Mark Mothersbaugh has come a long way from Akron, Ohio. Mothersbaugh will receive the 2004 Richard Kirk Award for Outstanding Career Achievement at the BMI Film & TV Awards, May 12 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. The award is given annually to a composer who has …

It’s the 50th anniversary of the recording of Bill Haley and the Comets’ epochal “Rock Around the Clock,” the first Number One song of the rock ‘n’ roll era. It was produced by Milt Gabler, a rather unlikely figure to have ushered in the rock era. Gabler’s career in music …

On his Freedom to Tinker blog, Princeton computer science professor Edward Felten presents his “Grand Unified Theory of File Sharing,” which attempts to explain discrepancies in various studies comparing file sharing activities with CD sales: First, let’s review the three main results that have to be explained. Survey-based studies, which …

In you are in the vicinity of New Orleans on April 27-28, don’t forget the Ponderosa Stomp, which we first talked about here. There are even more details available about the show now: PONDEROSA STOMP 2004 TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27-28, 2004 MID CITY LANES ROCK ‘N’ BOWL NEW ORLEANS, …

Slade was one of those bands huge in the U.K. – somewhat like Sweet, Suzi Quatro, and even David Bowie to a certain extent – that we kept hearing were going to break huge in the U.S. at any moment in the heart of the glam era of the early-to-mid …

An LA Times poll finds 51% of Americans say “if gays are allowed to marry, the institution of marriage will be degraded,” and 60% say homosexual relationships are “against God’s will.” This is hardly surprising. What is surprising and what is most significant about the poll are these numbers: While …

Happy Easter – it’s a profound and soberly celebratory day for those who observe. Taking a break from the eggs, bunnies, and pastel colors, this whole 9/11 inquisition could use a little more perspective. If the question is, “Should the government have done something to stop the terorist attacks of …

Jimmy Buffett is very sensitive about “Cheeseburger In Paradise”: Lawyers for singer Jimmy Buffett gave a tiny roadside grill called Cheeseburgers ‘n Paradise a choice: Change the name or face a trademark-violation lawsuit. Owner Frenis Hoffman renamed the place Beef ‘n Buns ‘n Paradise this week, at least the second …

Fledgling riff-rock/post-grunge supergroup Velvet Revolver, featuring significant remants of Guns N’ Roses – guitar slinger Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum – along with guitarist David Kushner of Suicidal Tendencies and singer Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, will be touring starting next month. The big question mark …

The current turmoil and bloodshed in Iraq makes this the most critical time for the future of the country – and for the Middle East – since the military invasion of a year ago. It is also the time of deepest division between Americans since the war, as reflected in …