Jason Segel Says 'Muppets' Song Deserves Oscar Nod, Reveals Puppet Crush

Disney

Jason Segel has been making 'The Muppets' for four years and now the television and movie star is ready to share his labor of love with the world. The effusive and enthusiastic actor called up Spinner to share with us the process of making the movie, getting into a Muppet state of mind and which songs he thinks are deserving of an Academy Award nomination. Check out the interview below and catch 'The Muppets' in theaters all over the country, starting Nov. 23.

Stone Roses Singer and Guitarist Reunite for UK Charity Gig, Cover Clash Songs

Mike Prior, Redferns

The long-awaited Stone Roses reunion is still months away, but Friday night (Dec. 2), one-half of the legendary British band shared the stage for the first time in 16 years.

Performing in their hometown of Manchester, England, at a benefit for former Clash guitarist Mick Jones' Hillsborough Justice Campaign, singer Ian Brown and guitarist John Squire teamed up for the Roses' classic 'Elizabeth My Dear.'

Alongside Jones, they also offered up covers of 'Bankrobber' and 'Armagideon Time,' two of the Clash's choicest reggae tunes.

Paul McCartney Says His Phone Was Hacked by Tabloid Journalists

Dave M. Benett, Getty Images

Some three years after his phone was allegedly hacked by snooping UK journalists, Paul McCartney remains wary of getting on the horn and divulging personal information.

"I tend not to say much on the phone now," the Beatles legend told the Times of London. "If I leave a message, it's benign. You edit yourself according to the new circumstances of the new world. I think it would be quite good to get some sort of laws."

McCartney believes the hacking began in 2008, around the time of his divorce from model Heather Mills. He says he knew something was wrong when news stories would surface about vacations he was planning but had not yet told anyone about.

Liam Gallagher Calls Noel a 'Parasite' for Playing So Many Oasis Songs In Concert

Anthony Devlin, PA

Liam Gallagher is comfortable with the idea of revisiting Oasis songs in concert, but he thinks his brother Noel, now on tour with High Flying Birds, is overly reliant on their old band's material.

Speaking with LA Weekly, the Beady Eyes frontman offered a succinct, well-reasoned, completely unbiased criticism of Noel's recent shows, raising thought-provoking questions about the nature of nostalgia.

"I'll tell you what: he's playing 50 per cent Oasis material, which says to me that he's a complete f---ing parasite," Liam said. "He's a

Lady Gaga Makes a Mini-Movie With ‘Marry the Night’ Video

YouTube

Lady Gaga‘s ‘Marry the Night’ video is hardly that. It’s a nearly 15 minute, autobiographical mini-movie, directed by the Mother Monster herself. The vid — we’ll call it that for the sake of continuity — opens with the previously released prelude, with Gaga in a brown wig, on a gurney, wheeled by nurses in some sort of psych ward, and it’s a taste of Gaga-as-actress.
The nurse calls her the “morphine princess.” Gaga then says, “I’m gonna make it.” The nurse’s reply: “No intimacy for two weeks.” It makes us wonder if that rumored sex change took place or if she had an abortion or something. Since the video is about her quest for fame and stardom, maybe she had to make sacrifices? You never know. Once again, Gaga got us thinking thanks to her sweeping artistic statements in a video.
Gaga next says, “I’m gonna be a star. You know why?” as she fights back tears. “Because I have nothing left to lose.” She then speaks French and the vid cuts a scene of Gaga as an elegant, graceful ballerina. Then we see her in bed, playing piano naked, destroying a room, eating cheerios, smearing the cereal her face, holding herself in the tub, painting her hair blue and singing the hook of the song.
Years later, an aged, big-haired Gaga appears wearing overly styled denim and heels. In a voiceover, she says, “I lost everything, but I still had my bedazzler and I wreaked havoc on old denim.” What’s life without a bedazzler? And then she says she did “it” all over again. We can only assume the “it” she refers to is the act of chasing stardom.
The action cuts to the dark rooftop, illuminated by the moon and raging fires, while Gaga stuck in the moon roof of a Trans Am with a New York license plate. She is then dancing with her crew in what feels like a rehearsal space on Broadway. A montage of rapid-fire clips from her life and career flash on the screen, and at this point, the vid feels like an arthouse hybrid of ‘Fame,’ ‘Rent’ and ‘Flashdance,’ where we witness the life, times and career of Lady Gaga, pop star in the making.

1000 No. 1s: Watch Jimmy Jam Talk Janet's 'When I Think of You'

 

 

On day four of our 1,000 Hot No. 1s video series, kicked off Dec. 1 with Kelly Clarkson, we chat with producer Jimmy Jam about helming Janet Jackson's No. 1 hit, "When I Think of You," and how Janet's brothers helped him realize the potential of the single (video below).

When putting together Jackson's third album, "Control," Jimmy Jam foresaw the groundbreaking pop elements of songs of "Nasty" and "What Have You Done For Me Lately" while thinking of "When I Think of You" as a lesser track on the album. When he played the album for Janet's brothers, however, they all thought that "Think" was the breakout hit from the disc. "'When I Think of You' got all the way to No. 1, so they were absolutely right," says the producer. "They're the Jacksons for a reason -- they know.

Tori Amos Performs with String Quartet in Manhattan

 


Tori Amos stepped outside of her comfort zone for her latest album, Night of Hunters, a classical song cycle. Her tour in support of that record also finds her stepping outside of her typical patterns, albeit in a more minor way, with a string quartet augmenting the arrangements of a majority of the songs in her set. Though her show touches on a few selections from Night of Hunters, the concert is more of a gussied-up version of her usual piano-centric show rather than a full-on classical performance.

Though such a classical show could've been intriguing, her approach to this format Saturday during her second night at Manhattan's Beacon Theater was a lot more crowd-pleasing. Amos' set drew on nearly all of her albums, with solo piano renditions of numbers such as "Horses" and "Icicle" alongside reworked versions of oldies like "Spark," "Siren" and "Winter."

The new arrangements, which Amos devised with longtime collaborator John Philip Shenale for the Apollon Musagète quartet, skipped the bombast and schmaltz typically associated with adding strings to pop songs. Instead, the group provided subtle texture and unlikely rhythmic flourish to numbers "Suede" and "Cruel," while casting the strong melody of her Boys for Pele ballad "Hey Jupiter" in a new light.

Though the string section brought novelty to the performance, some of the most compelling moments came when Amos was by herself at her piano. Amos dropped a surprising cover of U2's "Running to Stand Still" midway through the main set, warping its melodic phrasing a bit and repeating its climax enough times to make the Irish rockers seem rather understated by comparison.
The encore began with Amos playing a flawless version of her Little Earthquakes tearjerker "China," drawing applause as she mention New York in the verses, while delivering the song's heartbreaking, soaring chorus with remarkable confidence and grace. Amos' more recent material leans a bit too heavily on concept and often impenetrable narrative, but it was good to see that she can still reconnect with sentimentality and intense, undiluted emotion.

LINKS: 2012 GRAMMY Nominees

Mastodon @ Voodoo Experience 2011 || Photo by Jimmy Grotting

Combing through tonight’s GRAMMY nominations it was exciting to see New Orleans’ own Rebirth Brass Band getting their 2nd nomination in as many years, as well as a substantial amount of artists we’ve been lucky enough to cover at shows around town in 2011. Other New Orleans-linked nominees are Lake Charles resident Lucinda Williams, Ledisi (3 nominations), frequent Jazz Fest performer Marcia Ball, local zydeco artist C.J. Chenier and Louisiana music mainstays Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys. Take a look down below, as we’ve included the artists, category nominated and venue/date information for their New Orleans show (and a few from ACL) with a link to our coverage. Click on the date hyperlink to see our post from each band’s show.

Glee Hits Another Home Run With Toby Keith's "Red Solo Cup"

I don't often write about country music here, but in this case Glee may be about to create a big country crossover hit. The show has released two video clips in advance of next week's Hold On To Sixteen episode. The first marks the return of the character Sam played by Chord Overstreet, son of country star Paul Overstreet. He performs Toby Keith's ultra-clever country hit "Red Solo Cup." The first impression is this is another big success for the show, and it could translate into Toby Keith making inroads on the pop charts. Not to be overshadowed, the Troubletones perform a mash-up of Gloria Gaynor's classic "I Will Survive" with Destiny Child's "Survivor." It may look a bit slow when things start, but check out the segue into "Survivor" and you will be hooked.