Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon Perform 'History of Rap 4'

Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon Perform 'History of Rap 4'Singer wraps up his 'Late Night' week with new installment of hip-hop medley $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

Justin Timberlake wrapped his week-long run on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon by joining the host in another installment of "History of Rap" medleys. Beginning with the Sugarhill Gang's "Apache (Jump On It)," with backing by the Roots, the pair touched on the Beastie Boys, 2 Live Crew, Missy Elliot and even Macklemore and Ryan Lewis before dashing out into the audience for a dramatic finale with Eminem's "Lose Yourself."

Last night's performance marked Fallon and Timberlake's fourth foray into rap history, and the pair introduced the segment with a brief debate over its revival. "OK," Timberlake finally agreed, "but this is the last time."

"Until the next time we do this," Fallon said.

Timberlake later continued the medley theme by performing a mix of his own hits, including "Cry Me a River," "Señorita" and "My Love."

Electronics product reviews and advice for best reference

Read more »

Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon Go to Summer Camp

Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon Go to Summer CampSinger also performs new cut 'Strawberry Bubblegum' $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

Justin Timberlake week on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon continued last night, and the singer dove into another goofy sketch by heading off to an Eighties summer camp. Adorned with curly, golden locks and a mouthful of braces, Timberlake shared some awkward adolescent bonding with cabinmate Fallon as they belted out Toto's "Africa" while trying not to wake their counselor.

Q&A: Justin Timberlake on How Acting Shaped His New Album

Timberlake has been on Late Night all week ahead of the March 19th release of his new album, The 20/20 Experience. He also took the stage last night to play the new cut "Strawberry Bubblegum," digging into the suggestive track and letting fans chew on the song's sensual build and his breezy falsetto. He also showed off some new dance moves, spending the last couple minutes breaking it down with the help of backup dancers. Check out the clip below.

Product reviews and advice for best reference

Read more »

Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon Go to Summer Camp

Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon Go to Summer CampSinger also performs new cut 'Strawberry Bubblegum' $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

Justin Timberlake week on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon continued last night, and the singer dove into another goofy sketch by heading off to an Eighties summer camp. Adorned with curly, golden locks and a mouthful of braces, Timberlake shared some awkward adolescent bonding with cabinmate Fallon as they belted out Toto's "Africa" while trying not to wake their counselor.

Q&A: Justin Timberlake on How Acting Shaped His New Album

Timberlake has been on Late Night all week ahead of the March 19th release of his new album, The 20/20 Experience. He also took the stage last night to play the new cut "Strawberry Bubblegum," digging into the suggestive track and letting fans chew on the song's sensual build and his breezy falsetto. He also showed off some new dance moves, spending the last couple minutes breaking it down with the help of backup dancers. Check out the clip below.

Electronics product reviews and advice for best reference

Read more »

Jimmy Kimmel Returns With 'Movie: The Movie' Sequel

Jimmy Kimmel Returns With 'Movie: The Movie' SequelBradley Cooper, Jessica Chastain help with all-star spoof $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); });

After last year's Oscars, Jimmy Kimmel debuted Movie: The Movie, scoring a big hit with the spoof clip that packed in movie stars like Mars Attacks did. Of course, favorites typically get sequels, and Kimmel has unveiled Movie: The Movie 2V, featuring Bradley Cooper, Jessica Chastain, Samuel L. Jackson, Bryan Cranston, John Krasinski, Gerald Butler and more. Sexy leprechauns appear, Krasinski suffers excessive superhero tragedies and Bruno Mars stops the madness to preach for peace. And naturally, Kimmel's sworn enemy Matt Damon is here too. "When you have a big success in Hollywood, there's only one reasonable thing you can do," says Kimmel, "and that is cheapen it with a sequel."

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Cover Story Excerpt: Jimmy Kimmel Prepares For Battle With Jay Leno

Jimmy Kimmel on the cover of Rolling Stone.

In the new issue of Rolling Stone, Contributing Editor Jonah Weiner smokes weed with Jimmy Kimmel and chats with the late-night host about his promotion to the coveted 11:30 p.m. time slot, his undying hatred of Jay Leno and why he sees Jimmy Fallon as a "worthy competitor." Here's an excerpt from the latest cover story, "Here's Jimmy":

Photos: A History of Comedy Stars on the Cover of Rolling Stone

In 24 hours, Jimmy Kimmel will stand up in his office at the El Capitan theatre in Hollywood, looking less like a talk-show host and more, to use his words, like "a hobo." He'll be wearing baggy mesh Dodgers shorts, a rumpled old Coca-Cola T-shirt and no shoes; his hair will stick out in three directions. As he leaves his desk, where he's been refining jokes since the morning, his transformation into late-night star will begin. After a quick haircut, he'll carry his MacBook to the makeup room, where he'll put the finishing touches on his monologue while a woman named Stephanie puts the finishing touches on his face: powdering his skin, shaping his eyebrows, blackening his hair where it's a bit too gray or a bit too thin for HD. In his private bathroom, he'll change into a crisp white shirt, a colorful Prada tie and slim blue Gucci pants. His wardrobe guy will bring the matching jacket, steamed and lint-rolled and bearing a sticker on its lining that says ABC ASSET above a bar code marking it as network property. "I've got the same bar code tattooed on me," Kimmel will joke. "It used to say ABC LIABILITY, but they changed it when the ratings got good." As he makes his way downstairs – where a 200-strong crowd is waiting for that night's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! to start – a group of writers, producers and crew will fist-bump Kimmel and chant, as they do before every episode, "Best show ever! Best show ever!" His band will launch into an ecstatic fanfare and Kimmel will stroll out, hit his electrical-taped mark, and fix his eyes on the teleprompter as the audience roars its welcome: showtime. 

But that's not for 24 hours. Right now it's Sunday night, Kimmel is at his beach house, and he wants to get high. "If we smoke weed right now," he asks, "is that on the record?"

Kimmel is sitting at a weathered wooden table in his dining room. Blinky and unshaven, hair tousled, he looks like he just woke up from a phenomenal nap. Kimmel's fiancee, Live! co-head writer Molly McNearney, is in the kitchen, drinking fruit punch and tapping on her phone. "I don't know if I want this in the story," Kimmel, 45, says, padding off to retrieve his stash. "My kids are gonna read this.?.?.?."

He returns with a vacuum-sealed baggie bulging with buds the size of baby Brussels sprouts.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Florence Welch and Jimmy Fallon Bring Back 'Balls in Your Mouth'

Florence Welch and Jimmy Fallon Bring Back 'Balls in Your Mouth''Late Night' host revives his oil spill protest song with Welch and Co. $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

While they're currently trekking across the U.S., Florence and the Machine swung by Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night for a very special performance. The band performed "Spectrum (Say My Name)" to close out the show, but the real highlight came earlier, when Florence Welch joined Fallon for a rousing rendition of "Balls in Your Mouth" – the protest song he wrote in 2010 about the tar balls washing up on the shore following the BP oil spill.

As Hurricane Isaac has caused old tar balls to reach shores again, it was an apt opportunity to bring back the track, and Welch gave the song's earworm of a refrain – "Balls in your mouth / Balls in your mouth / Don't swim in the ocean / You'll get balls in your mouth" – a full diva makeover. The studio audience and the Roots made sure to get in on the fun, too.

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Madonna Sits Down With Jimmy Fallon for a Live Facebook Chat

Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images/Kevin Winter/NBCUniversal

"I thought it would be best to talk to my fans," Madonna told Jimmy Fallon on Saturday, explaining why her Facebook chat with the Late Night host is the only live press she's doing for her new album, MDNA. Taped in front of an audience and live steamed through Madonna's Facebook page, the interview incorporated questions sent in from fans around the world as well as a few dance lessons for Fallon.

Over the course of the interview, Madonna professed an interest in quantum physics, said she'd like to cover the Serge Gainsbourg song "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus" and described how Quentin Tarantino's films inspired her new song "Gang Bang."

"I have a whole thing worked out in a motel room," she said, imploring Tarantino to direct the video. "All he has to do is show up with a camera. And I can’t afford a director’s fee.”

At one point, Jimmy Fallon asked why she chose to collaborate with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. on the new album.

"Because they’re bad-ass bitches, long story short," she said. "I think they’re both smart, clever, they have strength. They don’t just play on their sexuality or being cute. They’re not ingénues. They’re tough girls and they’re smart. I wouldn't mess with them."

Another fan asked what the pop queen would do if she were president of the United States.

"Well, when I am the president," Madonna corrected, "I will first of all take all the money spent on defense and put it into education, so that schoolteachers get paid more money. It's scandalous how low their pay is. Gay marriage would be legal everywhere and accepted. There would be no restrictions whatsoever on any of my videos, ever."

That last policy was perhaps inspired by the recent news that YouTube is limiting views of the "Girl Gone Wild" video to those over 18. As Fallon put it, "Now you have to hide the grinding and the groins."

"I’m supposed to be a girl gone wild in the video!" Madonna said. "How could you go wild and not grind? This is the question that people should be asking."

Responding to Fallon's suggestion that one shot in the video showed a man masturbating, she objected: "No, he was just brushing off his latex g-string. They get smudged – you know light picks up all the fingerprints."

Dressed in a t-shirt emblazoned with the title of the new album, Madonna let slip a few details of her upcoming tour, including the fact that she's recently acquired a few bruises learning how to slackline. When asked how she chooses songs to perform on tour, she said she tries to fit songs into themes and dramatic arcs in her shows. 

"The first section I titled 'Transgression,' so use your imagination," she said of the new show. "But then I have to go back in my catalog and pick songs that fall into that category. It's not 'Cherish.'"

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Madonna Sits Down With Jimmy Fallon for a Live Facebook Chat

Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images/Kevin Winter/NBCUniversal

"I thought it would be best to talk to my fans," Madonna told Jimmy Fallon on Saturday, explaining why her Facebook chat with the Late Night host is the only live press she's doing for her new album, MDNA. Taped in front of an audience and live steamed through Madonna's Facebook page, the interview incorporated questions sent in from fans around the world as well as a few dance lessons for Fallon.

Over the course of the interview, Madonna professed an interest in quantum physics, said she'd like to cover the Serge Gainsbourg song "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus" and described how Quentin Tarantino's films inspired her new song "Gang Bang."

"I have a whole thing worked out in a motel room," she said, imploring Tarantino to direct the video. "All he has to do is show up with a camera. And I can’t afford a director’s fee.”

At one point, Jimmy Fallon asked why she chose to collaborate with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. on the new album.

"Because they’re bad-ass bitches, long story short," she said. "I think they’re both smart, clever, they have strength. They don’t just play on their sexuality or being cute. They’re not ingénues. They’re tough girls and they’re smart. I wouldn't mess with them."

Another fan asked what the pop queen would do if she were president of the United States.

"Well, when I am the president," Madonna corrected, "I will first of all take all the money spent on defense and put it into education, so that schoolteachers get paid more money. It's scandalous how low their pay is. Gay marriage would be legal everywhere and accepted. There would be no restrictions whatsoever on any of my videos, ever."

That last policy was perhaps inspired by the recent news that YouTube is limiting views of the "Girl Gone Wild" video to those over 18. As Fallon put it, "Now you have to hide the grinding and the groins."

"I’m supposed to be a girl gone wild in the video!" Madonna said. "How could you go wild and not grind? This is the question that people should be asking."

Responding to Fallon's suggestion that one shot in the video showed a man masturbating, she objected: "No, he was just brushing off his latex g-string. They get smudged – you know light picks up all the fingerprints."

Dressed in a t-shirt emblazoned with the title of the new album, Madonna let slip a few details of her upcoming tour, including the fact that she's recently acquired a few bruises learning how to slackline. When asked how she chooses songs to perform on tour, she said she tries to fit songs into themes and dramatic arcs in her shows. 

"The first section I titled 'Transgression,' so use your imagination," she said of the new show. "But then I have to go back in my catalog and pick songs that fall into that category. It's not 'Cherish.'"

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Jimmy Page Unearths Soundtrack Album

Jimmy Page, 'Lucifer Rising and Other Sound Tracks'

Jimmy Page's avant garde soundtrack music from the early Seventies will finally be released on March 20th. Lucifer Rising and Other Sound Tracks will collect several compositions that were recorded at the Led Zeppelin guitarist's home studio, including the title piece, which was intended for use in Kenneth Anger's short film Lucifer Rising. The music never made it into the picture, but Page did make a cameo in the film.

Page will release the record exclusively through his website. An LP edition will be issued on heavyweight vinyl, and a special run of numbered copies will be released as well. The first 93 copies of that set will be autographed by Page.

The track listing for Lucifer Rising and Other Sound Tracks is as follows:

Side One
"Lucifer Rising – Main Track"

Side Two
"Incubus"
"Damask"
"Unharmonics"
"Damask – Ambient"
"Lucifer Rising – Percussive Return"

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Jimmy Page Unearths Soundtrack Album

Jimmy Page, 'Lucifer Rising and Other Sound Tracks'

Jimmy Page's avant garde soundtrack music from the early Seventies will finally be released on March 20th. Lucifer Rising and Other Sound Tracks will collect several compositions that were recorded at the Led Zeppelin guitarist's home studio, including the title piece, which was intended for use in Kenneth Anger's short film Lucifer Rising. The music never made it into the picture, but Page did make a cameo in the film.

Page will release the record exclusively through his website. An LP edition will be issued on heavyweight vinyl, and a special run of numbered copies will be released as well. The first 93 copies of that set will be autographed by Page.

The track listing for Lucifer Rising and Other Sound Tracks is as follows:

Side One
"Lucifer Rising – Main Track"

Side Two
"Incubus"
"Damask"
"Unharmonics"
"Damask – Ambient"
"Lucifer Rising – Percussive Return"

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Trammps Singer Jimmy Ellis Dead at 74

Earl Young (sitting), Harold Wade, Jimmy Ellis, Stanley Wade and Robert Upchurch of the Trammps.

Jimmy Ellis, frontman of the Trammps, has died at the age of 74. He passed away yesterday in Rock Hill, South Carolina from complications of Alzheimer's disease.

Ellis was best known as the singer of the band's 1976 song "Disco Inferno," which became a smash hit in the United States in 1978 after it was included on the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever. The Trammps also scored hits on the R&B charts with their cover of Judy Garland's signature tune "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart," "Hold Back the Night" and "The Night the Lights Went Out," which was inspired by the New York City blackout of 1977.

Photos: Random Notes
The Trammps reformed in 2005 after a 25-year hiatus to perform "Disco Inferno" when the song was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame. Ellis continue to play with the band until 2010.

You can watch the music video for the Trammps' "Disco Inferno" below.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Trammps Singer Jimmy Ellis Dead at 74

Earl Young (sitting), Harold Wade, Jimmy Ellis, Stanley Wade and Robert Upchurch of the Trammps.

Jimmy Ellis, frontman of the Trammps, has died at the age of 74. He passed away yesterday in Rock Hill, South Carolina from complications of Alzheimer's disease.

Ellis was best known as the singer of the band's 1976 song "Disco Inferno," which became a smash hit in the United States in 1978 after it was included on the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever. The Trammps also scored hits on the R&B charts with their cover of Judy Garland's signature tune "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart," "Hold Back the Night" and "The Night the Lights Went Out," which was inspired by the New York City blackout of 1977.

Photos: Random Notes
The Trammps reformed in 2005 after a 25-year hiatus to perform "Disco Inferno" when the song was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame. Ellis continue to play with the band until 2010.

You can watch the music video for the Trammps' "Disco Inferno" below.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Bruce Springsteen To Take Over 'Late Night With Jimmy Fallon' Next Week

Bruce Springsteen performs during the 54th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

Bruce Springsteen is going to take over Late Night With Jimmy Fallon next week. On Monday, February 27th, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform two songs on the show – and on Friday March 2nd (the show's 3rd anniversary) Springsteen will be the sole guest for the evening. He'll be interviewed by Fallon, and also perform multiple songs. On Tuesday's show Kenny Chesney will perform "I'm On Fire," which he previously released in 2004. Elvis Costello will perform "Brilliant Disguise" with the Roots on Thursday. They have not announced the plans for Wednesday night. 

This won't be the first time that Springsteen performed on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. In November 2010, Springsteen dressed up like himself circa-1975 (complete with a wig and fake beard) to perform a cover of Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair" alongside Jimmy Fallon in his Neil Young costume. 

The two appearances on the Fallon show are Springsteen's only planned late night appearances at this time. He kicks off the Wrecking Ball world tour on March 18th in Atlanta, though on March 9th he's performing a private show at New York's Apollo Theater to celebrate the ten year anniversary of Sirius. 

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Bruce Springsteen To Take Over 'Late Night With Jimmy Fallon' Next Week

Bruce Springsteen performs during the 54th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

Bruce Springsteen is going to take over Late Night With Jimmy Fallon next week. On Monday, February 27th, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform two songs on the show – and on Friday March 2nd (the show's 3rd anniversary) Springsteen will be the sole guest for the evening. He'll be interviewed by Fallon, and also perform multiple songs. On Tuesday's show Kenny Chesney will perform "I'm On Fire," which he previously released in 2004. Elvis Costello will perform "Brilliant Disguise" with the Roots on Thursday. They have not announced the plans for Wednesday night. 

This won't be the first time that Springsteen performed on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. In November 2010, Springsteen dressed up like himself circa-1975 (complete with a wig and fake beard) to perform a cover of Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair" alongside Jimmy Fallon in his Neil Young costume. 

The two appearances on the Fallon show are Springsteen's only planned late night appearances at this time. He kicks off the Wrecking Ball world tour on March 18th in Atlanta, though on March 9th he's performing a private show at New York's Apollo Theater to celebrate the ten year anniversary of Sirius. 

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Lana Del Rey, Skylar Grey Perform In L.A. to Honor Jimmy Iovine

Skylar Grey, Jimmy Iovine and Mary J. Blige attend The Grammy Awards Producers & Engineers Event in Los Angeles.

After an impressive video tribute looking back on a career that has seen him work with John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Dr. Dre, Eminem and Lady Gaga, to name a few, Jimmy Iovine joked, "Oh, that thing gives me a headache."

The producer and executive was honored at L.A.'s Village Studios last night by the Grammy Awards' Producers & Engineers Wing. During a witty speech, Iovine said he initially had doubts about accepting the honor. But later, in a private green-room reception, he told Rolling Stone why he decided to be the honoree. "I feel the most comfortable around record producers," he said. "How I work in music now is through other people, and it’s never failed me. That’s why this thing was important to me."

Those "other people" came out in droves to support him, including will.i.am, Dr. Dre and Stevie Nicks. "Jimmy is not afraid to say what he likes and doesn’t like," said Mary J. Blige on the red carpet. "He's not afraid to be honest. He is a musician himself." In his speech, Iovine spoke often about his close relationship with Dre, saying, "Wherever I am right now, I would not be here without having met him."

The night featured two of the Iovine's latest acts: Skylar Grey, who performed a sparkling solo piano medley, and Lana Del Rey.

The latter has, of course, been the focus of much scrutiny lately. It's a difficult microscope for any artist to find themselves under, but in a room filled with some of the biggest stars in music, industry heavyweights and the media, Del Rey delivered a stellar performance of her hit "Video Games."

Iovine had heavy praise for the singer, repeatedly referring to her Born To Die debut as a full album from start to finish and telling the crowd the label was fully committed to her. For Iovine, showcasing some of Interscope's new talent – both of whom he predicted would be back at the Grammys next year – was a fitting way to celebrate. Everyone else wanted to keep the spotlight on him.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Bret Michaels New Album to Include Duets With Loretta Lynn, Jimmy Buffett

Bret Michaels performs at the St. George Theatre in Staten Island, New York.

Bret Michaels' upcoming solo album, Get Your Rock On, will include a few friends. "Loretta Lynn and I are gonna redo 'Every Rose Has It’s Thorn' together," he tells Rolling Stone. "And, for me, growing up in a family that my father loved country music and Coal Miner’s Daughter, this is gonna be a really awesome time."

How did the two come together? "I met her at Thanksgiving and it was really great. We were out at her ranch in Hurricane Mills and we sat there, me and her, and after everyone, the whole family and my crew sort of dissipated we sat there and started writing some songs together," he says. And one of the ideas she had was redoing 'Every Rose Has It’s Thorn' and I thought it would be unbelievable for me and her to do that together."

Among the other guests on the album are Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen and Jimmy Buffett. "The song 'Get Your Rock On' has Phil Collen from Def Leppard playing guitar with me and it also has Sal Costa from My Darkest Days, really, really good guitar player and good friend," he says. "Jimmy Buffet and I did a live version of 'Margaritaville' together."

Michaels says the two duets, with Lynn and Buffett, will be "two bonus tracks." And of the rest of the record he says, "It is just straight up in your face rock & roll."

"Every Rose Has It's Thorn" is just one of the songs that came from his Thanksgiving jam session with Lynn. There will be more. "There are two songs we wrote together. One of them is going to appear, she’s a doing a new album with T-Bone Burnett, we’re gonna go down and do one on that," he says. "And then we’re gonna do one [on] an album that’s called Me, My Guitar And I, it’s a record that will come out either later in the year or sometime next year."

Michaels will be very busy in 2012, with Poison hitting the road this summer with Def Leppard in addition to his two planned solo albums. He gets off to a raucous start tonight at the Saban Theater in L.A., where he'll close out the Grammy Foundation Music Preservation Project's Salute To Live Music. The night, which will be co-hosted by Sharon Osbourne and Steve Vai, will also feature Shelby Lynne, Robert Cray, A Fine Frenzy, Dave Koz, Ledisi and more.

"Sharon Osbourne hosting this, you’re talking about one of the biggest personalities with Sharon, Steve Vai, one of the best musicians and coolest guys, that’s a good day," he says. Though Michaels did notice one thing about all of the acts on the roster. "I think everyone on the bill has either gotten a Grammy or been nominated except for me. I am the Susan Lucci of rock & roll without a nomination," he says laughing.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Lana Del Rey, Skylar Grey Perform In L.A. to Honor Jimmy Iovine

Skylar Grey, Jimmy Iovine and Mary J. Blige attend The Grammy Awards Producers & Engineers Event in Los Angeles.

After an impressive video tribute looking back on a career that has seen him work with John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Dr. Dre, Eminem and Lady Gaga, to name a few, Jimmy Iovine joked, "Oh, that thing gives me a headache."

The producer and executive was honored at L.A.'s Village Studios last night by the Grammy Awards' Producers & Engineers Wing. During a witty speech, Iovine said he initially had doubts about accepting the honor. But later, in a private green-room reception, he told Rolling Stone why he decided to be the honoree. "I feel the most comfortable around record producers," he said. "How I work in music now is through other people, and it’s never failed me. That’s why this thing was important to me."

Those "other people" came out in droves to support him, including will.i.am, Dr. Dre and Stevie Nicks. "Jimmy is not afraid to say what he likes and doesn’t like," said Mary J. Blige on the red carpet. "He's not afraid to be honest. He is a musician himself." In his speech, Iovine spoke often about his close relationship with Dre, saying, "Wherever I am right now, I would not be here without having met him."

The night featured two of the Iovine's latest acts: Skylar Grey, who performed a sparkling solo piano medley, and Lana Del Rey.

The latter has, of course, been the focus of much scrutiny lately. It's a difficult microscope for any artist to find themselves under, but in a room filled with some of the biggest stars in music, industry heavyweights and the media, Del Rey delivered a stellar performance of her hit "Video Games."

Iovine had heavy praise for the singer, repeatedly referring to her Born To Die debut as a full album from start to finish and telling the crowd the label was fully committed to her. For Iovine, showcasing some of Interscope's new talent – both of whom he predicted would be back at the Grammys next year – was a fitting way to celebrate. Everyone else wanted to keep the spotlight on him.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Soul Bandleader Jimmy Castor Dies

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Jimmy Castor – leader of the Jimmy Castor Bunch, a funk and soul band with a string of hits in the Seventies – died yesterday of unknown causes in Las Vegas. He was 64.

A saxophonist and percussionist whose bands played a broad range of R&B and dance music, Castor was nicknamed "the Everything Man." The Jimmy Castor Bunch's hits included "Troglodyte (Cave Man)" (which was sampled by N.W.A.), "It's Just Begun" (featured in the breakdance battle scene in the 1983 movie Flashdance) and novelties such as "The Bertha Butt Boogie." Ice Cube and Eric B. and Rakim are among the many hip-hop acts to sample Castor's music over the years; Kanye West sampled one of his records on The College Dropout.

Late in his career, Castor toured with a version of the doo-wop group the Teenagers, whose late singer, Frankie Lymon, had been a boyhood schoolmate of Castor's in New York. 

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Find music selection in Amazon here

Read more »

Soul Bandleader Jimmy Castor Dies

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Jimmy Castor – leader of the Jimmy Castor Bunch, a funk and soul band with a string of hits in the Seventies – died yesterday of unknown causes in Las Vegas. He was 64.

A saxophonist and percussionist whose bands played a broad range of R&B and dance music, Castor was nicknamed "the Everything Man." The Jimmy Castor Bunch's hits included "Troglodyte (Cave Man)" (which was sampled by N.W.A.), "It's Just Begun" (featured in the breakdance battle scene in the 1983 movie Flashdance) and novelties such as "The Bertha Butt Boogie." Ice Cube and Eric B. and Rakim are among the many hip-hop acts to sample Castor's music over the years; Kanye West sampled one of his records on The College Dropout.

Late in his career, Castor toured with a version of the doo-wop group the Teenagers, whose late singer, Frankie Lymon, had been a boyhood schoolmate of Castor's in New York. 

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

View from Amazon here

Read more »