Kanye @ SXSW 2009 (more by Faith-Ann Young)

Critics may have hated it, but Monday's premiere of "The Jay Leno Show" got a warm reception from viewers.

Thanks in part to a newsworthy appearance from rapper Kanye West -- who drew widespread scorn for his behavior during the MTV Video Music Awards the previous night -- the former "Tonight Show" host's 10 p.m. comedy-variety show drew a surprisingly large crowd of 18.4 million total viewers, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. That's more than three times what he averaged on "The Tonight Show."

Among the key demographic of viewers aged 18 to 49, "Leno" scored a 5.3 rating/14 share, easily the night's top-rated program. It was NBC's most-watched program in the time period since last year's Summer Olympics. [LA Times]

Meanwhile, as Kanye promised a few weeks ago, he's going out on tour with Lady Gaga who was also a big star at the VMAs. The'Fame Kills' tour runs from November into January 2010, and includes two (for now?) NYC-area shows: December 22 at the Izod Center and January 3 at Nassau Coliseum. Ticket info TBA. All tour dates, and videos from the Leno show, are below...

Continue reading "Kanye West (the jackass) & Lady Gaga - 2009 Tour Dates"

photos by Jacob Blickenstaff

"PJ Harvey's previous album with John Parish was 1998's Dance Hall at Louise Point, but the 12-year wait was worth it. Harvey's brutal doctrine - that nothing should sound like anything either of them has done before - has produced a thrilling, boundless work. The songs are riots of changing themes and multiple musical personalities. Black Hearted Love, in which Parish's granite riff fuels one of Harvey's best ever rockers, finds two lovers frolicking in the abyss, while Pointless, Passionless chillingly catalogues a stone-cold relationship. April, with its snail's pace, is plaintive and purifying. Harvey's vocals range from animalistic shrieks to haunted narratives, as she depicts everything from the gleeful humiliation of a cuckold ("lily-livered balls!") to the days that follow a death. It all hangs together brilliantly, suggesting the mutual understanding of two artists at the peak of their powers." [Guardian]

Continue reading "PJ Harvey & John Parish played Irving Plaza (pics), the El Rey (setlist), Leno (video) & KCRW (video)"

"A week after Miley Cyrus shared with the world her plans to 'ruin' Radiohead after they snubbed the young starlet at the Grammy Awards, the band has responded to the singer's threat... The band wasn't amused by her story. 'When Miley grows up, she'll learn not to have such a sense of entitlement,' the band told the new issue of Us Weekly in a statement." [MTV]

"Dozens of investors who came to federal court in New York to hear Bernard Madoff's admission that he ran a $65 billion Ponzi scheme in which he lied and stole for decades applauded his jailing." [Bloomberg]

"Yet Miley is not the only star that has a beef with the band. Kanye West is another temperamental superstar who was also snubbed by the band. West told audiences at his VH1 Storytellers taping that he too was dissed by the band at the Grammy Awards" [andPOP]

"wish us all a safe journey if you still like us and you're not one of those people i have managed to offend by doing nothing xx" [Thom Yorke]

"We are working on new material" [Ed O'Brien]

"U2 celebrated the number one debut of its new album 'No Line on the Horizon' with an intimate gathering for a few friends Wednesday night." [Boston Globe]

"It's not U2, but 'The Tonight Show With Jay Leno' will get its own multiple dose of pop royalty this month. Prince will perform on three consecutive nights on the NBC program as he girds for the release of a pair of new albums. The mini-residency will run March 25-27; he also plans to hit the 'Tonight' stage May 28 for Leno's next-to-last night as host of the venerable talk show." [Reuters]

"Five new shows have been added to Michael Jackson's London run, bringing the total to 50, according to Randy Phillips, CEO of AEG Live, promoter of the shows." [Billboard]

"Hundreds of fans have queued through the night to buy the first tickets to Michael Jackson's 'final curtain call' of concerts in London." [CNN]

Continue reading "Radiohead, Miley Cyrus, U2, Prince, Leno & Michael Jackson"

Conan O'Brien's last show in his old time slot was Friday night. A drumless White Stripes were the musical guest.

Conan won't be gone for long though. He takes over Jay Leno's slot, one hour earlier, on June 1st. Jay Leno airs his final show in his current time slot on May 29th, and then eventually moves to 10 pm on the same station.

Jimmy Fallon takes over Conan's NBC time slot on March 2nd. His house band The Roots take over NYC around the same time. Fallon's guest have started to be announced...

If Jimmy Fallon is nervous about the premiere of his new gig as "Late Night" host, he'll have Robert De Niro and Van Morrison to lean on. They'll be the guests for his March 2 debut hosting the NBC show...

NBC says Tina Fey, Jon Bon Jovi, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Donald Trump and Serena Williams are among other guests scheduled for Fallon's first week. [Vindy.com]

Van Morrison's Fallon appearance comes soon after his two shows at the Theater at MSG, and right before the two at the Beacon.

The video from Joaquin Phoenix's recent, infamous appearance on Letterman, below...

Continue reading "U2's streaming album & Letterman residency, Jimmy Fallon got Van Morrison & other late night news"

White Rabbits in Prospect Park (more by Chris La Putt)

White Rabbits were en route to Cleveland last year when pianist Stephen Patterson received a call inviting the young Brooklyn septet to perform on The Late Show with David Letterman. "I completely freaked out," Patterson says. "I pulled off at a highway rest stop and we just ran around the van, calling our moms and dads."

Becoming elated over such news is more or less obligatory. Nellie McKay remembers "jumping in the air and doing a kind of flippery arm motion" upon being informed of her first Letterman booking; Spoon frontman Britt Daniel says he was "absolutely shocked" when told that Saturday Night Live had scheduled his band. But at the time of their Late Show invitation, White Rabbits were without a label apparatus, press clippings or even fans. "We got back in the van, drove to Cleveland and played a show for five people," Patterson says. When the day of the taping arrived, the musicians--whose vehicle had been stolen near their Bushwick home--hired a "man with a van" to drive them to the Ed Sullivan Theater. While waiting in the green room, they received another call, this time from their landlord. Their rent was overdue. [Time Out]

DOWNLOAD: Ed Harcourt - Revolution in the Heart (MP3)

Due to some scheduling conflicts, The Gutter Twins will be postponing and/or cancelling some of their upcoming U.S. dates in July. The seven shows from July 24th (Baltimore) to August 1 (Detroit) will not be taking place at this time. Unfortunately, this means that Ed Harcourt will not be playing any of those previously mentioned dates on the tour EXCEPT for the July 10th show at The Roxy in Los Angeles. For us lucky New Yorkers, Ed's added a show at Rehab (formerly Club Midway).

Continue reading "Gutter Twins cancel shows, Ed Harcourt schedules some "

Leia Jospe took some photos at the Santogold in-store on Tuesday.....

tonight in NYC
* Dead Child @ Europa
* Madonna @ Roseland Ballroom
* Chris Rock @ the theater @ MSG
* Fred Thomas & friends @ Cake Shop
* Tribeca Film Festival day parties
* Langhorne Slim is playing Mercury Lounge
* Feist is playing Hammerstein Ballroom again
* Crowded House play their last of three shows @ Irving Plaza

Blood on the Wall is playing Mercury Lounge on May 17th. Tickets are on sale.

Evangelista (w/ Carla Bozulich) is playing Mercury Lounge on June 14th. Tickets are on sale.

Delta Spirit is playing Mercury Lounge on June 26h. Tickets are on sale.

Bon Jovi will play Central Park (thx Sam)

Have you downloaded the free Ghostly Swim compilation yet?

The Roots played Letterman Monday. Duffy played Leno the same night. Both videos are below.

What else?

Continue reading "what's going on Wednesday?"

Tonight is Prince's headlining performance at Coachella (April 25, 2008). Last night he played the Late Show with Jay Leno....

Continue reading "Prince on Jay Leno (video) (Coachella tonight)"

Tegan & Sara's upcoming NYC show at Terminal 5 will accomodate around 3000 people and is still almost a month away, but it did really sell out. Last night they played Jay Leno (April 23, 2008). That video, and the latest tour dates, below.....

Continue reading "Tegan & Sara - still on tour (dates), played Leno (video)"

She & Him were on Conan last night. Goldfrapp played Leno...

Continue reading "Goldfrapp on Leno (video) "

Continue reading "Cat Power -'New York, New York' on Leno (video), Tour Dates"

Sid & Nancy impersonators are rolling in their grave

The Sex Pistols played at the Roxy, and then they played again on Leno...

Continue reading "Sex Pistols played Anarchy in the UK on Leno (video)"

Continue reading "VIDEO: Bright Eyes plays 'Four Winds' on Leno"