Author: Martin D'Anjou

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Musique

System of a Down take stage once more

After a five-year hiatus, members of metal band System of a Down have reunited and started touring again, reports Straight.com.

Formed in 1994, the band went on indefinite hiatus in 2006, primarily due to burn out from touring and recording.

"You have to understand that when you’re on the road and in the studio all the time, it’s kind of like traveling at light speed," explained drummer John Dolmayan.

"When you come back it’s like 20 years have passed by, and you’re only one or two hours older… It’s off-putting – you feel like you don’t have any roots anymore."

Dolmayan has spent the past three years campaigning for the band to get back together. He cites strong personalities as the main reason it took longer than expected.

"There’s no real personality in the band that can be pushed to do anything that they don’t want to," he explained.

Now that his bandmates have warmed to the idea, it seems the band is glad to be back together and looking forward to performing.

"Our relationships are all intact, and we always have a great time together. The other day, it took us 20 minutes to start a rehearsal because we were all too busy laughing… We like to just get up there and play."

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Musique

Keith Richards working on solo album

Famous Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards appeared on TV talk show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon yesterday (May 12) to promote his autobiography Life and the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie, reports NME.

The rock legend revealed he was currently in the studio working on his next solo album. Richards said he was collaborating with songwriter and producer Steve Jordan, who has worked with Richards and the Rolling Stones.

When asked how the recording session was coming along, Richards said that an album is “starting to blossom.”

The guitarist gave no further details, much less a release date. The album will be his third solo effort after 1989’s Talk is Cheap and 1992’s Main Offender. Jordan and Richards are members of the side project, The X-pensive Winos, and haven’t issued an album in 19 years.

Richards said he was trying to regroup the Rolling Stones for another album and tour, and joked, “I’m trying to nail them down, but I don’t want to crucify them.”

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Musique

Pink Floyd reunite for performance

The three surviving members of the legendary rock group Pink Floyd surprised fans yesterday (May 12) when they reunited for a one-time performance during Roger Waters’ The Wall Live concert.

Former bandmates Nick Mason and David Gilmour joined Waters on stage to perform during his solo concert – only the second time in 30 years that the three had played together.

Their last reunion was a charity performance for Live 8 in 2005. Waters and Gilmour also joined forces last year to perform at the Hoping Foundation benefit show – last night’s performance was paying back that favor.

"Someone, I think it was David himself, came up with this ‘Wouldn’t it be funny’, idea," Waters explained in a post on Facebook.

"I quote: ‘If you do To Know Him Is To Love Him for the Hoping Foundation gig, I’ll come and do C. Numb on one of your Wall shows’… How could I refuse such an offer. I couldn’t, there was no way."

The reunion was short-lived however, and the feud between Waters and Gilmour may not be entirely over. While Waters admitted he would like to do a short reunion tour, Gilmour has refused.

"I should also remind you that tonight is most definitely a one-off. David is not repeating his special guest performance at a later occasion," warns a post on the tour’s official website.

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Nouvelles quotidiennes

Cape Town named best vacation destination in the world

Cape Town, South Africa has been named the best travel destination in the world in the TripAdvisor‘s 2011 Travelers’ Choice awards, reports CNN.

"With beautiful scenery, great wine and gorgeous weather, it’s easy to see why Cape Town, which also played host to last year’s World Cup, has topped this year’s list," explained company spokesperson Emma O’Boyle.

Sydney, Australia placed second, with Machu Picchu, Peru taking third. Paris, France came in fourth place worldwide and first in the European top ten. Rio de Janeiro in Brazil rounded out the top five.

New York City was sixth in the world and first in the top 10 American destinations. Rome, Italy came seventh, with London, Barcelona, and Hong Kong finishing off the top 10 worldwide.

The Travelers’ Choice awards are an annual ranking based upon reviews and votes from million of TripAdvisor users. Cities were judged on a combination of their overall popularity and votes for favorite destination.

The top 10 destinations in the world:

1.   Cape Town, South Africa
2.   Sydney, Australia
3.   Machu Picchu, Peru
4.   Paris, France
5.   Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
6.   New York, United States
7.   Rome, Italy
8.   London, U.K.
9.   Barcelona, Spain
10. Hong Kong, China
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Musique

Aerosmith working remotely on new album

Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry have been exchanging ideas by e-mail and teamed up for some jam sessions at longtime collaborator Marti Frederiksen’s studio in Monrovia, California.

"I sent Joe a bunch of songs and he sent me a bunch of licks, we’ve e-mailed back and forth with each other," Tyler told NME. "All I need is a few good licks. That’s the way ‘Walk This Way’ was written, one of Joe Perry’s licks and I grabbed the ball and ran with it, and that’s all it takes sometimes."

No release date has been set for the new album, a follow-up to 2004’s Honkin’ on Bobo.

In the meantime, Steven Tyler has confirmed that the band will perform on the final episode of American Idol, where he sits on the judge’s panel of the popular singing contest.

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Musique

Songs for Japan hits $5 million mark

Benefit compilation album Songs for Japan has raised $5 million towards the tsunami relief efforts in Japan, reports MTV.

The album, on sale through iTunes for $9.99 or as a two-disc CD set, includes almost 40 tracks from major artists like the Black Eyed Peas, U2, John Lennon, Madonna, Eminem, and Justin Bieber. Songs for Japan also includes an exclusive remix of Lady Gaga’s hit single Born This Way.

In order to ensure the Japanese Red Cross Society receives as much of the money as possible, all participating artists and record labels have agreed to waive royalty fees, and Apple is also foregoing its usual cut of album sales.

Last month, the relief organization received $2 million from album proceeds, with another $3 million delivered on Monday (May 2).

The album, which first went on sale through iTunes on March 25 and as a physical CD set on April 4, has sold over 500,000 copies to date and continues to rank in the top 10 of the Billboard 200.

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Nouvelles quotidiennes

France’s Château d’Amboise takes you behind the scenes of history

The new ‘Behind the scenes of history’ tour at Château d’Amboise in France’s Loire Valley, allows curious visitors exceptional access to underground passages and towers of the medieval fortress located in the Renaissance-style Royal apartments.

At the foot of the ramparts visitors will enter the Garçonnet Tower built in the 15th century on the orders of Louis XI, and then proceed to the Salle des Lys, once the dining hall for the castle guards.

From there, visitors will make their way along the rampart walk which will take them as far as the moat surrounding the old watch tower and dungeons. Visitors can then enter the maze of underground passages that takes them to the Minimes cavalry tower.

The Royal Castle of Amboise is one of the finest monuments of France. Kings, including Charles VIII, Louis XI, Louis XII, Henry II and Henry III all resided there. Painter and inventor Leonardo da Vinci died there and was buried at the chapel in 1519.

Overlooking the Loire Valley, in the region of Indre-et-Loire, the Château d’Amboise, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and offers one of the most spectacular views of the Loire Valley.

 

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Nouvelles quotidiennes

Tourist spending on the rise in France

Despite the worldwide recession in recent years, tourist spending is still up in France, thanks in large part to the luxury boutiques and the country’s reputation for haute couture fashion, reports Quotidien du Tourisme.

According to Global Blue, a company that specializes in helping tourists get their tax refunds, foreign visitors are spending more in France than ever. In 2010, tourist tax refunds were up 35 percent over 2009. So far in 2011, spending is up 28 percent over this time last year.

China, Brazil, Japan, Russia and the U.S. are responsible for 47 percent of all tourist tax refund requests in France, suggesting that visitors from these countries are doing most of the spending. China and Brazil, in particular, are growing at a rapid rate, with spending up 60 percent and 56 percent respectively.

The high-end boutiques in France – like Parisian flagship stores from major fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Cartier, Hermes – are credited with drawing fashionistas from around the globe and giving the country a worldwide reputation as a leader in fashion and style.

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Musique

Lady Antebellum launches new single

Premiering yesterday (May 3), the lead single Just a Kiss will make its live debut when Lady Antebellum performs during the American Idol television show on Thursday, May 5, according to the band’s website.

"We love writing songs from personal experience, and this is definitely one of those songs," said singer Hillary Scott in a statement. "There is so much excitement at the beginning of a new relationship…all the butterflies and that optimistic feeling that this person could be ‘the one.’ This song is about one of those times when your brain kicks in and tells your heart ‘good things are worth waiting for.’"

The group’s last lead single, the title track from 2010’s Need You Now won record and song of the year at the Grammy Awards last February. The album has sold 3.4 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Lady Antebellum was recently nominated for three CMT Music Awards, and recently announced they will perform Just a Kiss at the awards ceremony on June 8. These honors are in addition to the seven nominations received by the group for the Billboard Music Awards held on May 22.

The release date and title of Lady Antebellum’s third studio album has not yet been announced.

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Musique

Justin Bieber and Arcade Fire win Webby Awards

Canadian musicians Justin Bieber and Arcade Fire were two of the acts honored at the 2011 Webby Awards yesterday (May 3), reports Billboard.

Bieber took home the People’s Voice award for best comedy video award in recognition of his April Fool’s Day 2010 takeover of popular comedy website Funny or Die! The prank saw the website rebranded Bieber or Die, with news that the pop star had bought the website and would "do with it whatever his tiny little heart desires."

Montreal-based band Arcade Fire won both the Webby and the People’s Voice awards for best experimental and weird short video, in honor of their trippy music video-interactive film experience The Wilderness Downtown. Set to their single We Used to Wait, the interactive video uses HTML5 technology and Google Maps to create a 3D rendering of the viewer’s hometown.

Other notable Webby winners include Snoop Dogg and LL Cool J, who took home the statue for best branded entertainment for their Ultimate Halo Smack Down collaboration.

Comedian Zach Galifianakis, late-night talk-show host Conan O’Brien and actor Jim Carrey were also honored at the ceremony.