LOS ANGELES |
Mon May 21, 2012 4:57pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “American Idol” finalist Jessica Sanchez must reach viewers emotionally in order to win the contest this week, while rival Phillip Phillips has a “crazy charisma” that will serve him well in his career, the show’s mentor Jimmy Iovine said on Monday.

As “American Idol” approaches its climax on Tuesday, Iovine said he was impressed by both the young singers but gave little away on who he thought would win the 2012 title and a guaranteed recording contract.

Sanchez, a 16 year-old with a big voice but who has been criticized for failing to connect with her lyrics, and Phillips, 21, a singer-songwriter with an indie vibe and sometimes quirky song choices, will sing three numbers each on Tuesday night in a bid for public votes. The winner will be announced on Wednesday.

Iovine told reporters on a conference call that in order to win the contest, Sanchez “has to find that balance between her capabilities and reach inside and have the right song to click the emotion. She has to get people to vote for her who haven’t in the past.”

If Sanchez wins, she will be youngest “Idol” champion and the Fox TV contest’s first female winner since Jordin Sparks in 2007. The home-schooled teen was saved from elimination by the show’s judges last month after coming bottom in the public vote.

Record producer Iovine said he was impressed that a singer-songwriter as unusual as Phillips had got to the final, and surprised that he had been overlooked by the music industry before now.

“I think he has crazy charisma and an incredible sound,” Iovine said. “He has a certain thing that some of the other (recent ‘Idol’ winners) didn’t have. I don’t know how he was missed in the industry because he has such charisma and such a great character.”

Regardless of the outcome from Wednesday’s finale, Iovine said both singers have promising futures ahead of them.

“(Jessica) is a pro, she is 16 years old.. but when this girl is 18, she is going to do really, really well. She has all the capabilities and all the pieces to just do really great. I get excited when I work with her.”

Phillips “has the advantage of being exposed and people hearing him…Now he has to go and make a record that lives up to the popularity and the hype and yet make his first record as an artist, which is not always the easiest thing,” Iovine said.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy)

Article source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/21/entertainment-us-americanidol-idUSBRE84H03G20120521?feedType=RSS&feedName=musicNews

Download image

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – On the eve of Memorial Day, a star-studded line-up will grace the stage for one of PBS’s highest-rated programs, the NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT.  The multi award-winning television event honors the service and sacrifice of all our men and women in uniform, their families at home and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.  The concert will feature riveting performances from some of the world’s biggest stars.  In addition, acclaimed actors will present personal stories of love and sacrifice submitted by viewers through the concert’s Virtual Wall of Remembrance.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/capitalconcerts/47462/

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120521/MM96152)

The program is co-hosted by Joe Mantegna (CRIMINAL MINDS) and Gary Sinise (CSI: NEW YORK), two acclaimed actors who have dedicated themselves to veteran’s causes and supporting our troops.   The all-star line-up includes: distinguished American leader Colin L. Powell USA (Ret.); AMERICAN IDOL finalist Jessica Sanchez; the multi-platinum rock band Daughtry; nine-time Grammy award-winner, singer and songwriter Natalie Cole; country music superstar Trace Adkins; Emmy, Oscar and Tony award-winning actress Ellen Burstyn; Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actor and Vietnam veteran, Dennis Franz; celebrated film and television actress Selma Blair; world renowned tenor Russell Watson; and the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly. 

The event will feature:

• A heartfelt welcome home to our troops who have been serving in Iraq and Afghanistan;
• The poignant story of a young widow who lost her husband in Afghanistan;
• A segment profiling the heroic and brave efforts of veterans from all wars; and
• A closer look at the plight of homeless American veterans

“Each year on the eve of Memorial Day, we gather at the U.S. Capitol to share the real stories of fallen and wounded heroes, their families, and their combat buddies as a way to remember, to grieve and begin to heal,” said concert co-host Joe Mantegna.  “Every one of your stories of remembrance is important to us.  We are honored to be able to share these moving tributes from our loyal viewers as we remember the sacrifices made by so many to preserve our freedoms.”

The NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT will air live on PBS Sunday, May 27, 2012 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET, as well as to our troops serving around the world on the American Forces Network.

Related Links:

PBS Pressroom: http://pressroom.pbs.org/Programs/n/NATIONAL-MEMORIAL-DAY-CONCERT–2012.aspx

Broadcast Video: http://capitalconcerts.org/mediacenter/mem-day/

Companion web site at www.pbs.org/memorialdayconcert

SOURCE Capital Concerts

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.pbs.org/memorialdayconcert/concert

Article source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pbss-top-rated-national-memorial-day-concert-brings-the-nation-together-for-a-night-of-remembrance-152294085.html

Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.

Article source: http://music.yahoo.com/photos/billboard-music-awards-2012-arrivals-slideshow/

BOSTON (AP) — A former Boston University student who was ordered to pay $675,000 for illegally downloading and sharing 30 songs on the Internet says he will continue fighting the penalty, despite the Supreme Court‘s refusal Monday to hear his appeal.

Joel Tenenbaum, 28, of Providence, R.I., said he’s hoping a federal judge will reduce the amount.

“I can’t believe the system would uphold a six-figure damages amount for downloading 30 songs on a file-sharing system that everybody used,” Tenenbaum said. “I can’t believe the court would uphold something that ludicrous.”

A jury in 2009 ordered Tenenbaum to pay $675,000, or $22,500 per song, after the Recording Industry Association of America sued him on behalf of four record labels, including Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Brothers Records Inc. A federal judge called the penalty unconstitutionally excessive and reduced the award to $67,500, but the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later reinstated it.

The 1st Circuit said a new judge assigned to the case could reduce the award again, but the record labels would then be entitled to a new trial.

Tenenbaum, who said he just graduated Sunday from the university with a doctorate in statistical physics, said he doesn’t have the money to pay the judgment.

“I’ve been working on a graduate student’s stipend for six years now and I have no such money,” he said.

Tenenbaum argued that the U.S. Copyright Act is unconstitutional and that Congress did not intend the law to impose liability or damages when the copyright infringements amount to “consumer copying.”

During the trial, Tenenbaum admitted he downloaded and shared hundreds of songs by Green Day, Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins and others. His lawyer suggested the damages should be as little as 99 cents per song, about the same amount Tenenbaum would have to pay for a legal online song purchase.

Lawyers for the recording industry argued that illegal downloading hurt the recording industry by reducing income and profits. A lawyer for the recording labels described Tenenbaum as a “hardcore” copyright infringer. The association said it offered to settle the case for $5,000 early on, but Tenenbaum declined.

“We’re pleased with this decision,” RIAA spokeswoman Cara Duckworth said after the Supreme Court’s announcement Monday.

In the only other music-downloading case against an individual to go to trial, a judge last year reduced the penalty imposed on a Minnesota woman from $1.5 million to $54,000. An appeals court has scheduled arguments for next month in the case of Jammie Thomas-Rasset.

.

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/court-wont-reduce-students-music-download-fine-144922490.html

Her sons were blessed with musical gifts that brought riches and fame. On Monday Barbara Gibb was living a parent’s ultimate nightmare — preparing, for the third time, to lay a child to rest.

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/master-creepy-joaquin-phoenix-crazy-music-210618826.html