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Posts Tagged “Phil Spector”

zombies walk the earth

"Forbes" And "Ad Age": Rock Imagery, Dead Or Alive

Halloween is creeping up, so it's time for Forbes to publish its list of the highest-earning dead celebrities of the past year. The winner, once again, is Elvis Presley, whose dulcet tones, handsome visage, and rotting carcass pulled in $52 million, nearly $20 million ahead of No. 2, Charles M. Schulz. The other musicians near the top are John Lennon (seventh, $9 million) and Marvin Gaye (13th, $2 million), with ancillaries such as Velvet Underground manager Andy Warhol (eighth, $9 million) and presidential serenader Marilyn Monroe (ninth, $6.5 million) figuring in as well. What's most noteworthy, though, are two other pieces—one in Forbes, the other in Ad Age—that explains the nature of this list and call parts of it, indirectly, into question. More »

6:00 PM on Wed Oct 29 2008
By Michaelangelo Matos
186 views, Comment

obituaries

Larry Levine, R.I.P.

Larry Levine, Phil Spector's longtime engineer, died on his 80th birthday Thursday, according to a statement released by his family. Levine's first collaboration with Spector was on the Crystals' "She's A Rebel," and the two worked together on hits by the Righteous Brothers, Darlene Love, and Ike & Tina Turner. (He was there for those Leonard Cohen and Ramones albums, too.) Outside of Phil's reach, Levine won a Grammy for his work with Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, and he had his fingers in several Eddie Cochran hits and the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds as well. Levine's primary responsibility with Spector was to indulge the producer's need for size and grandeur without letting the track collapse. Needless to say, he pulled it off more than a couple times. More »

11:00 AM on Wed May 14 2008
By Anthony Miccio
789 views, 3 comments

Latest by AcidReign:     Mmm. The days where it had to be right, before it went to tape. (Or these days, hard drive.) Those folks did some amazing things... more »

Rachelle "Top 8" Spector celebrates her husband's mistrial by humping his leg for cameras hovering above. Kind of tragic that she can't post this to her MySpace video blog, isn't it? [Phil Spector Murder Trial Blog]

Comment

breaking

Mistrial Declared In Phil Spector Case

MySpace threat victim Larry Paul Fidler, the presiding judge in the Phil Spector murder trial, has declared a mistrial in the case after jurors said for a second time that they were unable to render a verdict. The jury was, according to MSNBC, split 10-2 on the charge of second-degree murder, although it's unknown whether or not the majority of jurors were in favor of conviction or acquittal.

Judge declares mistrial in Spector case [MSNBC]

4:53 PM on Wed Sep 26 2007
By mjohnston
172 views, 6 comments

thanks for the add

Phil Spector Supporters Learning That MySpace Comments Aren't All That Private

The LAPD is investigating a MySpace comment calling for the death of the judge in Spector's murder trial and allegedly left by Spector's wife, Rachelle; the comment was apparently on the Team Spector MySpace page, which, alas, has been set to "private" since news of the investigation broke. Lucky for us, our West Coast bretheren at Defamer unearthed it last night, and the "top friends" list is certainly something: More »

10:30 AM on Wed Sep 26 2007
By mjohnston
1,076 views, 1 comment

"The jury in the murder trial of Phil Spector said on Tuesday it was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the charges against the legendary rock producer, and the judge dismissed the jurors for the day. The jury said it had taken four ballots, but was split 7-5 over the verdict. The jury did not tell the judge if the split favored a guilty or not guilty verdict." [Reuters]

3 comments

tv

Phil Spector To Menacingly Stare Back From Your TV Screen

Variety reports that producer Phil Spector—shown here with that "wigged deer caught in headlights" expression—will be the subject of a 90-minute BBC documentary this fall: More »

11:30 AM on Tue Jun 26 2007
By Brian Raftery
675 views, 10 comments

Through It All, Phil Spector Remains A Golden Girl The troubled producer and long-time Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot! fan does his best Estelle Getty impression during yesterday's trial. [Photo: Getty Images]

7 comments

tv

Phil Spector Discovers The Magic Of Viral-Video Marketing

Apparently, tonight's Inside Edition will feature a video made by Phil Spector in 2005 in which the producer defends himself against accusations that he was responsible for the death of actress Lana Clarkson. According to the Drudge Report: More »

12:07 PM on Wed May 16 2007
By Brian Raftery
615 views, 3 comments

news

Liner Notes: Foxy Brown Does It For The Kids

- Despite a revoked driver's license, Foxy Brown will not be deterred from her mission of nearly running over newborn children and their moms. [Gatecrasher]
- For its new residencies, the Smashing Pumpkins will go from Asheville to San Francisco. But can Billy Corgan go from ashy to classy? [AP]
- Another day, another "Phil Spector waved his gun at me" story. [Billboard]

1:20 PM on Tue May 15 2007
By Brian Raftery
98 views, Comment

crime

Phil Spector's Gun-Waving, Misogynistic Ways--Now Updated Regularly!

We didn't realize this until yesterday, but the L.A. Times has been live-blogging (sorta) the Phil Spector trial, filing reports from the courtroom every couple of hours. And while the straight-forward headlines sound like telenovela titles—"Inconsistencies," "Testimony of threats," "'He was going to blow my brains out'"—it's one of the best ways to keep up with the proceedings, which just keep getting creepier and creepier: More »

3:46 PM on Thu May 10 2007
By Brian Raftery
197 views, 2 comments

You Need A Wall Of Sound To Keep Phil Spector Awake Nothing—not even the sight of doppelgänger-turned-witness Dianne Ogden—can get Phil Spector's attention during his murder trial yesterday in Los Angeles. [Photo: Getty Images]

2 comments

phil spector

Phil Spector Lists Other Entertainers He Would (Allegedly) Like To Shoot

Today's New York Post includes a handful of choice excerpts from Tearing Down the Wall of Sound, a forthcoming biography of Phil Spector in which the producer disses every recording artist of the last fifty years. Some examples: More »

12:00 PM on Thu Apr 26 2007
By Brian Raftery
1,220 views, 12 comments

james blunt

Liner Notes: By Now, Everyone's Gone Back To Bedlam With James Blunt

- Paris Hilton and James Blunt have finally hooked up. We have a "complex harpin' meets simplex herpen" joke we'd like to share, but we also have lawyers. [NY Daily News]
- Gorillaz guru Damon Albarn says the best-selling animated band won't be putting out any more pop records, forcing a desperate EMI to sign Grape Ape and a handful of Monchichis to a five-album deal. [NME]
- A judge says the Phil Spector trial will last for "about two or three months," during which time he'll stop with the wigs and just start showing up with a roofied sloth on his head. [AP via Billboard]

1:20 PM on Fri Apr 20 2007
By Brian Raftery
665 views, 4 comments

Latest by Xenu: @Aleb: I hope there'll be a hidden bonus track! more »

liner notes

Liner Notes: Are The Pussycat Dolls A Bunch Of Acronymrods?

- While performing at a fund-raiser for UNICEF, a member of the Pussycat Dolls gave an on-stage shout-out to"Unice." You don't even want to know what they said at last month's ASCAP benefit. [Page Six]
- Al Sharpton canceled his plans to honor Def Jam's L.A. Reid at a ceremony in New York this week, noting that he had accidentally double-booked his bloviating schedule. [USA Today]
- Several prospective jurors in the Phil Spector murder trial have told lawyers that they already believe he's responsible for the death of actress Lana Clarkson. They also blame him for "sucking the fun" out of John Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll album. [Billboard]

2:15 PM on Thu Apr 19 2007
By Brian Raftery
528 views, Comment

phil spector

Phil Spector's Trial: After All These Years, It's Finally Going To Happen

Opening arguments for the Phil Spector murder trial begin in two weeks, and in case you're sketchy on the details surrounding the 2003 death of B-movie actress Lana Clarkson, Slate's Timothy Noah has written up a primer on the trial that's full of details we missed while trying to figure out how Spector kept his coif so full: More »

3:44 PM on Tue Apr 10 2007
By mjohnston
248 views, 4 comments

liner notes

Liner Notes: Phil Spector, Jimmy Page Go A-Courtin'

- Phil Spector's new look: A little bit of Fred, a little bit of Shaggy, and a whole lotta chest Nair. Dude's as smooth as an otter! An allegedly murderous otter, but still. [New York Post]
- Jimmy Page is set to testify against a Scottish man who was caught with $50,000 worth of pirated CDs; if convicted, the defendant's rare Zeppelin bootlegs will be replaced with even more rare Firm bootlegs. [NME.com]
- Bruce Hornsby is writing a musical, which will soon be blatantly, inexplicably sampled by the estate of Tupac Shakur. [Billboard]

2:29 PM on Tue Mar 20 2007
By Brian Raftery
293 views, 2 comments

Latest by PengIn: Damn you, Idolator, for making me relive one of the most devestating days of my youth; the day I played the first Firm album and expected it to sound like Zeppelin. If you need me, I'll be curled up more »

phil spector

Ronnie Still Haunted By Phil Spector's Spectre

If the New York Post's always-reliable photo-shopping team is to be believed, Ronnie Spector can't even perform in public without being harassed by the all-watching, all-knowing, perfectly spherical head of her ex-husband, who wants her to get back in the car right now, chop-chop. More »

8:46 AM on Wed Mar 7 2007
By Brian Raftery
1,273 views, 4 comments