More news on the tumultuous relationship between ex-Oasis bandmates and brothers Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher has surfaced, but it doesn't involve Liam this time. Or does it? Noel Gallagher announced he will release his debut solo effort, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, on Oct. 17, with a complementary album due out in 2012. Noel has been very specific on the direction he took with this album. "The songs are not Oasis songs," he said. "It's not stadium rock. You'll like it. You'll think it's brilliant." While the public has yet to preview the album to determine whether or not it is in fact "brilliant," brother Liam, who is now fronting his new project Beady Eye, seems to have drawn his own conclusion. On July 6 (the same day Noel announced the release of his new album), Liam tweeted, "S***BAG." It's not clear exactly who or what he was referring to, but it's likely the words to "Don't Look Back In Anger" don't mean much to him anymore.
School is officially out for summer and who better to sing about it than a "Sleazy" songstress and shock-rock royalty? On July 5 Ke$ha was joined onstage by Alice Cooper at her concert in Oslo, Norway, for a rendition of everyone's favorite homework-free anthem, "School's Out." What the performance may have been lacking in electric chairs, fake blood and huge boa constrictors, it made up for in brash and edgy dance pop, complete with a decorated Ke$ha in shredded nylons and skeleton-print leotard. After the concert, Ke$ha expressed her gratitude for Cooper's surprise visit by tweeting: "Thanx for coming to Oslo to do SCHOOLS OUT with me dad…. LEGEND. F****** LEGEND," to which Cooper (aka Dad) responded with a photo, tweeting, "Thanks @keshasuxx! Next time our stage, and be sure to bring some bandaids…." What does Alice have in mind? We may just have to wait until school is back in session to find out.
What do indie rock fans eat for dinner? We don't know the answer to that question, but we do know that they'll now have plenty more options with The Mona Pizza: A Portrait Of Music & Food — a new cookbook due out Aug. 1 featuring 20 recipes from indie artists. The recipes are sure to be just as colorful as the artists' music, with dishes such as tasty bread and butter pudding from Emmy The Great, mackerel in pita from Beak> and sweet potato and spinach curry from A Grave With No Name. Other artists featured in the book are DJ Donna Summer, Drum Eyes, Shearing Pinx, and Solar Bears, among others. The book is now available for pre-order from Belly Kids. Any of these meals will likely be the perfect companion to your summer sessions of the Hipster Olympics.
Taking a break from rocking and rolling all night, spitting blood and breathing fire, Kiss' Gene Simmons put his best arm forward in throwing out the first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers game on July 5 at Dodger Stadium. "Here I am, about to go down in flames or actually throw the ball across the plate at Dodger Stadium," tweeted a nervous Simmons. But unlike most celebrities, Simmons fired a strike, showcasing a pitching motion rivaling a major league all-star (or at the least, a class-A minor leaguer). Sources say the Demon was in the dugout talking with Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp for some pointers prior to the pitch. With their team mired in last place and in the midst of a five-game losing skid, the applause for Simmons is rumored to be the only positive reaction from Dodgers fans so far this month.
In reunion news, it's hard to fathom that MTV will soon be celebrating its 30th anniversary. The network, which launched on Aug. 1, 1981, appropriately with the Buggles' "Video Killed The Radio Star," rose to prominence and ultimately changed the face of the music industry. Minus the late J.J. Jackson, all of the original MTV VJs — Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn — reunited this past week at Sirius XM Radio's studios in New York to record a special for the big anniversary. With the network's programming slanted toward reality TV in recent years, it's interesting to remember that the original premise of MTV was to exclusively air music videos from artists, guided by on-air VJs. For those old enough to recall, the original quintet of MTV VJs seemed almost like friendly next-door neighbors, chatting up artists during interviews and introducing then-cutting-edge videos by the likes of Spandau Ballet, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Duran Duran, and the Eurhythmics. While there is no word on whether a second reunion special featuring Downtown Julie Brown, Adam Curry, John Norris, and Kevin Seal is in the works, you can see photos of the reunited original MTV VJs here. Wubba, wubba, wubba.
What were some of our favorite stars up to this Fourth of July holiday? Let's check the TWIM Twittertable: genesimmons: On the 4th of July, I hope you took a moment & gave thanks to our brave Military. Past, Present & future, for keeping America strong & free; justinbieber: Everyone have fun this holiday weekend. enjoy the fireworks and Bbq. @kennyhamilton we need that secret sauce; keshasuxx: They have some WEIRD S*** on the public access tv stations in Norway; TheJonathanCain: Journey and Bob Dylan rocked Sweden at Peace and Love Festival for 50,000--largest crowd ever!!
LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and iTunes singles chart.
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