Idolator: amy winehouse

Amy Winehouse's Fame Hinders Her DJ Battle Stance

Maura Johnston — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:45:00 EDT

Amy Winehouse lost the DJ battle at her London local last night—perhaps because she only picked the songs and stood there, since her 30-minute set included some inarguable classics like Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up" and the Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love." But at least she won the war of, um, being famous: "[She] was just trying to do a bit of DJ-ing, but because it was quite a small venue and she's so famous instead of dancing to the music like normal fans would, everyone was crowded around the DJ box trying to take pictures of her. So it was less like a gig and more like a photo shoot or a press conference," an Evening Standard reporter told Reuters. This might explain her decision to depart the pub while cloaking herself with a lampshade and a box, as shown. [Reuters / Photo: WENN]

Amy Winehouse To "DJ Battle" Tomorrow Night

Anthony Miccio — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:30:00 EDT

Following recent reports of yet more bar-hopping tomfoolery from Amy Winehouse in the Camden area of London, the NME reports that the singer will take over one of her favored watering holes, the Camden Monarch, for "Snakehips At The Monarch," a night of music that has influenced Amy over her not-all-that long, but definitely "varied" career. The singer also plans to engage in a "battle" with DJ Bioux, a known spinner of '50s garage, sleaze, and exotica. Can we expect a drama-free night? Seeing as how her Blake incarcerated is going to be sentenced that day, it's possible she may not be in the partying mood... which may or may not be worse for the event than if she is. Good to see she's found a way to be productive and keep herself out of places she might be tempted to overindulge. Like club nights. [NME]

Amy Winehouse Punch-Out Victim: "I Was Just Trying To Grab The Free Hat"

Maura Johnston — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EDT

London resident James Gostelow, the 25-year-old who achieved minor notoriety when he was punched by Amy Winehouse at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday night, is not mad at the troubled songstress at all. Hey, at least he has the best story of all his friends who went to the festival, right? Gostelow would, however, like to clear up the whole discrepancy over whether or not he was trying to paw Winehouse's cleavage before the attack. He was just trying to get a hat that was flung by someone in the back rows! Why a hat would be worthy of grabbing during a once-in-a-lifetime extra-slurry Winehouse performance is beyond me, unless it was a Hat FM model.

"I saw a hat being thrown from behind me and it hit Amy's beehive," he said. "She looked down, saw me looking up, and her elbow went for me.

"She caught my forehead, then someone may have shouted something from the back, which is when she went in again.

"At the end of the day it is all part of being at the front and being pushed by thousands of people. It is all part of the Glastonbury experience. I'm just pleased I got to see her. She did a great act.

"Not everyone can say they have been hit by Amy Winehouse. I just want to shake the person who threw the hat."

Well, now we know: You do not fuck with Amy Winehouse's hair. Hey, if she ever gets her life together, maybe she can be in a remake of Spaceballs!

Amy Winehouse Glastonbury 'punch victim' speaks [NME]

Amy Winehouse's Fist Says "No, No, No" To Grabby Glastonbury Attendee

Maura Johnston — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:30:00 EDT

Amy Winehouse apparently made it through her set at Glastonbury last night standing, with highlights including her covering "A Message To You Rudy," finally spitting out that gum that she's always chewing during her performances, and calling Kanye West a "cunt" in the middle of one song. (Kanye, naturally, responded right away on his blog, saying that being hated by "Whinehouse" was a sign that he'd really made it and appending a LOL.) But at the end of her set was when things really got real; she jumped offstage and sang while teetering around in front of the crowd, and one fan was so excited by this that he allegedly went in for a quick grope of either her breast or her beehive. Winehouse "thanked" this person with a quick punch (at the :45 mark of the above video), although the BBC is reporting that said concertgoer hasn't pressed charges yet. Well, it takes time to get to the police station from the front row!

Meanwhile, the Times Of London says that "music critics" are claiming that Amy was in top form throughout the set, and Glastonbury organizer Michael Eavis is already claiming that she could be next year's headliner. But the YouTube clips I've spot-checked would seem to be at odds with that assessment. See for yourself:

Amy Winehouse - Rehab - Live At Glastonbury 2008 [YouTube]
Amy Winehouse performs at Glastonbury 2008 [YouTube]
Amy Winehouse appears to punch a fan at Glastonbury Festival [Times Online]

Amy Winehouse is on the scene at Nelson Mandela's ...

Maura Johnston — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:45:00 EDT

Amy Winehouse is on the scene at Nelson Mandela's 90th-birthday concert in London's Hyde Park, and she apparently even managed to make it through a soundcheck. During which she performed "Rehab." With a bottle of vodka by her side. Her set, of course, isn't for a few hours, so we'll just tag this story as "developing." [MTV Newsroom Blog]

Amy Winehouse May Go Back To Two-Tone On Her Next Album

Maura Johnston — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Rolling Stone sent a writer to tag after the ever-troubled Amy Winehouse earlier this month, and after an early-morning vigil outside the singer's door, Claire Hoffman was invited inside, where she was greeted by the news of Winehouse's racist singalong, along with "discarded bags of potato chips, crumpled nuggets of tinfoil, beer bottles, lingerie boxes and scattered old credit cards." "Up All Night With Amy Winehouse" is full of grimy details on Winehouse's current existence, with the phrase "black resin" being used to describe the lining of her fingernails twice. But in some heartening news, it does actually have Winehouse discussing how she'd like to proceed with her next record, although some of those plans are communicated via hip-shakes and finger-wiggles.

I ask her what her next album will be like. "Same stuff as my last album but with some ska." Have you started recording it yet? "It's not so much about recording, it's about whatever."

I ask her about her fallout with Ronson. She tells me he made a snap judgment about her based on all the negative press. "We are close enough that I thought we could be like, 'Hello, darling, it's me,' " she says. She adds that they went to the studio for a few days in Oxford, but they weren't connecting. "I played him tracks I liked, just getting the vibe, and he was like, 'Amy, come, let's work.' He was really just uptight. . . . " she trails off and then resumes cheerfully: "He left after three days, and I was like, 'Breathe a sigh of relief, I'm in the country and I can write.' "

I ask what the songs are like. "When the songs are done, they'll be all atmospheric and cool like that...." She does this sort of Sixties-ish Space Age Bond-girl dance, standing with a hip thrust to the side, wiggling her fingers, and opening her mouth. "Whaaaaa . . ." is the sound she makes. "They might be like these girls I've been listening to, like the Shangri-Las."

I ask her about Doherty. "We're just good friends," she says. "I asked Pete to do a concept EP, and he made this face, he looked at me like I'd pooed on the floor. He wouldn't do it. We're just really close."

Ska, huh? Not sure how Doherty would fit into that concept, although it would seem that Doherty is too busy using his camera's blue-light filter to hold on to any sort of concept these days. But the fact that Winehouse foresees a future for herself, that should inspire some hope, right? Especially with the emphysema story being denied by her flack, right? Sigh. I'm just trying to be optimistic.

Up All Night With Amy Winehouse [RS]
Amy Winehouse racist video [YouTube]

Can Emphysematic Amy Winehouse Avoid Drugs Long Enough To Sing For Mandela?

Anthony Miccio — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Thanks to her prodigious intake of cigarettes and crack pipes, the 24-year-old Amy Winehouse has come down with a slight case of emphysema and an irregular heartbeat. Says her daddy Mitch, "With smoking the crack cocaine and the cigarettes her lungs are all gunked up. There are nodules around the chest and dark marks. She's got 70% lung capacity." Mostly, this diagnosis reaffirms what we already knew: if she's not on stage singing, she's probably off somewhere getting closer to death. "If she hadn't done recent shows in Moscow and Portugal she could have been dead by now. She abstains and regulates her drug use when she has to do a show. When she's been inactive work-wise then that's when the problems really start." So how do they plan to keep her well enough to hopefully sing at Nelson Mandela's birthday bash on Friday, and, God willing, Glastonbury? By avoiding Pete Doherty!

"I'm saying to those drug dealers, and they know who they are, if they are supplying crack to Amy, then they've got to take responsibility," her father said. "I don't want her hanging out with her mates like Pete Doherty either."

Meanwhile, Amy's husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, is calling his wife every day to "help her stay strong", Mitch said. Fielder-Civil is, of course, not the most stable of supporters, and currently awaits sentencing for grievous bodily harm and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

"Blake apologised to me for getting Amy into drugs and says he's going to try and put it right," her father said.

Maybe if nothing distracts or upsets her, she'll be able to focus on her work, and give us something other than "Winemouse" to react to. Yeah, all she needs is a quiet summer to collect herself. Oh, wait.

Glastonbury 2008: Winehouse may still play, despite emphysema [Guardian]

Jay-Z Is Not A Hippie

Maura Johnston — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:30:00 EDT

After months of buildup, including rumors of soft ticket sales and Oasis members sniping over whether Jay-Z was an "appropriate" Glastonbury headliner, the festival is finally on the horizon, and organizers are getting ready to roll out the muddy carpet for the hip-hop mogul, who'll headline a bill that also includes Kings Of Leon, Jimmy Cliff, The Verve, and Leonard Cohen. (Amy Winehouse is expected to show up too, despite a recent emphysema diagnosis and hospital visit; she may be on the path to wearing an oxygen mask all the time, but for now she's still as ready to sing as she can be, according to her father. Good looking out, Dad.) Jay, who said of his Glasto gig that he's "never been involved in anything this controversial," has a busy, yet soulless, weekend ahead of him:

The VIP arrangements in place for the rapper include a Land Rover tour of Worthy Farm, the muddy dairy fields where 72-year-old farmer Michael Eavis hosts Britain's largest and best-known festival.

"I had a word with his manager," said Eavis. "And he said: you're country folk down there, we're city kids. I said that a lot of people that come to Glastonbury are city kids too, and I would show him around to prove it." Eavis said preparations included a tour of Trash City - a field of sculptures and robots made of waste - a trip around Shangri La, this year's weird and wacky "festival within a festival", and a stop in the comedy tent.

However, Jay-Z and his partner Beyoncé Knowles, recently rumoured to have married, will avoid the stone circle, a place many fans view as the spiritual soul of the Somerset event. "The hippy thing, his manager said, isn't quite up [Jay-Z's] street," Eavis added.

Not yet, anyway. Wait until he needs a big idea for one of his Live Nation-produced tours, though, then he'll be all about finding some rocks and soul.

Jay-Z gets into the spirit of Glastonbury to silence critics [Guardian]

Starbucks Soul: Now More Than Ever

Anthony Miccio — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Jamie Lidell's dropping the electro and bringing on the supper club in this Conan O'Brien performance, answering everyone's prayers for a less disco Jamiroquai. Meanwhile, Duffy's "Mercy" is almost mistaken for a summer jam (thank you, Tyga mafia!) and snoozy British songbirds like Adele are popping up everywhere. But why? Why, why, why? Some answers, and some predictions.

1. Amy Winehouse is the new Kurt Cobain.
Oh, troubled singer with a drug habit and questionable choice of spouse. Hopefully, you'll make one more album before choking on a mouse.

2. This kind of classy snooze is probably the only thing that will sell well at both Wal-Mart and Starbucks.
In a world full of hoochies, it's good to know that some young singers still have dignity, but don't necessarily feel the need to wear big gowns and do goofy cabaret songs with lots of swearing. Old school enough for new grandmothers, and modern enough for new moms. Oprah and Tyra, united.

3. American Idol has helped audiences refocus on the magic of a good voice.
Doing really limp versions of classic schmaltz.

4. Mick Hucknall is going to make a comeback.
Simply Red's 2009 tour will allegedly be the "group"'s last, but Mick already has a tribute to Bobby Bland planned, and I can't imagine Leona Lewis or someone wouldn't be into a duet of "Holding Back The Years."

5. A sequel to, or a rip-off of, The Commitments is only a matter of time.

Cross-promotion, baby! No reason to leave any medium untouched by the soul revival.

Jamie Lidell on Conan [Red Lasso via Pitchfork]
"Dark End Of The Street" [YouTube]

Idolator Sits Literature At Cambridge, Finds A Scholarly Purpose For AZLyrics.Com

Kate Richardson — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:30:00 EDT

England is all atwitter over the news that students were asked to compare Sir Walter Raleigh's poem "As You Came from the Holy Land" to the lyrics of "Love is a Losing Game" by Amy Winehouse in a final exam at Cambridge University last week. Reaction so far ranges from snooty disdain to prolix vitriol. But has anyone yet mustered the blogging gusto to actually attempt this controversial lit crit stunt? As the girl who once interpreted the line in Rubén Darío's "Yo persigo una forma" about the "impossible embrace of Venus de Milo" (a figurative statement about the impossibility of achieving true beauty) as a hilarious wisecrack about the armless nature of the statue, I feel more than qualified to be the first to perform this task.

The exact details vary from one British periodical to the next, but the Times of London tells it this way:

The verses from Love is a Losing Game may not quite make it as a sonnet, but the track, from Winehouse's Back to Black album, was deemed good enough for discussion on lyric poetry. The extract included verses such as: "Though I'm rather blind/ Love is a fate resigned/ Memories mar my mind/ Love is a fate resigned" and "Over futile odds/ And laughed at by the gods/ And now the final frame/ Love is a losing game."

Students expressed a mixture of surprise, irritation and no little admiration for their exam setters. "It was really bizarre," said one student, speaking on condition of anonymity while his paper was with the markers. "I sat there looking at the paper in shock. I wouldn't consider a controversial pop singer a literary figure."

The examiners posed the following question: "The Oxford English Dictionary defines 'lyric' as 'Of or pertaining to the lyre; adapted to the lyre, meant to be sung'. It also quotes Ruskin's maxim 'lyric poetry is the expression by the poet of his own feelings'.

"Compare poem (a) on the separate sheet [a lyric by Sir Walter Raleigh, written in 1592] with one or two of the song lyrics (b)(d), with reference to these diverse senses of 'lyric'."

"Lyric (d)", Love is a Losing Game, written by Winehouse and Mark Ronson and winner of an Ivor Novello award last week for being the Best Musical and Lyrical Song, was up against stiff competition.

The Raleigh text was As You Came from The Holy Land...

In case you've been stuck in the cave that even the Cambridge elders managed to escape, here's "Love is a Losing Game":

And the lyrics. I'll be using this hopefully accurate page as my source for the poem.

The most obvious structural difference between the two is that Raleigh's poem is a conversation between two characters, or voices, while "Love is a Losing Game," like most modern pop songs, is simply a one-perspective affair with no conversational aspect. But other than that, the two works are remarkably similar; both are more or less fatalist ruminations on the fleeting nature of love.

For Raleigh, the inevitability is love's aversion to age:
"I have loved her all my youth,/But now old, as you see,/Love likes not the falling fruit/From the withered tree."

Winehouse doesn't even give love a shot out of the gate:
"Though I've battled blind/Love is a fate resigned/Memories mar my mind/Love is a fate resigned."

Both also share the standard quatrain form, though Raleigh primarily uses the slightly more complicated ABCB rhyme scheme, while Winehouse sticks to AAAA and AABB because she's a decent pop star and smart enough to keep things essentially simple.

The most important point, however, is the difference of the final stanzas of each work. Raleigh's poem is a conversation between a man who's been left by his "true love" and a traveler who's returned from a trip to the Holy Land. The lovelorn character asks the traveler if he saw his trifling ex-girlfriend out on the pilgrimage route and the traveler says yeah, he saw her and she was totally hot. Then they get into a mopefest about how love is hard, and love is also reckless, and people fall out of love with each other as they get older, and bitches be crazy, etc. The traveler is a bit of an instigator in the situation, encouraging the man to talk more about his heartache and, as another great poet might put it, generally giving love a bad name:

"Know that Love is a careless child,/And forgets promise past,/He is blind, he is deaf when he list,/ And in faith never fast."

But in the last stanza of "As You Came from the Holy Land" the spurned lover declares "But true love is a durable fire,/In the mind ever burning,/Never sick, never old, never dead,/From itself never turning." The two-voice structure provides for the situation to be talked out and brought to a certain conclusion. While the man is initially bitter and sad, he eventually rises to answer the pessimism of the traveler, concluding that true love is essentially worthy despite its petty trappings.

In the last verse of "Love is a Losing Game," however, there is no such optimism:

"Over futile odds/And laughed at by the gods/And now the final frame/Love is a losing game."

Winehouse hasn't gone anywhere in the course of the song; she's right back where she started from three minutes before, losing at love. There's nothing to work against in "Love is a Losing Game"; it's just Winehouse and her sorrow, and as the song also lacks a narrative element there's yet even less forward motion.

Sir Walter Raleigh says "true love is a durable fire," while Amy Winehouse "was a flame." If lyrics are by definition "meant to be sung," then "As You Came from the Holy Land" is an essentially hopeful duet, while "Love is a Losing Game" is a past-tense ode to misery which is in every way "the expression by the poet of [her] own feelings."

Amy Winehouse gets into Cambridge [Times of London]

Amy Winehouse Goes From Covering Alicia Keys To Opening For Jay-Z

Maura Johnston — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:30:00 EDT

Organizers of the Glastonbury Festival have told the BBC that Amy Winehouse will perform at next month's festival, which has so far been plagued by disappointing ticket sales and public bickering over whether or not Jay-Z is an "appropriate" headliner. Winehouse, who actually managed to get attention for being involved in the making of music this week, is only expected to deliver what one Glasto organizer Emily Eavis is calling "one of the biggest sets of the summer, supporting the most anticipated artist at Glastonbury in the past 38 years." Uh, no pressure there, right? Whether or not she'll be able to pull off a full set, as opposed to a single-sing TV appearance—or, heck, even show up—will probably be signaled by her scheduled appearance at the Rock in Rio next Friday. She'll be opening for Lenny Kravitz, which doesn't really seem to me like motivation to get back in the saddle, work-wise. [BBC]

Is Winemouse Worse Than 2 Girls, 1 Cup?

Anthony Miccio — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:30:00 EDT

Amy Winehouse actually did something semi-music-related this weekend, when the above clip—of her plonking away on a guitar and mewling backing vocals while her goddaughter pretty capably sang Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You"—was posted to Pete Doherty's very active YouTube channel. But of course, it was another clip on Doherty's video blog, titled "winemouse," that got most of the attention and made me wonder one thing: How low could the Internet go?

For its part, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is not amused by Amy and Pete's shenanigans.

The RSPCA warned that handling mice at such a young age could mean they are rejected or eaten by their mother.

Becky Hawkes, a spokeswoman for the RSPCA, told Sky: "New born babies should be undisturbed, and with their mother - smell is critical for small rodents.

"It's because the babies will be contaminated by human smells and the mother could reject or eat them."

A worker for the National Animal Welfare Trust said: "You don't disturb any baby creature, whether it's puppies or kittens or mice - you leave them with the mum.

"And you should definitely scrub your hands - just as you would with a new-born baby."

Nice for you to assume they knew that.

if i ain't got you [YouTube]
Duo Blasted For Baby Mice Treatment [Sky]

Mandela B-Day Party To Feature Amy Winehouse And Leona Lewis--But No Eminem?

Anthony Miccio — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:15:00 EDT

Amy Winehouse with a bloody nose and a tit out singing "Happy Birthday" in her best Marilyn Monroe—what 90-year-old man wouldn't be flattered by that? Winehouse and/or Leona Lewis will hopefully turn a former political prisoner's dream into reality when they perform at Nelson Mandela's birthday jam on June 27. Annie Lennox, Simple Minds, and Sun City entertainers Queen will also perform, but there's still no confirmation of Eminem's rumored performance. Allegedly the organizers "want to take both Mandela and the audience by surprise." Ooh, think Shady will jump out of a cake?

Mandela's bash will bring in some cash for his 46664 campaign, set up to raise awareness of Aids in Africa, and the Star reports that the two most successful British women in music today, Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis, will be headlining the event.
The naughty and nice of pop will be joined by Queen, Annie Lennox, the Sugababes, the aforementioned Simple Minds and many more, including: "heavyweights from the world of politics and sport, including Bill Clinton, 61, and Oprah Winfrey, 54."

But why is Eminem the rumored participant? Wouldn't an MC of African descent be a little more poignant? Sure, Eminem's one of the few successful rappers who talks about using drugs instead of selling them, but I'd think a 90-year-old South African president would rather watch Will Smith get jiggy with it than watch Eminem yell about his mom.

Winehouse, Winfrey confirmed for Mandela celebrations [Guardian]

Amy Winehouse will not be singing the theme ...

Maura Johnston — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:40:00 EDT

Amy Winehouse will not be singing the theme to the next James Bond movie, Quantum Of Solace, because producer Mark Ronson is "not sure she's ready to work on music yet." Winehouse's spokesperson is disputing this claim, saying that the recording sessions fizzled because of "artistic differences." Whichever side is right, the Web producer who put together the linked article and its photo should get some sort of "Not Very Subtly Indicating Which Side Of The Argument He's On Through Photo Editing" award for today. Yeesh. [Press Association]

Amy Incarcerated (For Now, At Least)

Maura Johnston — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:45:00 EDT

Amy Winehouse has been arrested by London's Metropolitan Police on suspicion of assault after stopping by the police station to be interrogated about a pair of incidents: "The 24-year-old has reportedly been accused of headbutting a man who tried to help by hailing her a taxi outside a bar. She was also alleged to have punched a second man in the face in the early hours of Wednesday." [Sky / Photo: AP]

The Young Music Millionaires List: Being The Son Of A Beatle Really Gives You That Added Boost

Maura Johnston — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:00:00 EDT

I'm not sure what the motivations behind making these lists were—maybe they just want to turn everyone off of feeling like they need to pay for music ever again?—but the UK's Sunday Times has released its lists of Young Music Millionares and Britain's Top Music Millionaires, and boy do they make me feel crummy about my bank balance. Perhaps fittingly, given these tough times for the biz, topping the Young list is George Harrison's son/Wu-Tang collaborator Dhani (pictured), who seems to have something of a head start on his competition and is worth £160 million, while behind him is Vanessa-Mae Nicholson (£32 million), a violin player who calls her music "techno-acoustic fusion" and who turns 30 this year so if this list was made after her birthday she wouldn't even make the big list, where the bar for entry is £125 million. Also in the top ten of the under-30 list: the three non-Chris Martin members of Coldplay, each of whom is worth £30 million (Martin is 31 so he's disqualified from the big board, alas); Karen Elson and Jack White, who bring in a combined £25 million; Katie Melua, who I mainly know as "that woman who did that stupid underwater concert stunt" but who parlayed that into an £18 million fortune; Amy Winehouse, whose presence on the list causing everyone to break out the "at least crack is cheap" jokes; and, separately, Joss Stone and Craig David, which just goes to show you that at least the Brits are loyal. Both lists after the jump, if you want to get really depressed (just thinking about how big the pile of money Andrew Lloyd Webber is sitting on is not helping my morning).

Young Music Millionaires (aged 30 and under)
1 Dhani Harrison £160m
2 Vanessa-Mae Nicholson £32m
3= Guy Berryman (Coldplay) £30m
3= Jonny Buckland (Coldplay) £30m
3= Will Champion (Coldplay) £30m
6 Karen Elson and Jack White £25m
7 Katie Melua £18m
8 Joss Stone £12m
9 Charlotte Church and Gavin Henson £11m
10= Craig David £10m
10= Amy Winehouse £10m
10= Will Young £10m
13 Katherine Jenkins £9m
14 Corinne Bailey Rae £6m
14= Natasha Bedingfield £6m
14= Leona Lewis £6m
14= Simon Webbe £6m
18 Jamie Cullum £5m

Britain's Top Music Millionaires
1 Clive Calder £1,300m
2 Lord Lloyd-Webber £750m
3 Sir Paul McCartney £500m
4= Simon Fuller £450m
4= Sir Cameron Mackintosh £450m
6 Madonna and Guy Ritchie £300m
7 Guy and Julia Hands £250m
8 Sir Elton John £235m
9 Sir Mick Jagger £225m
10 Robert Stigwood £212m
11 Sting £200m
12 Keith Richards £190m
13 Sir Tom Jones £170m
14= Olivia and Dhani Harrison £160m
14= Jamie Palumbo £160m
16 Sir Tim Rice £155m
17= Eric Clapton £140m
17= Phil Collins £140m
17= Ringo Starr £140m
20 David and Victoria Beckham £125m

Amy Winehouse makes it on to the Sunday Times Rich List [Times Online]

As if she hasn't been battling herself enough ...

Maura Johnston — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:15:00 EDT

As if she hasn't been battling herself enough these days, Amy Winehouse will face off against Amy Winehouse in the "Best Song Musically & Lyrically" category of this year's Ivor Novello Awards, which are given to UK songwriters and composers who pass muster with their peers. Going up against "Love Is A Losing Game" and "You Know I'm No Good" is the very Rod Stewarty "Let Me Out" by Ben's Brother, which could win if Winehouse splits the vote, Lord help us. Other nominees include Kate Nash, Klaxons, a band named Cherry Ghost that could pass for Coldplay in a blind taste test, and that awful ringtoney Beyonce/Shakira collaboration. Click on Amy for the list of nominees that have been announced so far.

BEST SONG MUSICALLY & LYRICALLY
Let Me Out - Ben's Brother
Love is a Losing Game - Amy Winehouse
You Know I'm No Good - Amy Winehouse

BEST CONTEMPORARY SONG
Foundations - Kate Nash
Golden Skans - Klaxons
People Help The People - Cherry Ghost

BESTSELLING BRITISH SONG
Beautiful Liar - Beyonce & Shakira
Rehab - Amy Winehouse
Grace Kelly - Mika

MOST PERFORMED WORK
Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs
Shine - Take That
Starz in Their Eyes - Just Jack

ALBUM AWARD
In Rainbows - Radiohead
Man on the Roof - Stephen Fretwell
Thirst for Romance - Cherry Ghost

ORIGINAL FILM SCORE
Atonement
Becoming Jane
La Vie En Rose

TELEVISION SOUNDTRACK
Oliver Twist
Primo
Who Killed Mrs de Ropp?

Amy Winehouse nominated for three Ivor Novello Awards [Times]

Amy Winehouse To Sully British Favorite

Kate Richardson — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:30:00 EDT

As the saying goes, "When you fail at maintaining a career in music due to substance abuse problems, there's always long-running BBC science-fiction shows to fall back on." It's an oddly specific saying, but it seems as if Amy Winehouse has taken it to heart. The perpetually frazzled singer will play The Rani, "a rogue Time Lord," in the season (or series, if you're British) finale of Doctor Who, the beloved BBC show that's kind of like Star Trek, but with more sweater vests.

The part, Winehouse's first acting work since being expelled from the Sylvia Young Theatre School, is part of a year-long break from music for the singer.

Sources close to the show have told NME.COM Winehouse is a "massive fan" of the hit show.

"She was a total 'Doctor Who' nerd as a kid," they explained. "Her and Blake have all the DVDs in their flat. She once even told people at the Hawley Arms that she had a massive crush on [fourth Doctor] Tom Baker when he visited the pub."

If only she'd remained "a total Doctor Who nerd," maybe she'd have spent more nights in her flat with those DVDs than out rumpling her hair and scratching her husband's neck.

(Incidentally, as you may have noticed from my alarming Star Trek comment, I know very little about Doctor Who. If you're a fan and you'd like to write some jokes for this post, please do so and leave them in the comments. It will enrich us all.)

Amy Winehouse to star in new Doctor Who series [NME]

From the "Your Continuing Existence Actually ...

Jess Harvell — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:45:00 EDT

From the "Your Continuing Existence Actually Refutes Your Own Claim" department: "The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards has warned Amy Winehouse off drugs, stating that she 'isn't going to be around long if she doesn't stop." [NME]

Perez Hilton Fiddles While We All Burn

Dick Malone — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:30:26 EST

Perez Hilton will one day be a nice shorthand for something fundamental about these heady years before the economy finally crashes and burns. For now, however, dude is just really annoying.

It is rumored that Amy Winehouse's debut on the Billboard Top 10 album charts couldn't have happened without his help — he dedicated more than 30 posts to her talents in the months leading up to her CD's release.

So OK, this is like Idolator taking credit for American Idol's ratings, not to mention the fact that Back To Black sold all of 50,000 units in its first week. But since Perez is the media equivalent of the caricature that makes you realize you have a big nose, this proclamation also points out a flaw in the biz itself.

Who cares if you're responsible for Amy Winehouse's album selling 50k? If you're an A&R guy or a marketing guy or a promo guy actually working in the biz, it's crucial—your job depends on it. But who outside the industry gives two wet plops? Maybe once, but no more. The music biz has always made a fetish of power, and arguably their entire model revolves around it. How are you going to get interns to work for months or even years for little or no pay without conveying the sense that they have access to power's inner sanctum? How are you going to justify spending absurd amounts of money unless that's seen as a way of exercising your influence? How are you going to get artists to sign to abusive contracts unless they think this is the only route to success—that only the music biz understands the magic formula for selling records?

One day, soon, the music biz is going to have to come to terms with the fact that they're not like movies or TV—that significant portions of our economy do not depend on their performance. They're not oil tycoons anymore. They're just another vendor, trying to sell their wares to a public that uses it for instrumental purposes. Music has become, roughly, toothpaste: something most people buy when they need it and use it to make themselves look or feel better. And you don't see toothpaste vendors swinging their dicks around trying to convince people that they're important. If the industry could finally come to terms with this fact, if it could stop trying to mount elaborate (and exorbitant) tributes to its own importance, it might be able to settle down and get some business done. As long as people like Perez are still around, though, I'm not holding my breath.

Perez Hilton's One Night in Austin Presented by 5(TM) Gum [Yahoo!]

An Amy Winehouse Hit (No, Not That One) Gets A Second Chart Life

Chris Molanphy — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:30:52 EST

Chris "dennisobell" Molanphy, our resident chart guru, looks at the upward, downward, and lack of movement on this week's Billboard charts:

One of the top debuts on this week's Billboard's Hot 100 might look a little old: Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good," which 11 months ago marked her first appearance on any U.S. chart, reenters at No. 77, instantly surpassing its original peak.

Winehouse's return is, of course, sparked by her appearance at last week's Grammy Awards, where she pummeled her way through a nerve-wracking twofer of "No Good" and "Rehab." The winner of the Record and Song of the Year trophies, "Rehab" would seem to be the likeliest post-Grammy chart beneficiary. But the quirks of Billboard chart rules make the Ghostface-backed "No Good" look like the winning jam.

That's because Billboard hates to let big recurrent hits clog up the chart after they've had their turn.

Both songs are big sellers for the week. On the iTunes-heavy Digital Songs chart, "Rehab" actually returned to the Top 10, increasing in sales by nearly 250%, with 72,000 downloads (its cumulative digital sales have now topped a million). Weekly sales for "You Know I'm No Good" are, at 28,000, a fraction of "Rehab's" (although, on a percentage basis, it's up even more strongly than "Rehab" — a threefold boost from the previous week).

So why is "No Good" on the Hot 100 and "Rehab" isn't? Because "No Good," with only 13 previously charted weeks, is eligible to return, and "Rehab," a 30-week smash, isn't. Billboard generally removes songs that are older than 20 weeks and fall below the top half of the chart.

According to Billboard, in the wake of the Grammys, Universal Republic is trying all over again to make "No Good" a hit—in the parlance of the industry, "actively re-promoting" it to radio. So what happens if "No Good" is below No. 50 and still rising when it reaches its 20th chart week? Billboard will almost definitely let it stay on the chart. The magazine's rules aren't hard and fast, but in general, it will look kindly on any song making a second run at program directors, and, importantly from Billboard's perspective, it wasn't a big hit the first time.

Mind you, this could be the last time we talk about "You Know I'm No Good" in this space, as its sales are already down more than a week out from the Grammys, and there's not much chance "No Good" will suddenly catch radio PDs' ears after failing the first time. But we wish Winehouse, and her Universal promotional lackeys, the best of luck.

Here's a quick rundown of the rest of this week's charts:

• We've been waiting for nearly a month now for either Chris Brown's "With You" or Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music" to finally terminate Flo Rida's tenure atop the Hot 100. But not only does it not happen again this week, there's now another contender: "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles moves up one slot and into the Top Five, and its sales keep growing while its airplay is starting to explode. If we compare Bareilles with Colbie Caillat, her peer in the Pleasant Midtempo White Girls Class of 2007, Bareilles appears to have the stronger shot at a No. 1 hit than Caillat did with the deathless "Bubbly"; "Love Song" is catching fire at the right time and has chart momentum, while "Bubbly" gained radio and sales support so gradually, it never got the big push it needed to go all the way.

• You wouldn't know it from its holding pattern at No. 4, but Alicia Keys' "No One" got a Winehouse-like sales boost from the Grammys, spiking 47% for the week (77,000 copies; cumulative sales for the song are now nearly 2.2 million). Next week, when Keys' sales settle back down, her hit might finally start receding from the top tier.

• At last, there's a new Modern Rock No. 1—yay!! And it's by... the same dudes who were No. 1 two months ago, before Seether took over—sigh—Foo Fighters, with "Long Road to Ruin." At this point, maybe we should start predicting what song will keep the top spot warm between Foo Fighters songs on that chart...

• That kinda-hilarious Rodney Atkins gun-cleaning song I mentioned in last week's column finally tops the Country chart. Billboard columnist Fred Bronson notes that this makes Atkins the rare country act to pull four No. 1 hits from a single album; the last act to do so was Tim McGraw in 2000.

• I mentioned Winehouse's chart reappearance, but she didn't have the highest debut of the week. That would be the return of "Mimi"—Mariah to her non-friends. Lady Carey's Ratner-supported new single "Touch My Body" is new at No. 57, and we'll be keeping a close eye on it—to us chart geeks, Carey is known as The Spoiler in the all-time record books. With 17 career No. 1's, she's tied with Elvis Presley in second place among all chart-topping artists, and if "Touch" goes all the way, she'll have that title to herself. After that, it's just two more bell-ringers before she (gulp!) ties the Beatles, with 20 No. 1's.

Top 10s
Last week's position and total weeks charted in parentheses:

Hot 100
1. Flo Rida feat. T-Pain, "Low" (LW No. 1, 17 weeks)
2. Chris Brown, "With You" (LW No. 2, 12 weeks)
3. Rihanna, "Don't Stop the Music" (LW No. 3, 13 weeks)
4. Alicia Keys, "No One" (LW No. 4, 24 weeks)
5. Sara Bareilles, "Love Song" (LW No. 6, 16 weeks)
6. Timbaland feat. OneRepublic, "Apologize" (LW No. 5, 29 weeks)
7. Snoop Dogg, "Sensual Seduction" (LW No. 8, 12 weeks)
8. Sean Kingston, "Take You There" (LW No. 9, 16 weeks)
9. Buckcherry, "Sorry" (LW No. 10, 11 weeks)
10. Webbie, Lil' Phat & Lil' Boosie, "Independent" (LW No. 13, 13 weeks)

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
1. Keyshia Cole, "I Remember" (LW No. 1, 16 weeks)
2. Alicia Keys, "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (LW No. 2, 17 weeks)
3. J. Holiday, "Suffocate" (LW No. 3, 20 weeks)
4. Mary J. Blige, "Just Fine" (LW No. 4, 21 weeks)
5. Mario, "Cryin' Out for Me" (LW No. 6, 25 weeks)
6. The-Dream, "Falsetto" (LW No. 10, 11 weeks)
7. Chris Brown, "With You" (LW No. 8, 12 weeks)
8. Snoop Dogg, "Sensual Seduction" (LW No. 5, 15 weeks)
9. Flo Rida feat. T-Pain, "Low" (LW No. 9, 22 weeks)
10. Webbie, Lil' Phat & Lil' Boosie, "Independent" (LW No. 7, 18 weeks)

Hot Country Songs
1. Rodney Atkins, "Cleaning This Gun (Come on in Boy)" (LW No. 3, 22 weeks)
2. Gary Allan, "Watching Airplanes" (LW No. 4, 31 weeks)
3. Brad Paisley, "Letter to Me" (LW No. 1, 19 weeks)
4. Kenny Chesney with George Strait, "Shiftwork" (LW No. 6, 18 weeks)
5. Alan Jackson, "Small Town Southern Man" (LW No. 7, 15 weeks)
6. Billy Ray Cyrus with Miley Cyrus, "Ready, Set, Don't Go" (LW No. 5, 30 weeks)
7. Carrie Underwood, "All-American Girl" (LW No. 8, 12 weeks)
8. Rascal Flatts, "Winner at a Losing Game" (LW No. 2, 19 weeks)
9. Chuck Wicks, "Stealing Cinderella" (LW No. 9, 26 weeks)
10. Craig Morgan, "International Harvester" (LW No. 10, 23 weeks)

Hot Modern Rock Tracks
1. Foo Fighters, "Long Road to Ruin" (LW No. 2, 17 weeks)
2. Seether, "Fake It" (LW No. 1, 25 weeks)
3. Linkin Park, "Shadow of the Day" (LW No. 3, 20 weeks)
4. Paramore, "crushcrushcrush" (LW No. 4, 14 weeks)
5. Foo Fighters, "The Pretender" (LW No. 5, 29 weeks)
6. Avenged Sevenfold, "Almost Easy" (LW No. 7, 20 weeks)
7. Rise Against, "The Good Left Undone" (LW No. 6, 34 weeks)
8. Radiohead, "Bodysnatchers" (LW No. 8, 17 weeks)
9. The Bravery, "Believe" (LW No. 10, 20 weeks)
10. Puddle of Mudd, "Psycho" (LW No. 13, 16 weeks)

Perhaps realizing that a nu-rave version ...

Maura Johnston — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:45:24 EST

Perhaps realizing that a nu-rave version of "Umbrella" and the Osbournes serving as hosts wouldn't give their 2008 show that much-needed ratings boost from rubberneckers, the people behind tomorrow night's Brit Awards have announced that Amy Winehouse will perform with Mark Ronson on the broadcast. [NME / Photo: AP]

The Grammys' Album Of The Year Upset: Who Should Have Won?

Maura Johnston — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:00:20 EST

Judging by the reactions from my living room, my instant-messenger conversations, and the comments section on our Grammy liveblog, people were more than a little surprised when the Album Of The Year winner was announced... and said winner wasn't Kanye West or Amy Winehouse, but Herbie Hancock, whose Joni Mitchell homage River: The Joni Letters took home the night's final prize. I actually wasn't too surprised by Hancock's victory—to quote myself, "if you didn't at least think that Herbie Hancock paying tribute to Joni Mitchell would sway at least half the people who voted for Steely Dan over Eminem a few years back you haven't been paying attention"—but apparently a lot of people were! (Perhaps they forgot that Norah Jones and Corinne Bailey Rae and Tina Turner and Leonard Cohen were also on the album.) So let's put it to all of you: If you had a vote in the Grammy balloting, what would you have chosen as this Grammy year's Album Of The Year? Poll after the jump.

[Photo: AP]

Amy Winehouse Granted Visa, Still Not Coming To The States For Grammys

Maura Johnston — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:26:16 EST

Now the word is that Amy Winehouse has been granted a visa by the U.S. Government—but she won't be making the trip to Los Angeles for Sunday's Grammy Awards, probably because having to fly halfway around the world 48 hours prior to a big performance won't exactly make her already-rock-solid stage presence all that much better. Her rep does note, however, that she "will still be performing via satellite broadcast from London as previously announced this morning," so those trainwreck-expectant execs will still have something to pin their ratings hopes on. [TMZ / Photo: AP]

"USA Today" Shows Us How To Write A Grammy Story Without Using The Words "Amy" And "Winehouse"

Maura Johnston — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 09:55:47 EST

Look, we're all weary of the Amy Winehouse saga, but there's something kind of... off in this story about Grammy nominees who allegedly go against the "disposable pop" grain that doesn't mention the six-time nominee once, yet takes time out to giggle about Christopher Freakin' Cross, whose Album Of The Year/Song Of The Year/Record Of The Year/Best New Artist haul in 1980 can be matched by Winehouse on Sunday night. (For the record, the article's "Five For The Future," as picked by an expert panel that includes USA Today's critics: Miranda Lambert, Ne-Yo, Feist, Taylor Swift, and Fantasia.)

Perhaps I'm especially unnerved by the piece since it asks the question "But how many of today's Grammy initiates will be back vying for awards at the diamond anniversary in 25 years?" The unspoken context being that, lol, like Winehouse will even be around in 25 years, right? Ugh. I mean, as Grammy "storylines" go, the troubles of the Back To Black singer are currently overshadowing pretty much everything else about the night (although to be fair, it's not really hard to overshadow the current lineup of "a bunch of old people and Kid Rock") and it's probably good to look at other ones, but if you're looking at breakout artists it's almost like you're drawing more attention to Winehouse to not mention her, seeing as she's been more heavily feted than any other artist in the piece and has outsold four of the five. (Swift, whose Soundscans are at 2.4 million, is the anomaly there.)

These five Grammy hopefuls must defy pop's 'disposable mentality' [USA Today; HT DHMBIB]

Even though Amy Winehouse won't be at the ...

Maura Johnston — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:17:00 EST

Even though Amy Winehouse won't be at the Grammy ceremony because of visa issues, she will, according to a well-placed source, appear on the broadcast; she'll perform via satellite and will accept any awards she receives virtually as well. Having witnessed YouTube clips of her recent awards-show appearances, I am really questioning the wisdom behind this decision, but I guess in the post-Britney-at-the-VMAs music industry the bigwigs will try any method for snagging trainwreck-hungry eyeballs. [Hollywood Insider]

Amy Winehouse is a no go for the Grammys ...

Maura Johnston — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:03:31 EST

Amy Winehouse is a no go for the Grammys thanks to her visa application being rejected by the U.S. Embassy in London. Ah, now we see why Kid Rock all of a sudden rates a performance slot. [Billboard]

Someone Figured Out A Way To Make The "Women In Rock" Concept Even More Offensive

Maura Johnston — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:50:53 EST

I've been trying to muster up a response to this bit of Tony Sclafani-penned nonsense written under the delusion that, since this year's Best New Artist category in the Grammys is made up of female-fronted bands from tip to toe, it's time to trot out the old "Women In Rock Rock!" trope that has brought so much lazy "trend" journalism to the world in recent years. My objections have, of course, been laid out in this space: the whole idea of creating women as Others in music only serves to further cement the old patriarchal ways, if someone like Feist whose persona possesses a lot of traditionally feminine traits succeeds is it really "progress," etc., etc. But every time I try to read the damn thing, I can't get past its first line, which should probably be in some Hall Of Fame for bad lede-writing because of its blend of bubbleheadeness, press-release-ready bland hyperbole, and, uh, schoolyard taunts:

When it comes to this year's crop of Grammy Awards newbies, it looks like there may just be some truth to the playground taunt "Girls Rule, Boys Drool."

I can't even get through the rest of the piece because I'm terrified that Sclafani will whip out a "milk milk lemonade" joke. Anyone want to let me know if it's safe for reading?

Invasion of the Grammy girls [MSNBC]

Michael Jackson To Stand On Stage For A To-Be-Determined Length Of Time This Sunday

Maura Johnston — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:00:31 EST

With the Grammys only five days away—can you taste the excitement?—more news of who's going to appear on the Sunday night telecast has crossed the transom:

• Michael Jackson will appear onstage at Sunday night's ceremony, but he has apparently "won a stare-down" against the producers, who wanted him to perform a medley of reworked Thriller hits. So instead, he'll just... stand around? Wave his glove in the air? Who knows. The upside: The chance of an Akon appearance just dropped by about 66%. [Rush & Molloy]
• In news that is sure to excite the Oprah crowd, Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban are going to duet on a Celine Dion song. Also, Fergie is performing with John Legend and John Fogerty is going to share a stage with Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. [Centre Daily]
• Amy Winehouse went to the US embassy in London yesterday in order to secure a visa for travel to the States; while her dad doesn't want her to perform because of her fragile state, her label and Grammy organizers are hoping she'll show up. Because they care that much. (NB: I don't think reporting this bit of news breaks our Winehouse embargo; Jess disagrees.) [E!]
[Photo: AP]

The "Village Voice" Remembers Amy Winehouse Put Out A Record In The Last 24 Months

Jess Harvell — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:30:10 EST

Well, that's it. Tag it and bag it. Unless I happen to notice a late-breaking entry from the Burlington Community Times tomorrow while getting my coffee, the publication of the Village Voice's Pazz And Jop poll marks the last of 2007's year-end lists, headed up by LCD Soundsystem (album) and Amy Winehouse (singles). Now let us never speak of either again.

THE GOOD: 2007 is over! Also Feist and Wilco were both kept out of the albums Top 10, plus an honestly surprising, kinda heartening Winehouse-over-Rihanna singles upset, if only by 4 mentions. (And even if No. 2 Rihanna spanked No. 3 "All My Friends" by a whopping 32 mentions.)
THE BAD: As with the Idolator Pop Critics Poll, Peter Bjorn and John earn a Top 10 placing on the singles list despite the evil "Young Folks" first whistling its way into our lives in 2006. Damned twee Swedes.
THE WHAAAA? Radiohead beats M.I.A. to the No. 2 albums spot despite an equal number of points, thanks to four more ballot mentions that break the tie. Not quite fraud at the polls, but clearly the electoral college is not the only voting system that needs reforming.

P.S. Psyche. Full lists not after the jump. Feel free to check out the results and come back here to argue them. Or not. It's 2008 and we have plenty of ~~Hannah Montana stories~~ new things to discuss, even if I'm not 100 percent sure what they are yet. Maybe we'll find out it was Rockwell that really killed Heath Ledger or Courtney Love will put out an album where every song features the Soulja Boy "YAHH!" or the bottom will drop out of Web 2.0 and we'll all be forced to get real jobs. This year's gonna be silly, I just know it.

Pazz And Jop 2007 [Village Voice]

The Saga Of Amy Winehouse: We Cry Uncle

Jess Harvell — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:50:52 EST

An hour or two ago, I asked Maura what she was up to and she replied, "I just watched part of that Amy Winehouse crack video and it made me sad." I wasn't going to watch it, but then my inner rubbernecker got the better of me, and yeah, now I'm sad as well. So while I'm not going to post it—it's a big Internet out there, and many of our competitors have already picked it up if you'd like to put a damper on your own good mood—it did get me thinking that maybe it's time to retire Amy from our news cycle.

I'm not quite sure why stories of Winehouse's self-degradation have come to skeev me out in ways that, say, the ongoing tribulations of current Spin cover star Pete Doherty do not. Maybe it's the mix of self-righteousness, feigned concern for her well-being, and glee at watching her implosion play itself out in a succession of tabloid items that you get with Winehouse (and to a lesser extent Britney), while Doherty and his fellow male fuck-ups just seem to get the glee (and maybe a dollop of the self-righteousness). Maybe it's (self-critical emo alert!) some weird brand of sexism where I'm unconsciously kosher with addicts with penises getting picked on by the boys' club of music blogging whereas the Winehouse (and Britney) coverage feels more like bullying. (After all, the first post of the day was a gag about the missing Weiland possibly being dead and/or in jail, and we all LOL'd when Maura posted that clip of Shifty Shellshock lighting up, right? Right? Sigh.)

But whatever the reasons for my personal distaste, it's all equally icky when it crosses that thin line where personal trauma stops being a colorful adjunct to the music and the bummers become the main attraction, and a crack-smoking viral video is certainly one of the bigger blogwide bummers of the last few months. (Maura's prognostication almost a year ago feels more depressingly apt every day.) We trade in fun (and not so fun) gossip as much as the next site, and we've also occasionally made jokey "Winehouse is on the drugs again" references in stories on the singer, which means we won't be calling anyone out for getting on the Winehouse page views gravy train. But without getting too hand-wringy and while this may just be backed up Catholic guilt for a lack of empathy for the dude from Crazy Town bubbling over, might it be time to put a Britney-style (and Doherty-style) hold on Winehouse-related news items unless they actually have to do with actual music/video product to be reviewed and discussed?

[Photo: AP]

Amy Winehouse Will Make It To The Grammys--But Will She Sing?

Maura Johnston — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:40:58 EST

The latest on the Grammys, according to Entertainment Weekly: The Feb. 10 gala will go on, strike or no strike; while it's still unknown whether members of the Screen Actors Guild will participate, on Tuesday two other music unions, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the American Federation of Musicians, said that their members should participate in the program. The resulting show will probably be low on the banter—and the 50th-anniversary pomp, unless Clive Davis goes off on an unscripted monologue about how he was involved in every one of the music biz's good old days—and high on the paparazzi/rubberneckers, because Amy Winehouse has apparently gotten rid of her visa problems, thus clearing her way to attend the event. But!

According to EW, it's unknown whether or not the six-times-nominated Winehouse will get up on stage at the event, and given that her recent track record at awards shows has been less than stellar in recent months this is probably going to be unclear until sometime around midnight on Feb. 9. I would actually lean against her performing, if only because I think she still needs to take baby steps toward actually being comfortable on stage before she gives singing in public another go. But I'm betting that the suits at CBS are lobbying for a Winehouse performance, what with the Britney trainwreck at the Video Music Awards leading to massive ratings for what was ultimately a resounding failure of a night.

Grammys expected to go on with Amy Winehouse in attendance — but what about Beyonce? [Hollywood Insider; HT DHMBIB]
[Photo: AP]

Mark Ronson wants to lay down some Christmas ...

jharv — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:00:04 EST

Mark Ronson wants to lay down some Christmas and Hanukkah tunes with Amy Winehouse in time for the '08 holiday season. Given that no one knows whether she'll even make through the summer, an Arbor Day EP might be a safer bet. [Yahoo]

Project X Pits The Family Against The Critics

mmatos — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST

As part of Idolator's continuing effort to geekily analyze every music chart known to man, we present a new edition of Project X, in which Jackin' Pop editor Michaelangelo Matos breaks down rankings from every genre imaginable. After the click-through, he [hilariously] examines the results of the Idolator Pop Critics Poll Tracks Top 10 with some special help:

By now you've seen the critics' lists of the year's best music. But what about the folks who really count—the people? In interest of fairness and balance, I've decided to take the critics' choices to some regular folks. That's right: it's time once again for this column to exploit my family.

This time around, I played the 2007 Idolator Pop Critics Poll's Top 10 Tracks for my mom, my sisters, and my sister's friend who always comes over on major holidays. The listening session took place at my sister Brittany's apartment in Bloomington, Minnesota, on Christmas Eve, shortly after dinner and gifts (opening everything the night before is a longstanding family tradition). Also around were my sisters' very tolerant significant others, Brittany's daughter Veronica, and plenty of delicious leftovers. As usual, I typed everyone's responses on the fly and occasionally paused the songs to fill in gaps.

Dramatis Personae:
Lorie, mother, age 47; listens to Christmas music
Michael, author, age 32; listens to the Marc Anthony best-of Brittany got him for Christmas
Alex, sister, age 22; kicks everyone's ass at Guitar Hero III
Brittany, sister, age 21; listens to the M.I.A. and Billie Holiday CDs Michael got her for Christmas
Cherrelle, Brittany's best friend, age 21; listens to her Kanye West ringtone

1. Rihanna ft. Jay-Z, "Umbrella" (Def Jam) [117 votes]
Alex: You know this song, Veronica?
Brittany: She sings it all the time. Is it this version that's No. 1?
Michael: This is the main version.
Lorie: Is there any versions without rap?
Michael: No.
Lorie: [frowns]
Brittany: Would you dance to it, Mom?
Lorie: I can't dance to anything.
Alex: She can probably dance better than she can sing.
Brittany: She could probably play rugby better than she sings.
Alex: She used to put on—what was it, Mom?
Lorie: A show?
Brittany: Wilson Phillips!
Alex: And she used to sing into her bedpost: "Hold on for one more day . . . "
Lorie: Are you sure I was singing and not screaming? I was pole dancing.
Brittany: I'll scream if you say anything like that again.
[The stereo we are listening on is connected to the TV, on which a commercial for itt-tech.edu is airing]
Lorie: Is this the video? People performing surgery? I thought maybe instead of the little drapes they put over you they were using umbrellas now.
Brittany: Are you retarded, Mom?

2. LCD Soundsystem, "All My Friends" (Capitol) [89 votes]
Brittany: This reminds me of Schroeder—it kind of sounds like the Snoopy theme.
Michael: This is a song by LCD Soundsystem called "All My Friends."
Brittany: I wish I had a song about all my friends.
Alex: It'd be over by now.
Brittany: Michael, can you pass me that wine so I can drink my pain away?
Lorie: Good music. You couldn't hardly dance to it, though, could you? I could tell you what you could do to it, but not too many people could.
Alex: Not with you.
Lorie: No, by yourself!
Brittany: I think she's talking about cross-stitching. At least I hope so.
Michael: I'm surprised you guys like this so much; I thought the piano might turn you off. The song is basically about getting too old to party.
Alex: [immediately] No such thing!
Brittany: This is Alex's theme song in 10 years.
Lorie: It was my theme song 10 years ago.
Brittany: Fifty.
Alex: I want people to get drunk and karaoke at my funeral.
Brittany: [after talking to her boyfriend, who is from Mexico] Miguel thinks it's nice, too, and he doesn't speak English. [Author's note: He does too.] You know the twins on Peanuts who just jump? They could dance to this.
Lorie: I hope they play this at midnight mass tonight.
Michael: Why?
Lorie: So I can stay awake.

3. M.I.A., "Paper Planes" (Interscope) [66 votes]
Brittany: I've heard this. It's familiar. [The vocal comes in. Brittany holds up her just-unwrapped copy of Kala] It's her.
Lorie: I've heard this before.
Brittany: Where have you heard this?
Lorie: I've been listening to the radio. [chorus comes in] I wanna go to a bar!
Brittany: Is that what this reminds you of? The gunfire reminds you of the bars you go to? [turns attention back to music] I really like this. But it's so much different than, like, "Bucky Done Gun." You say you like this album more? But the last album was really different. She's more singing than shouting. Is she trying to be more mainstream? I think I could listen to this for longer periods of time if it's all like this. Miguel, how do you like this? The gunshot [in the chorus] reminds you of the border, doesn't it?

4. Amy Winehouse, "Rehab" (Republic) [60 votes]
Lorie: All right, hey! This is the suicidal one [Veronica] sings!
Brittany: No, that's Sean Kingston.
Lorie: Oh, I remember this song now. What happened to her?
Brittany: She's fucked up beyond words. This is kind of Christmassy. All the dysfunctional families can relate to this one at Christmas. [after the line, "I don't ever want to drink again"] You know, if drinking makes her sing like this, she should go ahead. I feel sorry for her, though. She has a lot of underlying issues, and it's so evident.

5. Justice, " D.A.N.C.E." (Vice) [54 votes]
Lorie: This sounds like the beginning of Romper Stomper Romper Room. You ever heard of that?
Michael: Sort of. Romper Room was the kids' show, and Romper Stomper is a movie about racist skinheads in Australia.
Brittany: I thought it sounded like schoolchildren but you brought that into a whole other light, didn't you, Mom? It's like "Rock with You," in the beat. They should put this on Dance Dance Revolution. That would be fun times.
Cherrelle: Romper Room sounds like a porno. This reminds me of the Jackson 5. I could listen to this, definitely.
Brittany: This would be fun to dance to . . .
Cherrelle: . . . If I was drunk.
Brittany: And you're drunk all the time!
Cherrelle: I should just start dancing.

6. Peter Bjorn & John, "Young Folks" (Almost Gold) [50 votes]
Lorie: Oh, I love this! [whistles along]
Brittany: How do you know this and I don't?
Michael: Where have you heard this?
Lorie: I heard it at work. I love that whistle part. It just grabs you right away.
Michael: This came out last year internationally, and did well on last year's poll, but it was released in America this year, which is why it placed again. It was a big crossover hit—Kanye West rhymed over it on a mixtape.
Cherrelle: Now, why do you wanna ruin a perfectly fine piece of music like this? He's been stepping out of his realm with that Daft Punk stuff.
Brittany: He's been taking a flying leap out of his realm with that.
Alex: I've heard this song before.
Brittany: Where did you hear it?
Alex: I don't remember.
Michael: It's a group called Peter Bjorn & John. They're Swedish.
Cherrelle: [to Alex] Well then, maybe you heard it at Ikea.

6. Battles, "Atlas" (Warp) [50 votes]
Brittany and Alex: [immediately] "The beautiful people, the beautiful people."
Brittany: It is! It totally is.
Michael: It's not.
Brittany: I hate to disagree with you, Michael. I didn't know Marilyn Manson was still making records. [vocals come in] They're singing it backwards; they're putting in subliminal satanic messages. We could do a ouija board to this.
Cherrelle: I couldn't listen to this alone. I'd need to turn all the lights in the house on. Let's have a séance. This is what Marilyn Manson makes love to.
Brittany: These are probably his kids. Hey, Alex, come over here and let me carve a pentagram into your arm.
[Lorie, in kitchen, drops a cake on her foot]
Brittany: See? This music fucked her up so bad she dropped a cake on the floor.
Alex: [growling] "Red rum. Red rum."
Brittany: Did you just say you were going to spin your head in a circle?
Michael: So, do you guys like this?
Brittany: I like it on Halloween.
Lorie: [calling in from kitchen] I'm scared to fucking death of this song!

8. UGK ft. OutKast, "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" (Jive) [49 votes]
[Michael restarts the song a couple times so the group can hear the first verse]
Cherrelle: He sounds like he's trying to be a pimp.
Michael: Sort of—-it's called "Int'l Players Anthem." But Andre 3000's verse is about getting married.
Brittany: Is he going to marry me? That's all I care about.
Cherrelle: I don't love that old crap in the background. It's like '60s gospel that my mother would listen to.
Brittany: I think that's your mother singing in the background.
[Second verse begins]
Cherrelle: I like how he's talking about marrying someone and saying "bitch" and "pussy."
Brittany: They're gonna get "bitch" and "pussy" engraved on their wedding rings.
Cherrelle: I like this guy's voice.
Michael: This is Pimp C, who recently died.
Cherrelle: Well, how you gonna hate on a dead man?
Michael: OK, this is Big Boi now.
Cherrelle: They're both tiny men.
Michael: Big Boi is much smaller than Andre.
Cherrelle: [to Brittany] Andre could wear your clothes.
Brittany: I'd let him. He can wear my clothes anytime.
Cherrelle: This is all starting to sound alike to me.
Brittany: [to Cherrelle, who's black] Racist.

9. Feist, "1234" (Cherrytree) [48 votes]
Brittany: [immediately, to opening strums] "The beautiful people . . . "
Alex: This is the video with all the kids all skipping rope. [imitates choreography]
Brittany: [after the line, "Teenage hopes arrive at your door"] "Teenage hoes"?
Cherrelle: She keeps saying "ho."
Brittany: Very Christmassy.
Cherrelle: [sings] "1-2-3-4, you a ho."
Brittany: [sings] "5-6-7-8, your momma's a ho too/9-10-11-12, your grandma's a ho, too."
Cherrelle: If we weren't so mean, this would probably be a nice song.
Brittany: If we weren't so fucking cynical, we could enjoy this. If we hadn't just listened to Marilyn Manson . . .

10. Kanye West, "Stronger" (Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam) [35 votes]
Brittany and Cherrelle: [immediately] "Intergalactic, planetary, planetary, intergalactic . . . "
Cherrelle: I love this song.
Michael: Based on what you said earlier, I thought you didn't like it.
Brittany: No, I said I thought he took a flying leap out of his realm.
Michael: I misunderstood, then.
Cherrelle: Yeah, this is my ringtone.
Brittany: [deadpan] And that says a lot. You've really got to be a hardcore fan to have someone's song for a ringtone. And everybody turns around and says, "Hey, 'Stronger'! Let me holla at you!" [to Cherrelle] Does this ringtone make you stronger?
Cherrelle: [sardonically] I feel empowered. [song continues for awhile] I felt bad when his mom died.
Lorie: You know recently I just took a day off when my father's wife died.
Brittany: You know what's a big factor of why I don't like this song? Those awful fucking sunglasses with the blinds. They look retarded.
Cherrelle: You look like you have Down's Syndrome when you have them.
Brittany: Camp Courage sunglasses. [to Michael] Don't put that in there.
Michael: Can I please?
Brittany: If I get shanked for this, Michael, it's your fault.
Lorie: If you get shanked for this, I get a day off!

The newly blonde Amy Winehouse may not be ...

mjohnston — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:20:34 EST

The newly blonde Amy Winehouse may not be performing at the Grammys after all; she has to take a drug test in order to get a U.S. visa and while she's recently cut her drug use down, she's still not 100% clean, according to a "source." Between this and the whole picket-line thing, liveblogging this year's ceremony is gonna be awesome. [The Sun; HT DHMBIB]

Sigh: "Troubled singer Amy Winehouse has ...

mjohnston — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:49:29 EST

Sigh: "Troubled singer Amy Winehouse has been arrested in connection with an investigation into perverting the course of justice. Sky's crime correspondent Martin Brunt said the Back To Black star was arrested 'by appointment' at a police station in east London." [Sky News via ONTD]

Amy Winehouse: Not Even Trying Anymore

Kate Richardson — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:30:02 EST

In her continuing effort to disappoint as many people as possible, Amy Winehouse has put down the bottle and picked up Windows Media Maker. The video for her dull-as-dirt single "Love Is a Losing Game" is basically a glorified slide show that looks as if it's really a fan-made tribute video. And it's a mediocre one at that.

Here's how I think this video came to be: Amy Winehouse was supposed to show up for a day of shooting, but she couldn't be bothered to drag her hair out of bed, so the shoot was rescheduled for the following Wednesday. Though she had assured her manager that she'd definitely make it to that shoot, she suddenly had the urge to claw at her husband's neck and could not be disturbed long enough to make the video. Under pressure from the label to hand in a product, Winehouse's manager had no choice but to assemble the video himself. The result? A series of banal Amy Winehouse images dissolved into one another and—rookie tribute video mistake No. 1!—way, way too much slow motion. This video is basically the equivalent of eating ice cream for dinner in your pajamas; the Winehouse camp has now officially given up.

If you're curious as to how this song might look in other, not-so-official tribute videos, here's an example (embedding disabled, sorry) from the wide world of Lost fandom. Just about as boring, but with 100% more sepia!

"Time" Spent 2007 In Rehab

jharv — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:10:42 EST

Time was so smitten by the Amy Winehouse that makes music—rather than the Amy Winehouse that fuels gossip rags—that they went ahead and named Back To Black and "Rehab" the best album and best single of 2007. As for the rest of the mag's 2007 faves, Time's all-things-to-all-people approach to listmaking means these are probably the most self-consciously "eclectic" lists so far, making sure to squeeze in one hip-hop pick, one teenpop record, one radio rock staple, etc. Both of the Top 10s are after the jump, but here are a few thoughts on the magazine's non-Winehouse choices.

THE GOOD: Tokenistic Time offers little in the way of curveballs, but it's still kinda weird (in the good way) to think that the electronic prog of Battles' Mirrored is getting play in the magazine of choice for your more staid medical/dental waiting rooms.
THE BAD: We refuse to believe there weren't three better rock songs released this year than a Radiohead album cut, "Hey There Delilah," and something by the Fratellis. Anyone? Help us out here.
THE WHAAAA? We were gonna start bitching about Feist showing up in both the singles (at No. 2!) and albums list (at No. 3!), but then we clicked on the embedded YouTube link for "1-2-3-4" and before you knew it we were curled up and drooling on the keyboard with visions of shiny unitards dancing in our heads.

Albums
1. Amy Winehouse, Back To Black
2. Radiohead, In Rainbows
3. Feist, The Reminder
4. Miranda Lambert, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
5. LCD Soundsystem, Sound Of Silver
6. Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
7. Battles, Mirrored
8. Robert Plant And Allison Krauss, Raising Sand
9. M.I.A., Kala
10. Kanye West, Graduation

Songs
1. Amy Winehouse, "Rehab"
2. Feist, "1-2-3-4"
3. Rihanna, "Umbrella"
4. LCD Soundsystem, "All My Friends"
5. Radiohead, "Jigsaw Falling Into Place"
6. 50 Cent, "I Get Money"
7. Plain White T's, "Hey There Delilah"
8. Manu Chao, "Me Llaman Calle"
9. Aly And AJ, "Potential Breakup Song"
10. The Fratellis, "Baby Fratelli"

Mutya Buena Slaps On Amy Winehouse's Eyeliner

mjohnston — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 16:35:23 EST

Amy Winehouse's recent indisposed state meant that a cameo in the video for ex-Sugababe Mutya Buena's "B Boy Baby"—which features Winehouse on its Ronettes-biting chorus—was out of the question. Does forcing Buena to slap on a lot of black eyeliner and affect Winehouse's on-another-planet lipsyncing manner make up for the lack of Wino in the clip? Not really. But man, is "Be My Baby" a timeless song or what?

Mutya Buena - B Boy Baby - Ft Amy Winehouse [YouTube]

Amy Winehouse will be taking a month's worth ...

jharv — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:10:00 EST

Amy Winehouse will be taking a month's worth of sick days and sitting out the rest of her live appearances for 2007. Her reason? She won't have her alleged criminal/confirmed enabler of a sweetheart near enough for her liking: "I can't give it my all on stage without my Blake. I'm so sorry but I don't want to do the shows half-heartedly; I love singing. My husband is everything to me and without him it's just not the same." [Guardian]