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That Time Menudo Covered Kiss And It Was OK To Like It

Xanadu is Menudo’s eighth Spanish album and the second one released in 1981 featuring René Farrait, Johnny Lozada, Ricky Meléndez, Xavier Serbiá and Miguel Cancel (sorry Ricky Martin fans). They unpredictability put their own spin on Cosita Loca Llamada Amor = “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” (Queen), No Se Puede Parar La Música = “Can’t Stop The Music” (Village People), “Voulez-Vous”, sung originally by ABBA and “Xanadu”, sung originally by Olivia Newton-John, performed by the Electric Light Orchestra.

But this video was the best one – Fui Hecho Para Amarte = “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” by Kiss.

Vincent Price Gets It Right When It Comes To Prejudice And Freedom

Vincent Price gives a beautiful message at the conclusion of the “Author Of Murder” episode of The Saint, which aired on NBC Radio on July 30, 1950. Although he’s known for freaking people out in horror films and the narrator in Michael Jackson’s Thriller, this is one solid piece of advice for us all.

Ladies and gentlemen, poison doesn’t always come in bottles. And it isn’t always marked with the skull and crossbones of danger. Poison can take the form of words and phrases and acts: the venom of racial and religious hatred. Here in the United States, perhaps more than ever before, we must learn to recognize the poison of prejudice and to discover the antidote to its dangerous effects. Evidences of racial and religious hatred in our country place a potent weapon in the hands of our enemies, providing them with the ammunition of criticism. Moreover, group hatred menaces the entire fabric of democratic life. As for the antidote: you can fight prejudice, first by recognizing it for what it is, and second by actively accepting or rejecting people on their individual worth, and by speaking up against prejudice and for understanding. Remember, freedom and prejudice can’t exist side by side. If you choose freedom, fight prejudice.

2015 Polaris Music Prize Long List Will Be Announced June 16

The forty titles that will comprise the 2015 Polaris Music Prize Long List will be announced next Tuesday, June 16th at The Carleton (1685 Argyle St.) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The announcement, produced in conjunction with Halifax Pop Explosion, will begin at 2:15pm ADT / 1:15pm EDT, with a special live stream broadcast hosted by TFO’s BRBR (brbrtfo.com/endirect/).

As with years past in Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary, special local guests will be on hand to help announce the list, including previous Polaris nominees. The event will also feature a special live performance by a 2015 Long Listed artist.

This event is supported in part by the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, the City of Halifax, and the Downtown Halifax Business Commission.

The Short List will be unveiled on July 16th at The Carlu in Toronto, and the Polaris Music Prize Gala will return to The Carlu for the third year on Monday, September 21st. Aux.tv will once again stream the gala live.

The eligibility period for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize runs from June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2015. An independent jury of 196 music journalists, broadcasters and music bloggers from across Canada determines the Long List and Short List. Eleven people are selected from the larger jury pool to serve on the Grand Jury. They will convene the night of the gala to select the Polaris Music Prize winner.

The Polaris Music Prize will award $50,000 to the artist who creates the Canadian Album of the Year. Courtesy of Slaight Music, each of the nine other short listed artists will receive $3,000. Judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration of genre or record sales, the prize’s past winners have included Tanya Tagaq (2014), Godspeed You! Black Emperor (2013), Feist (2012), Arcade Fire (2011), Karkwa (2010), Fucked Up (2009), Caribou (2008), Patrick Watson (2007), and Final Fantasy / Owen Pallett (2006).

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada’s Private Radio Broadcasters.

Polaris Music Prize 2015 Key Dates:
June 16th – Long List announcement – The Carleton, Halifax, NS
July 16th – Short List announcement – The Carlu, Toronto, ON
September 21st – Polaris Music Prize Gala – The Carlu, Toronto, ON

HBO’s Award-Winning Drama TRUE DETECTIVE Returns to HBO Canada, Sunday, June 21

HBO’s critically acclaimed drama TRUE DETECTIVE returns for its eight-episode second season Sunday, June 21 at 9 p.m. ET/MT on HBO Canada, day-and-date with HBO in the US, it was confirmed today. In the new season, a bizarre murder brings together three law-enforcement officers and a career criminal, each of whom must navigate a web of conspiracy and betrayal in the scorched landscapes of California. TRUE DETECTIVE Season 2 stars Golden Globe winner Colin Farrell (In Bruges), Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers), Rachel McAdams (Midnight in Paris), and Taylor Kitsch (THE NORMAL HEART).

The first season of TRUE DETECTIVE, which premiered in January 2014, was the most-watched debut season in HBO Canada history, besting the previous record of total viewers for the first season of GAME OF THRONES. Season 1 of the series, starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, was widely celebrated by Canadian television critics: The Globe and Mail’s John Doyle hailed it as “brilliant, nerve-jangling…stunning TV to brood upon and admire”; Postmedia’s Bill Harris called it “utter despair punctuated by unexpected optimism…memorable”; with The Toronto Star’s Tony Wong commenting “it was the dance between Harrelson and McConaughey that made the story…the two heavyweights at work made you appreciate why this truly is the golden age of television.”

Colin Farrell plays Ray Velcoro, a troubled detective whose allegiances are torn between his masters in a corrupt police department and the mobster who owns him. Vince Vaughn is Frank Semyon, a criminal and entrepreneur in danger of losing his empire when his move into legitimate enterprise is upended by the murder of a business partner. Rachel McAdams plays Ani Bezzerides, a sheriff’s detective whose uncompromising ethics put her at odds with others and the system she serves. Taylor Kitsch portrays Paul Woodrugh, a war veteran and highway patrol motorcycle officer, running from a difficult past and the sudden glare of a scandal that never happened.

The cast also includes: Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) as Jordan Semyon, Frank’s wife, a former D-list actress who is a full partner in his enterprises and ambitions; Christopher James Baker (GOTHAM) as Blake Churchman; Afemo Omilami (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) as Police Chief Holloway; Chris Kerson (CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION) as Nails; and James Frain (ORPHAN BLACK) as Lt. Kevin Burris.

Guest stars this season are Lolita Davidovich (Raising Cain), W. Earl Brown (DEADWOOD), David Morse (TREME), and Rick Springfield (Hard to Hold).

Season 1 of TRUE DETECTIVE won five Emmy® Awards and was nominated for 12 Emmys overall, while writer/creator Nic Pizzolatto received awards from the Writers Guild of America in the categories of Drama Series and New Series, among other honours.

TRUE DETECTIVE was created and written by Nic Pizzolatto. Executive producers are Pizzolatto, Steve Golin, and Scott Stephens. Aida Rodgers is producer.

In Eastern Canada, episodes will be available on TMN GO and HBO Canada OnDemand. In Western Canada, it will be available on the go with Shaw Go Movie Central app, Bell TV app, Telus Optik on the go, and HBO Canada On Demand.

Denis Leary’s Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll Gets An Airing Date On FX

FX is amping up the volume and striking a new chord this summer, with a new series I can’t wait to watch. Created by and starring Denis Leary (Rescue Me), the bold new comedy Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll headlines the mid-season lineup on FX. Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll is a single-camera comedy centered on Johnny Rock (Leary), a middle-aged rock ‘n roller who desperately wanted to be rich and famous, but so far, is zero for two. John Corbett (Sex and the City), Elizabeth Gillies (Victorious), Elaine Hendrix (Anger Management), and Robert Kelly (Louie) also star. It premieres on Thursday, July 16.

Stephen Colbert Introduces His New Bandleader, Louisiana Jazz Musician Jon Batiste

Stephen Colbert has named Louisiana jazz musician Jon Batiste as his Late Show bandleader with a video announcement filled with New Orleans desert beignets. “People keep asking who my bandleader’s gonna be,” Colbert says, “Well, I like this guy.”

Most recently, Batiste was appointed as the Associate Artistic Director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, and regularly tours with his band Stay Human. Either on tour or during time off, Batiste and his band can be seen spontaneously playing in non-traditional venues and starting impromptu demonstrations through the streets which Jon and the band have termed as “Love Riots”. Expect to see a few of those during the television season.

https://youtu.be/Ct8uiGFqhnE

Spotify has reached 20 million subscribers; gets $526 million in new funding

Spotify has reached 20 million subscribers and 75 million monthly listeners globally, the company announced Wednesday. This latest threshold comes five months after the company announced it surpassed 15 million subscribers and 13 months after the 10 million- subscriber mark. The company claims 80 percent of new subscribers come from the free service. Spotify has now paid out $3 billion to rights holders, with $300 million paid in the first quarter alone.

Spotify has also added to its financial war chest, closing a funding round of $526 million on Tuesday that values the company at $8.53 billion. Details of the deal were reported by The Wall Street Journal and posted to CrunchBase, and confirmed to Billboard by a Spotify representative. The numerous investors include TeliaSonora AB, a Nordic telecommunications company and longtime partner that pitched in $115 million for a 1.4-percent stake. Other investors include Abu Dhabi’s sovereign-wealth fund, and asset managers, hedge funds and venture capital firms in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, according to the report.

Via Billboard

NXNE presents Shad, Cold Cave and more

North by Northeast (NXNE) is happy to announce award-winning hip-hop artist Shad is now headlining at Yonge-Dundas Square on Sunday, June 21, 2015. Presented by Vans, the rapper completes the weekend line-up alongside previously announced artists NÜE, Casey Veggies, and Ty Dolla $ign.
NXNE has also confirmed LA synthpop artist Cold Cave, on Saturday June 20 at Red Bull Sound Select @ Adelaide Hall with Programm, Greys and Deafheaven.
NXNE will also present must-see music and comedy performances at the NXNE Hub running throughout the Festival, June 17 – 21, 2015.
CBCMusic.ca will present a big night of music at the NXNE Hub at 170 Spadina Avenue on Friday, June 19 with performances by rock n roll duo CATL, bearded folk hero Ben Caplan, indie rock quintet Jane’s Party, the 2015 Searchlight winner Orange O’Clock and a choice appearance by Danish punks Iceage.
The NXNE Hub turns comedy club when Video On Trial’s Julia Hladkowicz, Mr D‘s Mark Little, and Last Comic Standing’s Ben Kronberg join the already announced Nick Thune on Thursday, June 18 for a night of laughs.
On Saturday, June 20, Sirius XM Radio’s Next Top Comic, Matt O’Brien; NXNE comedy vet and Just For Laughs favourite, James Hartnett; and one of the “18 Funny Women You Should Be Following On Twitter,” Ashley Barnhillwill join Eric Andre at the NXNE Hub.
For the complete list of NXNE 2015 events, visit www.nxne.com or download the official NXNE 2015 app on iPhone or Android. Get ready for the festival by hitting play on the NXNE Spotify playlist here.