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Black Sabbath have responded to drummer Bill Ward’s open letter pledging to leave the band unless he is presented with a “signable contract.” In a statement on Facebook, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler indicated they they will carry on with their new album and reunion tour without him. “We were saddened to hear yesterday via Facebook that Bill declined publicly to participate in our current Black Sabbath plans,” they wrote. “We have no choice but to continue recording without him although our door is always open…We are still in the UK with Tony. Writing and recording the new album and on a roll…See you at Download!!!”

Tony Iommi was recently diagnosed with lymphoma, causing the band to move their recording sessions from Los Angeles to England, where the guitarist is receiving treatment. They reportedly backed out of a planned headlining slot at Coachella and their European summer tour seemed to be in jeopardy, though the above statement makes it clear they plan on performing at the Download Festival on June 10th.

Black Sabbath toured without Bill Ward when the original line-up reformed in 1997, but he joined up with the group the following year. In 2004 a contract dispute nearly caused him to not participate on that summer’s Ozzfest tour, but he eventually wound up signing on. “After the last tour I vowed to never again sign on to an unreasonable contract,” Ward wrote in his recent letter.  ”I want a contract that shows some respect to me and my family, a contract that will honor all that I’ve brought to Black Sabbath since its beginning.”

He also addresses the possibility that the group might replace him. “If I’m replaced, I have to face you, the beloved Sabbath fans,” he wrote. “I hope you will not hold me responsible for the failure of an original Black Sabbath lineup as promoted.  Without fault finding, I want to assure everyone that my loyalty to Sabbath is intact.” 

It’s unclear who the group plans to bring in to play drums on their new projects, though in the past Faith No More’s Mike Bordin and Vinny Appice have played in Black Sabbath when Ward was unavailable. 

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/black-sabbath-pledge-to-carry-on-without-drummer-bill-ward-20120203

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The latest issue of Rolling Stone goes behind the scenes of The Voice, NBC’s white-hot singing competition featuring Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton. We posted an excerpt of Brian Hiatt’s cover story, in which the four stars speak openly about working together despite having little in common. “Just look at the four of us,” says Levine. “It’s just so wrong and so amazing.”

Photos: The Disco Biscuits Take Their Fans to Paradise

The Voice will return after the Super Bowl on Sunday. In anticipation of the big game, we put together a gallery of famous New York Giants and New England Patriots fans, and looked back over the best halftime performances in the history of the game.

Photos: The Queen’s Next Rock Royalty?

We also talked to rising star Lana Del Rey about the backlash to her debut album Born to Die, interviewed Leonard Cohen about his latest album Old Ideas, chatted with The Cult’s Ian Astbury about their intense new album Choice of Weapon, discussed the fireHOSE reunion with Mike Watt, investigated troubled Megaupload co-founder Kim Dotcom and reviewed hot concerts by Van Halen and Skrillex in Los Angeles. Plus, we reviewed all the latest albums, analyzed the pop charts and looked back on this week in rock history.

The Greatest Animated Music Videos

In pop culture, Peter Travers tossed January’s worst films into the Scum Bucket, and we recapped the latest episodes of Glee, Jersey Shore and American Idol.

Photos: Random Notes

Our question for you this week is: Who should play the Super Bowl halftime show next year? You can answer on our website, at facebook.com/rollingstone or on Twitter using the #weekendrock hashtag.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/week-in-review-the-stars-of-the-voice-return-to-tv-20120203

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Possibly the biggest anti-piracy bust of all time took place on January 20th, when a global sting operation led by the FBI and the Department of Justice brought down the file-sharing giant Megaupload – and arrested its founder, the 38-year-old German hacker and playboy Kim Dotcom. “I defy anyone to go back and find something bigger than this,” says a source at a major record label. “This makes LimeWire look like kindergarten.”

Born Kim Schmitz, Dotcom was arrested in Auckland, New Zealand, where he lived in what is reportedly the country’s most expensive private home. Six other Megaupload executives were also arrested. The crew is charged with “criminal copyright infringement and money-laundering on a massive scale” – an estimated $500 million of pirated content, with a combined $175 million in income. (Megaupload claimed to have 50 million daily visits and four percent of the Internet’s total traffic.) Authorities seized Dotcom’s mansion and 18 luxury cars, including a 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé with a GOD license plate.

Dotcom, who was denied bail, is in an Auckland prison facing as much as 20 years if he’s found guilty. Megaupload’s U.S. attorney, Ira Rothken, insists that the company was a content-storage site, similar to Dropbox, and Dotcom had no knowledge of any of its users’ piracy activities. “This is basically a showing of copyright extremism by the government, in taking down an entire site in an overbroad manner, without giving Megaupload an opportunity to be heard in court,” says the attorney.

The Megaupload indictment came at a time when piracy was very much in the news. A day earlier, a pair of anti-piracy bills – the House’s Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Senate’s Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) – were killed after a massive campaign backed by Web giants including Google, Facebook and Wikipedia. In the wake of the campaign, which involved millions of Americans writing to their representatives and symbolic blackouts of major sites including Wikipedia, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, and Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, abruptly withdrew their bills.

The bills were proposed after aggressive lobbying efforts by the Recording Industry Association of America, the Motion Picture Association of America, and media giants including News Corp. and Time Warner. The laws would have given the U.S. government more tools to fight pirate sites based overseas – by, say, forcing Internet service providers to discontinue access to an offending website. But opponents claim the laws were written in such a way that entire legitimate websites could be forced offline due to one item of infringing material, among other concerns.

“These bills were just bad law,” says Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, whose pages were among the 7,000 websites that went dark during the January 18th protest. “Whatever one’s views on protecting intellectual property – and I’m a strong proponent – this legislation would not have achieved the goals it set for itself. And it would have disrupted more important things, like freedom of speech on the Internet.” The bills are likely to reappear in a different form, sources say, after the November elections.

In some ways, the Megaupload indictment seems to vindicate the tech companies’ campaign, part of which asserted that anti-piracy laws already on the books needed stronger enforcement. Megaupload sold ads and charged premium subscribers for unlimited downloading. Unlike, say, YouTube, the company frequently ignored requests to pull down copyrighted material.

Strangely, Megaupload even was able to gain the support of some music stars. Swizz Beatz, the veteran hip-hop producer who is married to Alicia Keys, consulted for the company and was considering an offer to become CEO. Sources say the producer persuaded friends, including Kanye West, Diddy and Chris Brown, to appear in the “Mega Song” promotional video in 2011 – which begins with Will.i.am rapping, “When I gotta send files across the globe, I use Megaupload.” “[Swizz] is not CEO, although they were in serious talks for him to become CEO,” says a source familiar with the producer’s situation. “They were quite a way along, but they hadn’t finalized it.”

The U.S. investigation into Megaupload, which took two years in partnership with law-enforcement agencies in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Germany and elsewhere, allegedly uncovered incriminating e-mails; a PayPal account that received more than $110 million from subscribers; and international bank-account transfers totaling millions of dollars. “The sheer income of Megaupload proves that they’re profiting immensely from the works of American creators,” says Steve Bogard, president of the National Songwriters Association. “It’s unconscionable.”

This story is from the February 16, 2012 issue of Rolling Stone.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/megaupload-busted-as-piracy-war-heats-up-20120203

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Adam Lambert is apparently the new singer for Queen, replacing the American Idol winner’s own late idol, Freddie Mercury. Lambert broke the news to the U.K.’s Daily Star.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/adam-lambert-is-queens-new-singer-20120203

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Drake is being sued by a woman who says she is the voice on the other end of the phone call in his hit song “Marvin’s Room.” Ericka Lee, who says that she is the rapper’s ex-girlfriend, has filed a suit claiming she was excluded from sharing co-writer royalties for the song, which is featured on his best-selling album Take Care.

According to papers filed by Lee in Los Angeles, she and Drake had a romantic and business relationship between early 2010 and mid-2011. Lee claims the two traded poems and lyrics over the course of their relationship and discussed collaborative projects. Drake allegedly agree to work with her on “Marvin’s Room” and split the earnings. She was originally intended to record a hook for the track and perform a monologue that would frame the lyrics. The rapper supposedly acknowledged her contributions to the piece in several texts, including one that apparently reads “U basically made that song.”

Lee and Drake’s relationship ended completely after the song was released. The rapper reportedly offered her 2 percent of the publishing royalties for the song, and later raising the offer to 4-5 percent along with a $50,000 settlement. Lee is now seeking a co-writing credit for the song as well as undisclosed damages.

Watch a video for the finished version of “Marvin’s Room” below.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/drake-sued-by-ex-girlfriend-over-marvins-room-20120203

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Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has signed on to executive produce a new half-hour comedy for FX starring comedian Dana Gould. The show, to be written by Gould, will be about a rock band on the verge of stardom which must go into therapy in order to keep themselves from breaking up. Unfortunately for the band, they end up with a misanthropic couples therapist on the brink of divorce.

Gould approached Grohl to get involved with the project, largely based on the rocker’s reputation as a very funny dude. It’s unclear whether Grohl will appear in the as-yet untitled show, or provide music for its soundtrack.

This isn’t the comedian’s first time working on a sitcom. He previously starred in Nolan Knows Best, a 2010 pilot developed for ABC. Gould is also writing a movie, Moon People, for Sony, and he hosts a popular podcast called The Dana Gould Hour.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/dave-grohl-produces-rock-star-sitcom-20120202

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Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has signed on to executive produce a new half-hour comedy for FX starring comedian Dana Gould. The show, to be written by Gould, will be about a rock band on the verge of stardom which must go into therapy in order to keep themselves from breaking up. Unfortunately for the band, they end up with a misanthropic couples therapist on the brink of divorce.

Gould approached Grohl to get involved with the project, largely based on the rocker’s reputation as a very funny dude. It’s unclear whether Grohl will appear in the as-yet untitled show, or provide music for its soundtrack.

This isn’t the comedian’s first time working on a sitcom. He previously starred in Nolan Knows Best, a 2010 pilot developed for ABC. Gould is also writing a movie, Moon People, for Sony, and he hosts a popular podcast called The Dana Gould Hour.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/dave-grohl-produces-rock-star-sitcom-20120202

The Decemberists have withdrawn their fundraising support for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation after the organization’s decision to stop providing funding for Planned Parenthood.

The rockers have realigned themselves with Planned Parenthood’s Breast Health Emergency Fund since Komen withdrew funding for breast cancer examinations on Tuesday. Komen claimed that a change in their grants policy prevented them from contributing further, though Planned Parenthood insisted that the foundation had bowed to pressure from anti-abortion groups.

Following Komen’s announcement, the Decemberists redirected funds from their “Team Jenny” t-shirts (created for keyboardist Jenny Conlee, currently in remission for breast cancer) to Planned Parenthood. They stated on their website:

The Decemberists are deeply troubled by Komen for the Cure’s recent decision to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, a vital resource in the battle against breast cancer. Providing cancer screenings to low income women is integral to the prevention and defeat of breast cancer and it is unconscionable that Komen should politicize this very important issue by bowing to the fear campaign being waged against PP by the right. We’ve decided to redirect the proceeds of the Team Jenny t-shirts and buttons away from Komen for the Cure. 100% of the net profits of these items will be instead donated to Planned Parenthood’s Breast Health Emergency Fund.

Please help to support this essential institution. And, if you’ve supported the Team Jenny effort in the past, please write to Komen for the Cure via their site or via twitter (@komenforthecure) and let them know that undermining women’s health for political reasons is unacceptable.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/decemberists-withdraw-support-of-susan-g-komen-foundation-20120202

The Decemberists have withdrawn their fundraising support for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation after the organization’s decision to stop providing funding for Planned Parenthood.

The rockers have realigned themselves with Planned Parenthood’s Breast Health Emergency Fund since Komen withdrew funding for breast cancer examinations on Tuesday. Komen claimed that a change in their grants policy prevented them from contributing further, though Planned Parenthood insisted that the foundation had bowed to pressure from anti-abortion groups.

Following Komen’s announcement, the Decemberists redirected funds from their “Team Jenny” t-shirts (created for keyboardist Jenny Conlee, currently in remission for breast cancer) to Planned Parenthood. They stated on their website:

The Decemberists are deeply troubled by Komen for the Cure’s recent decision to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, a vital resource in the battle against breast cancer. Providing cancer screenings to low income women is integral to the prevention and defeat of breast cancer and it is unconscionable that Komen should politicize this very important issue by bowing to the fear campaign being waged against PP by the right. We’ve decided to redirect the proceeds of the Team Jenny t-shirts and buttons away from Komen for the Cure. 100% of the net profits of these items will be instead donated to Planned Parenthood’s Breast Health Emergency Fund.

Please help to support this essential institution. And, if you’ve supported the Team Jenny effort in the past, please write to Komen for the Cure via their site or via twitter (@komenforthecure) and let them know that undermining women’s health for political reasons is unacceptable.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/decemberists-withdraw-support-of-susan-g-komen-foundation-20120202

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Madonna’s new single “Give Me All Your Luvin” will debut at 9 a.m. this morning simultaneously across Clear Channel’s various media outlets, including its satellite and terrestrial radio stations and its iHeartRadio mobile app. The video for the song, which was teased on American Idol last night, will also be broadcast in full on the company’s Outdoor Spectacular billboards in Manhattan’s Times Square, Paris’ La Defense and London’s Piccadilly Circus. This is the first time the media giant has worked with an artist to debut a song across all of its platforms.

The single, which features guest appearances by M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj, will appear on Madonna’s forthcoming album M.D.N.A. and is likely to be a key part of the singer’s performance at the Super Bowl this weekend.

In other Madonna news, the pop star had declared her interest to make a movie about the 19th century aristocrat Lady Jane Digby. “She was excommunicated or outcast from society because she had an affair and she had a child,” she told MTV News, explaining that her husband took her child from her and she eventually bred horses, which she sold while dressed as a man and accompanied by Bedouin. “One of her Bedouin guides became one of her closest friends and confidants and she ended up falling in love with him and he fell in love with her. But he did have several other wives and he wanted to marry her.”

The singer feels compelled to tell the story in part for its epic romance, but also because she is inspired by Digby. “I’m obviously always going to be drawn to stories about strong females ’cause we need, I need them, for inspiration,” she said.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/new-madonna-single-debuts-on-clear-channel-stations-20120203