• Pitchfork Name Top 50 Albums of 2014: Aphex Twin, FKA Twigs and The War on Drugs Place, But Who Takes No. 1?

    A few days ago we relayed to you the Top 10 tracks of the year as decided by Pitchfork, a publication that's long had a finger on more genres than its competition. Now we've got their list of the best 50 albums of the year, and you can check out the Top 10 listed below. If you'd like to see the full 50, follow this link. A word of warning: Don't be surprised to see a lot of repeat performers between the song and album list.

  • A Rash in Bets Made Bookmakers Think that Queen Elizabeth May Abdicate the Throne on Christmas Day

    Where there is smoke, there is usually fire. At least, that is the thinking that prompted a popular British bookmaker to suspend betting on the notion that Queen Elizabeth II will announce that she is abdicating the throne during her Christmas Day speech. Apparently, a rash of bets were rolling in, leading Coral to initially offer odds of 10-1 that Elizabeth was about to hand over power. Then they suspected that maybe a tip had come from Buckingham Palace, leading to the sudden spike, and so they suspended betting altogether.As for whether or not Elizabeth actually is ready to shift power over to either Prince Charles or Prince William, sources say it is not happening. The queen signed on for a lifetime of serving the British people, and that is how she intends to spend her final days right to the end. While it is the palace's official policy not to comment on anything connected to bookmakers, it is worth noting that Elizabeth has never addressed any kind of personal matters during her Christmas Day message and this year's has already been recorded.Queen Elizabeth's health has been failing for the last few years, but no serious diagnosis has ever been made public. We simply have heard that old age is causing her body to slow down, but in day-to-day life the queen is still quite hands-on with the family business. Given that fact, it makes sense that she would be more inclined to hang on to power until her last breath.

  • DJ Premier, Royce Da 5' 9" Share 'PRhyme Time' Music Video [WATCH]

    Hip-hop duo PRhyme have shared the music video for their new single "PRhyme Time," which you can check out below. The video features footage of Royce da 5' 9" and DJ Premier working in the studio, filmed on what looks like a warbly 1990s camcorder — the date in the corner even claims that this was filmed in November 1992, though it probably was not. There is plenty of Fila product placement throughout, probably because Beats by Dre did not exist yet in 1992.You can check out the music video for PRhyme's "PRhyme Time" here:

  • Nicki Minaj Says Kendrick Lamar's Animated Voices Remind Her Of Her Own, Twitter Reacts

    While hitting the press circuit in support of her new album The Pinkprint, Nicki Minaj has repeatedly mentioned the lack of respect she gets in the industry as a woman and how she is always having to prove herself despite her success and her status as the queen of mainstream hip-hop. In a new interview with Rap Radar's Elliot Wilson for is CRWN interview series, Minaj brought up the fact that no one took her crazy voices seriously but that they respect it when Kendrick Lamar does them.

  • Elim Chan First Female Winner in Annual Donatella Flick Conducting Competition History

    For the first time in its 24-year history, the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition has named a female conductor, Elim Chan, its champion. The winner took the crown by conducting the London Symphony Orchestra through Beethoven's overture from Egmont, Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements and the Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade. The competition comes with a prize of £15,000.

  • Sony Faces Backlash from Hollywood After Shelving 'The Interview' Amid Terrorist Threats

    It seems Sony has found itself in the kind of a situation that offers no easy solution. After weeks of being hacked and embarrassed on an international level, it has finally been confirmed by the U.S. government that North Korea is behind the cyber attack, and the effect has been all but crippling for the movie house. Ultimately, the hackers were working hard to scare Sony into shelving its comedy "The Interview," which was scheduled to hit theaters Christmas Day, and as of now their efforts have worked. The film, a comedy about taking out North Korea's Kim Jong Un, seems to have been put to rest permanently, and much of Hollywood seems furious about it.Aside from having to crawl out from the initial humiliation, not only of actually being hacked but then the mortification that the contents of various emails have been leaked, the company was left with a huge problem on its hands. Within the last week Seth Rogen and James Franco began canceling different media interviews that were intended to promote "The Interview," and as of yesterday both actors had been photographed with bodyguards. The stars connected to the project have feared for their own safety, so it makes sense Sony would proceed with extra caution.

  • Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert to Headline Big Barrel Country Music Festival [FULL LINEUP]

    The good people at Red Frog Events, who put on the Firefly Festival every year, are getting a little country in 2015. The company announced the Big Barrel Country Music Festival today, Dec. 18, which will be held at Firefly's site, Dover International Speedway in Delaware. Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert will headline the event scheduled for June 26 to 28 — the weekend after Firefly. Tickets go on sale today, "Billboard" notes.For a three-day pass ($99), concert-goers will be able to see a mix of popular country artists and acts on the fringes of the genre, like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sturgill Simpson and Hurray for the Riff Raff. Legends like Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard will also perform.Additional acts include:Jake Owen, Chris Young, Gary Allen, Eric Paslay, Jon Pardi, Dan + Shay, Cassadee Pope, Charlie Worsham, Jana Kramer, The Oak Ridge Boys, Joel Crouse, Chris Stapleton, The Del McCoury Band, Shakey Graves, Billy Joe Shaver, Nikki Lane, Jackie Lee, Logan Mize, Wade Bowen, Kaitlin Rose, Steven Lee Olsen, The Felice Brothers, The Stray Birds, Sam Lewis and The Deslondes.

  • Incubus Releasing Two EPs in 2015, Signs with Island Records

    Alt-rock band Incubus has not released a new album since 2011's "If Not Now, When?," but according to guitarist Mike Einziger, the band has some new music on the way for 2015. In an interview with "Billboard," Einziger revealed that Incubus has signed with Island Records, but instead of releasing a full-album, they will be releasing two new EPs in 2015."We're hoping to have the first one in February or March," Einziger says, "then the summer."These EPs will be Incubus's first releases since parting ways with Epic Records in 2012 and were recorded without any idea of how they would be released."We didn't have any plans to make this record," Einziger says. "Just having no horizon to look at was important to us. We needed that."As to how the music on these EPs compares to their previous releases, Einziger says that most of it is "high energy" though still fairly eclectic.

  • London Club Fabric Faces License Review and Possible Closure

    Legendary London club Fabric is entering one its most trying times. According to "The Evening Standard," the club is up for a license review that is normally just a formality, but this year is different. Police have called upon the Islington Council to review the club's license after a recent spate of drug-related deaths and hospitalizations stemming from the club. If the council decides to revoke the club's license, the 15-year-old club will most likely be forced to shutter its doors. The option of stripping Fabric of its license is being "strongly considered," according to the police.In the report, Police Commissioner Steve Harrington described their objections to having the club stay open."It attracts clientele from all over Europe and it would seem that the immaturity or lifestyle of these patrons leads to them becoming actively involved in the taking of illegal drugs and this could account for the disproportionate and wholly unacceptable number of deaths and near-death incidents at the venue."The last incident cited by police reportedly saw an 18-year-old woman collapse and die in a hospital after MDMA at the club.

  • Stephen Colbert Sells R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe for a Quarter on the Second-to-Last 'Colbert Report' [WATCH]

    Tonight, Dec. 18, marks the end of the Stephen Colbert era on Comedy Central. For nine years, "The Colbert Report" gave its politically hilarious host a forum to vent his frustrations with America and poke fun at the people running it. Guests ranged from top political figures to authors to actors to musicians. When Colbert's favorite band, R.E.M., broke up in 2011, the host gave frontman Michael Stipe a spot on his "Shelves of Honor." But since the show is coming to an end and Colbert is moving to CBS, he decided to have a yard sale to get rid of his excess junk.As Colbert introduces the skit, Stipe complains about not being dusted in a while."Hey! That's you in the corner, it's me in the spotlight! Read your contract," the host says, referencing R.E.M.'s 1991 hit "Losing My Religion."

  • The Feds Raided 'RHONJ' Teresa Giudice's Home This Week, Taking Everything from Cash to Her Kids's Christmas Gifts

    It looks like once again Teresa Giudice decided that following the rules did not apply to her, and boy, is she regretting it now. It was actually quite simple: The star of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" was required to submit a payment plan to the court, mapping out how she and Joe Giudice intended to pay back the $214,000 they owed in restitution. But instead of doing that, Teresa ignored the situation and avoided making contact with the court, and the end result was a huge slap in the face by law enforcement, as the Giudice family home was reportedly raided earlier this week.According to Radar Online, since Teresa was not volunteering to set up a payment plan, then the feds barged in and took valuables, electronics and some hidden cash."Teresa was home and was absolutely stunned by the raid. She had no clue they were coming. She was absolutely hysterical and begging them not to take the girls's Christmas presents. A large amount of cash was found in the wine cellar. This all could have been avoided if Teresa had simply submitted a proposed plan to pay off the restitution. Yet Teresa chose to once again thumb her nose at the law, and was ignoring it," said a source.
View More
Festivals
Popular Now