of the song, you know?” Shinoda said. “So visually it represents the dynamic collision between the organic elements and the digital elements. And you see that in the movie and you’ve got that in the song — drums and guitars up against synths and sample. We wanted to make something that embraced the film and kept within the spirit of the band. And I think we succeeded in both goals.”
Los Angeles (E! Online) – Brandy is breaking out her checkbook to put the worst day of her life behind her.
The R&B songbird has reached a settlement in the wrongful-death lawsuit brought on behalf of the children of the woman killed in a December 2006 multicar collision involving the former Moesha star.
According to settlement documents obtained by E! News, the kids—Mrwan and Kareem Mohamed—will each receive $300,000.
The boys, who were then 15 and 11, were in the family’s Toyota Corolla when it was struck by Brandy’s Land Rover, killing their mother, Awatef Aboudihaj.
There was no immediate comment on the settlement from Brandy’s lawyer or publicist.
Three other suits were filed against Brandy (last name: Norwood) in the wake of the accident: one by the victim’s husband and the boys’ father, Marouane Hdidou, who has turned down a $1.2 million settlement offer; another $50 million claim by Aboudihaj’s parents (which faces an uphill battle in court since only the husband, not parents, of a victim are allowed to sue under California law); and a third by another man, Donald Lite, who sustained “serious and permanent injuries” in the smashup.
Brandy, 30, launched her own legal salvo against another motorist involved in the crash, accusing Mallory Ham of negligence and blaming her for causing the chain-reaction pileup.
The California Highway Patrol recommended a misdemeanor manslaughter charge be brought against the singer-actress, but prosecutors opted not to press charges due to lack of evidence.
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Talent show contestant Susan Boyle’s biggest concern after being admitted to a London clinic suffering from anxiety and exhaustion is where her career is headed, her brother said.
The 48-year-old Scottish singer was defeated in the final of “Britain’s Got Talent” TV contest on Saturday after becoming a global Internet sensation. Following her second place showing doctors were called to her London hotel and suggested she go to a clinic for rest.
The singer’s brother Gerry Boyle told “The Early Show,” a US television morning news program, in an interview that aired on Tuesday that Boyle was anxious about her singing career.
“Would you believe her biggest worry after Saturday night is that where does her career go from here? Will she be still accepted? ” he said. “She didn’t win the competition. Will people still want to hear her sing?”
He said Boyle’s health seemed to be improving and that she was anxious to return to her home in the small town of Blackburn, Scotland.
“Susan seems to be coming back to her old ways,” he said. “She’s fine. She’s anxious to come home, and she’s sounding a bit more like herself.”
Boyle’s future has been seen as secure despite coming second. “Britain’s Got Talent” creator Simon Cowell and his Syco music label were widely expected to sign her up for an album.
Starved of oxygen at birth which caused minor brain damage, Boyle has been pursued by the world’s press since early April when she sang “I Dreamed a Dream” from “Les Miserables. She broke down in tears repeatedly ahead of the final.
Gerry Boyle said his sister did not blame the media for exploiting her and said she simply needed to return home for a few days.
“You know, be reunited with the now world-famous Pebbles cat, have a good cup of Scottish tea,” he said. “Let’s face it, Susan seven weeks ago was just a lady from Scotland.”
After returning to Scotland she could then consider any offers and where her career will go, he added.
(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Patricia Reaney)
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Cher has sued Universal Music Group, claiming that the label’s creative accounting has shortchanged her and the heirs of her late ex-husband, Sonny Bono, to the tune of $5 million.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims an audit of UMG’s accounting to the singer-actress from 2000 to 2003 showed that UMG executives “engaged in wrongful tactics” designed to hide revenue from two hit compilation albums.
The five-count, 22-page complaint claims breach of two recording contracts Cher had with UMG predecessors, one with MCA division Kapp Records in 1972 and a 1987 deal with the David Geffen Company. Cher claims that those deals entitled her — and, in the case of the 1972 deal, Bono — to receive up to 50 percent of net royalties received by UMG.
The complaint alleges that UMG later made a deal with Warner Music U.K. to distribute a 1999 compilation called “Cher The Greatest Hits,” then funneled the money through UMG’s international arm to conceal the amount of royalties owed to Cher and the Bono heirs.
“Instead of reporting to and paying plaintiffs their share of the revenues generated by Warner U.K., UMG Recordings, in an egregious example of self-dealing, apparently inserted Universal International as a middleman in the transaction … for the sole purpose of diverting money that rightfully belonged to plaintiffs to Universal International,” the complaint says.
“The claims are meritless, and we are confident that we will prevail in court,” said UMG spokesperson Peter Lofrumento.
IMPROPER ACCOUNTING ALLEGED
Cher also challenges accounting on a second compilation, 2002’s “The Very Best of Cher.” UMG allegedly allowed the album to be distributed by a division of Warner Music Group but accounted to Cher on a royalty basis as though UMG had sold the records itself, thus decreasing her share.
“UMG Recordings is underreporting and underpaying the royalties due to plaintiffs based on UMG Recordings’ improperly accounting to plaintiffs based on a royalty rate instead of their respective shares of net receipts.”
Cher also claims that UMG improperly deducted $328,662 in television advertising expenses and a 6.5 percent service charge in reporting revenue from the 1999 greatest hits collection, and that more money is owed from 2004 through 2008. But she has not yet audited the label’s books for those years.
Cher and Bono came to prominence in 1965 when their single “I Got You, Babe” hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart, and she has since become the only female recording artist to have a Top 10 hit in each of the past five decades.
When Cher and Bono divorced in 1977, they agreed to split revenue from the songs recorded together. After Bono died in a ski accident in 1998, one-third of his interest passed to wife Mary Bono Mack, and one-sixth interests were split amongst his kids. Bono Mack, as well as Cher’s daughter with Bono, Chastity Bono, are plaintiffs in the case, as are Bono children Christy Bono, Chianna Bono and son Chesare Bono.
“Universal is playing a game of catch-me-if-you-can with one of the most popular and iconic artists of all time,” said Cher’s lawyer, Mark Passin, of Robbins Kaplan. “Unfortunately, record companies have learned over the years that they can increase their bottom line by underreporting royalties to artists.”
Music producer Snuff Garrett is also a plaintiff. He claims he is entitled to a 50 percent pro rata share of royalties from some of the recordings based on a producer’s deal with MCA Records.
(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)
LONDON (Hollywood Reporter) – Composer Michael Nyman is making edited tracks from his score to “The Piano” available to a group of short-film directors.
The tracks, “The Embrace” and “Lost and Found,” are being offered for use in shorts made by members of Shooting People, a networking organization dedicated to the support and promotion of independent filmmaking.
Nyman will be one of the judges in the organization’s June film-of-the-month competition and said he will be looking for the most creative and original use of his soundtrack when picking a winner.
Members who use one of the tracks and upload the resulting film to Shooting People by August 12 will have a chance to win a personal endorsement from Nyman, as well as a Final Cut Pro training package from the Frontline Club, a London media club.
Previous judges have included Mike Figgis, Morgan Spurlock, Stuart Beattie, Martha Fiennes and Vincent Moon.
At the Commodore Ballroom on Sunday, May 24
Without a doubt, this is Animal Collective’s year. The indie It Band has been sitting near the top of the heap for most of the decade, but Merriweather Post Pavilion—a bizarro mashup of world music, programmed beats, sunny vocal harmonies, and primal-scream therapy—has managed to elevate the band into mainstream consciousness. On-line hipster havens have predictably been all over the disc: even before its official release last January, Stereogum claimed it would take top honours for 2009. Meanwhile, a recent spot on David Letterman and a surprising thumbs-up from ABC News have made Animal Collective the weirdest act your parents have heard of. The way things are looking, the Baltimore-bred band could manoeuvre a full-on crossover from indie oddball to major rock act, even if its sold-out set at the Commodore on Sunday night proved it neither looks nor sounds the part.
Watch Animal Collective perform “Summertime Clothes” at the Commodore on May 24.
The audience cheered as a giant yoga ball was rolled onto the stage by a couple of roadies shortly before Animal Collective’s performance, but it wasn’t a grandiose Spinal Tap–style set piece, or even a Flaming Lips–issue prop to launch into the crowd. It just kind of hung out above stage, seemingly floating in air. At times, Avey Tare clutched a Stratocaster, but he and his colleagues, Geologist and Panda Bear, generally hunched over three fold-out tables to twiddle the knobs of their mixing boards and effects pedals. Fortunately, the combo’s unending energy, supplied mostly by the manic Tare, made its near-two-hour set more compelling than a DJ night at Republic.
Screeching and hiccupping into the mike, Tare threw himself across the stage like a deranged howler monkey during the early number “Who Could Win a Rabbit”. Electronic chimes oscillated wildly in the background before he and covocalist Panda Bear gleefully sang its melodic, motor-mouthed chorus like a mescaline-fuelled Simon and Garfunkel.
While the 14-song performance was peppered with tunes from the outfit’s extensive back catalogue, the crowd became noticeably more excited whenever Animal Collective cranked out the hits from Merriweather Post Pavilion. “Summertime Clothes” made the troupe’s approval rating skyrocket, as a full dance floor got its groove on to the throbbing, four-on-the-floor kick drum. With his headlamp shining brightly into the audience, Geologist viciously banged his head like an illuminated Cyclops as he fiddled with dials to pump out the tune’s pulsating rhythms.
Other Merriweather highlights, like the cheery “My Girls” and the ultra-chilled-out lullaby vibe of “Guys Eyes”, played out perfectly, but not all of Animal Collective’s latest were as lucky. The bone-rattling didjeridus of “Lion in a Coma” should have had the dreadlocked Commercial Drive denizens in the crowd wishing they had packed their bongos—or at least their bongs—but Panda Bear harshed mellows all round with his off-time drum work. Awkwardly banging away on cymbals and a snare drum, the performer couldn’t keep up with the odd time signatures of the preprogrammed beats.
Fortunately, the musician hit his percussive stride on “Fireworks”, as he nailed a series of military marching beats that backed Tare’s gently strummed guitar and seagull squawks. Tearing his tonsils a new asshole, Tare screamed out the love tune before the trio plunged into a 10-minute jam of terse Afro-beat rhythms and freewheeling, reverb-drenched guitar solos.
Capping its set with the riotous “Slippi”, from 2003’s Here Comes the Indian, Animal Collective barrelled full force through its last tune, as 300 bpm tribal percussion mingled with ultra-distorted six-strings. Just shy of midnight, the band departed the stage, leaving nothing for the fans to cheer but the translucent yoga ball.
Unfortunately, Portland opener Grouper’s dream folk didn’t go over as well. Flanked by all of Animal Collective’s gear, singer Liz Harris sat uncomfortably on a wooden chair by herself, quietly looping her vocals over layers of white noise and skeletal guitar phrases. While hauntingly gorgeous numbers like “Disengaged” elicited some polite clapping, by the end of the performance her moody tunes were almost entirely drowned out by the din of people looking to party.
Since its announcement in October last year, The Beatles: Rock Band has become one of the most anticipated games of 2009, set to make the Fab Four’s music accessible to fans and gamers alike.
Today at Microsoft’s E3 press conference Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos and president of MTV Networks Van Toffler revealed the opening cinematic for The Beatles: Rock Band, as well as 10 tracks from the game. The footage doesn’t stray too far from what we’ve come to expect from the Rock Band games, with some new additions, such as multiple vocals in song tracks and extremely accurate motion-capture depicting the band’s onstage mannerisms.
The trailer began with the CG versions of The Beatles playing in a basement (The Cavern, Liverpool, 1963) and quickly moved to a shot of them fleeing from screaming fans as “A Hard Day’s Night” played in the background. The onscreen Beatles looked very similar to their real-life counterparts–in the same artistic style as previous Rock Band characterizations. Background visuals appeared highly stylized.
The trailer moved on to the Sgt. Pepper era of The Beatles’ career with “Here Comes the Sun” and “I Am the Walrus”, accompanied by psychedelic onscreen visuals, a giant elephant and an army of drums marching on legs, and a shot of the band dressed up in giant rabbit costumes.
We finally got to see some gameplay footage, revealing three vocalists singing simultaneously on the same track. We can probably guess this feature has been added to accommodate Beatles harmonies. Behind the track highway, there was also footage of The Beatles playing on stage, in various locations, such as the rooftop of Abbey Road, under the sea for “Octopus’s Garden” and in a recording studio. The band members’ mannerisms were also very realistic; for example, Paul and John often sang together on the same mic.
The artwork on the individual and band performance indicators also changed; for example, it depicted floral patterns for The Beatles’s Sgt. Pepper era. The CG Beatles also aged extremely accurately–one shot revealed John wearing his signature round glasses and shaggy hair, while the other Beatles sport very scruffy beards.
The Beatles: Rock Band will include 45 songs, including the 10 tracks announced during the press conference. The game also featured replicas of the band’s real instruments, including John Lennon’s Rickenbacker 325 guitar, Paul McCartney’s Hofner bass, George Harrison’s Gretsch Duo Jet guitar, and Ringo Starr’s drums with classic black oyster pearl finish, as well as a Ludwig-branded Beatles kick drum head. It’s out September 9, 2009.
Stay tuned for our full hands-on impressions from E3 2009.
During the 34 years of his career, Chris de Burgh has been awarded with more than 200 gold and platinum sale awards. Also, some Royalty and world leaders have joined to his fans. He has so many fans all around Europe, Asia, South America, and North America. Chris has repeatedly had sold out tours in many countries around the world, such as United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, South Africa, Canada, Central Europe, Eastern Europe and the Far East.
Christopher J. Davison alias Chris de Burgh, was born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina on October 15, 1948. He is the son of Charles Davison, a British diplomat, and an Irish secretary, Maeve Emily de Burgh. His childhood was rich in travel and experience due to his fathers’ diplomatic and Engineering work. He grew up in different countries, such as Malta, Nigeria and Zaire. When he was 12 years old the Davison family moved to Emerald Isle, Ireland. Chris still lives there, with his wife Diane and their three children, Rosanna, Hubie, and Michael.
His first international success happened in 1975 with the song ‘Turning Round’ which was renamed into ‘Flying’ and it remained number 1 in Brazil for more than 17 weeks. It sold over half a million records. His next album was ‘Spanish Train & Other Stories’ and once again the track ‘A Spaceman Came Travelling’ off of the album became a continuing hit, but this time in the United Kingdom, as a Christmas radio hit. But a real success from the album was the track ‘Patricia The Stripper’, which is still requested by the audience at his concerts. Chris de Burgh’s latest album ‘Footsteps’ represents a personal & candid appraisal by Chris of songs that have influenced & affected him throughout his musical life. Chris de Burgh selected his songs for the new album based on three things: he had to love it, had to have sung them many times before, and they had to have inspired him. ‘First Steps’ and ‘Footsteps’, are Chris de Burgh’s only two new songs in this album.
He released the album ‘Timing Is Everything’ in 2002 with 11 new tracks. He wanted to have a fun record with this album and it is not a spiritual record to him. But some songs like ‘There’s Room In This Heart Tonight’ are still meaningful songs. This album’s biggest hit is ‘Lebanese Night’, which has reached number 1 in both English and Arabic music charts, in Lebanon and so many other countries.
His 15th studio album ‘The Road To Freedom’ was released on March 2004 and it includes 11 new tracks. This is the first time he has ever included a track that is completely instrumental on a record. ‘The Road To Freedom’ songs are very well put together, and some songs merge into each other or form a very nice group by themselves. In this Album Chris de Burgh returns to his roots and the result is a strong, beautiful and complete record.
Chris de Burgh now has his own recording label called Ferryman Productions. Chris de Burgh was signed with A&M records for 30 years before the launch of Ferryman Productions in March 2004. Ferryman Productions first released the single ‘The Words I Love You’ and later the album ‘The Road To Freedom’.
Chris de Burgh released his next album ‘The Storyman’ in October 2006. This new album contains 12 new tracks and Chris de burgh has written a short story for each song. These stories set the scene and expand upon the lyrics with detail, color and atmosphere. On March 2006 Chris de Burgh was appointed the Ambassador to counter malnutrition and for achieving the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by CISRI-ISP. Chris de Burgh was also appointed an Ambassador for CISRI-ISP/IIMSAM in support of the UNMDGs. As of today, Chris de Burgh has composed 17 studio albums, approaching 3,000 concerts worldwide and LP sales that sold for more than 45 million copies.
Nas
Nas Signs New R&B Singer
Nas likewise collaborated with some of the industry’s leading video directors like Hype Williams and Chris Robinson, presenting singles like “Hate Me Now,” “One Mic,” and “I Can” with dramatic flair. Throughout all the ups (the acclaim, popularity, and success) and all the downs (the pressure, adversaries, and over-reaching),Nas continually matured as an artist, evolving from a young street disciple to a vain all-knowing sage to a humbled godly teacher. Such growth made every album release an event and prolonged his increasingly storied career to epic proportions.
Heralded instantly as one of New York’s leading rap voices, Nas expressed an outspoken, self-empowered swagger that rallied the streets of his city and elsewhere. Whether proclaiming himself “Nas to Nas ” or “Nas Escobar” or “Nas tradamus” or “God’s Son,” the self-appointed King of New York battled numerous adversaries for his position atop the epicenter of East Coast rap, none more noteworthy than Jay-Z, who vied with Nas for the vacated throne left in the wake of the Notorious B.I.G.’s 1997 assassination. Such headline-worthy drama informed Nas provocative rhymes, which he delivered with both a masterful flow and a wise perspective over breathtaking beats by amazing producers: legends like DJ Premier, Large Professor, and Pete Rock; hitmakers like Trackmasters, Timbaland, and Dr. Dre; street favorites like Swizz Beatz, Megahertz, and the Alchemist; and personal favorites of his own like L.E.S., Salaam Remi, and Chucky Thompson.
Born Nas ir Jones, son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas dropped out of school in the eighth grade, trading classrooms for the streets of the rough Queensbridge projects, long fabled as the former stomping ground of Marley Marl and his Juice Crew as immortalized in “The Bridge.” Despite dropping out of school, Nas developed a high degree of literacy that would later characterize his rhymes. At the same time, though, he delved into street culture and flirted with danger, such experiences similarly characterizing his rhymes. His synthesis of well-crafted rhetoric and street-glamorous imagery blossomed in 1991 when he connected with Main Source and laid down a fiery verse on “Live at the Barbeque” that earned him instant respect among the East Coast rap scene. Not long afterward, MC Serch of 3rd Bass approached Nas about contributing a track to the Zebrahead soundtrack. Serch was the soundtrack’s executive producer and, like much of New York, had been impressed by “Live at the Barbeque.”