HOT
"Joy" To The World
The long-rumored biopic based on the life of late Joy Division singer Ian Curtis appears finally to be getting off the ground. Other attempts have been hindered by the lack of Curtis' family's stamp of approval, but the upcoming project (reportedly to be titled Control and directed by photographer and music video director Anton Corbijn) got around that by basing the script on Curtis' widow Deborah's biographical book, Touching from a Distance. Curtis' story (the singer of JD's dour songs famously committed suicide just prior to the band's first trip to the U.S. at the age of 23) was briefly touched on in the fantastic film 24 Hour Party People, about the founder of the band's Factory label, Tony Wilson. Wilson has reportedly signed on to exec-produce Control at the Curtis family's request.
WARM
R.I.P.
Doors manager and biographer, Danny Sugarman, died on Jan. 5 at the age of 50, losing his battle with lung cancer. Sugarman, who started working with Jim Morrison and Co. when he was 14, became more well-known as the author of the entertaining Doors bio, No One Here Gets Out Alive, as well as his own autobiography, Wonderland Avenue.
Paul Still Not Dead
Paul McCartney, start waxing that nipple hair! The former Beatle has been announced as the headliner of this year's Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 6. A spokesperson for Fox (which is airing the event) said McCartney fits perfectly into the Super Bowl theme, "Building Bridges" (unlike last year's less successful motif, "Political Maelstrom"). And, according to the Super Bowl Web site, the Friday night pre-game concert will be headlined by someone named Josh Gracin, who apparently is an "up and coming Country music superstar" who appeared on American Idol's second season. Bringing out the big guns! Guess they spent all of their money on Macca.
Ashlee Simpson Still Can't Sing
Ashlee Simpson's "shocking' Saturday Night Live meltdown was nothing compared to her performance at the Orange Bowl halftime show earlier this month. Recordings of her tone-deaf performance (followed by a meteor storm of boos) have been a popular Internet download, and DJs around the country have been delighting in her inabilities. We kind of feel sorry for her (she's 20 years old, ya know?), but the recording of the incident looks to be becoming the "Howard Dean Scream" clip of 2005. So much for her 2008 presidential run. But isn't complaining about Ashlee Simpson's singing prowess a bit like bitching about the lack of a plot on Teletubbies?
COLD
Chingy Vs. Nelly
Two St. Louis Hip Hop stars with the worst nom du Raps going (not mention some wildly mediocre material), Chingy and Nelly are apparently involved in one of those ever-popular dis wars, which got another coal on the fire when Chingy's track "We Got" leaked on the Internet. The song features enlightened lyrical jabs like "The media hyped you, boy/KRS crushed you, boy" and "You started it, boy/Well, I'm-a finish it, boy" (note to aspiring poets -- end every line with the same word and you'll never have to worry about rhyme schemes again!). Ludacris (whose Disturbing Tha Peace crew Chingy left last year) has also drawn the Chingster's ire, which the rapper told MTV arose from the other rappers' shit-talking in the media and Nelly's alleged attack song "Another One." Please don't let this one end in murder. Besides, you know, the "senseless waste of life" stuff, do you really want to have Chingy or Nelly deified like Tupac and Biggie?
