Write your memorial tribute to Michael Jackson here
Thousands of regular folks like those pictured at left scored tickets to the Michael Jackson memorial today at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. But millions more will be glued to their TV and computer screens as the extravagant service gets under way at 1 p.m. ET. If you're stuck in an office without TV, E! Online will be streaming live video from the event, which features Mariah Carey and Jennifer Hudson, among others, paying tribute to Jackson. You can pay tribute, too, right here. Write your thoughts about Jackson and his legacy, the memorial service, the media coverage or anything else Michael-related in a post below.
Photo courtesy USA TODAY
July 01, 2009
Interview with Rob Thomas, who has new solo CD
Grammy winner and Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas released his second solo album, Cradlesong, this week as well as his first live performance DVD. He's also got plans for a two-month national tour beginning in September (click here for a list of dates). Our Reyhaneh Fathieh interviewed Thomas, who is such a Twitter junkie he even Tweeted about their talk. Click on read more and you'll get right to it, and check out a clip of Thomas performing the single Her Diamonds below.
Photos by Andrew Macpherson
June 30, 2009
Paisley makes this week even more 'American'
It may feel like Brad Paisley week, because the hot country singer is all over the place. His latest album, American Saturday Night, hit stores today and already it is the No. 2 album on iTunes (The Essential Michael Jackson is keeping him from the top spot). He'll kick off the holiday weekend Friday performing in Central Park on Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series, and then on Live! With Regis and Kelly. Paisley and his patriotic album will most likely be invading radios across the nation this Fourth of July (plus he is featured in People, Nashville's Tennessean and the Los Angeles Times this week), so click on the video below to get a little taste of his title song.
Kris Kristofferson gets Icon status
It's just been announced that legendary singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson, 73, will get his due, to be honored as a BMI Icon at the U.S. music rights organization’s 57th annual Country Awards on Nov. 10. I'm totally with our Dennis McCafferty, who covers country music for the magazine, when he says it's about time. Says Dennis: "For the young folks today who mainly know him as 'the old guy in the Blade movies,' try Googling the life of the great Kris Kristofferson (that's Kris in May, with Ani DiFranco, right). He was a Rhodes Scholar. He taught at West Point. At one time during the 70s, he was the biggest combination of actor, singer and songwriter anywhere. As for the latter, he's written so many songs that have stood the test of time — Me and Bobby McGee, Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again), Help Me Make It Through the Night. My personal favorite is Sunday Morning Coming Down, with the great line, "The beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad/So I had one more for dessert."
Photo courtesy of USA TODAY
June 29, 2009
Send me questions for Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal
Lucky me. I'm interviewing Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal tomorrow and I'd really like to have your questions. They are getting ready for a six-week, coast-to-coast tour — 30 dates in all — and it's the first tour for the two of them together. That's the poster for it over there on the left. So if you have questions for either of them, post them below. I'd love to know what you want to know.
June 26, 2009
Meet our Star-Spangled contest winner
Aspiring singer Jordan Shelton, winner of the Star-Spangled Banner YouTube Singing Contest that USA WEEKEND co-sponsored with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, is feeling like a real celebrity these days. In fact, she got lots of practice giving autographs and posing for pictures after she sang the National Anthem live at the museum’s special naturalization ceremony for 25 children from 15 different countries on Flag Day, June 14. (Click read more below for pictures of Shelton from the ceremony.) Here she is singing the anthem at Baltimore Orioles game later that day. Shelton, a 24-year-old from Arvada, Colo., was one of more than 850 entrants who uploaded videos of themselves singing the National Anthem to YouTube between Feb. 15 and April 13.
Photos by Rich Strauss, courtesy of the National Museum of American History
June 25, 2009
Jace Everett talks new album and 'True Blood'
While you may think that’s Chris Isaak’s unmistakable voice crooning the rockabilly-tinged theme song for HBO’s hit vampire drama True Blood, it’s not. That would be Jace Everett, the bluesy singer-songwriter behind Bad Things. The song’s been such a hit since True Blood debuted last year that Everett, 37, has become the No. 1 indie Americana artist on MySpace, with more than 4 million total streams of his songs. Between True Blood’s second season starting earlier this month and Everett releasing his third album, Red Revelations, on Tuesday, it’s been a busy time for a man who counts Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Tom Waits, U2 and Roger Miller on his short list of heroes. Our Stephanie Ostroff interviewed Everett yesterday so click read more to find out about the up-and-coming singer, and check out this video of him performing Bad Things on The Tonight Show.
Photo by David McClister
June 24, 2009
'The Latest' on Cheap Trick, including new tour and album
While many bands of its era have come and gone, Cheap Trick has stuck around like no other. One of the early purveyors of power pop in the 1970s, the group struck pop-music gold multiple times with hits such as The Flame, Surrender, Dream Police and I Want You to Want Me over the years. And 35 years after its formation in Rockford, Ill., Cheap Trick remains relevant. Yesterday, the band — singer Robin Zander, guitarist Rick Nielsen, bass player Tom Petersson and drummer Bun E. Carlos — began its latest national tour with Def Leppard and released its newest album, fittingly titled The Latest. In addition, the guys recently recorded their version of the Transformers theme song for the Revenge of the Fallen soundtrack, and in September, Cheap Trick has a string of nine days at the Las Vegas Hilton, where they’ll perform the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with full orchestra. Our Brian Truitt caught up with Nielsen, known as much as for his many guitars as his ubiquitous ball cap, to chat about the latest chapter in Cheap Trick’s long legacy. Click read more for his Q&A.
Photo by Danny Clinch
June 23, 2009
Bon Jovi follows first lady to inspire volunteer crowd
Michelle Obama told volunteers at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service Monday she was speaking to "my people" and, believe me, they knew it. She would probably have been a hit had she simply stood on stage in her straight skirt and sleeveless tank, and waived, but she validated their work in no uncertain terms — "You're the movers and the shakers," she told them. "You've done everything in your power to make giving back cool again." You can read my complete story on the first lady's appearance on USA TODAY's web site here.
But there was plenty of cool in that cavernous convention hall. Jon Bon Jovi, who performed at President Obama's inaugural, had the difficult job of following the first lady, but he managed. He took a few minutes to talk about the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Hollywood's biggest service organization, and the reasons he started his Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation. And he and his band put on a short concert during which he introduced a new song. Afterwards, I went backstage to meet him and he told me that his parents always taught him to be conscious of those who have less, and that when he started making records he would often do benefit concerts. But he was looking for a way to make a bigger impact and he realized that sports ownership and philanthropy could go well together, which is why he bought the Arena Football League team the Philadelphia Soul and started his Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation, which has already provided funding for 154 units of affordable housing. He and his team will answer the president's call to a summer of service as they will be breaking ground on more housing.
Photo by Todd Plitt/USA TODAY
June 17, 2009
Zac Brown Band takes home CMT's USA WEEKEND award
A hearty congratulations goes out to the Zac Brown Band today. The group's video for their hit Chicken Fried won the USA WEEKEND Breakthrough Video of the Year honor at last night's CMT Music Awards in Nashville. We profiled Brown last week on the blog, as well as the other three nominated acts (Julianne Hough, Lady Antebellum and Jamey Johnson), and last night when accepting the award, Brown acknowledged all the people that voted for them. "We want to thank the country music fans," he said, "because without the country music fans buying our music, we wouldn't have a life in country music." (You can catch the acceptance speech in the video below.) Taylor Swift and Brad Paisley were the big winners of the night, taking home two trophies each: Swift for Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year, Paisley for Male Video of the Year ad Collaborative Video of the Year with Keith Urban. Other honorees included Rascal Flatts (Group Video of the Year), Sugarland (Duo of the Year) and Kid Rock (Wide Open Country Video of the Year).
Photo by Robert Deutsch/USA Today
