Archive for December 22nd, 2009
Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler Enters Rehab, Vows to Stay in Band
December 22nd, 2009
Photo: Mazur/WireImage
Rolling Stone can confirm that Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has entered a rehab facility to treat an addiction to prescription painkillers. “With the help of my family and team of medical professionals I am taking responsibility for the management of my pain and am eager to be back on the stage and in the recording studio with my bandmates Joe Perry, Joey Kramer, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford,” the singer said in a statement. ...
T.I. Moves From Prison to Halfway House for Remainder of Sentence
December 22nd, 2009
Photo: Robinson/WireImage.com
T.I., who is serving a 366-day sentence after pleading guilty to gun charges in March, has reportedly been transferred from Arkansas’ low-security Forrest City facility to a halfway house in his Atlanta hometown. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, T.I. will spend the remainder of his sentence — currently scheduled to end March 26, 2010, according to the Bureau of Prisons — at Dismas Charities Atlanta West, where the rapper will be allowed more contact ...
Michael Jackson’s FBI Files Reveal Extortion, Terrorist Threats
December 22nd, 2009
Photo: Mazur/WireImage.com
The FBI’s dossier on Michael Jackson — over 300 pages of files ranging from an alleged extortion plot against the King of Pop to documents concerning the FBI’s involvement in Jackson’s child molestation trial — were released today as part of the Freedom of Information Act, the New York Times‘ ArtsBeat blog reports.
The King of Pop’s epic career, in photos.
The files reveal that in 1992, an unnamed man attempted to extort Jackson, threatening, ...
Springsteen’s Epic Decade: Bruce on “The Rising” to the “Dream”
December 22nd, 2009
Photo: Kambouris/WireImage.com
The Rolling Stone editors picked eight stars — from Bruce and Beyoncé to Radiohead and U2 — who not only made the best music but also led the way as Artists of the Decade in our new issue, which also includes our best albums and songs of the 2000s. Here’s more of our conversation with Bruce Springsteen from our interview backstage in Buffalo, New York, on the final date of the E Street Band’s ...
2001 Flashback: “Love and Theft,” “White Blood Cells” and the Year’s Best Albums
December 22nd, 2009
2001: The year Kid A’s little brother Amnesiac was born. The year Jay-Z mapped out his first Blueprint. The year of White Blood Cells, Songs in A Minor and Bob Dylan’s Love and Theft. So many great albums, but which was named Rolling Stone’s best? Was it Is This It, which was recently named Rolling Stone’s Number Two album of the decade? As we look back at the 2000s’ top songs and albums and the ...
Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Black Eyed Peas to Perform at 2010 Grammys
December 22nd, 2009
Photo: Kravitz/FilmMagic
Considering they’ve been nominated for a combined 18 Grammys this year, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are both confirmed to perform at the 52nd annual awards show at Los Angeles’ Staples Center on January 31st. As Rolling Stone previously reported, Beyoncé scored 10 nods while Swift was nominated for eight trophies. The pair will face off in the Big Three categories: Record of the Year, Song of the ...
Jay-Z Celebrates the Joys of Childhood in “Young Forever” Video
December 22nd, 2009
“Empire State of Mind” is still topping the charts, but Jay-Z isn’t waiting around to unleash his next Blueprint 3 single. Jigga unveiled his new video for “Young Forever,” featuring Mr Hudson and a hook courtesy of Alphaville’s 1984 hit “Forever Young.” The video is essentially a longer version of that Levi’s commercial that employs Walt Whitman’s “Pioneers! O Pioneers!” poem, with black-and-white footage of Jay-Z and Mr Hudson cut between scenes of ebullient youth ...
Kings of Leon’s Jared Followill Picks His Favorite Music of the Decade
December 22nd, 2009
Photo: Ross Halfin
As the Kings of Leon begin work on their first album of the next decade, bassist Jared Followill checked in with Rolling Stone to share his thoughts on his favorite albums of and songs of the past 10 years. From driving around Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, stoned and listening to Wilco to learning how to play bass by listening to the Strokes, here are some of his top musical moments of the 2000s (check ...
Despite “The Beatles: Rock Band,” Music Video Game Sales Slip in ‘09
December 22nd, 2009
Despite the high profile releases of The Beatles: Rock Band, DJ Hero and new installments of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, profits from music video games have dropped to half of their 2008 highs. According to Reuters, music video games are expected to gross about $700 million in 2009, compared to the $1.4 billion companies raked in last year.
Check out the 50 Best Rock & Roll Video Games.
The Beatles: Rock Band was one of ...
Live Nation-Ticketmaster Merger Approved in U.K.
December 22nd, 2009
The proposed merger between Live Nation and Ticketmaster took one giant step toward becoming a reality yesterday as the U.K. Competition Commission approved of the union, which would join the biggest ticketing and artist management company with the largest concert promotions company. The last obstacle to the proposed merger is approval from Canada and the United States, where the Department of Justice is reportedly in the final round of review before finally deciding whether ...