Posted: 10 Mar 2010 09:59 PM PST

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Pop-country has made superstars out of acts like Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift and more, but the term is not particularly endearing in Nashville, even to the artists who have come to define it.

"I hate saying pop-country -- I hate using that," Carrie Underwood says during an interview while talking about some of her favorite artists. She plays the Times Union Center in Albany on Friday.

Underwood, who has sold more than 10 million albums since her 2005 debut with hits that have appealed to both the MTV and CMT set, prefers to describe such music as "contemporary." But she acknowledges the sonic shift between some of her childhood idols and today's country stars.

"I loved Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn; those were the people that really first made me love country music. Then there were people like Bryan White who were like coming on the scene," the 26-year-old Oklahoma native explains. "And he was like one of the people that was like 'OK, they don't have to all sound like this.' People can sound all kind of ways. And he was young and hot."

"I've had people tell me, 'I never listened to country music until I saw you on 'American Idol,' and now I've been to a Rascal Flatts concert, and I went and saw so and so,'?" she adds. "And it's wonderful that we all kind of have our place in country music and we all pull listeners in for different reasons, and because of that we can hear everything."

Her third album, "Play On," stretches her country boundaries even further. Not only did the she re-team with "American Idol" judge and pop hit-maker Kara DioGuardi, who worked with her on her multiplatinum sophomore album, "Carnival Ride," she also worked with producers known for producing smashes for the likes of Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry (Max Martin), and Eminem (Mike Elizondo).

"I love all kinds of music, and I think it's all kinds of fun when you take a slightly different element and you bring it to you and incorporate that into your music," she says.

There are high expectations for "Play On." Underwood, whose debut CD, "Some Hearts," sold about 6 million copies and whose second album sold nearly 3 million.

But not everyone was happy about her choice of collaborators on "Play On."

"I think everybody kind of freaked out at first. And it was something that we did take into consideration, that people would be like, 'What's going on here?'?" she recalls.

"Everybody kind of flipped out over Mike Elizondo, who I really like," she says of the producer and songwriter, who co-wrote the CD's first single, "Cowboy Casanova," a country and pop hit. "They're like, 'He's a rap producer.' And it's like, well, yes, he has done that, but he's also worked with Nelly Furtado and Pink and Fiona Apple. I'm just another name he's adding to his resume of all different kinds of music."

"Play On" is still very much country -- there's banjo, pedal steel and mandolin -- but Underwood has added different musical textures, which points to her maturation as an artist.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Late 80's Mercedes - Amplifier

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 10:56 PM PST

Late 80's Mercedes

Late 80's Mercedes rock a live show like none you have ever seen before! Just imagine Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Fall Out Boy mixed with Dean Martin, Harry Connick Jr and the Cherry Poppin Daddies! Got ya thinking? Well, this 9 piece band from New Zealand will have you jumpin' and jivin' to your favourite, or not so favourite, pop songs. Their finger snapping set list is the perfect mix of swingin' Martini classics, groovy jazz beats and some funk soul rhythms on the side!...

100% New Zealand Music

Location

Auckland/Hamilton

Members

Clint Harris - Lead vocals
James Hannah - Guitar
Jayden Keoghan - Bass guitar
Brendan Rickard - Drums
Sam Trenwith - Tenor sax
Tim Trenwith - Percussion/bv's
Richard Duirs - Baritone sax
Donald Goodhall - Trumpet
Brian Goodhall - Trumpet

Record Company

Cruel Records

Discuss Late 80's Mercedes

Current Discussion:

If you haven't seen these guys live, add it to your 'essential to do' list. Watching them is amazing! They interact with the crowd... get everyone into the vibe. They are soooooo tight!!!!
Posted by NZBloke 8.40PM, 8 Feb 2010

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Mubadala makes move into ents, media sectors - ArabianBusiness.com

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 11:25 PM PST

Mubadala Development Company, the investment arm of the Abu Dhabi government, said on Thursday it was expanding into the entertainment and media sectors through a stake in a US-based merchant bank.

The investment arm has acquired a nine percent stake in The Raine Group, a merchant bank which focuses on the entertainment, digital media and sports sectors and was set up in partnership with the William Morris Endeavor (WME), one of the largest entertainment agencies in the world.

WME's client list includes A-listers such as Adam Sandler, Keira Knightley, Amy Adams, Richard Gere, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Bay, Russell Crowe, Clint Eastwood, Denzel Washington and Mel Gibson, among others.

Story continues below ↓

It also represents corporate clients such as Coca-Cola and Hasbro, singers like Britney Spears and Kanye West and has been involved in TV shows such as 30 Rock, Gossip Girl, Lost, South Park, ER, The Office and American Idol.

The bank was set up last year and was founded by Joe Ravitch, a former senior partner at Goldman Sachs and Jeff Sine, a former vice-chairman at UBS.

In addition to Mubadala and WME, Raine's investors also include private equity pioneer Ted Forstmann, who is chairman and CEO of International Management Group (IMG).

IMG is also one of the largest sports and entertainment agencies in the business, with clients including Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, Sir Jackie Stewart, Gisele Bundchen, Kate Moss, Heidi Klum, Drew Barrymore, Mischa Barton and Liv Tyler.

Speaking from the inaugural Abu Dhabi Media Summit, Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, chief operating officer of Mubadala, said, "We are proud to be partnering with Raine. Their ambition, expertise and vision are precisely the traits we seek in our partners and ones that are suited to capitalize on the opportunities the global digital media, entertainment and sports sectors present."

"Abu Dhabi and Mubadala could help to shape the sports and entertainment sectors and we are thrilled to work with them as this industry continues to change and grow through new technologies and geographies," said Jeff Sine.

Raine has offices in New York, Los Angeles and Beijing.