Whoa: New Vaselines album

Sub Pop announces:

Seattle, WA – The Vaselines will release their second record, Sex With An X (CD/LP), on Sub Pop Records September 14th, 2010. This is the band’s first album in 20 years and will coincide with a 10-stop tour through the UK ending in their hometown of Glasgow, Scotland (dates below). For your listening pleasure, the band is offering a free download of "I Hate The 80's", the debut single off the new record at http://www.thevaselines.co.uk. Now you can find out for yourself why this band has long been celebrated by musicians and music enthusiasts across genres and across the globe, including super-fan Kurt Cobain.

For band photos, bio and press links please visit: www.subpop.com/artists/the_vaselines

About Sex With An X
Recorded outside Manchester at the Analogue Catalogue studio in Mossley with Julie McLarnon engineering and produced by Jamie Watson who produced that first album Dum Dum, Sex With An X was recorded the old-fashioned way: twelve songs in thirteen days (plus two b-sides). The Vaselines ca. 2010 is Eugene and Frances with guest musicians Stevie Jackson and Bob Kildea from Belle & Sebastian on guitar and bass, and Michael McGaughrin from the 1990s on drums. It may have taken The Vaselines 20 years to get round to making this baby, but it was worth the wait—bringing their solo careers to a climax. The irony has not been lost. Who says indie music can't be fun? No hand-wringing on these tracks—just good clean smut with a twist of bitter.

Press release of the day: A date with RATT

“Stay tuned and watch your inboxes for more information,” sez a release received today.

I have to admit that I probably will be checking my inbox on April 20, 2010.

Press release of the day: Music boldly called sexier than farming

Headline: “Even in This Day and Age, People Would Rather be A&R Men Than Gangsters or Farmers!”

It’s for “the world’s first music based social network game,” a Facebook app called Hit or Not, which goes like this:

By listening to and ranking songs, players accumulate virtual cash they can use to “sign” and bribe artists and various other nefarious music biz activities. If the songs “signed” by the player rise on the Hit or Not charts, that player can “sell” those songs to make a (virtual) profit. The Hit or Not stock exchange is one financial institution that can never go bust, only perpetually up and down!

It’s not quite the first such site, though. In fact this sounds suspiciously like another service I wrote about a year ago called The Next Big Sound, which started off as a social networking A&R game but is now a data-mining sort of thing offering “actionable intelligence for the music industry.”

Either way, I’m not persuaded that people would rather do this than scoop manure or murder people.

Press release of the day: Longest headline ever

Soft Rock Hit-Making Duo Air Supply Steals the Scene in TV Commercial for Disney’s Latest Film ‘Old Dogs’ Starring John Travolta & Robin Williams as Seth Green Creates Monkey Business with Their Classic Hit ‘I’m All Out Of Love’

Got all that?

(HT Tres and David.)

Press release of the day: Is the guitar pick remastered?

The bad news for AC/DC fans, particularly those who bought Bonfire — hi Sam, Dave — is that there’s yet another box set. But the good news, particularly for those who bought Bonfire — Sam, Dave — is that for a mere $200+, you get another guitar pick! You also get a working amp, a coffee table book and a bunch of other crap.

COLUMBIA RECORDS AND ALBERT PRODUCTIONS UNLEASH BACKTRACKS

THE ULTIMATE AC/DC EXPERIENCE, AVAILABLE IN TWO SPECIAL BOXED EDITIONS, ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10

Deluxe Collector's Limited Edition Features 3 CDs of Live & Studio Rarities, 2 DVDS Including the Long-Awaited "Family Jewels Disc 3," A Vinyl LP of Studio Collectibles, A Coffee Table Book, Facsimiles of Authentic Memorabilia, Fine Art Lithographs & More Boxed In An AC/DC Working Guitar Amplifier - Available Exclusively Through Band's Website

[...]

In addition the deluxe collector's edition comes with a 164 page coffee table book and an Original Memorabilia Reproductions Envelope containing an astounding array of facsimiles including the "I DO IT FOR AC/DC" button (the band's very first tour merch), the 1976 "Lock Up Your Daughters" tour flyer, the Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap recording track sheet, a 2' x 3' 1977 Let There Be Rock European Tour poster, a Bon Scott parrot tattoo replica, an AC/DC logo guitar pick, an Australian Money Talks dollar, three b&w fine art lithographs of never-before-seen photos of the band in the Alberts Studio in 1977 and more.

UPDATE: Dave wrote in on Wednesday afternoon to say that he had pre-ordered it the night before.

Press release(s) of the day: Grungy skies, blind denials

1. There’s no statement like a nonstatement. And there’s nothing like a nonstatement to make you wonder what is not being stated. Until I saw this, the last thing on my mind today would have been Jadakiss:

Please the official statement from Def Jam Recording Artist Jadakiss regarding the incident that took place this week.

“What happened on Saturday was an unfortunate situation but one in which I have no involvement in. Since the release of my recent album ‘The Last Kiss,’ I have been on the road touring and promoting my project. I am focused on my performance schedule and career.”

It took Google 0.18 seconds to fill me in with this. Please the official statement!


2. I’ve heard good things about Virgin America and really would have tried it. But then ...

CHRIS CORNELL ANNOUNCES GROUNDBREAKING VIRGIN AMERICA AIRLINE PARTNERSHIP

August 26, 2009—Rock icon, Chris Cornell, holds one of the most defining voices in music history. On November 1, 2009, Cornell and Virgin America launch a unique partnership between an artist and a commercial airline. This special partnership will include in-flight programming, radio contests, performances and more.

Starting in October and running through the holidays, the entire Virgin America fleet will feature Chris Cornell music on all flights. His latest LP, Scream, has been added to the airline’s music library and select songs will be a part of a collection of music that plays as passengers are boarding. Beginning in November, passengers will also have the opportunity to experience various Chris Cornell music videos and albums throughout their flight.

So you have to listen to Chris Cornell while you’re waiting for Zone 4 to be called, and while stuck in your seat? Is there at least some “Black Hole Sun” or Temple of the Dog?

Misleading press release of the day

3 Nights of SPARKS!
Peter Evans & Tom Blancarte + special guests

ROULETTE presents
20 Greene St (between Canal and Grand St)
Admission $15 Students/Seniors/Under 30s $10 MEMBERS FREE

Wow, three nights of Sparks! And at Roulette! I am still kind of jealous that London got 21 nights with them.

Wait a second, “Peter Evans & Tom Blancarte”?

Sparks (Peter Evans and Tom Blancarte) has been playing together since 2005. From the beginning of the formation of the duo, they have been constantly working to push their own boundaries of density and speed of interaction while freely improvising. They have performed extensively in New York City and the U.S., and have toured several times in Europe, performing at festivals such at Žedno uho 9 in Zagreb and at the Ring Ring Festival in Belgrade. Since their formation the duo has performed both as a self-contained unit and as a part of larger groups, including performances with Nate Wooley, Peter Brotzmann, Han Bennink and Lisle Ellis. Their first (self-titled) CD was released in 2008 on Creative Sources.

Seriously, another duo dare call themselves Sparks, and on stages as conspicuous as “Žedno uho 9 in Zagreb and at the Ring Ring Festival in Belgrade”? Do Ron and Russell Mael know about this?

Pixies ‘Doolittle’ tour update

Europe in October, and then America:

PIXIES ANNOUNCE U.S. "DOOLITTLE" TOUR DATES

LOS ANGELES, CA — July 28, 2009 — Europe may get them first, but the Pixies will tour the USA late this year.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of their classic 1989 album Doolittle, the band — Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering — will kick off the very special US "Doolittle Tour" at the Palladium in Los Angeles on Wednesday, November 4. The U.S. tour will hit a total of nine cities, including three dates in New York City. On-sale dates will vary city to city, but some tickets go on sale as early as this Saturday, August 1 and can be purchased at the venues' box offices or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/ See below for full itinerary and on sale information.

On this tour, the Pixies will perform all of the songs from Doolittle and its related B-sides, "Weird at My School," "Dancing the Manta Ray," and "Bailey's Walk" among them. Doolittle, the band's third album and the first to chart on Billboard's album charts, includes classics such as "Debaser," "Wave of Mutilation," "Here Comes Your Man," "Hey," and "Gouge Away."

"We wanted to do something special for Doolittle's 20th anniversary," said Black Francis, "and we thought his was a good opportunity to play all of the songs from that album, something we don't normally do at a regular gig."

With the first date in the UK still three months away, the band is brainstorming on Doolittle-related surprises that will also comprise the nights' entertainment.

[...]

Dates and on sale info for the Pixies US "Doolittle Tour" are as follows:

NOVEMBER
4 — The Palladium, Los Angeles, CA - on sale TBA
8 — Fox Theater, Oakland, CA - on sale August 16
9 — Fox Theater, Oakland, CA - on sale August 16
12 — Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA - on sale August 1
13 — Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA - on sale August 1
14 — Hult Center, Eugene, OR - on sale August 14
16 — The Fillmore, Denver, CO - on sale September 12
20 — Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL - on sale September 12
21 — Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL - on sale September 12
23 — Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY - on sale August 14
24 — Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY - on sale August 14
25 — Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY - on sale August 14
27 — Wang Center, Boston, MA - on sale September 12
30 — Constitution Hall, Washington, D.C. - on sale September 11

APB from MGMT’s mgmt: iPod stolen!

Shocking news from New Zealand, via the blog set up for news about Chris Knox after his stroke.

MGMT did a DJ set on Monday as a benefit for Knox, who is reportedly recovering well. (The Tall Dwarfs had apparently been booked as their opening act somewhere — wow.) And some unkind soul stole an iPod from one of those poor boys!

This information is attributed to the group’s manager, whose title as MGMT’s mgmt is second only to “the producers of ‘The Producers.’ ” Either the manager, or the band, or Chris Knox, or the Bacco Room, or Toto restaurant, or the nation of New Zealand is offering the thief amnesty.

From the Knbloxg:

Hi All – MGMT’s manager David has contacted me saying that someone stole one of the band’s iPods on Monday night. I can’t believe how uncool this is! MGMT put on a show to help Chris out at a really terrible time in his life – they took no profits, organisied the show in a rush, & are great guys to boot...

If anyone out there can help locate the iPod we’d be really grateful. If it could be returned to the Bacco Room or Toto restaurant there’ll be no questions asked & we won’t press any charges. (Link.)

Press release of the day: Pixies play ‘Doolittle’

Start pricing those trans-Atlantic flights for the fall...

PIXIES ANNOUNCE "DOOLITTLE TOUR"

MONDAY, June 29, 2009 — To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of their 1989 album Doolittle, the Pixies — Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering — will embark on a very special tour this fall — the Doolittle Tour — which will kick off with two nights at the Olympia in Dublin, Ireland on October 1 and 2. Tickets for all dates (listed below) go on sale this Friday, July 3 at 9AM.

For the Doolittle Tour, the Pixies will perform all of the songs from Doolittle and its related B-sides. Pixies' classics such as "Debaser," "Wave of Mutilation," "Here Comes Your Man," "Hey," and "Gouge Away" are all on Doolittle's track listing.

"We wanted to do something special for Doolittle's 20th anniversary," said Black Francis, "and we thought his was a good opportunity to play all of the songs from that album, something we don't normally do at a regular gig."

With the first date still three months away, the band is brainstorming on Doolittle-related surprises that will also comprise the nights' entertainment.

The ultimate Pixies Collector's Set, Minotaur, will be ready to ship to purchasers in early October. To find out more about Minotaur and to order a copy, log onto www.ainr.com

Dates for the Pixies' Doolittle Tour, and appropriate links to purchase tickets are as follows:

OCTOBER
1 Olympia, Dublin, Ireland
2 Olympia, Dublin, Ireland
4 SECC - Hall 4, Glasgow, Scotland
6 Brixton Academy, London, England
7 Brixton Academy, London, England
8 Brixton Academy, London, England
9 Brixton Academy, London, England
11 Jahrhunderhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
13 Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam, Holland
14 Forest National, Brussels, Belgium
15 Zenith, Paris, France

Not sure what "Doolittle-related surprises" could mean. Simon Larbalestier photos? Live mix by Gil Norton? Haloed monkeys?

And here is my shameless, self-serving plug.

Press release of the day: Honoring a blind traffic reporter

State of Connecticut to Proclaim Day in Honor of America’s First Blind Traffic Reporter in Millford.
Nation’s first blind traffic reporter Tommy Edison will honored by State of Connecticut and local Officials tomorrow Thursday May 21, 2009 at 11 a.m. in a special ceremony and press conference at [REDACTED]. The Governor the [sic] proclaiming the day for him for his remarkable dedication to helping others in traffic while being completely visually impaired since birth. While playing music in local bands, he is a life-long Connecticut resident and has worked for radio station Star 99.9 for the past 15 years. He also enjoys skiing. Friends, family, co-workers and local residents will also be attending the governments [sic] special Tommy Edison Day tribute.

O.K., I can understand talking about traffic jams without necessarily being able to see them; it’s been commented on before. But skiing?!

(Also, it’s spelled Milford.)

Press release of the day: ‘No further information available at this time’

Keywords: Beatles, catalog, digitally, remastered.

Could it be that the Beatles are finally coming to iTunes, as has been rumored and rushed into print so many times? Nope. Reissued CDs, that powerhouse commodity of 2009:

London, England – April 7, 2009 – Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music are delighted to announce the release of the original Beatles catalogue, which has been digitally re-mastered for the first time, for worldwide CD release on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (9-9-09), the same date as the release of the widely anticipated “The Beatles: Rock Band” video game. Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.

Hey, it's better than a $395 White Album fountain pen ... right?

To their credit, the biggest-selling act of all time did offer this thoroughly lawyered non-update on the issue of digital distribution:

Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalogue will continue. There is no further information available at this time.

It has come to this

A press release announces:

Auditions will be held Friday, April 10 in Los Angeles for drummers who are looking to play with THE SMASHING PUMPKINS. They should send their background info, photos and performance web links via email only to: pumpkinsdrummer@gmail.com.

Vaselines to tour again

Sub Pop reports:

Sub Pop’s May 5th release of Enter The Vaselines is ... effectively a deluxe-edition reissue of the 1992 Sub Pop release The Way of The Vaselines with a new title and new cover art, both from the band, and a whole lot of new material (the entirety of the 17-song second CD/third LP has been added)...

It includes new mixes and re-mastered versions of everything by The Vaselines, plus never-before-heard demos, and live recordings from 1986 in Bristol and 1988 in London.

TOUR DATES:

Sun, May 10th – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theater
Mon, May 11th – San Francisco, CA – Bimbos
Tue, May 12th – Seattle, WA – Neumos
Wed, May 13th – Portland, OR – Doug Fir
Sat, May 16th – Chicago, IL – Metro
Mon, May 18th – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg

The Vaselines at Maxwell’s was one of my favorite shows last year. So sweetly raunchy. I’ll skip this, since it’s the kind of thing you can really only do once, but if you missed their handful of dates last year, do try to see of of these.

Oh dear God no ...

COLLECTIVE SOUL IN STUDIO WORKING ON NEW ALBUM

NEW YORK, NY — February 17, 2009 — Multi-Platinum rockers Collective Soul, who recently signed a worldwide deal with [REDACTED], have begun work on their 8th studio release. ... The band has been hard at work in frontman Ed Roland’s lake house studio for the past few weeks, working on the follow up to 2007’s Afterwords. Renowned for their ability to write supremely crafted smash hits, the band is wasting no time in creating a new batch of tunes fit to replicate all of their past successes. The band are currently featured on the multi platinum selling soundtrack for Twilight. ‘Tremble For My Beloved’ from the album Dosage is also featured in the film.

New Sonic Youth has John Fahey painting

Matador, Sonic Youth's new home after two decades with Geffen/DGC/Universal/etc., announces the cover art and other details:

The band has been Twittering like mad recently about the recording of The Eternal. Typical entries: “mixing a secret ‘something’ for Matador early shoppers”; “ ‘no, i wanna see the hairy gonads hanging fr yamaha spkrs.’ ”

Press release of the day: Nuge in the Bowhunters Hall of Fame

This one is almost too easy:

WORLD RENOWNED HUNTER AND ACTIVIST TED NUGENT
TO BE INDUCTED INTO
THE NATIONAL BOWHUNTERS HALL OF FAME
FEBRUARY 6
IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
The National Bowhunters Hall of Fame is proud to announce TED NUGENT as their most recent inductee. The induction will take place February 6 in Las Vegas, NV as part of the National Field Archery Association’s World Archery Festival at the Riviera Hotel. NUGENT will be honored in two categories: Excellence in Bowhunting, as well as Literary Excellence. These categories acknowledge NUGENT’s widely acclaimed skills as an outdoorsman, and his promotion of bowhunting on an international level via his best-selling books and popular writings.

NUGENT began bowhunting around 1956--approximately the same time he picked up his first guitar. Nugent has gone on to wildly successful careers in the two seemingly disparate fields. But it makes perfect sense to TED. He explains, “I started twanging the one-string ‘bout the same time as the 6-string. There was some sort of bow & arrow in my hands as young as six or seven, I’m sure. Got my first guitar around the same time and both have remained my favorite weapons to date!”

[...]

NUGENT has sold in excess of 35 million albums; produces and stars in the award-winning Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild TV show; is a New York Times best-selling author (his most recent book TED, WHITE, AND BLUE: THE NUGENT MANIFESTO entered the Top 10 at #8 in October 2008); and continues to set attendance records at concert venues around the globe.

"The future of the shooting sports in this country is in the hands of tomorrow's outdoorsmen and women,” TED says. “The youth of America must be educated to the wholesome and valued world of hunting and conservation. Because rock 'n roll plays such a pivotal role in a young person's life, I will share my wonderful lifestyle and experiences with them.”

Click here for more on Nuge’s “literary excellence.”

Sort of an Indiana Jones ‘Use Your Illusion’

Concord Records to Release First Three Expanded Indiana Jones™ Soundtracks Individually on February 24, 2009

Originally Available as Part of Last Year’s Limited-Edition Boxed Set, These Expanded and Remastered Soundtracks Feature Previously Unreleased Music From The First Three Films!

“Sure, the whip, the hat, the jacket are part of the Indiana Jones iconography. But what really gives Indy his heart and spirit is John Williams’ music.” — Steven Spielberg

Beverly Hills, CA — On February 24, 2009 Concord Records will release individually the soundtracks to the original three Indiana Jones films: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

All three feature Oscar-winning composer John Williams’ soundtracks digitally remastered from the original tapes, plus unreleased music from each respective film. Previously available only as part of last year’s highly successful box set release Indiana Jones: The Soundtracks Collection, these reissued CD’s will be available individually for the first time.

About the boxed set, Film Music Magazine raved, “It’s a collection on five CD’s that delivers over an hour of unheard Indy music, all with spectacular sound and sleek packaging. The chance to finally hear that minute of Indy toppling the Anubis statue in ‘Raiders’ is like a dream come true. Now with just about every bit of Indiana Jones music on deck here, listing to some of John Williams’ greatest achievements for the popcorn cinema has never sounded more fun, or fresh. Raid this covenant of CD’s immediately.”

Short version: “We found a new way to sell the stuff that was on the box set.”

Which of these press releases is fake?

One of these announcements is real and the other is fake. Which is the hoax? Is it this one?

STEVE MARTIN TO RELEASE “THE CROW: NEW SONGS FOR THE FIVE-STRING BANJO” JANUARY 27

Martin reprises his role as Inspector Jacques Clouseau in Pink Panther 2, in theaters February 6

Los Angeles, California, January 9, 2009 — Actor/comedian/musician and bestselling author Steve Martin will release his first full-length music album The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo on January 27, 2009. The bluegrass flavored album will be available exclusively on Amazon.com for the first 90 days. Martin is scheduled to host and perform on “Saturday Night Live” on January 31st as well as make several more television appearances, including the “The Late Show with David Letterman” on February 2, and “Good Morning America” and “Live with Regis & Kelly” on February 3 in support of the The Crow and the major motion picture release of Pink Panther 2. A three-time Grammy winner, two for comedy albums Wild and Crazy Guy (1978) and Let’s Get Small (1977) and one in music for his collaboration with Earl Scruggs on Foggy Mountain Breakdown (2001), Martin is currently nominated for Born Standing Up (2008) in the Best Spoken Word Album category.

After playing on the Grammy Award winning Foggy Mountain Breakdown with Earl Scruggs, Martin began writing a string of new banjo songs, some with lyrics and some as instrumentals. An album 45 years in the making, The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo features special vocal appearances by Mary Black, Vince Gill, Tim O’Brien, Dolly Parton and musicians Earl Scruggs, Pete Wernick and Tony Trischka. Recorded in Dublin, Hollywood, Nashville and New Jersey and produced by John McEuen, of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the record consists of 15 original tracks written by Martin.

“I have loved the banjo my whole life,” says Martin. “The songs on this record represent the influence of a dozen players and a thousand tunes, and I thank them all. But it’s the banjo itself I thank most for generating nostalgia for experiences I never had, joy I was yet to experience, and melancholy that was yet to come.”

Martin will reprise the role of intrepid-if-bumbling French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau in MGM’s The Pink Panther 2, in theaters February 6, 2009. When legendary treasures from around the world are stolen, including the priceless Pink Panther Diamond, Chief Inspector Dreyfus (John Cleese) is forced to assign Clouseau to a team of international detectives and experts charged with catching the thief and retrieving the stolen artifacts. Martin is joined by his co-stars Jean Reno (as Ponton, his partner) and Emily Mortimer (as Nicole, the object of his awkward affections). The investigative dream team is played by Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Yuki Matsuzaki and Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Lily Tomlin also stars.

Album cover art and photos are available upon request.

Or this one?

ROBIN WILLIAMS TO RELEASE “THE HUMPBACK WHALE: NEW SONGS FOR THE STEAM CALLIOPE” MARCH 3

Williams reprises his role as Bob Munro in RV 2: Making Tracks Down Under, in theaters April 7

Los Angeles, California, January 9, 2009 — Actor/comedian/musician and bestselling author Robin Williams will release his first full-length music album The Humpback Whale: New Songs for the Steam Calliope on March 3, 2009. The ambient flavored album will be available exclusively on Amazon.com for the first 90 days. Williams is scheduled to host and perform on “Saturday Night Live” on March 31 as well as make several more television appearances, including the “The Late Show with David Letterman” on March 8, and “Good Morning America” and “Live with Regis & Kelly” on March 15 in support of the The Humpback Whale and the major motion picture release of RV 2. A four-time Grammy winner, three for comedy albums Reality...What a Concept (1980), A Night at the Met (1988), and Good Morning, Vietnam (1989) and one in best spoken comedy album on Robin Williams — Live 2002 (2003), Williams is currently nominated for Emotional Rescue (2008) in the Best Spoken Word Album for Children category.

After playing on one of Pitchfork's albums of the year Everything That Happens Will Happen Today with David Byrne and Brian Eno, Williams began writing a string of new calliope songs, some with lyrics and some as instrumentals. An album 45 years in the making, The Humpback Whale: New Songs for the Steam Calliope features special vocal appearances by Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Devendra Banhart, Antony Hegarty and musicians David Byrne, Brian Eno and Leo Abrahams. Recorded in London, Hollywood, Paris and New Jersey and produced by Eno, the record consists of 15 original tracks written by Williams.

“I have loved the calliope my whole life,” says Williams. “The songs on this record represent the influence of a dozen players and a thousand tunes, and I thank them all. But it’s the calliope itself I thank most for generating nostalgia for experiences I never had, joy I was yet to experience, and melancholy that was yet to come.”

Williams will reprise the role of intrepid-if-bumbling beverage employee, Bob Munro in Columbia’s RV 2: Making Tracks Down Under, in theaters April 7, 2009. Now employed by the independent Alpine soda company, Munro is assigned to visit the Australian outback to find a rare herb that could be used in boosting the failing company's product line, and decides to take his family along for another vacation. Williams is joined by his co-stars Cheryl Hines (as Jamie, his wife), Joanna Levesque (as Cassie, his daughter) and Josh Hutcherson (Carl, his son). The investigative herb team is played by Ray Liotta, Robbie Coltrane, Paul Hogan and Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan. Jane Curtain also stars.

Album cover art and photos are available upon request.

Thanks again to Jesse for the Steve/Robin brilliance.

Press release of the day: Rosco P. Coldchain

Not a press release, actually, but a news blast. But I think Rosco P. Coldchain is my new favorite rapper name. I look forward to Ponch N CHiPz, Da F Troop and William K.A.T.T.

Philadelphia rapper Rosco P. Coldchain has been arrested in connection with the murder of a local man, sources have confirmed with AllHipHop.com. A source who wished to remain unidentified told AllHipHop.com that the rapper, notable for his affiliation with hit production team The Neptunes, is being questioned in connection with the incident. While details are sketchy, the unidentified victim, a man in his teens or early 20’s, was gunned down near Cottage Street and Wakeling around 7:30 pm last night (December 18).... Police stopped two men in the area after the shooting and questioned them, one of whom turned out to be Rosco P. Coldchain, born Amin Porter. At press time, Coldchain was arrested, but police have yet to charge him with any crime, as they investigate the deadly shooting.

Unfortunately for Mr. Porter, however, he was not the only one who thought the name was cool.