Rockstars Slam Kanye West Over Beck Grammy Outburst

Acclaimed Doobie Brothers star Michael McDonald offered some of the strongest criticism of West in an interview with ESPN Radio host Dan Le Batard where he questioned Kanye's actual musical talent and credibility.

McDonald told the radio show host, "I don't think it even really bears too much thought. It's pretty obvious what Kanye's problem is. When Kanye gets to a point where he can actually put a couple of notes together either vocally or two bars of valid music playing an instrument, then he might have a right to criticize somebody else. Until then, I think he's just talking to hear the sound of his own voice." Listen to the interview here.

KISS lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley reacted to West's storming the stage at the Grammy Awards when Beck was announced as the Album of the year winner. "Beck should've kicked ‪#‎Kanye‬ right in the nuts last night and said Get the f*** off MY stage!, Stanley wrote on Facebook his Facebook page on Monday.

On Tuesday, Stanley took things further by posting a picture that proclaimed "The difference between a poser & a true genius," under photos and quotes from West and Jimi Hendrix.

The photo quotes West from a Jimmy Kimmel Live appearance where he proclaimed, "I'm a creative genius, and there's no other way to word it." That is contrasted by a quote that is credited to late rock music legend Jimi Hendrix, "I don't consider myself to be the best... and I don't like compliments... they distract me."

Apart from Stanley and McDonald, Garbage star Shirley Manson wrote an open letter to West on her Facebook page. She wrote, "It is YOU who is so busy disrespecting artistry. You disrespect your own remarkable talents and more importantly you disrespect the talent, hard work and tenacity of all artists when you go so rudely and savagely after such an accomplished and humble artist like BECK.

"You make yourself look small and petty and spoilt.In attempting to reduce the importance of one great talent over another, you make a mockery of all musicians and music from every genre, including your own.

"Grow up and stop throwing your toys around. You are making yourself look like a complete tw*t.

"Ps.I am pretty certain Beyonce doesn't need you fighting any battles on her account. Seems like she's got everything covered perfectly well on her own."

Brown Lawyer Blasts 'False' Bobbi Kristina Media Reports

An attorney for her father Bobby Brown confirmed that there is a criminal investigation into what happened to Bobbi Kristina and in a statement said that the "egregious" and "false" false reporting of various media outlets in their coverage of Bobbi Kristina's medical condition "will be dealt with".

Christopher Brown of Brown & Rosen LLC said in the statement, "The false reports that continue to appear in print and on the internet are egregious, false and will be dealt with at an appropriate time.

"In particular, the false reporting of TMZ, The National Enquirer, The Atlanta Journal Constitution and the Daily Mail (UK) citing police sources, family sources and Bobby Brown himself, will receive my attention.

"The desire to be 'first' has clouded the judgment of many reporters as they forgo accuracy. This is a criminal investigation and the integrity of that process requires silence."

Bobby Brown also said in the statement, "We continue to request privacy in this matter. We thank everyone that supported the vigil for Bobbi Kristina. God is hearing our prayers."

Taylor Swift Vs Guitar Teacher Over Web Domain

Ronnie Cremer had previously told the publication about how he worked with the young Taylor Swift by giving her guitar lessons, a story that reportedly varies from Swift's official account.

Soon after he told The News his story, he registered the domain name itaughttaylorswift.com and on February 6th he received an email from TAS Rights Management, LCC.

According to the report, the email said that the new domain "incorporates the famous Taylor Swift trademark in its entirety and suggests TAS's sponsorship or endorsement of your website. The Domain Name and your use of the Domain Name are also highly likely to dilute, and to tarnish, the famous Taylor Swift trademark."

Cremer told The News, "I almost feel like they were trying to bully me a little bit. I'm not giving back the domain name. I mean, Go Daddy sold it to me."

Read the report for more details here.

Miley Cyrus's Bangerz Tour Coming To DVD

While a full tracklisting for the DVD has not yet been revealed, RCA said in the announcement that it will feature performances from the Barcelona and Lisbon stops on the tour.

The DVD will include Miley's performances of the tracks, "SMS (Bangerz)," "4x4," "Love Money Party," "FU", "Get It Right," "We Can't Stop." "Party in the USA" and covers of Outkast's "Hey Ya!" and Dolly Parton's "Jolene."

In addition to the live footage, the Bangerz Tour DVD will also include bonus material featuring behind the scenes footage from the tour as well as Miley's personal life.

Charli XCX Gives Taylor Swift's 'Shake it Off' A Rock Makeover

Charli XCX gave the pop hit a rock makeover during an appearance on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge where she was joined by an all-female band for a new spin on the song.

Excited with the performance, Charli posted the following tweet on Tuesday, "Had so much fun in the live lounge today . thank u @BBCR1 @Fearnecotton <3 did u guys like my cover of Taylor?"

BBC Radio published video of the performance on their YouTube channel on Tuesday. You can watch it here.

Florence and the Machine Release New Video

The music video for the lush, primarily orchestral, track was directed by Tabitha Denholm and Vincent Haycock and premiered on YouTube on Tuesday (February 10th).

Very few details about the album have been revealed but Consequence of Sound reports that the group held a listening party in London on Monday and that some of the song titles include "Ship To Wreck," "Caught," and "Delilah."

Watch the new video here.

Hot Chip Release New Video and Announce Album and Tour

The group announced that they will release their sixth album, "Why Make Sense?" on May 19th. The new video is for the album's opening track and the clip was "based around a light installation by artist Robert Bell and filmed in one take by Andy Knowles," according to the announcement. Watch the video here.

The world tour in support of the new album is scheduled to kick off in Glasgow at the Glasgow School of Art on May 12th and the band has announced dates through August 21st. See the tour dates and tracklisting here.

Neil Diamond Expands North American Tour

Diamond will be launching the winter and spring tour on February 27th in Allentown, PA at the PPL Center and concluding on May 31st in Denver, CO at the Pepsi Center.

The newly announced dates will be taking place in Uncasville, CT on March 28th, Buffalo, NY on March 31st, Kansas City, MO on April 26th, Las Vegas, NV on May 17th and in Los Angeles on May 23rd. See the tour dates here.

Alabama Shakes Announce New Album, Reveal First Single

The new album will be entitled "Sound & Color" and is set to be released on April 21st. It was co-produced by the band and Blake Mills (Sara Watkins and Sky Ferreira). Check out the single "Don't Wanna Fight" here.

Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard had this to say about it, "We took our time to write this record, and I'm really glad we did. We were able to sit down and think about what's exciting to us. This record is full of genre-bending songs."

The group has also announced a series of North American tour dates in support of the album. The tour, which includes performances at several major music festivals, will kick off on March 11th at The Beacon Theatre in New York City. See the tour dates and the tracklisting here.

Mickey Guyton Added To Brad Pailey's Crushin' It World Tour

Chris Brown and Trey Songz Reveal Rescheduled Tour Dates

On Tuesday (Feb. 10), Brown and co. announced rescheduled tour dates to make up for those missed while Brown adhered to court orders. The already announced date of Feb. 12 in Sunrise, Fla., will still remain and will now kick off the tour, with the first rescheduled date on Feb. 16 at Barclays Center in New York.

Tyga will still appear at all shows. Songz, meanwhile, will not play the tour's final four shows, all of which are rescheduled dates, from March 14-19. See the dates here.

Frankie Ballard Separates Shoulder Stage Diving

But the show must go on and Ballard got back onstage to finish the show without missing a beat. Now in a cast, the "Young and Crazy" singer is continuing with his tour as previously scheduled but without playing guitar. Ballard later informed fans on Facebook and Twitter that he's still hurting, but will continue rocking.

"Got hung-up jumpin off stage in Humble, TX last night," Ballard wrote on Facebook. "Separated my shoulder, mangled a couple ligaments, and busted a rib�but the show WILL go on rockin' tonight in Mission, TX." Read more here.

Morris Day and the Haim Mash Things Up On Jimmy Kimmel

Kicking off this week's "Mash-Up Monday" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which has two artists coming together for one song, HAIM teamed up with Morris Day to become none other than, Morris Day and the HAIM.

Dressed in an all yellow suit, Day led the band through a dancefilled take on his hit song, but the three women of HAIM--Danielle, Este and Alana--did not just stand there all still.

Instead they ditched their instruments and brought their own groove to Day's line dance. Their bestie Taylor Swift would have been very proud. Read more and watch the performance here.

Katy Perry's Super Bowl Sharks Appear In ESPN Promo

Their newest yuck is on the Sportscenter ad that just started running, where it supposes that network anchors John Anderson and Bram Weinstein were actually sent by ESPN to work at the Super Bowl, playing the sharks.

It is revealed that Weinstein was actually the left shark, when he asks Anderson, "I wasn't too out of sync, was I?" "Nah," Anderson replies, "and if you were, I bet nobody even noticed."

ESPN has a history of letting the music world into their promotional spots. The last time was when Metallica appeared, and included an even more memorable outtake reel. For now, check out the sharks here.

Miranda Lambert Was 'Pretty Shocked' By Grammys Win

In a backstage interview with the Grammys on Sunday she was all smiles. 'I was pretty shocked," Lambert said of hearing her name announced. 'I was kind of sad when I saw the category, 'cause I was like, 'Mmm, it's pretty tough.' You know? There's some amazing albums in that category and I'm a fan of all of them. I'm thrilled to death."

Lambert was nominated alongside Brandy Clark, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church and Lee Ann Womack in the Best Country Album category. "I really poured my heart and soul into this record," she added. "I mean I do every record. All of us do. This was the record I made 10 years into my career and it felt like it set me up for the next decade and what was going to happen. I spent more time and effort on this one than any of them. I was trying to make sure I was prepared for the next phase." Read more here.

Steve Buscemi Spoofs Fifty Shades of Grey

Boo Ya, with its history of mashing up well-known films, inserted some of Buscemi's most classic characters into the Fifty Shades trailer, making him appear far more suave and dangerous than the film's real character, played by Jamie Dornan.

Boo Ya's trailer is just one of many to jump on the Fifty Shades parody bandwagon. The marketing team behind the Spongebob Squarepants movie inserted their little yellow friend into one of Fifty Shades' iconic scenes. Check it out here.

Chris Brown Denies Getting Beat Up At Meek Mill's Party

In order to shut down the speculation, Brown posted a bruise-free selfie on Instagram with a long caption clearing the air. "Lol.. Killing these lil rumours that I got beat up last night at meek mill party. It's funny how I'm always the topic of discussion for bulls-," Brown said.

It might sound like Brown has amnesia about his troubled past but he's actually using that as a reason for why he didn't get into a fight. Yes, really. "Given my prior encounters with the law I don't conduct myself like that when I go out," he said. "So no, I wasnt involved in any pistol whipping or fighting."

According to Brown, he simply happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time--and quickly tried to change his setting. "There was an altercation between other people at the party and I observed," he said.

Read more here.

Singled Out: Jennie Abrahamson's The War

"The War" was written as a short piece, supposedly a little piece of music & lyrics to put in between two "real" songs on the album. Though, when showing it to my co-producer Johannes and drummer Micke, they said I had to rewrite and make a full song out of it. I still wanted to keep it quite short and not add any more parts, so I wrote more lyrics (plenty of inspiration for that!) and made it a "proper song" - but effectively short. We brought in a great little orchestra of string players that brought on a dignified effect to the song. Other than that it's just a tuned drum kit (I wanted the drums to sound more "tribal"), percussion, synth bass, lots of vocals and some sparse keys hoovering above it all. Small parts that create a big sound world.
Just before I started my writing period for "Gemini Gemini", I had taken a class in gender & feminism at the university. I've always called myself a feminist, but reading all the books and articles we were assigned gave me a broader and more educated perspective - I was filled with new thoughts and ideas.

First, let me declare - I don't believe in a "fight" between the sexes, I do not believe that feminism is a WAR. It's an analogy. Feminism is about believing in equal rights and equal opportunities for both (all) sexes. Lena Gemz�e presents a definition in her book "Feminism" (2002, free-hand translation): "Feminism is acknowledging that 1) women are subordinate to men, and 2) this needs to be corrected."

It's not much more complicated than that, really, but we all need to make an effort to be able to go through with this change. Mankind is rather lazy - we tend to take the easy way out if we can. So how can we raise the general awareness? A lot of problems around the "issue" of feminism today has to do with the way we communicate it. What issues lies on the table? How do we talk about them so that people who don't want to call themselves feminists can understand? One great example of communicating these ideas in a very straight-forward and simple way, was stated by Swedish PR agent Lina Thomsg�rd. She spent free time just counting through lists of booked bands, dj's, experts in the TV sofa's, etc etc... When she questioned a club, a company, a TV show or a festival why they had all male dj's, only male bands, male experts or male board members - preferably the white western kind with classical Swedish names, she always got the same reply; "we couldn't find any other people". So she asked around in her network: "Does anyone know of a female nuclear expert?" "Can you list all great female dj's for me?" and so on, and got back to the companies/clubs/TV/festivals just to say that there ARE people out there, you just need to look a little harder and update your lists. This is what started up R�TTVISEF�RMEDLINGEN (EQUALISTERS in English).

Companies, TV stations or whomever can turn to R�ttvisef�rmedlingen and say: "Hey - we want to do something about the imbalances in representation in our board/in our news show/whatever - can you help us find some experts in this field that are women?" Or maybe: "can you help us find people for this that are not native Swedes?" Then R�ttvisef�rmedlingen asks their members on Facebook (about 62.500 people in Sweden right now), and get a list of qualified tips to hand whomever asked. It's a very easy, hands-on take on how to correct imbalances in representation. And if what is represented to us - through media, through big companies, through festivals etc - is that women, immigrants or other misrepresented groups get as big a share of the public space as the white male - that will eventually be the new and unquestioned order. It's just one way of working with these issues, and it might seem silly to be counting - but figures give us hard facts. Big change can start in a small way.

Anyways - long story short: I wrote this song to celebrate all people who endures talking about these issues, who works with it every day, big or small. It might have to do with getting girls to school in a country where girls and women traditionally are held at home, it might have a to do with counting names on lists of board members, it might have to do with making sure women have safe health care or legal rights. For all of you who struggle daily to make this world equal and better for everyone - I salute you! It's not a war but it's a fight we need to go through to move forward.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself here and learn more about the album and Jennie right here!

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