Singing the Gadhafi Blues
Mar 5, 2011 A host of songsters apparently have cashed in on the Libyan regime in recent years, with several stars, including Nelly Furtado, Mariah Carey, Beyonce and Lionel Ritchie, being paid $1 million a pop to entertain the Gadhafi clan.Bishop Robinson’s Invocation Cut From HBO’s Telecast
Jan 19, 2009 Here's the footage of openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson's invocation, which he delivered Sunday before the inaugural concert festivities began -- and which was not included in HBO's special broadcast of the show. But was it the network's choice or Team Obama's?
‘Anything Is Possible’
Jan 19, 2009 The president-elect has so much speech in him he doesn't even have to wait for his inauguration to Barack the house. A crowd at the Lincoln Memorial got treated to a little pre-inauguration magic on Sunday, after a star-studded concert celebrating "American renewal."
Condi Tickles the Ivories for the Queen
Dec 2, 2008 Of all the items we might have expected would rank high on outgoing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's wish list of things she'd like to do before leaving office, playing Brahms in a private concert for Britain's Queen Elizabeth II wouldn't have been one of them.
Chinese Official: Björk ‘Hurt Chinese People’s Feelings’
Mar 8, 2008 Pixieish provocateur Björk sparked the ire of Chinese officials by voicing her support for an independent Tibet at the close of her concert in Shanghai last Sunday. According to China's Culture Ministry, the Icelandic chanteuse broke "Chinese law and hurt Chinese people's feelings" by chanting "Tibet, Tibet" at the end of her protest song "Declare Independence."
Live Musical Acts, Coming to a Sim Near You
Aug 19, 2006 Now this is a cool sign of the times: Musicians are playing "live" concerts streamed through virtual reality environments like "Second Life." Above, the avatar of Suzanne Vega plays in what was billed as "the first time a major recording artist performed live in avatar form."
Sean Hannity Concert Guest Gets Tossed for Being Liberal
Jul 28, 2006 Check out this video a blogger (and AlterNet) made of being tossed out of Sean Hannity's "Freedom Concert" simply for being liberal.
BattleCry: Ron Luce’s Holy War
May 23, 2006 Truthdig contributor Sunsara Taylor reports again from the front lines -- a BattleCry Christian-fundamentalist rock music rally, where a "sexpert" claims that "condoms don't work," Navy SEALs stage mock assassination raids in the name of Christ, and evangelist Franklin Graham suggests that HIV/AIDS is a punishment from God (Third in a series See: column 1, column 2) .
Fear and Loathing at Philadelphia’s BattleCry
May 13, 2006 Go behind the scenes at a Christian fundamentalist youth rock show in Philadelphia, where hired goons shadowed a young activist, the author of this column, and where a letter of praise from President Bush kicked off the festivities "This must have been what it felt like to watch the Hitler Youth," writes Sunsara Taylor(Second column in a series of three First column here, Third column here).
