Music Blogs

Ah, another year, another 52 editions of That's Really Week. 2009 began looking a whole lot like 2008, actually: with Madonna, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, and Amy Winehouse making headlines. Let's get started.

First, Madonna topped concert trade magazine Pollstar's list of 2008's top concert draws, with $280 million in worldwide ticket sales for her "Sticky & Sweet" tour. This set the record for the highest-grossing tour ever by a solo artist--a record Madge herself previously set in 2006 with her $195 million "Confessions" tour. Looks like Madonna won't have any trouble paying her ex Guy Ritchie alimony, then. Incidentally, other big concert grossers, so to speak, on Pollstar's 2008 list included fellow divas Celine Dion and Tina Turner, as well as veteran rockers the Eagles, the Police, Bon Jovi, and Bruce Springsteen. So it seems touring was one industry that wasn't hit too badly by the 2008 recession.

Britney's upcoming "Circus" tour is sure to be one of the biggest grossers of 2009, of course. But while she prepares for that whirlwind, this week it was rumored that Britney had private-jetted off to Jodhpur, India, to celebrate Christmas and New Year's with her supposed new boyfriend, "Womanizer" video choreographer Sandip Soparrkar. But Britney's Indian romance turned out to be, according to one source, a "total fabrication." In fact, the "Womanizer" video wasn't even choreographed by Sandip, but by Britney's longtime collaborator Andre Fuentes. Instead, it turned out that Britney spent Christmas with her sons in Los Angeles, and rang in the new year in New Orleans, attending the December 31 wedding between her brother, Bryan Spears, and Graciella Sanchez, Jamie Lynn Spears's manager.

Speaking of weddings, Amy Winehouse is reportedly considering reuniting with her estranged husband Blake Fielder-Civil (aka " Blake Incarcerated"), who has spent most of their troubled one-and-a-half-year marriage behind bars on assault charges. But while Blake Incarcerated remains incarcerated in a London prison until 2010, Amy will be spending their second honeymoon in Norway. Amy has been summoned to appear in a Norwegian court on January 12 in her appeal against a fine in a drugs possession case, stemming from a October 2007 incident when Amy and a yet-to-be-incarcerated Blake Incarcerated were arrested for possession of 7 grams of marijuana. At the time, Amy and Blake just paid the fine of 3,000 kroner ($415) each to put the episode behind them, but Amy's Norwegian attorney, Ole Kvelstad, says paying the fine was the equivalent to a "guilty" plea, so this could have serious consequences for Amy's career later on. For instance, she ever manages to actually get her act together and release a follow-up to Back To Black--in 2009 or any other year--she could be denied a U.S. visa to tour, just as she was forbidden to travel to perform at the Grammy Awards last year. Then how will she make the Pollstar list?

Meanwhile, while Amy was being accused of pot possession, fellow Grammy-winning diva Mariah Carey was being accused of possessing poor understanding of scientific theories. Mathematician Dr. David Leslie criticized Mariah's appropriation of Albert Einstein's mass-energy equivalence formula E=MC2 (reinterpreted as "emancipation equals Mariah Carey times two") for her most recent album title. Dr. Leslie told BBC News that he was dismayed that Mimi had had "misread the algebra," explaining: "The 'two' in the equation means C squared, not MC multiplied by two. The correct reading of the equation is E=MCC, so perhaps Mariah's re-interpretation should have been 'emancipation equals Mariah Carey Carey'?"

Gee, Dr. Leslie, thanks for clarifying.

Well, Mariah may not understand math too well, but Bjork seems to have a better grasp on the numbers game. Surprisingly, the seemingly kooky Icelandic diva did a very sensible thing this week and partnered with Reykjavik-based venture company Audur Capital to establish an investment fund to help restore Iceland's battered economy (which has been especially hard-hit by the global financial crisis). According to the Audur Capital website, the fund (probably non-coincidentally called BJORK) "will invest in sustainable businesses that create value through the country's unique resources, spectacular nature, vibrant culture, and green energy" and is currently seeking investors now.

The website also states that Bjork the singer "has become a spokeswoman for innovation, creative thinking, and increased diversity in the Icelandic economy." Surely Dr. Leslie would approve.

But surely no doctor--particular one of the veterinarian variety--would approve of the charges lobbied against DMX. The rapper faces at least 90 days in jail (which, it should be noted, is a whole lot less than Blake Incarcerated has had to serve) after pleading guilty this week to drug and animal cruelty charges in  Arizona. (In May 2008, DMX was arrested after sheriff's deputies raided his home and found dog carcasses and malnourished pitbulls.) "I am pleased that this defendant will be held accountable for both his drug and animal cruelty offenses," County Attorney Andrew Thomas said in a statement. We bet all those angry, hungry pitbulls are pleased as well.

And finally, just because we're ending things on a bummer note anyway, we cannot complete this first That's Really Week blog of 2009 without noting three sad musician deaths this week. Rock guitarist Delaney Bramlett, who collaborated with such artists as George Harrison and Eric Clapton and was a member of the husband-and-wife blues duo Delaney & Bonnie, died Saturday after undergoing gallbladder surgery; Vincent Ford, writer of the Bob Marley classic "No Woman No Cry," died Sunday from diabetes complications; and Grammy-winning jazz trumpteter Freddie Hubbard died Monday after suffering a heart attack. All three shall be dearly missed.

And with that, let's hoping 2009 will be a year filled with much more good news than bad. See you next week.

THIS WEEK'S TOP 10 STORIES:

1) Madonna's World Domination Continues - Her "Sticky & Sweet" international tour grossed $280 million in 2008.

2) They Tried To Make Her Go To Norway... - Amy Winehouse has to go to Norway to face pot possession charges.

3) DMX In The Doghouse - The Rapper will spend at least 90 days in jail on animal cruelty charges.

4) Prince's Triple Threat - His Purple Majesty plans to release three new albums in 2009.

5) Farewell, Freddie - Jazz great Freddie Hubbard passes away at age 70.

6) Bye Bye, Bramlett - Guitar legend Delaney Bramlett dies at age 69.

7) Fans Cry For "No Woman No Cry" Songwriter - Bob Marley songman Vincent Ford also dies.

8) Britney Not Going To Bollywood - Rumors of Spears's Indian romance are greatly exaggerated.

9) Mariah Can't Do The Math - A scientist complains about Carey's lack of understanding of the "E=MC2" formula.

10) Bjork: A Solid Investment - The Icelandic singer is raising funds to aid her homeland's economy.