Gossip Girl on The Huffington Post

Gossip Girl Staten Island: SNL Takes Hit Tween Show Out Of Manhattan (VIDEO)

2009-12-06T09:52:36Z

Blake Lively hosted "Saturday Night Live" this week and the writers jumped at the chance to mock her hit TV show "Gossip Girl." They did so by creating a spin-off: "Gossip Girl: S.I." which takes place in New York's outer-most borough. The two locations they shoot in are a pizza parlor and the bathroom on the public ferry. "We'd call it risque but they'd beat us up for sounding gay," the announcer says.

WATCH:

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Deborah Schoeneman: Casey Johnson's Dorito Days

2009-12-04T13:31:00Z

Oh Casey Johnson, what happened!?
Almost a decade ago, I wrote a coming out story about the cherub-faced Johnson & Johnson heiress. No, not that she was gay or at least bi-curious. That would come later in tabloid reports of her on-again-off-again flame, Courtenay Semel, who set Casey's hair on fire during a fight.
I wrote about Casey's 21st birthday party in NYC for the New York Observer.

Here's how Casey marked turning the legal age to drink:
"Ms. Johnson was with about 25 wonderful friends at 21, where they were celebrating her 21st birthday. She was wearing an animal-print dress, and the table included her parents; her godmother, Diandra Douglas; producer Marty Richards (who was once married to Ms. Johnson's great aunt, Mary Lee Johnson); Nicky Hilton; and jewelry company heiress Elisabeth Kieselstein-Cord. The next morning, Ms. Johnson would fly to Tampa, Fla., with her father to watch a Jets game."

Back then, her social life was more "Gossip Girl" than "Law and Order:"

"Take Monday, Sept. 25, for example: Ms. Johnson was playing hostess at her parents' Fifth Avenue apartment to Michael Douglas, Barbara Walters, Paul Newman and Christopher Reeve, at a kick-off party to benefit Mr. Reeve's paralysis foundation. But on another Monday, she might be found at karaoke night at the velvet-roped club Moomba, where she sings Madonna songs with friends like Charlotte Ronson..."

I would never have guessed that by another milestone birthday Casey would have adopted and ditched a baby from Kazakhstan, had a falling out with her aunt, Libet,
over an alleged shared boyfriend and left a particularly unsavory calling card after burglarizing a reality TV star's house.
However, I did find it troubling that soon after the story ran, I saw Casey at a Soho restaurant. I remember her staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and insisting that she already needed botox on her flawless forehead.
Still, relatively speaking, her problems were pretty minor, besides having diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes when she was 8 years-old--something that seems strangely left out of current news reports about her wild antics. She was working part time for publicist Lizzie Grubman, pre Hamptons car crash. Casey's parents were still together. She didn't seem to have discovered hard drugs yet and her favorite restaurants were McDonald's and Harry Cipriani. A friend of Casey's described her one-bedroom apartment near the Whitney Museum of Art as: "somewhere my parents would live."

In a stark contrast, Jasmine Lennard, the British model Casey recently burglarized told the New York Post that Casey's current home looks more like a crime scene:
"Her house on Mulholland Drive is a mess. The electricity is off, there are rats, the pool is green. She was supposed to be evicted and her Porsche is being repossessed."

When she was about 20, Casey's dishonesty seemed fairly limited to faking cooking for her then-boyfriend by ordering gourmet takeout:

"I'd come over all excited," he said, "and she'd say, 'Didn't I do such a good job?' Then I'd walk into the kitchen and see the bags and realize she had ordered it from Ferrier," a bistro on East 65th Street. "He never confronted me about that," said Ms. Johnson, laughing. She added that she once told Mr. Heller she had "slaved away all day" over a birthday cake for him, when in reality it had been baked by her parents' chef. "I don't think he knows to this day that I didn't make it," she said.

Casey was arrested Monday in Los Angeles on grand theft charges for allegedly stealing clothes, jewelry, shoes and legal documents from Lennard, who told the Post, "Casey basically needs to go into rehab for a long time. She has walked out [of treatment programs] twice against her parents' wishes, so they told her no more money. The last time she left early a few months ago and wrote at the bottom of her exit form: '[Bleep] you -- keep the money."

When Casey turned 21, she had a very different drug of choice:
"Unfortunately, I love Cool Ranch Doritos. That's my downfall," she said.

Manish Vora: Art Basel Versus Gossip Girl

2009-12-04T11:17:17Z

Could it be that the hit television show, Gossip Girl, will have a bigger impact on the future of the art market than the "largest, most important" annual art event in America"? I'm leaning in favor of Gossip Girl.

This week is undoubtedly important for the art world's governing elite. Each December, galleries, art insiders, press and collectors from across the globe descend on Miami for what is considered the most "important" week for the US art market. At the center is Art Basel Miami Beach (opened Wednesday, December 2), the sister fair of the annual gathering in Basel, Switzerland. At Art Basel alone, there are 250 galleries, over 1,500 artists shown and an estimated $250 million of sales.

At parties and dinners, connections are made, future shows are planned, loads of money are exchanged and new artists are declared the next hot thing. But what impact does the largest and most "important" event have on the interest and support of art across the country? Of the 150,000 people attending and those reading the art press, how many non insiders are being introduced to new artists or getting excited about a career in the arts?

And Scattered across South Beach and Wynwood there are more than 15 satellite fairs bringing another 1,000 galleries and 3,000 artists. In total, it is estimated that $500M+ of sales will occur by week's end and will draw in more than 150,000 people from across the globe. While the public can purchase tickets for every fair, the doors are still very much closed on the real action. Art insiders and the elite attend free VIP openings and each night get wined and dined at sponsored dinners and parties. The velvet ropes and lists come out as the established shake hands and those aspiring desperately try to join in. There are multiple events a night at places like the Standard, the W-South Beach, the Delano & Raleigh hotels.

By Thursday morning (one day into the fairs), the conclusions of the impact of this year's Art Basel will be in. Just twelve hours after the Art Basel Vernissage, the art press will have likely declared "attendance was strong, collectors were more prudent in their purchases, but sales were happening and were stronger than last year." The news for the rest of the week will likely be dominated by big name collectors making purchases and the celebrity round up of sightings and parties hosted by the likes of Lance Armstrong, Val Kilmer, Sylvester Stallone, Dr. Dre, Paris Hilton and the Olsen twins. Business will go on as usual and we in the art business will return to our homes in NYC, LA, London and Berlin.

So how is Gossip Girl, a show on the CW channel, having a greater impact on the art world than Art Basel? At a recent NYC art benefit, I found myself talking to a major Chelsea gallery owner, her teenage daughter and several of her friends (all fans of the show). Though these NYC girls are all too familiar with the art world, their peers in cities across America are not. What these girls and millions across America do share is a belief that these Gossip Girl characters are the hippest trend setters on the planet.

Though we certainly do not celebrate the ridiculous excess of these teenage television characters, making art accessible is something we believe is vital in getting people into the doors of our cultural institutions, studying art history and creating art. In the past two seasons of Gossip Girl, art and the business of art has never seemed cooler and more accessible to a young audience. The show's main upper east side characters, Serena, Blair and Chuck Bass engage in bidding wars at Sotheby's, live in penthouses decorated with contemporary art, date hot young artists and casually refer to artists like Kandinsky. The New York Times recently reported that the Richard Phillips works hanging above the bed of Chuck Bass is not a one sided love affair as the artist "admits he is addicted" to the show . Meanwhile the Brooklyn based Humphries family (the show's version of the middle class) own a Brooklyn gallery and Vanessa, who is often the moral compass of the show, works as a gallery assistant.

So while the pomp and circumstance of Art Basel -- and the Miami weather -- is a welcome break from New York City, perhaps the art world should consider taking a page from Gossip Girl and wooing a new generation of art aficionados.

In fact, new media (particularly Twitter) is making an impact at this year's Art Basel as many fairs, gallerists, bloggers and visitors are utilizing Twitter and text messaging (a la Gossip Girl) to send in comments that display live on Artlog.com

Mike Ragogna: From Philly to Cleveland : A Conversation With Daryl Hall & John Oates

2009-12-03T06:00:13Z

You know their hits by heart: "She's Gone," "Sara Smile," "Rich Girl," "Kiss On My List," "Maneater," "One On One," and many, many more. You also may know that they're considered the most successful pop pair in music history, outselling and charting higher than any other two-member recording act including the Carpenters and Everly Brothers. What you may not know is that, just a few weeks ago, the music of Daryl Hall and John Oates was anthologized across a four-disc box set titled Do What You Want, Be What You Are, and that collection outperformed expectations by hitting Billboard's main album chart at #89 and r&b album chart at #17, it becoming the third highest charting box of 2009 behind two Beatles collections. To date, it has sold over 10,000 copies, which is a big deal in the world of box sets since they often only sell a few thousand over the course of their existence.

Beyond the box, Daryl and John also have enjoyed a surge in popularity due to the use of their hit "You Make My Dreams" as the musical backdrop for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's dance routine in (500) Days Of Summer. Add to that their being animated as angel/devil Animal House-style on the Family Guy spin-off Cleveland, the success of the internet series Live From Daryl's House, and--you may be hearing it here first--their upcoming Playboy photo shoot with Mick Rock. Plus it was just announced that Daryl Hall and John Oates were nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Duo Or Group With Vocals for their contributions to Jimmy Wayne's country version of "Sara Smile" making 2009 not only a big comeback year for The Fab Four, but also for pop music's Dynamic Duo.

Mike Ragogna: How did you determine what tracks would appear on Do What You Want, Be Who You Are?

Daryl Hall: When I heard that it was going to be made, I said this was going to be what we think are the important tracks we did--the songs that were pivotal, the songs that mattered, the ones that showed our growth as musicians as well as the hits and all that. But all those other songs, the bulk of the selection, are things that we thought were significant to explain us in a way that we've never really been explained before.

John Oates: It had been simmering on the label side for quite a few years, but there didn't seem to be any energy behind it. Once those guys (Jeremy Holiday, Rob Santos) got involved and they started doing the archival work, Daryl and I got excited and we got more hands-on with it when working with them to create a project that was done as a collaboration. That's what makes this box set special. It really is our take on our music and our lives, and that's what's important. You know, there are a million greatest hits packages floating around out there on us, but that's not what this is about. These are the songs that we think show our progression as artists and as songwriters and producers through the past thirty-five plus years.

MR: In the boom years of the box set, it seems that a Daryl Hall & John Oates collection would have been a no-brainer. Why did it take so long?

DH: Everything has its time. There's a certain thing going on with people's consciousness, you never know why things happen. Why are people interested in our music and are being influenced by it? You know, you can't explain that. I think that's the reason that it's time for a box set, and it's time to have a retrospective and a perspective of what it is that we've done over the years and why we're here.

MR: You have a reputation for being studio wizards and the bulk of the box collects from those recordings. But you also are a terrific live act, and it's nice that the box shows that side too.

DH: We've always been known by our fans and outside the States to be a great live band. When we went to England, we were really, really respected as a live band in the U.K., and all over Europe all through the eighties and to the present day.

MR: What went into choosing live versions of popular titles over studio versions?

DH: There are certain songs that I think increase their impact by being shown in their live version, like the song "Do What You Want..." There's something about the way we do that song onstage that takes it to an even higher place than the record.

MR: In that song in particular, one might miss the stacked "You can change, you can change..." answer-backs, but the lyrics pop a lot better without all the production.

DH: Yeah, you hit it on the head, that's exactly it.

MR: You guys unearthed live material from your show at London's New Victoria Theater in 1975, and they're some of the best tracks on the package. Why were they never released as a live album?

JO: You have to remember, we didn't have any hits at that time. "She's Gone" was a cult hit, and "Sara Smile" had just come out. The crazy part is that I had those on an old-fashioned videotape, and I was the only one who had a copy of it. I pulled it out, sent it to New York to a special lab to have it transferred to DVD because I didn't want to lose it. When I got it back and started watching it, I literally freaked out! I didn't realize what we had done, it was just one of those moments when the band was on fire--the energy, the youthful exuberance, the passion. We were kind of an underground cult band at the time, and to have that moment preserved... The whole concert is incredible, but the seven songs that made the box are just spectacular. I am so proud of the quality of that band, and it's funny, I never thought of that band as being one of our better ones. But hearing it now, it was just a revelation, and I think the die-hard Hall & Oates fans are going to be happy to hear that.

DH: When Sony said, "We want to do a box set with you guys," we said, "Well, if we're gonna do it, we have things in our archives that you don't even know about." Actually, I didn't know that John had this show that he had been saving over the years of the New Vic in London which was our first tour of England. When he played it for me, I said, "Man, I can't believe how good this band was," because, truthfully, we were influenced by a lot by people around us who said, "...they don't really work in the studio, you should loose them, go with the L.A. session guys," which is what we did in the late seventies sort of against our will. But now I wonder why we ever did that. Other than the band we have today, I think that band was the best one we've ever had.

MR: After all these years, what do you think of the guitar solos, especially those on "Lady Rain" and "Bennie G. And The Rose Tattoo"?

DH: Todd Sharp, an amazing guitar player.

MR: Even without your band, you guys sounded pretty amazing that night, like on "When The Morning Comes." That song sounds so much more inspired with just the two of you and an acoustic guitar.

DH: That's another thing I got a perspective on after listening to all of this in a giant gulp, just how in tune John and I were in those days. You know, we were living in the same apartment, living in the same world. We'd always been brothers, but we were really livin' the life together, and I think it really showed in our musical communication in those early and mid-years. We never lost that, but it's amazing to hear it from these young guys.

JO: It's crazy, that's probably the only recording that exists of just Daryl and I playing together with no one else. In those days, there was no pitch correction or Pro Tools. What you hear is what happened. You had to be good, you had to be able to perform, to sing with pitch, to play in order to get the song over. And that's what the audience expected. You know, the audience's expectations were quite high because people really cared about music.

MR: Speaking of sound quality, your LP Abandoned Luncheonette was auditioned on audiophile stereo systems in major retail outlets to sell equipment. Before you had hits, many people were becoming fans of that album because it sounded so good.

JO: Think about who made that record--Arif Mardin producing and Gene Paul, Les Paul's son, engineering. Hello? The son of the guy who invented multi-track recording engineered the record, and there were players like Bernard Purdie, and the like who were on it. Sure, it's an audiophile wet dream. Records had to be well-recorded then, people cared. There was no such thing as MP3s and squashed compression for listening on these little tiny ear buds. People who cared about music wanted to hear it in its full frequency glory. And I'm still like that today. On my solo album 1000 Miles Of Life, I sought out the best engineer I could in Nashville, Bill Vorndick, and we recorded it with the highest quality mics we could find. I knew it was going to be reduced to MP3 quality for downloads and stuff, but it didn't matter. Music still matters to me, and sound matters to me so...

MR: It seems like we lost so much when we dumbed-down sound for convenience, like when boom boxes became popular.

JO: Yeah, you're right, it probably did start with boom boxes and cassette tape, and it went downhill from there. There's a whole culture, a whole music audience out there who doesn't even know what high fidelity sounds like, and they don't really care. It's very unfortunate, but that is how it is.

DH: I think there are people who really always have and always will care about the quality of music in general, about the sound of the music, things like that. I think it's a relatively small group of people who have that kind of musical ability. And then there are the masses that are less attached to music. They're attached to it for different reasons--because of fashion, because of what their friends like--and the music is more incidental to those people. They don't care so much. I always work for the people who really give a s**t. To me, that's my audience, and if anybody else wants to join in, that's all well and good. I always try and set my standards high.

MR: It seems unfortunate that as we become more of an ADD culture, so many of us can't slow down enough to appreciate things like audiophile sound or even learning how to play an instrument without sequencing and pitch-correcting.

JO: Well, unfortunately, the world is going to just speed up, so you have to keep pace with it. But at the same time, you have to satisfy your musical integrity and what it is that means something to you. Hopefully, as things go, there's a place for all of that, and there's a place for the audiophile, for people who want to hear something that goes above and beyond the virtual music world. And then, there's that world that will continue to grow and supply music for people who want it that way, who want the fast food (version) of pop.

MR: And considering how it's used more as a supplement to other entertainment formats than ever before, it seems that making records is more about placement in Rock Band or on Gossip Girl than about creating art.

JO: I have a thirteen-year-old son, and music in his world competes with PS3, video games, and the computer in general--the internet, YouTube, whatever. It's just all part of this giant barrage of entertainment choices. But there are people out there who believe music is special, and there is a lot of passion in young musicians who I found care as much if not more than anyone ever did. They're out there, but you have to seek them out, and that's why I'm returning to this folk and kind of traditional American approach that I've returned to as, basically, a refuge. For me, it's a place where music in its most authentic form lives.

MR: Though you've made some great r&b records and your first album on Atlantic had a folk sound, you've built your legacy on the four-minute pop song. How does it feel to be considered one of the greatest "pop" duos of all time.

JO: We appreciate the genre. It's funny, in the seventies, if you had success on Top 40 or AM radio at the time, you were considered less than hip, especially by rock journalists and the media. My reaction to that was, "Well, if it's so easy, how come everybody doesn't do it?" Over the years, that whole perception has been turned on its head, and it no longer exists. Now, contemporary artists, young artists, appreciate the fact of how difficult it is to have one hit let alone twenty or thirty of them. They sing our praises and they tout us to their fans as our being influential to them, and realize how difficult it is to have a long-term career in a very tough business.

MR: Most of those H&O pop songs were written by Daryl Hall and John Oates, but you occasionally collaborated with Sara and Janna Allen. How did they fit into the mix?

DH: Well, Sara was my girlfriend from the very beginning, from '72 until about nine years ago, so she was in my world, she was my partner. We were all a family. It was her, her sister Janna, and we all sort of lived together over the years. In the seventies, we were all living in the same places and certainly in the same neighborhood. So we were all a close family, and that proximity, among other things, made them an important part of the writing process as well. Sara was a great songwriter-lyricist, her sister Janna was a musician, a singer-songwriter and a lyricist also. So the four of us created a lot, especially in the late seventies and into the eighties. A lot of the really important songs were written as much by them as by us.

MR: Christopher Bond is credited as your producer for a few of your early RCA albums following your tenure with Arif Mardin and Todd Rundgren. How did he inherit that position?

DH: Chris was a fellow Philadelphian that was in various bands that we got together with in the very early days. When John and I were writing songs and working strictly as a duo, we added Chris, he was our early T-Bone. Then we sort of brought him into the situation when we started working with Arif. He was the guitar player, and he did a lot of the lead guitar, like the solo on "She's Gone." He had aspirations to be a producer, and we were given more and more leeway in production. So when we finally did the silver album, he had moved to California, and we said, "Okay, why don't we do it with him." It was sort of our first self-production, to tell you the truth, adding Chris to it.

MR: As you listen to the box, it's obvious that when you produced yourselves on Voices, a more clearly defined Daryl Hall & John Oates sound emerged.

DH: I started with my friends--Gamble & Huff, Tommy Bell--these were people who were just a couple of years older than me. I learned things from them, but it was more like we all learned together. But Arif was the first person I ever encountered that I treated as a mentor. He was everything, and I learned so much from him, and I took everything I learned from him into situations in the future when John and I started producing ourselves. Some things came from Todd, but I think that was more like friends interacting than a mentor situation. I learned little things along the way, I got my share of influences. And I think that all these things allowed us to be ourselves by about 1980, to create music that was very unique and personal to us without outside people influencing too much.

JO: The whole thing builds from the time we met until that time in the eighties when we took over production and made the records we wanted to make with our band. It was a ten-year process to get to that place. You hear us in New York in the early days with Arif Mardin, then you hear us with Todd Rundgren, in L.A. with the session guys in the mid-seventies, and we were gradually moving toward that moment when we really, really took the reigns. That's when it all changed. Artistic freedom and getting it right is what everyone hopes for in their lives, and you can see that progression in this box set.

MR: And there was no turning back once you hit your stride with Voices.

DH: Yeah, there really was no turning back, and we tried working with some other people. We were thrown together with some others over the years, but it never really worked.

MR: Daryl, what are your favorite tracks on this package?

DH: I love that song "It's Uncanny." I think it's such an unusual song, it's an r&b song with the weirdest word--"uncanny." I mean nobody writes a song with that title. I like one of John's songs called "Alone Too Long," that's one I completely forgot about that kind of shows our interacting with the California thing interestingly. What else...man, there are so many songs. I got so many surprises after hearing this that I sort of obtained this objectivity that I never had. Even with the most recent things, I listened to John's song "All The Way From Philadelphia" and I wonder why we never put that on the album.

MR: John, what are your favorite tracks on this package?

JO: One of my favorites is the track "Don't Go Out." It was an outtake from the Private Eyes album that didn't make it because it didn't sound like the rest of the record. But it's one of the most interesting things I've ever done. I put a ton of production work into that song. To me, it's all about the paranoia of New York City in the eighties when walking down the street was dangerous. I tried to capture that sonically. I think it's unique, and people will hear it and go "What is that?" I love the seven songs from London, I think that's my favorite part of the entire box. I love what Daryl and I did at Live From Daryl's House, "I Want Someone." I think it's a gem, it's something Daryl and I related to as little kids. We both saw The Mad Lad at the Uptown Theater in Philadelphia, and we always loved that song. It's something that we dabbled with over the years, and we never played it in its entirety. We would play it at sound checks...sixteen bars, laugh and stop.

MR: So this was the first time you ever got through a whole performance of it?

JO: The interesting part of this live track is that when we decided to do it, we never rehearsed it, never discussed it. We just sat in the room and said, "Okay, what key...alright, let's do it." In fact, we didn't even discuss who was going to take the solo, so when it came to it, T-Bone and I both played a solo simultaneously that sounded like one person. It was really unbelievable. I freaked when I heard it. When we were done, I looked at Daryl and was like, "What just happened?"

MR: You've all been together for so long, do you think it was intuition?

JO: Oh yeah, it's telepathic.

MR: How did Live From Daryl's House get its start?

DH: It started because it had the ability to start, not unlike The Huffington Post. You know, we live in a different world, we live in the world of the internet where people are getting their information and, increasingly, their entertainment from sources other than the traditional ones. So, I just acted on that, and from there, I went, "Okay, now what do I do?" It was sort of the idea, "Let's play on the front porch and see what happens," and then it developed into, "Let's have some guests, and let's hang out, and let's add some food to it..." It had a natural kind of growth.

MR: On your show, you've featured classic acts such as Smokey Robinson, Todd Rundgren, and Nick Lowe, but you've also focused on current artists like Matt Nathanson, Chromeo, KT Tunstall, Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes, Plain White T's, Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump...

DH: Yeah, there's a certain kind of artistry that's common in the whole thing. It's people who've influenced me like Smokey, and people I've influenced like Gym Class Heroes, people like that. It kind of goes both ways, but I'm kind of concentrating on my interaction with newer artists. I think the bulk of the shows represent that, and that's sort of what it's all about--although I do like to throw in, as you said, the occasional Nick Lowe or Smokey just to break it up and to have some fun.

MR: So it's almost like it's your turn to mentor, and these younger acts genuinely are having fun in the process.

DH: The other thing about the show is that it shows people in their native habitat as opposed to most performance situations being an artist doing his or her "act" and the audience just sort of watching. But it's an act, there's a fourth wall. On this show, there's no act, everybody is completely themselves--you have to be due to the nature of what's going on. I know from a lot of managers, record companies, and artists themselves that they're very happy to come on the show because it shows their fans what they're really all about. Especially when you're a new artist and people don't really know who you are, it allows people to show a different side of themselves.

MR: Jimmy Wayne is having a hit with you guys on his country version of "Sara Smile" that just got a Grammy nod. What's your reaction?

DH: You know, "Sara Smile" is a funny song. It started in the r&b world, it became a hit on black radio, it switched to pop radio, and now, after all these years, it's a country record and it's virtually unchanged. It shows how hybrid American music really is.

MR: John, just like Arianna Huffington, you and Daryl have moved into Seth MacFarlane's universe. So what do you think about Cleveland?

JO: Cleveland is the "Soul Man" with a heart of gold. Anyone who has a bear for a neighbor, like we do in Colorado, is OK with me. Mike Henry is a genius and the writing is smart, irreverent and cool...just like Cleveland.

MR: Daryl, what did you think about Rachael Ray's petition to get Hall & Oates inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

DH: I was very flattered that she cared that much about it. I know the reality of all this stuff, I've been in this business for a long time and come up the hard way. The Philadelphia/New York world of the music business is a tough place to be. I know the politics of it and I know the people that are involved in the decision making about things like Grammys, and things like Rock & Roll Halls of Fame, and all that stuff. So, I don't bang my head against the wall about it. They have their own sets of likes and dislikes. I've always been fortified by musicians and people.

MR: After working together for many years, some acts naturally disband. But Hall & Oates is a brand that just keeps going strong. What's the secret?

JO: Well, what you're hearing when you hear Hall & Oates is a brotherhood. It's not two guys who are friends or have a professional relationship. It goes way back, we've known each other since right out of high school, we grew up together, and we experienced everything in our adult lives together. The traveling, the business, the ups and the downs...it really goes beyond just a normal working relationship.

MR: So what's the future for Daryl Hall & John Oates?

JO: Our history is our future. I think we have so much to offer historically that, right now, that is what we will be doing. I also think it's individual stuff. I think Daryl's concentrating on his internet show, and I'm going to do a solo album, my solo songwriter's series, and a Jerry Douglas tour. That's really enough. I'm so busy that I think I'm going to shut it down over the holidays and get a chance to regroup because I don't think I've worked this hard in God knows how long. I'll figure out what I want to do with my new solo album, come up with some cool songs, get together with some great people and play them together. That's pretty much what I think is gonna happen.

DH: John has his solo work that he does, I have my solo record that I'm starting after the first of the year, and it's going to take some time in the studio. I have LFDH, and I'm sure whatever John and I do next year will be box set related because we have all these "new" songs that people are exposed to now that we can play and that'll be fun.

Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music Of Daryl Hall & John Oates

Disc One
1. Girl I Love You - The Temptones
2. I Need Your Love - The Masters
3. Say These Words Of Love - The Temptones
4. Perkiomen
5. I'm Sorry
6. Fall In Philadelphia
7. Waterwheel
8. Lilly (Are You Happy)
9. Had I Known You Better Then
10. Las Vegas Turnaround
11. She's Gone
12. You're Much Too Soon
13. Is It A Star
14. It's Uncanny
15. Love You Like A Brother
16. Lady Rain - Live
17. Bennie G. And The Rose Tattoo - Live
18. Better Watch Your Back - Live
19. Abandoned Luncheonette - Live
20. When The Morning Comes - Live

Disc Two
1. Camelia
2. Sara Smile
3. Alone Too Long
4. Gino (The Manager) - 2009 remix
5. Ennui On The Mountain
6. Out Of Me, Out Of You
7. Back Together Again
8. Rich Girl
9. Crazy Eyes
10. Have I Been Away Too Long
11. August Day
12. It's A Laugh
13. I Don't Wanna Lose You - 7" remix
14. Wait For Me
15. Time's Up (Alone Tonight)
16. The Woman Comes And Goes
17. How Does It Feel To Be Back
18. You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling
19. Kiss On My List
20. Everytime You Go Away - Live

Disc Three
1. You Make My Dreams
2. Private Eyes
3. Head Above Water
4. Did It In A Minute
5. Your Imagination
6. I Can't Go For that (No Can Do)
7. Don't Go Out - previously unreleased
8. Maneater
9. Family Man
10. One On One
11. Go Solo
12. Say It Isn't So
13. Adult Education
14. Out Of Touch
15. Method Of Modern Love
16. Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid
17. Possession Obsession - Live
18. A Nite At The Apollo Live! The Way You Do The Things You Do/My Girl - Live

Disc Four
1. Everything Your Heart Desires - video mix
2. Missed Opportunity
3. Keep On Pushin' Love
4. Storm Warning - previously unreleased
5. Change Of Season
6. Starting All Over Again - Live
7. So Close - Live
8. Do It For Love
9. Forever For You
10. Heartbreak Time
11. All The Way From Philadelphia - previously unreleased
12. Have You Ever Been In Love - previously unreleased demo
13. Me & Mrs. Jones - Live
14. I Want Someone - Live from Daryl's House/previously unreleased
15. Do What you Want, Be What You Are - Live/previously unreleased
16. Dreamer - redux

Leighton Meester's New Bangs: Love Them Or Leave Them? (PHOTOS)

2009-11-25T17:25:56Z

Leighton Meester debuted some new bangs Tuesday night at a Nylon Magazine party in NYC. The new look may not be permanent, as her hair also grew about a foot since the pre-bangs picture below was taken earlier this month. What do you think? Could B. have bangs?

PHOTOS:

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Leighton Meester Sings "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)," Challenges Mariah & U2

2009-11-24T15:29:21Z

"Gossip Girl" star Leighton Meester is continuing her crossover into music with a recording of "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)." Meester's biggest singing success to date was her vocals on the Cobra Starship summer hit "Good Girls Go Bad."

Below is Meester's take on the Christmas song, also available on iTunes, and below THAT are the U2 and Mariah Carey versions.

Take a listen and decide.

HEAR LEIGHTON:

WATCH U2:

HEAR MARIAH CAREY:

Blake Lively Riverdances, Swipes Jimmy Fallon's Butt (VIDEO)

2009-11-24T09:08:00Z

Blake Lively visited Jimmy Fallon Monday night to address some of the Internet rumors swirling about her. Turns out, most of them are true.

She does tend to break into riverdance jigs, and demonstrated despite initial protests about her dress being too short. And she can recite 'Waiting for Guffman' by heart.

When they got to the last rumor, Blake had to clarify what 'credit card swiping' her friends meant.

"Like in the butt," she said. "Nobody does that here?" Fallon was still confused, so she suggested a reenactment.

"My dress is too short!" Fallon cried before bending over in submission.

"Like Julianne Moore in 'Pippa,'" Blake said, referencing her upcoming S&M themed movie, as she gave him a swipe.

You can see Blake's greatest cleavage moments here.

WATCH:

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Blake Lively's Greatest Cleavage Moments: Which Is Your Favorite? (PHOTOS, POLL)

2009-11-22T11:03:43Z

Whether she's on the red carpet or playing Serena on "Gossip Girl," Blake Lively loves to dress for her chest. As she should. Blake has showcased her assets in many memorable outfits, from going shirtless with a blazer to wearing a navel-grazing deep V.

They have become a focus of the "Gossip Girl" trackers at NYMag,com and frequent blog subjects across the 'net. She's hosting SNL on December 5th, so it's TBD if they will also be a focus of their writers.

What do you think is her best look?

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Blake Lively Talks Lying Naked On Top Of Alan Arkin

2009-11-20T17:32:12Z

Blake Lively's next big screen role is a runaway drug-addled S&M video star who seeks refuge in the arms of a much older man in 'The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.'

The 'Gossip Girl' star tells Parade magazine just what it was like lying naked on top of 75-year-old screen legend Alan Arkin.

"Apparently naked, not fully naked," she explained. "I was lying partially naked on Alan Arkin, but strategic body parts were covered. It's always scary when you're in front of strangers half naked, but the fact that it was with Alan, honestly, didn't make it any weirder. I think being with a young dude would have been more awkward because I might have been like, 'Well, does he think I look cute right now?'"

Blake also told the magazine about being dragged around on a dog leash by her lesbian movie aunt, Julianne Moore.

"Pippa does get very dark," she said. "Like, that was me on a dog leash being led around for a photo shoot by Julianne Moore, who plays a lesbian photographer. It sounds bizarre, but it was exciting for me because I never really went through that dark and wild stage, so to get to explore that in the safety of a movie set was great."

You can read the whole Parade interview here.

'The Private Lives of Pippa Lee' opens November 27. You can watch the trailer and see sexy stills from the movie here.

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Taylor Momsen's Vampy Outfit: How Old Does She Look? (PHOTOS, POLL)

2009-11-20T12:38:51Z

Taylor Momsen is no stranger to the goth look, but last night it was contextually appropriate.

The 'Gossip Girl' star wore a long black lace Dolce & Gabbana dress and vampy makeup to an NYC screening of 'New Moon,' which has been largely panned by critics but will no doubt be a weekend blockbuster.

Vote and then scroll down below the pictures to find out how old Taylor really is.

PHOTOS:

**Scroll down for Taylor's age**

-------

Momsen, who plays Jenny Humphrey on 'Gossip Girl,' is 16.

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Leighton Meester's GQ Shoot: Lingerie, Spreads Legs (PHOTOS)

2009-11-18T17:15:08Z

The pictures are up!

Leighton Meester has a sexy shoot in the upcoming GQ. Below are some pictures of the 'Gossip Girl' star wearing a leather corset, lingerie and smoldering stare. In one she's seated spread eagle, in another she's on all fours.

Leighton wore similar getups in her recent music video, and considerably less in her sex tape released last summer.

You can read the GQ piece, in which Leighton gives a few sounds bites and "lunges for a piece of bacon" over a breakfast interview, here.

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"Gossip Girl" Threesome Prompts Parents Television Council Campaign Against Show

2009-11-04T16:47:53Z

NEW YORK — On-air promos for a sexual threesome on an upcoming episode of "Gossip Girl" have spurred the Parents Television Council to ask affiliates of the CW network to pre-empt the show.

Airing the teen tryst, which is being teased in an ad as a "3SOME," is "reckless and irresponsible," said PTC president Tim Winter in a statement Wednesday. The threesome involves three main characters in the show but they are not identified in the promos.

Regina Brooks: From Fiction to Fashion Statement: YA Books Spawn New Fashion Trends

2009-10-26T07:50:57Z

Teen interest in fashion is at an all-time high, and it's hard to pin down 'what's hot' and 'what's not' from month to month. It's helpful, of course, to look to the usual magazines, and to shows like Project Runway, but that's only scratching the surface. The role models teens look to for their fashion trends are not only found inside glossies, but also in the pages of books!

Go into the Young Adult section of the bookstore and you'll be bombarded by any number of titles centering on the fashion world (Catwalk, Airhead, Violet on the Runway), as well as characters that are notorious fashionistas (Clique, Poseur, and of course It Girl and Gossip Girl). The super-hip authors name-drop brands, describe clothes in painstaking detail, and lo, a trend is born.

This is most obvious with Gossip Girl, a book series that spawned an extremely popular CW show, turning the fashion seen on the pages into fashion seen on the small screen. As the New York Times observed, the show has spawned a huge number of fansites devoted just to the fashion of the show. Devotees watch, take notes, and then retailers watch the sales numbers spike after Serena Van Der Woodsen is shown with a hobo bag.

YA novels influence fashion trends in less overt ways. As The Telegraph's Natasha Cowan notes, in the UK the signature round, wire-frame glasses that Harry Potter wears have been flying off the shelves. Signature items like that have become increasingly popular with the publication of Twilight; Walmart started promoting Twilight jewelry in March of 2009. This is by no means a new trend: hardcore fans of the Lord of the Rings have long been able to order expensive "Rings of Power" from places such as the Skymall catalog. But never before have book-related fashion items been met with such a huge and eager audience! Only the geekiest of kids in high school owned the "one ring to rule them all;" now gaggles of girls crowd around each other in the lunchroom comparing their latest Twilight paraphernalia. Are you Team Edward, or Team Jacob? Get a t-shirt from Hot Topic or Nordstrom, and let the world know! Doubtlessly there will be innumerable such shirts at the premier of New Moon in November.

And with Halloween just around the corner, it's difficult to ignore the most obvious parallel of all: dressing up as a character from your favorite book. How many teens will log onto twilightbeauty.com and pick up a canister of Body Glow to get that vampiric 'dazzling marble skin' look has yet to be seen, but numbers will probably be pretty high. And then, of course, there are the redheaded Anne of Green Gables and Pippi Longstockings, the round-rimmed Harry Potters, the green-and-silver-wearing Slytherins, and innumerable other characters from the well-worn pages of today's YA books.

'The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee' Trailer: Blake Lively In Bondage Wear, Naked With Alan Arkin

2009-10-09T11:41:22Z

***Scroll down for Blake's S&M pics and the trailer***

Blake Lively's on the big screen again, and this time there are no traveling pants. In fact, sometimes she's wearing no pants at all, but there are chain collars, leather restraints and retro undies galore.

In 'The Private Lives of Pippa Lee,' Blake plays a runaway, Pippa, who seeks refuge with her lesbian aunt and dominatrix lover. Soon S. is drugged out, starring in S&M movies and crawling around on the floor on a leash. Luckily a much older lover (Alan Arkin) comes to her rescue.

Present-day Pippa is played by Robin Wright (Blake's the younger version in flashbacks), and the cast includes Julianne Moore, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder and Maria Bello. The movie premiered in February at the Berlin Film Festival and is set to open in limited release in the US November 27.

Here are some pics of Blake wearing a leash, getting spanked and naked with Alan Arkin. Scroll down for the trailer.

WATCH the trailer:

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Ed Westwick Shirtless & Tattooed For Arena Homme Plus Cover

2009-09-30T11:35:24Z

'Gossip Girl' star Ed Westwick is on the cover of the Fall/Winter issue of Arena Homme Plus.

Westick, a Brit who plays the American billionaire scion Chuck Bass on the show, shows off some of his many tattoos in the process.

PHOTO:

Rob Fishman: Californication Season 3: Sneak Peek And Review

2009-09-25T10:30:15Z

We've got a problem on our hands. Or, as it were, between her legs: she, the lissome beauty whose lovemaking appears, at the moment, wholly unrequited. Dispensing with the dulcet moans, the brunette demands of her slumbering lover (as if he needed the introduction)...

"Hank?" ... "Hank!" Moody, that is. Aroused now, he's waxing poetic on, of all things, her nether regions. "Warm and cozy, inviting, capacious, yet accommodating; it's cheeky, but not impudent, you know what I'm saying? It's a lovely place to curl up inside."

So is Californication, returning tonight for its third season on Showtime. David Duchovny reprises the role of Moody, the bawdy, cocksure and terminally lovesick belletrist transplanted from his native New York to Venice Beach. When last we saw him, Hank and daughter Becca (Madeleine Martin) were bidding goodbye to Karen (Natasha McElhone), as she decamped to the East Coast. And bidding goodbye to the plot line that propels most of the series' action. In spite of everything that's been thrown our way—aborted marriages, statutory rapes, ménages à trois, prostitutes, pornographers, mistaken cunnilingus, ambiguous pregnancies, and pilfered novels, to hit the high points—a star-crossed love affair undergirds and animates the whole operation.

In Karen's place, an ensemble guest cast alights around Hank's latest soapbox. A lectern, actually. After a dinner invitation from English professor Felicia Koontz (In Treatment's Embeth Davidtz) goes awry, the local university is short a visiting lecturer. Felicia doesn't have to look far for another "bad boy novelist looking for a teaching gig," as she puts it. Enter Professor Moody. Dean Kootz (Peter Gallagher), Felicia's husband, is none too happy about the appointment. But another Josh Schwartz alumni, Ed Westwick, couldn't be happier. As Balt, a gay student with a thing for vampires, and a bigger thing for Hank Moody, Westwick is Chuck Bass without the trust fund, but with the same underlying frailties. And instead of Leighton Meister, he's got Eva Amurri—daughter of HuffPost blogger Susan Sarandon—student by day, and stripper by night. Rounding out this season's triad of love interests (Felicia, not Balt, being the first) is Dianne Farr, from CBS' Numb3rs, as Hank's teaching assistant.

Evan Handler (also a HuffPost blogger) and Pamela Adlon return as Hank's agent, Charlie Runkle, and wife Marcy. Last season saw Charlie ditch Marcy for a stripper, only to be dropped himself. Having fallen on hard times, Runkle is working on commission for a new boss, Sue Collini (the inimitable and vaguely androgynous Kathleen Turner). Even by Californication's crass standards, Sue's got a foul mouth, employed mostly in pursuit of Charlie. As she assures us, "Collini always gets the weenie." In the meantime, Charlie and Marcy can't find a buyer for their home, and so become reluctant housemates.

It's a steady lineup of distractions for Hank, not to mention a steady paycheck. But gone with the muse is Hank's inspiration. He's penned a new novel, but it won't sell. He's raising Becca alone, and she's smoking pot. He's a known quantity to Felicia—but only, as she says, because she Googled him. And on top of all that, Becca allows that "mom's certainly not keeping pure for" him in New York.

In spite of it all, this season's Hank is characteristically insouciant, upbeat even. Then, the surnominal pun never stood in for saturnine. All evidence to the contrary—the mangy black wardrobe, black and battered Porsche, black sense of humor—there's rarely a dark cloud over his head. Hank is moody because he swings. From love to lust, in an interminable game of pong. Hank and Karen are the gas in the narrative engine. Everything else is a monkey wrench.

That's a tenuous spot for this series. As an audience, we can suffer only so many diversions before Californication jumps the shark. And at the same time, only so many permutations before the love story rings hollow. In the first season, Karen admits she dug Hank because he bucked the trend. "Imagine my fucking disappointment," she says, "when you turned out to be the biggest cliché of all, sitting there Googling yourself."

Imagine Hank's—and our—disappointment at having to be Googled.

Kelly Rutherford Gets Restraining Order Against Husband

2009-09-25T08:12:00Z

Gossip Girl star Kelly Rutherford obtained a temporary restraining order Thursday against her estranged husband Daniel Giersch, according to Los Angeles Superior Court records.

Rutherford alleges the German businessman "has begun to follow me, my mother and my nanny and he shows up unexpectedly to threaten and scare us," says the order, which is in effect for 21 days pending a court date to hear evidence.

Blake Lively's Emmy Party Outfit Change: Which Look Do You Prefer?

2009-09-21T15:12:57Z

"Gossip Girl" Blake Lively found time to change between the Emmy Awards, at which she presented, and the HBO post-Emmy party.

She lost the plunging red Versace in favor of a black sequined Balmain dress. She even changed her jewelry and her shoes, but kept the hair braid.

PHOTOS:

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Blake Lively & Leighton Meester's Emmy Dresses: Who's Hotter? (PHOTOS, POLL)

2009-09-20T20:45:16Z

S and B turned heads at the Emmy Awards Sunday night. Blake Lively wore a plunging red Versace dress and Leighton Meester sizzled in white Bottega Veneta with puffy shoulder knots.

The two presented the award for directing in a comedy series, which went to Jeffrey Blitz of 'The Office.'

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Taylor Momsen Rocks Out In Garters, Sequined Mini (PHOTOS)

2009-09-11T09:41:28Z

'Gossip Girl' actress Taylor Momsen enjoyed her other job Thursday night when she and her band The Pretty Reckless rocked out at a concert for Fashion's Night Out in New York City.

Momsen, 16, is the lead singer of the group and also plays guitar. They were the main draw at the Teen Vogue event on the streets of the West Village.

PHOTOS:

No video yet from Thursday night, but here if Momsen and her band Pretty Reckless in June 2009.
WATCH:

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Read more: Slideshow, Gossip Girl, Taylor Momsen, Entertainment News

'Gossip' Guy Neal Bledsoe Tells About Kissing Ed Westwick

2009-09-04T15:05:45Z
In a matter of minutes last week, Neal Bledsoe went from being a mostly unknown actor to the guy who made out with Ed Westwick on Gossip Girl. The headline-making kiss doesn't air until Oct. 19, but Bledsoe who plays a gay NYU alumni whom Blair pimps boyfriend Chuck out to happily offered us a sneak preview of the can't-miss episode (and broke some big career news in the process).

How has your life changed in the past week?
NEAL BLEDSOE: My mom is certainly a thousand times more proud of me. And it was my first experience with the paparazzi knowing my name, which was strange. I thought maybe Neil Diamond or Neil Sedaka was standing behind me.
Read more: Neal Bledsoe, Ed Westwick, Gossip Girl, Television, Entertainment News

Ed Westwick Films 'Gossip Girl' Gay Kiss

2009-08-25T12:28:19Z
Spotted: Chuck Bass sucking face with a dude!

It's true! Multiple Gossip Girl insiders confirm to me exclusively that the CW phenom is currently shooting an episode for its upcoming third season in which Ed Westwick's legendary lothario kisses another man.
Read more: Television, Ed Westwick, Chuck Bass Gay, Gossip Girl, Chuck Bass, Entertainment News

Ed Westwick's Pegged Jeans And Sockless Loafers: Hot Or Not? (POLL)

2009-08-10T11:50:51Z
"Gossip Girl" hunk Ed "Chuck Bass" Westwick won for Choice TV Villain at the Teen Choice Awards.

Posing with his victory surfboard Westwick showed off his tightly cuffed jeans, woven black loafers and sockless feet.

PHOTO:

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Read more: Ed Westwick, Poll, Gossip Girl, Teen Choice Awards, Entertainment News

Leighton Meester Sex Tape Denial

2009-08-05T12:28:04Z
Leighton Meester would like everyone to know that the rumored sex tape in which she was supposed to have given a foot job does not exist.

"[The tape] is not real, so it makes me sort of sad. It's unfortunate that it got carried as far as it did... I definitely understand the nature of people better now and that the mere allegation of something like that could be headline news. People think it's real because somebody says it is," she told Harper's Bazaar.

Meester graces the cover of the magazine's September fall fashion issue and inside poses for an editorial spread in which she ages from her 20s to her 50s. Here are some more highlights from her interview.

On handling her fame:
"I don't want most of what comes along with all of this. I'm doing everything I can to keep things separate. I feel like my friends are in a cult because we're like, No outsiders! I've never been crazy. I'm a very good girl, to be honest. I don't do anything to hurt anybody. Honestly, all I ever do is work."

On aging in Hollywood:
"Any fear of aging, I think, is simply vanity because what comes with age is so many wonderful things: wisdom, understanding. Every year, I'm always happy to be done with the previous age. If people want [to get Botox], do it."

You can read the whole Harper's Bazaar story here.

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Read more: Gossip Girl, Leighton Meester, Harper's Bazaar, Leighton Meester Sex Tape, Leighton-Meester-Sex-Video, Entertainment News

Mike Ragogna: Monday Music Quarterback

2009-07-27T00:30:16Z
As you're recovering from the joyful overkill that was this year's Comic-Con (by the way, Iron Man II will rock very hard, Battlestar Galactica's The Plan and Caprica will not suck, and Farscape Lives!...on a complete series DVD box set), take a few moments to catch-up on a handful of the more interesting press releases listed below. No wait, before you dig in, one quick note: Keep an eye on Robert Francis, a 21-year-old singer-songwriter that NPR already has compared to Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle. This past Thursday in front of a packed room at The Roxy, Robert previewed songs from his yet-to-be-released new Atlantic Records album as well as revisited songs from his first outing, One By One. For the uninitiated, Robert's writing style emulates Ry Cooder's and, occasionally, Bruce Springsteen's (he even looks like his skinny little brother). Performance-wise, Robert's sound takes a young, 21st century run at The Band, complete with soulful background vocals by the Laurel Canyon-est looking girl trio. His mid-ranged voice throws just a little Conor Oberst in the mix, though his more assertive vocals and strong falsettos pull the listener off that path pretty quickly. Atlantic is developing this artist carefully, so don't expect him to pop up on a September episode of One Tree Hill or Gossip Girl (but, come on, might a little Supernatural exposure really hurt the kid?).

GOSSIP ANNOUNCES U.S. HEADLINE TOUR

Gossip announces a U.S. headlining tour in support of their new album Music For Men. The tour kicks off in Washington, DC at 9:30 Club on October 7 and runs through October 30 at Vino's in Little Rock, AR (see below for full itinerary). Produced by multi Grammy Award winner Rick Rubin, Music For Men is in stores on Tuesday October 6, 2009. Music For Men has the UK press raving. Clash called it "Wild, sexy and scintillating, 'Music For Men' is the most euphoric thing you'll hear this year." Guardian exclaimed "Music for Men is a raised fist of a record. This record is bigger and better than anything they've done before."

"Heavy Cross," the first single from Music For Men, was featured last week as iTunes free Single of the Week. Entertainment Weekly recently declared the single as "the triumphant return of the cult blues-punk trio." "Heavy Cross" draws you in with Ditto's vulnerable murmurs over a pulsing beat that crescendos into an explosive mix of dance and punk rock anchored by her thunderous wail. "Her voice walks a thin line between tenderness and violence, so that the overall effect strikes one like a ballerina wielding a chainsaw," was how The Observer recently described Ditto's vocal prowess.

Gossip has toured extensively over the past couple years, covering the major festival circuits in North America, Europe, Australia and Japan. The band's live show has garnered critical acclaim and has cemented Gossip's reputation as one of the most exciting and relevant must-see live bands. NME raved "The greatest punk rock'n'roll disco soul band on the planet. Gossip are mind-blowing. Everyone needs to hear this band and dance like there's no tomorrow."

Gossip are Beth Ditto (vocals), Brace Paine (guitar, bass, keyboards) and Hannah Billie (drums).

Gossip U.S. tour dates
October 7 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
October 8 Philadelphia, PA - TLA
October 9 New York, NY - Terminal 5
October 11 Boston, MA - Paradise
October 15 Detroit, MI - Majestic Theater
October 16 Chicago, IL - Metro
October 17 Madison, WO - Orpheum
October 19 Denver, CO - Bluebird
October 20 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
October 23 Seattle, WA - Showbox
October 24 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
October 25 San Francisco, CA - Regency Ballroom
October 26 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theater
October 29 Austin, TX - Emo's
October 30 Little Rock, AR - Vino's

VIC CHESNUTT'S AT THE CUT OUT SEPTEMBER 22

ALBUM FEATURES MEMBERS OF FUGAZI,
GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR, SILVER MT. ZION

"Chesnutt writes intimate, Southern-flavored story songs that are at once crude and elegant; beautiful and gruesome; joyful and sad."--NPR's "Weekend Edition"

"When wheelchair-bound Vic Chesnutt spikes his soul-crushing songs with a wicked grin, he somehow gives discomfort a powerful allure."--Spin

At the Cut, the latest effort from Athens, GA-based singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt, is due September 22 on Constellation Records. A collaboration with Fugazi's Guy Picciotto and members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Silver Mt. Zion, At the Cut is the follow-up to Chesnutt's 2007 collaborative recording with the same group, North Star Deserter, lauded by Spin for "(turning) chronic disquiet into disturbingly palpable dread-folk," and Pitchfork for "(sounding) like a return to the dark woods after years in the city."

Recorded by former Arcade Fire member Howard Bilerman at Montreal's Hotel2Tango studio, At the Cut focuses on themes of cowardice, courage, mortality, tenacity, defiance, mourning and memory. The opening track, "Coward," was originally written for director (and Chesnutt collaborator) Jem Cohen's Empires of Tin and premiered in a live performance by Chesnutt and his band at the 2007 Vienna Film Festival. Reflecting the broad stylistic range of contributors on the album, the songs on At the Cut span the musical spectrum from classic Vic Chesnutt solo acoustic tracks to the sweeping walls of noise and snarling, angular guitars trademarked by his many collaborators. To be made available on CD and LP, the album's artwork features original and found photography by Jem Cohen.

In the 19 years since Chesnutt's debut album, he has made his mark by collaborating with a wide range of artists including Michael Stipe, Lambchop, Bill Frisell, Elephant Six mainstays Elf Power, Widespread Panic and the Cowboy Junkies. Hailing from rural Georgia and confined to a wheelchair since an automobile accident at the age of 18, Chesnutt has released 15 critically acclaimed records; been covered by a number of artists on the tribute album Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation including R.E.M., the Smashing Pumpkins, Madonna and Sparklehorse; was the subject of the 1992 PBS documentary Speed Racer and appeared in the Oscar Award-winning film Sling Blade.

SOULSAVERS TO LAUNCH HEADLINING TOUR IN SEPTEMBER

Full-Length Album Broken - Featuring Mark Lanegan on Vocals - to be released August 18

Soulsavers will follow the August 18 release of their third full-length album, Broken, with a headlining North American tour that kicks off September 6 in Portland, OR.

Broken features the return of Mark Lanegan [Queens of the Stone Age, Screaming Trees] on vocals and includes duets with Spiritualized's Jason Pierce ("Pharaoh's Chariot"), Faith No More frontman Mike Patton ("Unbalanced Pieces") and Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers ("Death Bells"). Also appearing on the album are Richard Hawley (backing vocals on "Shadows Fall"), Australian newcomer Red Ghost (Rosa Agostino) and studio bassist Martyn LeNoble (Porno For Pyros, Jane's Addiction).

Joining Machin and Lanegan on the road will be guitarist Rich Warren (Spiritualized) and bassist Martyn LeNoble (Porno For Pyros, Janes Addiction).

UPCOMING TOUR DATES
9/6 Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR
9/7 Bumbershoot Festival - Seattle, WA
9/9 The Independent - San Francisco, CA
9/10 Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA
9/12 Casbah - San Diego, CA
9/15 Stubb's - Austin, TX
9/16 House of Blues - Dallas, TX
9/18 One Eyed Jacks - New Orleans, LA
9/19 The Loft - Atlanta, GA
9/21 Rock and Roll Hotel - Washington, DC
9/22 Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
9/23 Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA
9/25 Mod Club - Toronto, ON
9/26 Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
9/27 Double Door - Chicago, IL

MUTEMATH PREPARE TO LAUNCH "ARMISTICE" ON AUGUST 18, 2009

The New Orleans-based eclectic/innovative rock quartet MUTEMATH has just completed their second full-length album for Teleprompt/Warner Bros. Records entitled Armistice. Recorded in New Orleans and Oxford, MS, and produced by Dennis Herring (Elvis Costello, Modest Mouse, The Hives), the record is scheduled for release on Aug 18th.

Nearly 50 minutes in total, MUTEMATH does not play it safe on their sophomore effort. With a stunning range of dynamics, Armistice boasts the kind of masterful production and songwriting that ensure it to be one of the year's standout albums.   Go to www.mutemath.com for future announcements, tour dates, merch, special offers and much more.

MATT HIRES SET TO TAKE US TO THE START
SINGER/SONGWRITER UNVEILS DEBUT ALBUM

TAMPA-BASED TROUBADOUR TOURING WITH PAOLO NUTINI
AS "HONEY, LET ME SING YOU A SONG" IMPACTS AT AAA

TAKE US TO THE START RELEASED VIA iTUNES ON JULY 28TH;
PHYSICAL RELEASE FOLLOWS ON AUGUST 25TH

F-Stop Music/Atlantic recording artist Matt Hires has announced details of his eagerly anticipated debut album. Take Us To The Start--which includes the single, "Honey, Let Me Sing You A Song"--will be released exclusively through iTunes on July 28th. The album will then arrive in stores everywhere on August 25th.

"Honey, Let Me Sing You A Song" is currently impacting at Triple A radio outlets nationwide. In addition, the track's companion video is streaming at Hires' official MySpace page, www.myspace.com/matthires. What's more, Take Us To The Start is being streamed exclusively pre-release via Pandora Radio, located at www.pandora.com.

The first full-length release from Atlantic's new F-Stop Music imprint, Take Us To The Start marks the arrival of a self-assured and authentic new artist. On tracks such as "State Lines" and "You In The End," the Tampa, Florida-based Hires fuses the intimacy of the great singer/songwriters with indelible pop-rock hooks and propulsive rhythms. Produced by Eric Rosse (Sara Bareilles, Tori Amos), Take Us To The Start is filled with multiple delights, most notably Hires' remarkable voice, an instrument striking in its warmth, expressiveness, and ability to convey a multitude of emotions within a single song.

Along the album's other highlights are two songs - "Turn The Page" and "Perfect Day" - which were featured in recent episodes of ABC's Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. Take Us To The Start follows Hires' EP, "Live At The Hotel Cafe," which reached the top 10 on iTunes' Top Singer/Songwriters Albums chart.

Hires is currently heralding the album's release by supporting fellow Atlantic recording artist Paolo Nutini on his North American tour (see attached itinerary). A charming and charismatic live performer, Matt--who recently shared stages with such like-minded artists as John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Marc Broussard, and O.A.R.--is next slated to join Tyrone Wells for a much-anticipated fall co-headline tour. Full details will be announced shortly.
For up-to-the-minute news and information, please visit Matt's official MySpace page, www.myspace.com/matthires.

TAKING WOODSTOCK

Soundtrack To Ang Lee's New Comedy About
The Road To The 1969 Event Includes Unforgettable Songs By
The Artists Who Played Woodstock, And Much More

Three Versions Available August 25

Taking Woodstock is the new movie comedy directed by Oscar winner Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) inspired by the memoirs of Elliot Tiber, who with his family inadvertently played a role in making the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival into the famed happening it was, 40 years ago this summer. The Taking Woodstock soundtrack, with songs from many of the artists who performed at the festival, reflects a joyous moment in time when everything seemed possible.

Three different versions will be available from Rhino August 25 at www.rhino.com and at all retail outlets. The CD version features the soundtrack with selections of Oscar® nominee Danny Elfman's (Milk) score, a score-only version, and an iTunes exclusive deluxe version, which includes the soundtrack, plus the complete score.

The Taking Woodstock soundtrack begins with Richie Havens, who opened the festival on August 15, 1969. For the movie Havens recorded a new version of "Freedom," the song he played to close his set at Woodstock. The soundtrack contains songs from a number of 1960s musical icons who performed at the festival, including Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, and Crosby, Stills & Nash-who played only their second show in front of the crowd, which was estimated at 500,000 strong.

Another memorable Woodstock moment echoed on the soundtrack is a live version of "I-Feel-Like I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag," the anti-war song Country Joe McDonald performed after leading the crowd in the infamous "Fish" cheer. The soundtrack also features live performances by other Woodstock alumni, including Arlo Guthrie ("Coming Into Los Angeles"), Canned Heat ("Going Up The Country"), Melanie ("Beautiful People"), and The Band ("I Shall Be Released"), whose members lived not far from the concert site.

Artists who were scheduled to perform at the festival but had to drop out are included on the Taking Woodstock soundtrack as well; Love ("The Red Telephone") and The Doors ("Maggie M'Gill").

Focus Features will release the movie Taking Woodstock nationwide August 28. The film stars Demetri Martin, Dan Fogler, Henry Goodman, Jonathan Groff, Eugene Levy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Imelda Staunton, with Emile Hirsch and Liev Schreiber. For more information about the film, visit www.takingwoodstockthemovie.com.

Taking Woodstock Soundtrack
1. "Freedom (2009)" - Richie Havens
2. Taking Woodstock Titles*
3. "Wooden Ships" - Crosby, Stills & Nash
4. "China Cat Sunflower" (Live) - Grateful Dead
5. "Maggie M'Gill" - The Doors
6. Elliot's Place*
7. "Coming Into Los Angeles" (Live) - Arlo Guthrie
8. "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag" (Live) - Country Joe McDonald
9. "Going Up The Country" (Live) - Canned Heat
10. "Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)" (Live) - Janis Joplin
11. A Happening (Office #2)*
12. "The Red Telephone" - Love
13. "Beautiful People" (Live) - Melanie
14. "I Shall Be Released" (Live) - The Band
15. Perspective Extended*
16. "One More Mile" - The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
17. "Volunteers" - Jefferson Airplane
*Score written and produced by Danny Elfman

Taking Woodstock Score
1. Taking Woodstock Titles
2. Elliot's Place
3. At Ease Man
4. Welcome Home
5. The Magic Tickets
6. Get The Money
7. Chocolate Milk
8. Groovy Thing (Office #1)
9. A Happening (Office #2)
10. Groovy Thing (Guitar Solo)
11. Life Goes On
12. The Acid Trip
13. Hash Brownies
14. In The Mud
15. Perspective Extended
16. I Love Her
17. Woodstock Wildtrack #1
18. Woodstock Wildtrack #2

SUFJAN STEVENS PRESENTS THE BQE

CD/DVD WITH VIEWMASTER® REEL, 180-GRAM VINYL
WITH COMIC BOOK DUE OCTOBER 20

"[The BQE] uses swirling, glimmering Romantic orchestration (by way of soundtracks and 1950s pop) to make [Stevens'] private ruminations more quizzical and more alluring at the same time."
--The New York Times

"Stevens' film and score managed to turn the city into an object of such joy it felt like an honor to be from the place."--ARTslanT

Sufjan Stevens premiered The BQE, a film and musical suite exploring New York City's infamous Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Festival in November 2007. The critically applauded performance featured 36 performers including a band, a wind and brass ensemble, string players, a horn section, projected film footage of the expressway and five hula hoopers. On October 20, Asthmatic Kitty Records will release The BQE (also available via Rough Trade in the UK, P-Vine in Japan, Spunk in Australia).

The comprehensive package features the CD soundtrack, the DVD of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway film footage, a 40-page booklet with extensive liner notes & photographs and an accompanying stereoscopic 3-D Viewmaster® reel. Furthermore, Asthmatic Kitty will release a limited edition double gatefold vinyl edition of The BQE on 180-gram vinyl with a large-scale 32-page booklet including liner notes, photographs and a black and white version of a 40-page BQE-themed Hooper Heroes comic book. View a video trailer of The BQE here: vimeo.com/5682252.

On October 24, 92YTribeca will host the premiere screening of The BQE DVD with an introduction by Stevens. At the screening, the Osso Quartet will perform selections from Run Rabbit Run. Tickets for this went on sale July 23 via http://www.92y.org/92yTribeca/default.asp.

The concept behind The BQE is based largely on the history of New York's Brooklyn-Queens Expressway--12.7 miles of urban roadway built between 1939 and1964 by master urban planner Robert Moses. The Viewmaster®, unveiled at the 1939 NYC World's Fair (the World's Fair being part of the motivation for the construction of the BQE, funneling New Yorkers to and from Flushing, Queens), was intended to promote 3-D panoramic illusions of the American landscape and serve as advertising for various tourist destinations and motivation for American drivers. The Hooper Heroes comic book, written by Stevens and drawn, colored and inked by collaborator Stephen Halker, follows three extra-terrestrial superhero sisters who use hula-hoops to combat "the Messiah of Civic Projects," Captain Moses.

Sufjan Stevens has released seven studio recordings since 2000 including Michigan and Illinois, the first two entries in an epic series of 50 recordings each based on a different U.S. state; a 5-EP Christmas box set; and Enjoy Your Rabbit, an instrumental electronic song cycle based on the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Run Rabbit Run, a recording of Enjoy Your Rabbit rearranged for the Osso String Quartet, is due October 6 via Asthmatic Kitty. Stevens has also collaborated with fellow indie pop acts Danielson Famile, Rosie Thomas, Denison Witmer, My Brightest Diamond and many others.

Read more: Guardian, Tori Amos, Conor Oberst, Tyrone Wells, Denison Witmer, Country Joe McDonald, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Comic-Con, Dan Fogler, <Adonna, Henry Goodman, Sling Blade, Jonathan Groff, Rosa Agostino, Eric Rosse, Porno for Pyros, Matt Hires, John Mayer, Arcade Fire, Vienna Film Festival, Eugene Levy, One Tree Hill, Silver Mt. Zion, Martyn Lenoble, Screaming Trees, Sufjan Stevens, Gossip Girl, Queens of the Stone Age, Guy Picciotto, Elvis Costello, Mike Patton, Cowboy Junkies, Jem Cohen, Asthmatic Kitty Records, Battlestar Galactica, Modest Mouse, Rick Rubin, Dmetri Martin, Beth Ditto, Robert Moses, Brace Paine, P-Vine Records, Entertainment Weekly, Ry Cooder, Laurel Canyon, Marc Broussard, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Gossip, Supernatural, Vic Chestnutt, Townes Van Zandt, Emile Hirsch, Elephant Six, Robert Francis, Constellation Records, Farscape, Speed Racer, Michael Stipe, O.a.R., Danny Elfman, Jefferson Airplane, Arlo Guthrie, Elf Power, Myspace, Melanie, Richard Warren, Imelda Staunton, Steve Earle, Grateful Dead, The BQE, Stephen Halker, Jane's Addiction, Smashing Pumpkins, Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic, World's Fair, Paolo Nutini, Rosie Thomas, Osso Quartet, Janis Joplin, Ang Lee, Atlantic Records, Hannah Billie, Woodstock, Bill Frisell, The Hives, Mark Lanegan, Chinese Zodiac, Love, Richard Hawley, Empires of Tin, Spunk Records, Danielson Famile, Crosby Stills & Nash, Elliot Tiber, My Brightest Diamond, Npr, Liev Schrieber, Canned Heat, Iron Man II, Rough Trade Records, Howard Bilerman, Jason Pierce, Dennis Herring, The Doors, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Red Ghost, Richie Havens, Itunes, The Band, R.E.M., Taking Woodstock, The Observer, Bruce Springsteen, Clash, Mutemath, Fugazi, Lambchop, Sparklehorse, Spiritualized, Viewmaster, 92ytribecca, Japan, Athens-Georgia, Detroit-Michigan, Louisiana, Tampa-Florida, Seattle-Washington, Montreal-Canada, Canada, New York-New York, Los Angeles-California, Salt Lake City-Utah, United Kingdom, Australia, New Orleans-Louisiana, Oxford-Mississippi, San Francisco-California, Chicago-Illinois, Portland-Oregon, Entertainment News