Quick Hits: Katy Perry, Stone Sour, Rihanna, Songs For Japan, Radiohead, Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Adelitas Way ...
Katy Perry
Katy Perry leads the music nominees for the 2012 People's Choice Awards, with seven nods. Perry is up for Favorite Female Artist, Favorite Song of the Year ("E.T."), Favorite Pop Artist, Favorite Animated Movie Voice (The Smurfs), Favorite Music Video ("Last Friday Night"), Favorite Tour and Favorite TV Guest Star (How I Met Your Mother). LMFAO, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, Adele and Beyonce all were nominated as well. The People's Choice Awards will be handed out on January 11 on CBS. Voting for the awards is open at PeoplesChoice.com.
While Corey Taylor is debating whether or not Slipknot should record another album, he's definitely planning to get back in the studio with Stone Sour. Taylor says his other band will likely start recording a new album in spring 2012. "Right now we're just working on demos... and a pretty grandiose idea that I've been kind of chewing on for a long time," he told Billboard.com. "On a musical scale, artistically, visually, we're going to swing for the fences with this one. If we can pull it off, it would be really cool and... put a lot of people in their place. I'm really excited to get working on it." Meanwhile, Taylor is prepping for the November 14 start ofhis 19-date solo tour, during which he'll read from his new book, Seven Deadly Sins: Settling the Argument Between Born Bad and Damaged Good, do some Q&A with the audience, and play music. "It's everything I love to do in a show -- basically run my mouth and play guitar and sing," Taylor added. "It's almost like if Johnny Cash and Henry Rollins were the same ! person, this is the kind of show they would do."
Rihanna has confirmed that Jay-Z will appear on the title track of her new album, Talk That Talk. "Yes sir! Jigga man is on the title track #TTT," she wrote on Twitter. Production team Stargate also spoke about the collaboration in an interview posted on Complex.com. Stargate member Tor Erik Hermansen described the track as a "midtempo banger with hard drums, dirty synths, and Rihanna and Jay at their best. We are very happy with the song, and Jay's verse is crazy same with Rihanna's part." Talk That Talk comes out on November 21.
Songs For Japan, the star-studded album created to help raise money for victims of Japans 2011 earthquake and tsunami disasters, continues to benefit the survivors through the Japanese Red Cross Society. Yesterday in Tokyo, senior executives from four major music companies EMI, Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music Group met with Japanese Red Cross Society Vice President, Yoshiharu Otsuka, to recognize the milestone of $10 million raised and donated from the global sales of Songs For Japan. The album is a compilation of 38 hits from more than 30 of the biggest names in music, including U2, Lady Gaga, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bruno Mars, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Madonna, Eminem, Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters and many more.
Radiohead has released its television performance of The King Of Limbs on DVD and BluRay, and it can be ordered via the band's website. The DVD, From The Basement, also includes performances of "The Daily Mail" and "Staircase," which haven't been released yet, and "Supercollider" has been added as a bonus track. The digital audio version also will be availableon iTunes starting December 19.
Keith Richards was honored Tuesday with the Ma! iler Pri ze for Distinguished Biography for his book Life. Former President Bill Clinton introduced the Rolling Stones guitarist and a story about his late mother-in-law, Dorothy Rodham, was a major fan of the Stones. In related news, Richards tells Rolling Stone that he will jam together with Ron Wood and Charlie Watts in a London studio later this month. "We're just going to play a little together, because we haven't played for three or four years," Richards says. "You don't necessarily want to rehearse or write anything you just want to touch bases. That's a good start: me, Charlie and Ronnie. Mick's welcome, and I'm sure he'll turn up, but right now we just want to get our chops down."
An auction will be held December 17 to sell off the contents of Michael Jackson's rented home in Holmby Hills, CA. The King of Pop was living in the house when he passed away and MTV News reports the auction will include fine art and home furnishings from the house.
Adelitas Way will be withdrawing from a string of November shows with Art Of Dying, Emphaticand New Medicine because they have been offered the chance to open for Guns N Roses. The other tour will still continue without Adelitas Way, and the band will look to make up those markets as they continue to tour in 2012. Lead singer Rick DeJesus explained, "Since I was a kid its always been a dream to open up for Guns N Roses... last night I received that call. As much as I hate to cancel shows and the thought that I have let fans down upsets me, this is an opportunity that I know I will regret when I am sitting down with my grand kids if I do not accept. We have to cancel 4 shows in order to be direct support on two sold out arena shows with Axl. We will make it up to Tyler, TX, Abilene, TX, Little Rock, AR and Nash! ville, T N. That much I promise you."
E Street Band guitarist Nils Lofgren has recorded a new solo album that he's dedicating to the late Clarence Clemons. The album, Old School, features guest appearances by Paul Rodgers, Foreigner's Lou Gramm and Sam Moore, and Lofgren plans to tour in support of the record.The guitarist says the writing of his album was almost complete when Clemons died, but the Big Man still has an influence on it. "There's a song called 'Miss You Ray' about Ray Charles' passing, and it's a metaphor for saying goodbye to family and friends," Lofgren told Rolling Stone. "[I've been singing it as] 'I miss you, C,' and I've rearranged the lyrics live to apply to my friend Clarence." He added that, "I don't know what's gonna happen with E Street. I'm so heartbroken Clarence is gone. We were dear friends. I talked to him every week off the road, had a much greater friendship with him offstage than on, even though I stood next to him for 27 years. So that's heartbreaking, and I don't know where it's gonna lead. Meanwhile, I got a new record, and I'm excited."