| CMU Daily - on the inside 31 Oct 2002 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
• Hip hop pioneer shot dead,
• NERD takes the shortlist prize,
• Osbourne movie planned,
• Minnelli reality show axed,
• Review: Bright Eyes -Lover I Don’t Have To Love,
• Scruff gets radio show,
• Moyles tv show recommissioned,
• Skinner not impressed with blur man,
• ITV has daytime gap to fill,
• Ministry announce new years line up,
• Bjork's mum ends hunger strike,
• Fuller plans Pop Idol for has beens,
• Review: Jesse Malin - The Fine Art Of Self Destruction,
• Timberlake keeps stum on song inspiration,
• Europop star faces competition from dad
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Last samples question! Who sampled the Eurythmics, Kate Bush, Human League and Slayer - and in which tracks?
Answer tomorrow
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HIP HOP PIONEER SHOT DEAD
Master Jay, part of the pioneering rap trio Run DMC, has been shot and killed at a New York City recording studio. In a statement last night the group's publicist confirmed Master Jay, real name Jason Mizell, had died. A police spokesman, Detective Robert Price, told reporters he had been shot once in the head and was dead at the scene. He said the shooter remained at large and police had no information on a motive. A second man, identified by police as 25-year-old Urieco Rincon, was shot in the leg and was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital. Mizell was married and had three children.
Run DMC are widely credited, of course, with being key in bringing hip hop to the mainstream, the band's collaboration with Aerosmith - 'Walk This Way' - being very important in the history of the genre.
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NERD TAKES THE SHORTLIST PRIZE
The Neptunes' side project N.E.R.D took the Shortlist Prize for artistic achievement in music, something of an American Mercury Music Prize, on Tuesday night. The group win $3000 in cash, $3000 in kit and the prestige of the title. They beat Bjork, Aphex Twin, The Avalanches, Cee-Lo, DJ Shadow, Doves, The Flaming Lips, The Hives and Zero 7, who were all on the 'shortlist', to win the prize.
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OSBOURNE MOVIE PLANNED
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ozzy Osbourne is close to signing a deal with a major US film studio to make a movie about his life. Talking about the possible film Sharon Osbourne told the Reporter: "He wouldn't be in it himself. I have a dream of who it could be but I don't know if he'll do it. He's Johnny Depp, a brilliant actor." The film would come, of course, after the huge success of the MTV reality TV show The Osbournes. The first series gets its first terrestrial airing in the UK on Channel 4 tomorrow - the second series debuts in on MTV in the US next month.
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MINNELLI REALITY SHOW AXED
Talking of pop star reality TV, VH1 has pulled the plug on the reality based Liza Minnelli vehicle which would have seen Liza and new husband David Gest entertaining guests. The show would have featured footage of Liza and David preparing for the dinner party, chat with the dinner guests and a few songs. In a statement VH1 yesterday said: "We've made the decision to not move forward with the Liza and David show on VH1. Although we continue to believe that Liza is an amazing talent, we were not given the cooperation and access that we were promised and that are necessary to make the show a reality." The New York Post has reported the key problem was Gest who was "a maniacal control freak" who restricted VH1's crew to little or no access and constantly caused problems with the taping of the show. The premiere of Liza and David was pushed back by the music channel on several occasions, from October to December to January, before the decision was made to scrap it altogether. Minnelli and Gest are yet to comment.
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REVIEW: Bright Eyes - Lover I Don't Have to Love (Wichita)
The Bright Eyes live show is truly a thing to behold; passionate, exciting and engaging. Well *finally* Conor Oberst has gone and done it. He's captured his live appeal on a record, and what a record this is. 'Lover I Don't Have to Love' is eloquent - poetic lyrics are set to a moving keyboard arrangement, magnificent strings and hard, Flaming Lips-esque drums. There's still a trace of Conor's seemingly huge ego, his need to show the world how diverse his influences are occasionally taking the fore when a little restraint would speak volumes more. But at the rate he's improving, Bright Eyes' talent will soon reach a peak matched only by his ego. DR
Release date: 18 Nov
Press contact: Bad Moon [CP, RP, NP] Wichita IH [CR, RR, NR]
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SCRUFF GETS RADIO SHOW
EMAP owned Manchester station is launching a new show featuring the excellent Mr Scruff and former Fat City Records shop manager Treva Whateva. The show, 'Hot Pot' will launch on 9 Nov at 7pm and is being described by Scruff's people as 'the perfect antidote to bland, globalised, McTune culture with a hearty mix of the cream of black music, culinary sound bites and occasionally relevant banter".
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MOYLES TV SHOW RECOMMISSIONED
Despite a mixed reaction from audience and critics Channel 5 has commissioned a second series of the Chris Evans produced youth show Live with Chris Moyles. The network are please with the show that is pulling in between 400,000 and 700,000, viewers each night. "Live With Chris Moyles has attracted very advertiser-friendly young males who don't watch a lot of TV so, in that sense, it has been a success," a Channel 5 spokesman said. "It's also provided a genuine alternative to what's on offer on other channels at that time of day."
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SKINNER NOT IMPRESSED WITH BLUR MAN
In an interview with Rolling Stone The Street's Mike Skinner has admitted he didn't know who Damon Albarn was when he was introduced to him at a London club recently. Skinner met Albarn after his show at the London Hammersmith Working Men's Club last month. "I didn't really know who he was," Skinner says. "He was just like, 'Welcome to being famous' or something . . . I was just like, 'Oh, shut up, you pansy.' He seems all right, but he's just a different kind of person from me. I kinda get on the train and go see my girlfriend and get on with makin' the music."
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ITV HAS DAYTIME GAP TO FILL
ITV was looking for a new presenter of This Morning yesterday after it fired John Leslie after he failed to present his case regarding recent rape allegations to bosses at the programmes maker Granada TV. A Granada spokesperson told reporters: "We have given John Leslie every opportunity to give his response to the allegations made against him. We have asked him what he intends doing to challenge them, and as yet we've had no response. As a result it is no longer possible for him to present This Morning. We have therefore formally terminated Granada's contract with him today. ITV agrees with this course of action." Leslie, meanwhile, approached the police to offer any help in dealing with the allegations.
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MINISTRY ANNOUNCE NEW YEARS LINE UP
The line up for the Ministry of Sound New Years Eve party at the Dome has been announced. Dubbed by the club's management as the 'Greatest Show On Earth' Groove Armada, Grooverider, Ross Allen, Full Intention, Semtex, Judge Jules and Mauro Picotto are all among the line up, performing alongside a team of circus artists and performers. Ministry are also promising the largest pyrotechnics display ever witnessed inside the Dome at midnight. More details at www.ministryofsound.co.uk
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BJORK'S MUM ENDS HUNGER STRIKE
Bjork's mother has ended her four week hunger strike. By the end of her campaign the 56-year-old Hildur Runa Hauksdottir had lost more than 14 lbs. But she said she had achieved her aim to draw global attention to the plans by US company Alcoa to build the aluminum smelter and hydroelectric plant above the glacier at Vatnajokull. "Americans, Europeans, people in the Far East have all contacted me asking how they can help, how they can stop this," she told reporters. "I thank them for their support and I urge them to keep track by reading the campaign website - www.raddir.is. But a lot more work needs to be done - time is running out."
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FULLER PLANS POP IDOL FOR HAS BEENS
Mr Pop Idol Simon Fuller is considering a new TV show that would give fallen popstars a second chance at stardom. One hit wonders and yesterday's heroes would be given a chance to compete for a new record contract. In an interview with Time Magazine Fuller confirmed the show could be on UK television as early as February and in American next summer. He hopes the new slant on the Pop Idol format could breath life into the show - "In England, the bubble's already about to burst," he admitted. There were reports earlier this week ITV were delaying the second series of Pop Idol in the UK while they waited to see if the fortunes of the BBC's Fame Academy picked up as it reached its conclusion.
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REVIEW: Jesse Malin - The Fine Art of Self Destruction (One Little Indian)
Man, and we thought Ryan Adams was bad. Now his good friend Jesse Malin's having a crack at fooling the world into thinking that MOR sub-Springsteen boredom is some sort of worthwhile cause. Whereas someone like Elliott Smith can send a shiver down the spine with his sense of melody and his gorgeous voice, Malin resorts to ripping off 'Mrs Robinson' on his track 'Riding the Subway' and goes 'Wooaarrrgggh' on 'Solitaire' sounding like he's about to cough up his larynx. It is a testament to Malin's lack of any discernable uniqueness that the label has credited Ryan Adams' role as producer on the album's otherwise plain promo sleeve. Avoid this turgid, grey ideas wasteland at all costs. DR
Release date: 28 Oct
Press contact: One Little Indian [all]
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TIMBERLAKE KEEPS STUM ON SONG INSPIRATION
Nysnc's Justin Timberlake won't comment on whether the lyrics to his next single 'Cry Me A River', which the boy band star wrote, make reference to the collapse of his relationship with Britney Speers. "I'm not going to specifically say if any song is about anybody," he told reporters. "I will say writing a couple of songs on the record helped me deal with a couple of things. To me songs are songs. They can stem from things that completely happened to you personally or they can stem from ideas that you think could happen to you. It was therapeutic, completely. I got some stuff off my chest, I got some ideas down that I wanted to try. So creatively, personally, spiritually, physically, mentally, sexually, it was a very satisfying experience."
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EUROPOP STAR FACES COMPETITION FROM DAD
Europop star DJ Otzi (best know for his football anthem 'Hey Baby') is facing competition from his father after he slagged him off in the German press. Father Otzi - aka Anton - has recorded a cover version of Otzi's latest hit 'Today Is The Day' and hopes to score chart success on the back of his son's popularity. He told German paper Bild: "My son has publicly called me a bad father and even blamed me for his testicular cancer. He ruined my career as a DJ and has forced me to have to earn money from his success. I have to survive somehow. Otzi should at least allow me a small piece of his success."
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Answer to Wednesday's pop quiz:
Who has sampled music from Al Johnson, Stevie Wonder and Sister Sledge - and on which tracks?
Mr Will Smith - Al Johnson's 'I'm Back For More' in 'Just Cruisin', Stevie Wonder's 'I Wish' in 'Wild Wild West' and Sister Sledge's 'He's The Greatest Dancer' in 'Gettin Jiggy Wit It'.