Losing Her Virginity
Itching for a new Mariah Carey release? You might be in for a long wait. In a move called a cost-cutting measure, EMI’s Virgin Records recently confirmed that it is trying to drop Carey from the label. The label states in a press release that it will fork over $28 million to buy out the ailing singer’s multi-album, $80 million recording contract. Carey will also retain the $21 million she received when she first signed on with Virgin, bringing the total severance package to $49 million.
Carey has, to date, produced one album for Virgin under the deal: the soundtrack to her movie Glitter. The album did only slightly better critically and commercially than the movie did, being classified as a simple natural disaster. The movie, on the other hand, is considered by most experts to be the act of a wrathful, vengeful God.
Carey, who recently suffered emotional breakdowns, is maintaining a positive front: “This is the right decision for me,” she said in the EMI-issued statement. “I look forward to the many new and exciting opportunities which have been presented to me. I wish Virgin well.” Of course, can we really trust a Carey quote released through EMI’s PR department?
Buying a Stairway to Heaven
After realizing that the poor, counterculture stoners of the ’60s have grown up into the affluent, whitebread suburbanites of today, Cadillac recently announced that it has recruited Led Zeppelin to help advertise its cars. The auto company will use the classic “Rock and Roll” in a new series of TV commercials. This marks the first time the legendary rock band has sold one of its songs for a commercial.
Also For Sale
Popular techno artist Moby is slated to premiere “In My Heart,” a new song from his upcoming album, 18, at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. The record is expected to hit stores in May. Is providing music for the Olympic Games also considered selling out?
What’s in a Name?
Master P’s younger brother and fellow rapper, C-Murder, was arrested for the shooting death last week of a 16-year-old at a Louisiana nightclub. C-Murder, whose real name is Corey Miller, is charged with second-degree murder.
If he’s convicted, both the minimum and maximum sentence Miller faces is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. MTV.com reports the charge of murder is second degree rather than first because police don’t know yet whether the killing was premeditated. Miller’s rapper name probably isn’t going to help matters with the jury.
Reverse Psychology
There’s currently a popular movement in Norway to ban the hit Playstation 2 game Grand Theft Auto 3 from the country. The game places the player in the role of an aspiring criminal, as he works his way up the underworld ladder by jacking cars, robbing banks, committing arson, and other acts of larceny and mayhem. According to www.gamespy.com, the head of Norway’s Children Protection Department described the game as being “unfitting even for grown adults” and “a crude crime against the society’s norms of worth.” Sales of the game, meanwhile, have increased 20% due to the media attention the movement is generating.
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