Group Night On ‘American Idol’: Dysfunction, Bad Song Choices, & Some Good Things Too

Group Night On American Idol: Dysfunction, Bad Song Choices, & Some Good Things TooAh, it’s group night on American Idol. Finally. Yes, I’m a sucker for group night. There’s nothing quite like seeing a bunch of marginally talented people acting they’re on the same plane as Lady Gaga and quickly turning on each other like a pack of self-absorbed jackals. This is the only real “reality show” drama we get all year on this show, and it’s great fun every year.

This year was a little tamer than most, but there was still plenty there to whet the train wreck appetite (more…)

Court: ’80s hit ‘Down Under’ copies kids’ song; band member denies it

Court: '80s hit 'Down Under' copies kids' song; band member denies it

MSN Entertainment

SYDNEY — Australian band Men at Work copied a well-known children’s campfire song for the flute melody in its 1980s hit “Down Under” and owes the owner years of royalties, a court ruled Thursday.

“Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree” was written more than 70 years ago by Australian teacher Marion Sinclair for a Girl Guides competition, and the song has been a favorite around campfires

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Ke$ha breaks pop song airplay record (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Billboard) – A week after Lady Gaga set a milestone on Billboard's Pop Songs radio airplay chart, Ke$ha has rewritten the record.

Last week, Lady Gaga's “Bad Romance” made chart history for logging the most weekly plays in the 17-year archives of the tally, registering 10,859 plays in the tracking week of January 11-17, according to Nielsen BDS.

This week, Ke$ha's debut RCA Music Group hit

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Billy Ray Cyrus writes song for Hallmark movie (AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Billy Ray Cyrus has been preparing his whole life for the role of Daniel Burton in the Hallmark Channel movie “Christmas in Canaan.”

“I started digging through like old boxes of stuff and finding old Polaroids of my dad from 1964,” the 48-year-old country singer said. “I thought, if I can become my dad — if I can be Ronald Ray Cyrus in 1964 — then that’s this guy. Just go be your dad.”

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Pop star finds right note for anticancer song (AP)

LOS ANGELES – When Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame was called on to create a song for an anti-cancer campaign, he was surprised at how easily it came to him and with just the right tone.

“It’s very uplifting,” he says of “Stand Up to Cancer,” which he started writing and recording on his laptop in bed right after awakening one morning.

“You don’t really hear the word sung out or spoken out loud a lot. Cancer, putting

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K’Naan song chosen as official 2010 FIFA World Cup anthem (Yahoo! Music)

Courtesy of NME.com - 'Wavin' Flag: The Celebration Mix' will be used globally during the tournament

K'naan's song “Wavin' Flag” has been named as the official anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

A remixed version of the track called “Wavin' Flag: The Celebration Mix” will soundtrack the campaign, which kicks off in South Africa on June 11 next year, reports Cbc.ca.

The news

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‘Single Ladies’ is Tom Hanks’ song of 2009

'Single Ladies' is Tom Hanks' song of 2009

NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Hanks is down with the single ladies.

Hanks first racked his brain when asked for his favorite tune of 2009 while backstage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 25th anniversary concert Thursday.

Then, the song came to him — though he didn’t know all the words.

“Dada-dada ring on it! Dada-dada ring on it!” he sang, as he tried to remember.

“That is a damn fine

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99 Song Four CD Box Set Spans Dolly Parton’s Spectacular Career

99 Song Four CD Box Set Spans Dolly Partons Spectacular CareerIf the image of Dolly Parton was indeed to be carved in stone atop a great mountain in her native East Tennessee hills, it would be a worthy honor among the hundreds of honors and awards she has already received - for her accomplishments over the past 50 years as a singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, worldwide touring artist, Hollywood actor and TV personality, Broadway entrepreneur, author, amusement theme park owner, celebrated philanthropist, and more.

Not the least (more…)

For Melissa Peterman, life is a song (AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For Melissa Peterman, life after “Reba” is something to sing about. Hopefully, it’ll be somebody else doing the singing.

“You know, a lot of people tell me that I have the kind of voice that the first time you hear it, you’re going to go, ‘Arghhh!’ and if I continue to sing at you, it starts to get under your skin,” Peterman said. “It’s like eczema. You know, it’s just going to stay for a while until you get

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New Michael Jackson song to be released

New Michael Jackson song to be releasedaddCSSandSCRIPTtoHEAD(”http://images.video.msn.com/js/ch/channels.css”,”http://images.video.msn.com/flash/script/embed.js”);

NEW YORK (AP) — The first posthumous release of a new Michael Jackson song, “This Is It,” is scheduled for Oct. 12.

Sony Music Entertainment offered few details about the song, except to say it includes backing vocals by Jackson’s brothers. Two weeks later, Sony is releasing a two-disc set

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