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TV Jukebox: 'True Detective,' 'The Vampire Diaries,' 'The Following,' and more of this week's best music-on-TV moments

By Lanford Beard on Jan 25, 2014 at 12:00AM

Have you found yourself wondering “What’s that song?” while watching your favorite TV shows? If so, we’re here to tell you. Check out our Spotify playlist below and see why these music picks clicked. (Warning for those still catching up on DVR: SPOILERS ahead!) READ FULL STORY

Madonna to perform at the Grammy Awards

By Associated Press on Jan 24, 2014 at 2:42PM

Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

It’s official: Madonna will perform at the Grammy Awards.

A Friday news release from The Recording Academy had no other details about the seven-time Grammy winner’s appearance, however, which has been a rumor for some time.

Also added to the performance lineup are nominees Miranda Lambert and Billie Joe Armstrong. They will sing a tribute to the late Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers. Juicy J and Trombone Shorty have also been added to the roster.

They’ll join a star-studded lineup that includes most of today’s top pop stars and leading nominees Jay Z, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Pharrell Williams, and Kendrick Lamar.

The 56th annual Grammy Awards hosted by LL Cool J will air live Sunday night from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Sara Bareilles on her supposed rivalry with Katy Perry: 'People really felt like Katy was ripping me off, and I disagree'

By Kyle Anderson on Jan 24, 2014 at 2:35PM

One of the more intriguing pop controversies of 2013 was the friendly fire exchanged over the perceived similarities between Katy Perry’s “Roar” and Sara Bareilles’ “Brave.”

This Sunday’s Grammy Awards just might bring some resolution to that argument — or at least declare a “winner”: Both tracks are nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance, alongside Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man,” Justin Timberlake’s “Mirrors,” and Lorde’s “Royals.”

If Sunday represents an end to the controversy, that will suit Bareilles just fine. “I was surprised and to be honest disappointed at how vicious people were,” Bareilles tells EW. “It’s not my nature, and it’s not reflective of what I feel I hope to incite in people. People really felt like Katy was ripping me off, and I disagree.”

Bareilles was most frustrated by the fact that she was apparently supposed to be rivals with Perry. “Katy and I have known each other a really long time, she’s a friend of mine, and it seemed like there was this infusion of people wanting to create conflict and drama. I find that to be really fatiguing,” she said. READ FULL STORY

Pop's stealthiest hitman, Jeff Bhasker -- meet the producer behind hits for Kanye, Beyonce, Bruno, Taylor, Drake, Pink, fun. and more

By Ray Rahman on Jan 24, 2014 at 11:30AM

Image Credit: Ben Clark

You might not know his name, but you know these songs: “We Are Young,” “All of the Lights,” “Locked Out of Heaven,” “Run This Town,” “Holy Ground,” “Girl on Fire,” “Find Your Love,” “Party” … And that’s the short list.

Unlike other marquee producers — Dr. Luke, Timbaland, Max Martin, The Dream — the Kansas born, New Mexico-bred producer Jeff Bhasker doesn’t have a signature sound or an outsize media profile. Instead, he’s just a guy who delivers hit after hit, a studio chameleon as at ease with Taylor Swift’s hand-strummed confessionals as he is with Kanye’s Hawaiin-compound agit-rap anthems.

Read on for a few of Bhasker’s studio tales — and tune into the Grammys on Sunday night, when he’ll be up for three prizes, including Album of the Year (for Swift’s Red), Record of the Year (for Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven”), and Song of the Year (for Pink an Nate Ruess’ “Just Give Me a Reason.”)

On Kanye West
“I started out as his keyboard player in his band. He was already a star, but he became a superstar the year that I worked with him, and riding that wave and being a part of that momentum — seeing how hard you have to work to be at that level and what it takes, especially with all the personal stuff that he went through, [was intense].

People don’t realize how calm he is. He may be passionate and have these great rants that everybody loves, but behind the rants is just a steady train that gets up every morning and works. When we were in Hawaii for months at a time, we’d just be there and work. Like the basketball thing, that’s just part of our routine: Wake up, get some exercise, move your body, go to the studio, work. Get up the next day and do it all over again. READ FULL STORY

Want to buy the Oscar-nominated music from the 'Her' soundtrack? You can't

By Kyle Anderson on Jan 23, 2014 at 6:14PM

When the chatter first began about Spike Jonze’s warm, lovely film Her, one of the talking points was the music: Arcade Fire member William Butler and fellow Canadian Owen Pallett (known to the pop world as Final Fantasy) would be writing the score, Arcade Fire would perform it, and additional musical input would come from Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O (who had previously collaborated with Jonze on the music for Where The Wild Things Are).

The results lived up to the anticipation; the music in Her perfectly complements the internal life of lead character Theodore Twombly (played by Joaquin Phoenix). The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences agreed, and when the Oscar nominations were handed down last week, both the score (by Butler and Pallett) and the original song “The Moon Song” (performed by Karen O and written by her and Jonze) were included in the race for prizes.

But despite the accolades, the music from Her is unavailable for purchase, either in physical or digital form. READ FULL STORY

Justin Bieber exits jail after DUI arrest

By Associated Press on Jan 23, 2014 at 3:15PM

Image Credit: ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images

A sober-looking Justin Bieber was released from jail Thursday following his arrest on charges of driving under the influence, driving with an expired license, and resisting arrest. Police say they stopped the 19-year-old pop star while he was drag-racing down a Miami Beach street before dawn.

Bieber was arrested after police said they saw him heading down a residential street in Miami Beach in a yellow Lamborghini at twice the speed limit. Officers say he had an expired license, was initially not cooperative when he was pulled over, and smelled of alcohol.

Police say Bieber later admitted that he had been drinking, smoking marijuana, and taking prescription medication. R&B singer Khalil Amir Sharieff was arrested in the same incident. He is charged with driving under the influence. Police said Khalil was driving a Ferrari.

Bieber and Khalil, wearing bright red jail fatigues, made their initial court appearance via a video link from jail. They remained silent while defense attorney Roy Black negotiated bond. Bieber’s bond was set at $2,500. Khalil’s bond was set at $1,000.

Black, a high-profile lawyer whose clients have included Rush Limbaugh and William Kennedy Smith, said he thought the case would proceed “hopefully as any other case would” in light of Bieber’s celebrity status.
READ FULL STORY

Why we need Justin Bieber: A critic's opinion

By Nick Catucci on Jan 23, 2014 at 11:30AM

Image Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images

How does the existence of Justin Bieber—who was just arrested for drag racing under the influence on a blocked-off street in Miami—benefit the world? We all know why Beyoncé matters: She wakes up embodying female “perfection,” then subversively toys with that very notion. (Also, she made “***Flawless.”) It’s obvious what we need for Bruno Mars for: He’s music’s utility player, a sensualist built for the Superbowl halftime. (And he made “Gorilla.”)

But for some time now, Bieber has hardly even fulfilled the pop purpose that so many dismissed him for in the first place: Giving shape to teen girl fantasies. (And making songs like “Favorite Girl.”) Instead, he’s been ordering up $75,000 in ones at Miami nudie bars, pissing his name into the snow in Colorado, and finally getting arrested for the first time this morning. And that’s not even getting into last year’s “scandals,” or the recent egging-related police raid on his house.

Of course, you have to wonder whether a society that gets feverish over a roadside leak and hates what teen girls love should be determining anyone’s worth. JB has obviously been downgraded: His movie Justin Bieber’s Believe bombed over Christmas, and Journals, the December compilation of all his Music Mondays singles, sank with even less notice. Beyoncé did surprise-release her album a week before, but as much oxygen as she sucked up, Bieber’s brand was already wheezing. Rather than making the leap to a Justin Timber-like adulthood, with a 20/20 Experience-style ascension to gilded detachment glimmering in the distance, the little man seemed to have curdled into King Joffrey with drop-crotch pants and a shadow of a mustache. READ FULL STORY

Sara Bareilles on her Grammy nominations: 'I've always had the imposter syndrome'

By Kyle Anderson on Jan 23, 2014 at 10:22AM

Image Credit: CHRIS McPHERSON for EW

When asked about winning awards, many artists spout clichés about it being an honor to just be nominated. Sara Bareilles, though — who is up for two major categories at this Sunday’s Grammy Awards — really sounds like she means it.

“It just felt like validation, like acceptance,” Bareilles told EW of her nomination for Album of the Year for her 2013 collection The Blessed Unrest. ”To put me among the other nominees… My peers in that category are—I mean, Taylor Swift is a juggernaut.”

“I’ve always had the imposter syndrome, like I don’t really belong here,” she continued. “I keep waiting for someone to tap me on the shoulder and be like, ‘Uh, you have to go.’ I think I’m finally relaxing a little bit about that. Love me or hate me, I’ve earned my place here. That’s how it feels. I think I’d be doing this whether I was able to be a Grammy nominee or not. This is the reason I think I got a turn on the Earth.”

She has been nominated a few times before, though these nominations felt different because Bareilles thought she was done with The Blessed Unrest. READ FULL STORY

Justin Bieber arrested for DUI, drag racing in Miami -- Updated

By Hillary Busis on Jan 23, 2014 at 8:32AM

Image Credit: Miami Dade County Jail/AP

Add another line to the list of Justin Bieber’s recent woes: The troubled singer was arrested in Miami early Thursday. He’s been charged with drag racing and driving under the influence. The Miami Beach Police Department confirmed the arrest via Twitter around 4 a.m. Thursday morning, adding a few hours later that 19-year-old R&B singer Khalil Sharief was arrested alongside Bieber.

Update: The Miami Beach Police Department has released both Bieber’s mugshot and his arrest report, which indicates that both Bieber and Sharief were driving 55-60 miles per hour in a 30 MPH residential area. Bieber’s arresting officer writes that he “immediately smelled an odor of alcohol eminating [sic] from the drivers breath and bloodshot eyes,” noting also Bieber’s “slow deliberate movements” and the “stuper look” on his face. Bieber apparently swore at the officer as he was being arrested, at one point trying to pull his arm away, though in the end he went with police “without further incident.”

19-year-old Bieber had recently left a local nightclub and was driving a rented yellow Lamborghini on Pinetree Drive when police pulled him over for speeding. Sharief was driving a red Ferrari, according to his arrest report. According to local news station NBC 6, Bieber was “being trailed by multiple SUVs” when police gave chase; the singer was driving “at such a high speed it took officers significant distance to catch him.”

The Miami Herald writes that members of Bieber’s entourage used their cars to block traffic on Pine Tree in order to create Bieber’s own personal drag racing strip. Police also told the Herald that Bieber did not have a valid driving license.

Miami Beach Police spokesman Sgt. Bobby Hernandez tells NBC 6 that Bieber is expected to be booked into Miami-Dade County Jail later Thursday.

The arrest follows a week of partying for Bieber, during which he reportedly dropped ridiculous amounts of money at the King of Diamonds Gentlemen’s Club. He’s also currently under investigation for an egging incident in Los Angeles that caused thousands of dollars worth of damage; a recent search of Bieber’s home ended in one member of his entourage being arrested on suspicion of drug possession.

The Wanted are breaking up, for now

By Ray Rahman on Jan 22, 2014 at 3:59PM

Image Credit: Jo Hale/Getty Images

You win, One Direction: The Wanted are giving it a rest.

The five-piece British man band that sort of served as 1D’s rivals made an announcement on their official site today, telling fans that the group has “collectively decided” to disband after their upcoming tour. The notice claims that the guys — Tom, Max, Jay, and some other dudes not named Harry Styles — are only breaking up for the time being, and that “they will continue on as The Wanted and look forward to many successful projects together in the future.”

Maybe don’t hold your breath though? Outside of the 2011 single “Glad You Came” and a few stray dance charts, the Wanted never seemed to catch on internationally, at least compared to the likes of One Direction; their last album, 2013′s Word of Mouth, peaked at No. 17 in America and No. 9 in the UK.

But hey, their announcement leaves at least some hope for fans. Read the full statement below:

READ FULL STORY

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