Tabloid fixture and sometime singer Amy Winehouse has told a UK gossip columnist that even though her stab at a theme to the new James Bond movie, Quantum Of Solace, was rejected in favor of a collaboration between Jack White and Alicia Keys, she's going to get it together enough to record the song anyway. Really!
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Thanks to the efforts of anti-smoking activists, promotional materials with cigarette branding were pulled from Alicia Keys' concert in Jakarta tonight on her Philip Morris-sponsored world tour. Frankly, this pushes all of my earnest buttons. Though it is unlikely that this late action will make much of a difference—cigarette ads with Keys were already up on billboards across the city, and a huge chunk of the city's teenage population already smokes—it is nevertheless satisfying to see Philip Morris slapped down for deliberately targeting kids in developing nations where they are not subject to the strict laws of the United States. (Yes, I am obviously not a smoker.) [Reuters]
File under things that are either going to be pretty OK or trainwrecky on a Converse sneaker-ad level: Jack White and Alicia Keys are going to collaborate on the theme song for the new James Bond movie, Quantum Of Solace, the first duet in Bond soundtrack history. The song alas, will not possess the same title as the movie; it'll be called "Another Way To Die." Keys has been waiting to get together with the White Stripes for a while, so I guess that working with just Jack will have to do? [Billboard]
Earlier this month, we examined LA Times blogger Todd Martens' attempt to predict the nominees for the Best New Artist Grammy ahead of the Sept. 30 cutoff point for next year's awards. Martens decided to take on the Album of the Year category this week, giving me (and you!) even more to post about and puzzle over.
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E! gossip Marc Malkin is claiming that Alicia Keys has won the race to provide a song for the next James Bond movie, a race that had previously been led by Amy Winehouse, Duffy, and Annie Lennox. The movie is due out in November, and as of now Keys' rep isn't commenting, which, as we all know, means that she's probably in the studio with Mark Ronson as I type this. But I'm kind of bummed out that recent Ronson collaborators Duran Duran were apparently also under consideration to write a new theme for the flick; even though Red Carpet Massacre was somewhat underwhelming, I'd have to think that being forced to revisit one of their finest moments would have wrung some sort of creative inspiration out of Simon, John, Roger, and Nick.
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When one heard that Alicia Keys was on a series of Dove Soap "minisodes" (or, God forbid, witnessed one), the most logical reaction was "why?" Why would someone with a successful music career and several glamorous movie projects in the works bother to show off her talents in such a tacky way? Turns out that Alicia's being a busy bee so she can retire at 30 (only three years away!) and see the world. "I am working hard now so I have the choice to retire when I want. I would like to travel the world and stay in places instead of having to move on like I do now. I want to experience difference cultures." Odds are this retirement will be more like a semester abroad. [Angry Ape]
You'd think that someone whose album has sold 3.4 million copies in this arid music marketplace would feel that she doesn't have to promote her album by engaging in silly stunts that only use the commercial breaks on The Hills to show the world that Nick Lachey has more acting chops than she does. But in the case of Alicia Keys, you would be wrong! And her stunting has somehow gotten even more embarrassing—she's recruiting a backup singer (who's 21-30, "physically fit," and "able to dance") via MySpace, perhaps in honor of the site's new karaoke area. This is one of those times when I feel like an elopement would have at least a bit more dignity in the grand publicity-stunt scheme of things. [Billboard]
Alicia Keys clumsily claims that the concept of "gangsta rap" was a concoction of the government/media in a Blender interview, and uncommercial maverick artists like 50 Cent get in a tizzy over the idea that they might be playing into some sort of conglomerate-approved caricature. "I don't like Alicia Keys no more though ... the same reason why I said that I don't like Oprah Winfrey." moaned Fid, "I'm prejudice(d). I don't like people who don't like me." Maybe he's just bummed he hasn't been asked to play her boyfriend in a music video. Not that he likes that "classical music shit" she's been putting out.
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If you were a multiplatinum artist and Grammy perennial like Alicia Keys, would you bother appearing in Fresh Takes, a Dove-sponsored "microseries" that runs during episodes of The Hills? Wouldn't roles in upcoming prestige pics with names like The Secret Life Of Bees and Composition In Black And White scratch your thespian itch enough that you can pass on dialogue like "my mom is on Facebook?!" Is that Dove money so sweet that you're cool working with Nick Lachey? Do you really want what's left of him?
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We're hearing rumors that Alicia Keys' splashy performance at this Sunday's Grammys won't have her singing with Whitney Houston, as previously speculated; instead, she'll share a stage with Frank Sinatra, or rather a "virtual" version of the nearly-10-years-gone crooner. Said holographic fever dream will be projected onto the stage in a fashion similar to the way Elvis Presley appeared on the American Idol charity special alongside a bejumpsuited Celine Dion. (Ah, memories.) No word on what Ol' Blue Eyes and Young Piano Fingers will sing yet, but you can bet your copy of Duets that a saleable version of it will make its way to iTunes faster than you can hum "The Lady Is A (Cross-Promotional) Tramp." [Photo: AP]
Alicia Keys' As I Am topped the album charts this week, selling 61,000 copies and increasing its sales total by 3% over a week ago, when it was in the No. 2 slot. Last week's top seller, the soundtrack to Juno, took a 16% hit and flip-flopped with As I Am. Thank God the Jack Johnson album is coming out to rescue us from this monotony, eh? Wait, did I just really say that?
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Feist, Alicia Keys, and Brad Paisley have all signed on to perform at the Grammys, although the prospect of the three artists performing together is probably pretty slim. (Too bad—I would have loved to see the inevitably awkward attempt to meld "Online" and Feist's iPod Nano ads.) Also, to prove the awards' commitment to the continued health of the recorded-music industry, trophies will be handed out by present-day stars of current popular music like Natalie Cole, Cyndi Lauper, Bette Midler, and Bonnie Raitt. [Billboard.biz]
In a pretty dismal week for the album charts overall, Alicia Keys' As I Am held on to the top spot, selling 61,000 copies—a 14% dropoff from the week before. The next three chart entries—the Juno soundtrack, Mary J. Blige's Growing Pains, and Radiohead's In Rainbows—all stayed in the same chart positions as the week before as well, although all those albums experienced sales drops (of 15%, 19%, and 33%, respectively.) But wait, there's more bad news!
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Contrary to earlier reports, the Juno soundtrack did not take the up-the-pole position on this week's album-sales charts—instead, the Moldy Peaches-stuffed album took the No. 3 slot, selling 68,000 copies. Instead, this week's No. 1 was Alicia Keys' As I Am, which sold 70,000 copies and backed into the top spot on a 38% sales dip; last week's No. 1, Radiohead's In Rainbows, had a 44% drop of its own and fell into the No. 2 slot.
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"No One" Reimagines Sondheim Like The Tribute Video Community
We're just now wrapping up two concurrent seasons: movie-going season, and end-of-year music criticism season. Luckily YouTube has a video to offer that combines both of these variously unbearable occurrences into one moderately amusing tribute.
And lo, the not-very-invisible hand of Clive Davis makes its presence felt in the run-up to the Grammys (what do you mean you're not excited yet?): "INSIDERS ARE WHISPERING that Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys may do a duet together for the 50th annual Grammys Feb. 10 at the Staples Center in L.A." [Chicago Sun-Times via The Velvet Rope]
Ed. note: Chris "dennisobell" Molanphy, our resident chart guru, looks at the upward, downward, and lack of movement on the Billboard Hot 100 in the latest installment of "100 And Single":
Now in its fifth week atop Billboard's Hot 100, Alicia Keys' "No One" is as unmovable as sticky toffee pudding—as is most of the Top 10. But there are songs percolating further down the chart, and they give a hint of what might burst into the winner's circle when the year-end logjam breaks.
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