Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on Idolator.com » Don Cornelius

Don Cornelius’ Death Ruled A Suicide

Robbie Daw — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:53:08 +0000

A week after Don Cornelius was found dead at his Mulholland Drive home, Coroner’s officials in Los Angeles have ruled that his death was a suicide, and that the Soul Train creator had shot himself in the head. The agency made the determination after conducting an autopsy on Cornelius’ body Friday, reports the Associated Press. Investigators are still awaiting the results of toxicology tests before issuing a final report. Police initially responded to an alert from Cornelius’ son, Tony Cornelius, after he received a call from his father on Wednesday, February 1. Authorities were able to rule out foul play after arriving on the scene.

The Throne’s “Ni**as In Paris” Video Coming This Week: Morning Mix

Guest Editor — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:15 +0000

Did You Hear?

:: Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Ni**as In Paris” video will reportedly drop by the end of the week. Get ready to recreate the live experience by watching the video seven times in a row. [Complex]

:: Rihanna is considering dropping her Talk That Talk track “Birthday Cake” as her next single, and has been asking her Twitter followers who they’d like to see featured on the song. Our pick: Shy Ronnie. [Pop Crush]

:: Simon Cowell finally put some “complete nonsense” rumors to rest, denying that Beyonce and Mariah Carey are being considered as judges on The X Factor. [Rap-Up]

:: Flo Rida isn’t having a “Good Feeling” anymore. The rapper is being sued by a woman who claims Flo paid her $3.08 an hour, whereas he claims that it was more of an intern-type situation. [TMZ]

:: Soul Train legend Don Cornelius’ death was officially ruled a suicide. [Billboard]

After the jump, find out which acts you can find on the tube today.

Music On TV:

:: The Late Show With David Letterman (CBS) — Dierks Bentley
:: Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) — Far East Movement
:: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon — Of Montreal
:: Chelsea Lately (E!) — The Wanted
:: Conan (TBS) — Dr. Dog
:: The View (ABC) — Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
:: The Ellen DeGeneres Show— the Band Perry

The Idolator Hype Index (Week Of 1.29.12)

Robbie Daw — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:45:44 +0000

Sorry — what was that? We could barely hear you over the locomotive that is the Madonna Train roaring through Planet Pop at 140 mph. The Queen truly soared and thrilled over the past seven days, but the week wasn’t without heartbreak, as a bona fide R&B pioneer from the television world met a tragic end. Thankfully we had the Michael Jackson episode of Glee, the rise of UK gents The Wanted and the rad return of Garbage to ease the pain. See how all these music players ranked on our weekly Pop & Fizz hype index by heading below!

To see exactly how these artists entered the hype index, check below.

How does this week’s chart rank for you? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

In Honor Of Don Cornelius: The 10 Best ‘Soul Train’ Line Dances

Erika Brooks Adickman — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:58:55 +0000

Our hearts are heavy today following the news that Soul Train creator and host Brother Don Cornelius has died at the age of 75. To honor Don’s legacy and the lasting impact he made on music and pop culture (and to cheer ourselves up), we’re taking a look back at our favorite Soul Train line dances. So strap on your highest platform shoes, tease out that ‘fro (with Afro-Sheen, of course) and boogie down along with us.

10. Rosie Perez (!) kicks off the line to “So Emotional” by Whitney Houston

9. Even Spider-Man gets in on the action on “Dancing In The Sheets” by Shalamar

8. Dancer walks her man like a dog on a leash to the tune of “Living For The Weekend” by the O’Jays

7. For the love of pop, check out the moves at 1:47 to Earth, Wind And Fire’s “Happy Feeling”!

6. The synchronized moves at 1:06 to War’s “The Cisco Kid” are sheer disco bliss

5. The man at 0:50 gets down in ways unknown to “Hotline” by The Sylvers

4. Oh, the jeans! The glorious bell-bottom jeans in Chaka Khan and Rufus’ “Dance With Me”

3. That’s one smooth cat at 0:45 in this line to The Temptations’ “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”

2. Got to love the robot at 1:07 to Kool & The Gang’s “Jungle Boogie”

1. Don Cornelius gets down on the Soul Train line to J.B.’s “Doing It To Death”

Don Cornelius, ‘Soul Train’ Creator, Dead From Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound

Robbie Daw — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:22:25 +0000

Don Cornelius, creator of long-running musical variety show Soul Train, has died at age 75 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, reports the New York Times. Police found Cornelius’ body at his Los Angeles home on Mulholland Drive early this morning. After officers responded to a report of a shooting, the television producer was officially pronounced dead at 4:56 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said Los Angeles County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter.

Chicago native Cornelius launched Soul Train in his home town as a local program, but by the following year, the pioneering series, which primarily showcased soul and R&B music, had gone national. Soul Train aired in syndication for 35 years, from 1971 to 2006, with Cornelius hosting until 1993.

Don Cornelius introduces “the fabulous Aretha Franklin” on Soul Train in 1973

“There was not programming that targeted any particular ethnicity,” Cornelius said in a 2006 interview. “I’m trying to use euphemisms here, trying to avoid saying there was no television for black folks, which they knew was for them.”

Heavy D And The Boyz perform on Soul Train in 1988

In 1987, the Soul Train Music Awards spun off from the popular series. Rapper Heavy D, who died in 2011, was honored at last year’s ceremony.

Personal strife appeared to plague Cornelius in recent years. In October 2008, he was arrested at his Los Angeles home on a felony domestic violence charge and released on bail. Though his wife Victoria Avila-Cornelius had filed restraining orders against him, he initially pleaded not guilty to spousal abuse. In 2009, Cornelius changed his plea to no contest and was placed on probation for 36 months.

“I am shocked and deeply saddened at the sudden passing of my friend, colleague, and business partner Don Cornelius,” Quincy Jones told the New York Times today. “Don was a visionary pioneer and a giant in our business. Before MTV there was Soul Train, that will be the great legacy of Don Cornelius. His contributions to television, music and our culture as a whole will never be matched.”

Do you have a special memory about Soul Train, or a favorite guest? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Twitter and Facebook.

Don Cornelius Gets In Line

Lucas Jensen — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0000

Apologies if you have seen this before, but I’m over the moon about it. As far as I know, Don Cornelius remained agnostic to the Soul Train Line during all of its years except for this one instance, when he was cajoled by the Supremes’ Mary Wilson into joining her for a stroll. The audience went wild, of course, as Cornelius and Wilson sauntered down the aisle to the J.B.’s “Doing It To Death.” Befitting the man, Cornelius’ moves are refined, relaxed, and cool. It’s nice to reminisce about this idyllic time before we realized that Don Cornelius was a jerk. Sigh. [Dailymotion]