Listen: How To Destroy Angels, ‘A Drowning’

They come
Posted by: Trent on May 4, 2010| 12 Comments

How to Destroy Angels, the rumored new music project from Trent Reznor and his wife Mariqueen, has released their first single to the Internet giving us our first taste of what’s to come from this new group. It has been confirmed that HTDA is made up of TR and Q but a new promo photo released with the new track also features Atticus Ross (who is featured in one of the teaser clips posted on the band’s official website) so perhaps this new band is a 3-piece rather than a duo:


I understand this new single, A Drowning, was produced by longtime Nine Inch Nails producers Alan Moulder and, as you may recall, the song matches a tracklisting of the HTDA EP that previously leaked to last.fm.

Now the track … it’s a slower song which, to me, echoes the sounds that TR created for the NIN album The Fragile and could’ve been right at home on the album With Teeth. Mariqueen provides quiet vocals on the track and the song clocks in at just over 7 minutes. I have to say, I’ve been hopeful that TR would start featuring more female vocals in his music since The Fragile days and it would seem that that time has finally come. If this first song is any indication of what’s to come, I think that NIN fans will be very pleased with this new sound. I very much love what I’m hearing and cannot wait to hear more. The song was made available exclusively at Pitchfork and you can listen to it in full there or check it out after the jump. Give it a listen and let me know what you think. I am really looking forward to hearing more, are you?

UPDATE: After the jump, check out an image that was extracted from the MP3 file of A Drowning which was discovered by NINwiki … More »

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Listen: Britney Spears, ‘Telephone (Demo)’

Rodney Jerkins confirms validity, talks new Britney Spears album
Posted by: Trent on May 4, 2010| 45 Comments

Yesterday I posted a link to a demo track that was supposedly of Britney Spears singing the song Telephone, which was eventually shelved so that Lady Gaga could record and release the song herself. Because Britney‘s record company denied the validity of the track, I didn’t feel it was necessary to post the song myself if it was, indeed, a fake. BUT, record producer Rodney Darkchild Jerkins has gone on the record on his official Twitter profile to confirm that the demo is of Britney Spears singing (tho, he clarifies that it was not him who leaked the demo):

Just listened and yes its the demo, not a mixed version. I will not leak a mixed version. I am respecting Britney and Jive wishes. Thx, Rj

Additionally, so as to capitalize on the hype of this newly leaked demo track that he had *nothing to do with*, Darkchild orchestrated a hastily put together “press conference” on Ustream yesterday to, once again, confirm the validity of the demo track and to tease about his involvement with Britney‘s new album (rumored to be “70% recorded” and supposedly to be released this October). This is what he had to say about working on her new album:

The hitmaker said that the leaked version was the first demo they did for the song and was completely unmixed and unmastered, and then went on to insist that he wasn’t behind the leak and wouldn’t be leaking the final version. Now moving on from that old Circus B-side and onto the good stuff, Darkchild also spoke about Britney’s upcoming seventh studio album spilling some exciting details about the secretive project.

“[Britney's manager] Larry Rudolph came to my house and we had an incredible conversation about Britney’s new album. We talked about the direction of her album, he gave me some insight into the direction and he wants me to work on stuff… So with that said, “Telephone” did what it had to do and we’re very pleased with the results, but now I’m about to put 200% of my focus into writing a new smash for Britney’s new album … An international smash … I think the fans deserve it, I think Britney deserves it and I can’t wait to get back into the studio with Britney. I’m about to go crazy on making something that’s so crazy. Since the conversation with Larry Rudolph I’ve studied some stuff from her last album and the Blackout album, and that was great stuff but I’m gonna bring something a little bit greater. I’m gonna give it my all to deliver something that’s crazy, crazy amazing for Britney. The conversation with Larry went great, I know exactly what the direction is and I’m gonna kill it! I’m gonna create the most incredible, unbelievable track that you could ever think of to hit the planet earth, the galaxy, around the world, all of that [laughs], for Britney Spears!”

I suppose you can make of all of this what you will … at least now we know that the Telephone demo track making the rounds of a heavily autotuned Britney Spears is the real deal. Missed hearing the track? Wanna hear it again? Listen in full after the jump … More »

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Madonna Does ‘Interview’ Magazine

Madonna brings the old skool flavor
Posted by: Trent on May 3, 2010| 19 Comments

Earlier today we got our first look at Madonna on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Interview magazine and right now we get to see a whole slew of photos from her Interview photospread. Since I posted THIS earlier blogpost, Interview magazine updated their official website with Maddy‘s full interview with Gus Van Sant and posted an entire portfolio of photos shot by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott. Here are some excerpts from her interview along with one of her amazing new photos:

GUS VAN SANT: Hey, Madonna.
MADONNA: Gus, is that you?

VAN SANT: Yes. I’m at my house in L.A., just reading the paper.
MADONNA: Are you living in L.A. now?

VAN SANT: I still live in Portland [Oregon], but I have a place in L.A., and I’m starting to work on this film down here.
MADONNA: You’re always working on a film.

VAN SANT: Usually.
MADONNA: But that’s what you do.

VAN SANT: It’s my habit. [laughs] I heard you’re going to Africa.
MADONNA: Yeah. I go to Malawi twice a year. It’s where two of my children were adopted from, and I have a lot of projects there that I go and check up on and children who I look after. It’s sort of a commitment that I’ve made to this country and the hundreds of thousands of children there who have been orphaned by AIDS. I made a documentary about it [I Am Because We Are, 2008], and it’s just become part of my life. I’m going to meet with Jeffrey Sachs [the economist]. I’m sure you’ve heard of him. He’s starting a global education initiative, and I’m going to be his Girl Friday, so to speak. We’re going to hold a press conference to talk about the school for girls that I’m building in Malawi. It’s kind of our way of making sure that every kid has a chance to have an education-more specifically girls, but boys as well. Girls, though, in a lot of developing countries don’t have the opportunity to go to school, nor are they encouraged to go to school, so what we’re doing is the beginning of a dream. But I’m going to Malawi for lots of reasons.

VAN SANT: What’s the economic theory behind the Millennium Villages?
MADONNA: Well, his work is primarily focused on ending poverty, but you know, there are lots of ways to skin the cat. Millennium Villages are an experiment that he has tried all over the world. It costs a certain amount of money, and it takes a certain number of years for them to work, but he’s got it down almost to a science, where for $1.5 million over a five-year period, you can make a series of interconnected villages self-sustainable through education and prepping and diversifying their crops and giving them agricultural tools and medicine and knowledge. Jeffrey has been really supportive of all the work I’ve done in Malawi. So, yeah, we’ll be drinking a gin and tonic and swatting away the mosquitoes down there. By the way, Milk [2008] was such a brilliant film. I cried and cried. I loved it.

VAN SANT: Oh, great. Thanks.
MADONNA: Did you like working with my ex-husband? [laughs]

VAN SANT: I did. Sean [Penn] was amazing.
MADONNA: He is amazing.

VAN SANT: When I called him to see whether he would play the role in Milk, he took half a second to say yes. I guess he knew the elements were there.
MADONNA: I could see why he would be attracted to the role and be able to say yes in two seconds. Watching Milk was such a trip down memory lane for me.

VAN SANT: Yeah? Did you go to the Castro a lot?

After the jump, read Madonna‘s answer and see a whole SLEW of truly fantastic photos from her Interview magazine photospread … More »

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The Hannigan-Denisof Family Keep Bringin’ The Cuteness

S.W.A.K.
Posted by: Trent on May 3, 2010| 3 Comments

Earlier today we learned that Buffyverse alum Seth Green married his fiancée Clare Grant in a private ceremony over the weekend and right now we get to check-in with another Buffyverse family we all know and lurve. Here are a couple of adorable photos of happily marrieds Alyson Hannigan and Alexis Denisof out for an afternoon stroll yesterday with their precious babygirl Satyana:


So cute, couldn’t you just die. I love how we only ever see this family out and about together … it’s kinda hard not to share in their love for one another. Sati has to be THE cutest little doll ever under that big hat of hers … OY! I could just eat her up. Love this little family :)

[Photo credit: Splash News]

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First Look: Beyoncé, ‘Why Don’t You Love Me’

She Can Do It
Posted by: Trent on May 3, 2010| 16 Comments

Beyoncé has released a teaser vid clip for the release of a new music video for her song Why Don’t You Love Me. This track was a bonus song released last November that was added to the re-release of her last album I Am … Sasha Fierce. It seems odd to me that B would still be releasing videos off an album that is this old but, I guess she likes to beat a dead horse to, well, death. Here are a few screencaps of Beyonce lookin’ a bit like a cross between Rosie the Riveter and Daisy Duke in this short promo clip for her new music video:


This clip is … odd. The vid is meant to look like a silent film with a jaunty tune laid on top for effect. I don’t really love it which isn’t a good thing cuz I don’t really love the song either. I’d actually prefer that Beyoncé get to work on a new album rather than release music videos for every single song on her double disc album. But, what do I know? After the jump, check out this teaser clip and see if it gets you all excited for the release of her new music video … More »

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Cristiano Ronaldo & Didier Drogba Do ‘Vanity Fair’ Magazine

Are you ready for some fútbol!
Posted by: Trent on May 3, 2010| 26 Comments

The World Cup soccer tournament is just about a month away and Vanity Fair magazine is getting into the tourney spirit with the cover of their new issue. Fútbol stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba are featured on the cover (and in their undies) of the new issue of VF magazine in a coverstory article that celebrates the upcoming soccer tournament:

In 38 days, it begins. The World Cup captivates more people around the globe than any other event, sporting or otherwise. Every four years, in pubs and corporate boardrooms, thatched huts and flophouses, fans of “the Beautiful Game” gather around televisions and transistor radios—and now, for the deep of pocket, iPhones and 3-D flat screens—to cheer for their heroes. They watch and listen by the billions, holding their breath at every corner kick, falling to their knees or leaping for joy at every goal scored. That this year’s tournament is in South Africa, where apartheid was the law of the land until 1994, only adds to the heightened sense of celebration—this is about a whole lot more than just soccer. For the June issue of Vanity Fair, Annie Leibovitz set out to capture some of the sport’s biggest stars, including Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba, Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, and Brazil’s Kaká. Leibovitz’s portraits are, well, revealing. And underwear has never looked so patriotic. In America, these men might not enjoy the same name recognition as the stars of the N.F.L.—that game that we call football—but for most of the planet, they are more than just showstoppers. They are gods. A. A. Gill, in his accompanying June-issue essay, captures just how important football (don’t you dare call it “soccer,” he warns) and the World Cup are to the 6.8 billion of us who live on Planet Earth. “Football took to the world pitch at about the same time as the modern independent nation-state,” Gill writes. “After a flag, a national anthem, and a press release decrying Yankee imperialism, the next thing newly minted nations do is build a stadium and come up with a national grudge match.” Grudges old and new will be settled (or worsened) beginning on June 11, as South Africa opens the World Cup in Soweto against Mexico. Must-see games abound from there on, with England vs. U.S.A. (June 12) and most any matchup from the so-called Group of Death—Ivory Coast vs. Portugal (June 15), Brazil vs. Ivory Coast (June 20), Portugal vs. Brazil (June 25)—topping the list from the opening round.

It’s no secret that I am not a huge soccer fan (sorry, football fan) but I can’t help but be intrigued by the largest sports tournament that exists on the planet. Even tho it’s a very (very, very, very, very) long shot, I’ll be rootin’ for Team USA to win the whole shebang. While it’s highly unlikely, it’s not outside the realm of possibility … and that, I think, is what makes the World Cup tournament so exciting for everyone. Every single country has the same chance at World Cup glory :) After the jump, check out a couple photos of other soccer stars in the pages of this issue of VF mag and check out a behind-the-scenes video from the photoshoot … More »

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Sean Preston & Jayden James Go For A Ride

Holla
Posted by: Trent on May 3, 2010| 7 Comments

It’s been quite a few weeks since we’ve seen any photos of Britney Spears‘s sons Sean Preston and Jayden James out and about but today, finally, we have a couple of really cute pics to check out. The boys were spotted in Beverly Hills, CA yesterday on their way to visit their father … behold:


OMG, so cute! These little guys keep getting bigger and bigger. All too soon enough we’re gonna be seeing photos of these riding around town in the driver’s seat rather than in the back seat. They really are the cutest ever. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of the little tykes out and about in the coming Summer months.

[Photo credit: X17]

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A Whole Lotta Nothing

The TV Guide
Posted by: Trent on May 3, 2010| 5 Comments

Yesterday was a fabulously relaxing day completely devoid of completely everything. I had grand plans for afternoon brunch, basking in the sun, yadda, yadda, yadda but … nope, nothing actually came to fruition. I ended up staying in all day long, lounging around the house doing … well … nothing. David and I managed to rally enough last night to go out for a nice dinner at Prizzi’s Piazza but then it was straight home for more nothing. Aren’t Sundays the best?


Not sure what the plan is for today … I’m hoping to meet up with some friends for some hangin’ but we’ll have to see if anything comes to fruition. Tomorrow I’m planning on seeing an early screening of a much-anticipated movie so I’m excited for that. This coming weekend, David and I will be making our way to NYC for a week in the city so I’ve got lots to take care of here at home in preparation. It’s a new week and a new month … Happy Monday to you!

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Les News, 050310

'Rambo' sequel canceled, Queerty scoops 'em all, First Lady's first tweet
Posted by: Trent on May 3, 2010| 9 Comments
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Betty White Does ‘Entertainment Weekly’ Magazine

Talk to 'The Today Show' about her 'SNL' hosting gig
Posted by: Trent on May 3, 2010| 9 Comments

The beloved Betty White, who made an appearance at the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington DC over the weekend, appears within the pages (alongside a few friends) of the current issue of Entertainment Weekly. Additionally, she has already arrived in NYC to being preparations for her hosting gig on Saturday Night Live next weekend and stopped by The Today Show to promote her appearance on SNL:

Betty White has arrived in New York to prepare for her weekend gig hosting Saturday Night Live. She stopped by Today this morning to chat with Meredith Vieira and admitted she was scared to death, perhaps because she’s drawn the line for the writers at nudity, or rather, “very little nudity.” As EW’s Tanner Stransky reports in his feature on the 88-year-old Golden Girl in this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly, she’d been asked to host the show in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, and had always politely declined. It was her agent who finally made her say “yes.”

OMG, this is it!! This is the week that will lead up to the most EPIC episode of SNL EVER!! I can’t even stand it!! After the jump, check out one more photo of Betty in this week’s issue of EW magazine and watch her interview on The Today Show in full … More »

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