Sting
Before Sting decided to reunite The Police for a high-profile summer mega-tour, the eclectic musician tackled a much more low-key project: interpreting a set of lute-based songs by Elizabethan 16th-century composer John Dowland. The resulting CD, Songs from the Labyrinth, became a surprise hit on the classical charts. Tonight, Sting channels Dowland once more on PBS' Great Performances (check local listings), an almost spiritual hour of music and conversation that shows the singer in a more intimate setting than the stadiums and arenas he'll play in a few months. We spoke with Sting just days before he and The Police opened this year's Grammys.
TV Guide:
read more
Undoubtedly elating Sonya, my unrequited high-school crush whom I haunted with "Every Breath You Take" more than one too many times, Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland announced on Monday that The Police will reunite for a tour kicking off May 28 in Vancouver, hitting Europe, then swinging by the States for dates in such cities as New York, Boston, Denver and Las Vegas. Recalling the genesis (oops, wrong '80s group) of this reunion, Sting tells the AP, "I woke up one morning about three months ago and this lightbulb went off: 'I'm going to call Andy and Stewart and tell them we should tour.'" As for the differences that splintered the trio in 1984, Sting dismisses them as artistic, not personal. "[They] were all about music. Also, hairstyles." The group, meanwhile, sidestepped questions about a new CD possibly being born of the tour.
read more
House Sting advises, "If you love someone, set them free." House's rendition includes banishing all thoughts of the love you threw away, so to distract himself, he:
induces migraines in himself and in Comatose Man,
destroys his med-school rival's clinical trials,
drops acid and
entertains a call girl.
All of these, of course, are disguised as clever means to work-related ends. All except the prostitute. Whether House is exposing the bad math of the doctor who got him kicked out of Johns Hopkins 20 years before or waking up his teenage burn patient to take a medical history, it's all about going to the extreme to avoid his own pain. "Nothing can hurt my heart," House says, though we all know that's a lie. Wilson, as
read more
American IdolAnother season of American Idol begins with double the twin action. Does anyone agree that two sets of male twins plus the small-town Barrettsmith sisters might be overkill in the family-drama department? It smells a touch gimmicky, but at least all the siblings can back it up with their voices. So can single-named diva Mandisa and Gina, the tongue-pierced, fishnet-wearing dental assistant who managed a decent Celine Dion vocal. But really, we don't tune in to see the true talents this early in the season. There will be plenty of time to see how they fare. No, the premiere episode is all about the truculent train wrecks, and Chicago was full of 'em. Here's a hint for future Idol wannabes: When the judges r
read more
American IdolAnother season of American Idol begins with double the twin action. Does anyone agree that two sets of male twins plus the small-town Barrettsmith sisters might be overkill in the family-drama department? It smells a touch gimmicky, but at least all the siblings can back it up with their voices. So can single-named diva Mandisa and Gina, the tongue-pierced, fishnet-wearing dental assistant who managed a decent Celine Dion vocal. But really, we don't tune in to see the true talents this early in the season. There will be plenty of time to see how they fare. No, the premiere episode is all about the truculent train wrecks, and Chicago was full of 'em. Here's a hint for future Idol wannabes: When the judges r
read more
Love MonkeyA bit of a disclaimer: I was more than a little bit biased watching this show. Ed is one of my favorite shows, I find Tom Cavanagh utterly adorable, and to top it all off, they tossed Jason Priestley into the mix. My lingering 90210 loyalties run pretty deep. So it isn't all that surprising that I adored the first episode of this new series, in spite of its ridiculous name. (Yeah, I get that he's trying to find love and swinging between trees — it is still just a bizarre title.) It combines elements of Jerry Maguire — Tom's boardroom speech about his love for music — and High Fidelity — the music snobbery was running rampant with the merciless mocking of artists like Air Supply and Billy Joel. Not th
read more
Robert Downey Jr. married his Gothika producer Susan Levin on Saturday. The nuptials — the second for him, the first for her — reportedly took place at a private estate on Long Island in the presence of celeb pals Keanu Reeves, Billy Joel and Sting. Everyone else was stuck on the Belt Parkway.
read more
During every Tuesday performance show, I find myself wondering what Dave Navarro is whispering to INXS guitarist Tim Farriss — who, incidentally, is looking more and more like Sammy Hagar to me. The two of them are often seen chatting in a damn-near huddled embrace. Maybe Dave's asking him what kind of pomade he uses? Or if he's seen Eddie Van Halen lately? Most likely, though, he's asking Tim the same question I asked myself last night: Can you believe how good the contestants have become? Those performances were so solid that I'd have paid top ticket price (including those obscene Ticketmaster surcharges) to see them live. Here's who rocked what:
MiG: Mighty MiG's take on "We Will Rock You" is some killer Queen for sure. And why wouldn't it be? The guy's been a regular performer in the London production of the Queen musical. Almost seems unfair to the others, doesn't it? But, hey, no one ever said rock and roll was fair. Look no fu
read more
