Backstage Pass

Maybe America's just a week behind. Or maybe people really do vote to counteract Simon Cowell. (His warning to Syesha Mercado about being in danger was as wrong as his compliments for Carly Smithson last week.)

Brooke White really should have gone home last week instead of Carly Smithson for her start-stop-start-again version of "You Must Love Me." And she really should have been safe this week considering Jason Castro's bland performances and the power of her version of "I Am I Said." Yet, somehow, this is the week she gets eliminated.

Does this mean Jason goes next week?

Mariah Carey's "E=MC2" hangs on to the No. 1 spot for a second week, selling another 162,000 copies last week. Even with the 60 percent drop, her sales were enough to keep her ahead of Leona Lewis, whose "Spirit" is hanging tough at No. 2 and even showed a modest uptick in sales. Those sales probably won't be enough, though, to keep Mariah ahead of Madonna next week, when sales of her "Hard Candy" album, released yesterday, are tallied.

HBO stars Flight of the Conchords wing all the way up to No. 3 with their eponymous debut, which sold 52,000 copies. Ashlee Simpson's "Bittersweet World" debuted at No. 4, her first album not to hit No. 1, while Atmosphere's "When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That --- Gold" rounded out the Top 5.

You can't keep Regina Spektor down.

Though it wouldn't have been understandable to cancel her free-to-festivalgoers appearance at the Tribeca/ASCAP Music Lounge on Tuesday, she decided to play hurt. “In my defense, I did get injured at the Tribeca Film Festival,” she said, after hobbling onto the stage, favoring her left ankle. Spektor fell down the stairs after a screening of “The War,” joking that she probably did “serious damage” but didn’t seek medical attention.

“I’m in denial,” she said. “I’m just icing it.”

Trooper that she is, Spektor’s performance didn’t suffer at all, pulling out gorgeous versions of "Fidelity," "Samson" and even the appropriate “Bobbin’ for Apples” for the occasion, putting extra emphasis on the line, “I’ll always opt to fall down these stairs in the end.”

She did buckle a bit after stomping and drumming her way through "Poor Little Rich Boy." "I almost made myself pass out with a broken ankle," she said, afterwards. "See, I'm such a --- baby."

"Toughen up," she told herself. Then, she did.

SETLIST: On the Radio / The Flowers / Better / Poor Little Rich Boy / Apres Moi / Bobbin' for Apples / That Time / Fidelity / Field Below / Samson 

 
Coldplay debuted its new single "Violet Hill" on its website today and is making it available as a free download until next week, when it goes on sale at Internet retailers. (The site was down a bit this morning from all the traffic, but is back up now.)

"Violet Hill" is the first single from the forthcoming Brian Eno-produced "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" album, set to be released on June 17, and it's more of what we've come to expect from Chris Martin and friends, a moody, piano-driven arena anthem, though the guitars are turned up a bit more than usual. The album, recorded in London, New York and Barcelona, is the follow-up to 2005's "X&Y."

Coldplay will also play a free show at Madison Square Garden on June 23. Ticket information will be available through the band's website.

PHOTO: Capitol Records 

Halfway through Estelle's show at Highline Ballroom, John Legend, who signed her to his new Homeschool Records label and produced her new album "Shine," turned to the crowd and said, "Now you know why I believed in her."

Yeah, we do. For more than hour, Estelle proved herself to be the real deal.

And all the star power that showed up to help her out -- Legend, reggae star Kardinal Offishall, the great Rah Digga, and Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy -- was a sure sign that the rest of the world will soon find this out for themselves. Her mix of reggae, hip-hop and pop was addictive, as was her stage banter, which ranged from stories about the relationships that spawned some of her songs to philosophical advice ("We've --- up the ozone layer, so if you like someone, have sex. There's not much time.") to some helpful ways to differentiate her from the other British female singers currently flocking to the States ("I don't do drugs. I love Amy, but I don't.")

It's a good distinction since Estelle came across as a cross between a streetwise Amy Winehouse and a lucid Lauryn Hill -- a combination that is pretty hard to resist.

PHOTO: Estelle for Homeschool/Atlantic Records 

Estelle ready to 'Shine' [Newsday]
Listen to 'Shine' [VH1]

So Kanye West's video for "Good Morning," directed by Takeshi Murakami, has been floating around in various bootleg forms for a few weeks, but I finally made it over to the Brooklyn Museum of Art to check it out in person and it really is worth the effort to see it.

The video is part of the multimedia portion of the museum's "Murakami" exhibit, along with some playful cartoons featuring Kaikai and Kiki, Murakami's favorite characters, about the wonders of, well, poop.

It's far darker than most of Murakami's work, reflecting the influence of West's own personal story, but in the end, everything still turns out OK in the artist's detailed, childlike style. Even the experience of watching the video plays to Murakami's style, requiring people to sit in a darkened room on a carpet, patterned with his happy flowers, like they were gathered for a grade-school movie.

Kanye West, "Good Morning"

For some reason, Amy Winehouse just can't let herself have a good week. After making history by landing two nominations in the top Ivor Novello category, she reportedly went out and headbutted a guy who helped her hail a cab and punched another guy. She was arrested on suspicion of assault today, but has not been charged.

Amy Winehouse arrested over assault claim [Telegraph]

Not to get all psychic, but I'm going to guess that the question on most New Yorkers' minds this weekend will be: "Why on earth is the Empire State Building lit up in lavender, pink and white?"

The answer, of course, is: Mariah Carey.

To celebrate the No. 1 debut of the Greenlawn native's "E=MC2" album this week, the Empire State Building will get all dolled up in the album's lavender, pink and white color scheme from Friday night till Monday morning.

PHOTO: An unlit Empire State Building by the State of New York.

Will the Ukraine girls really knock him out? (Ooh-woo-ooh-ooh)
Paul McCartney will play a free concert at Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine, on June 14 that will also be broadcasted live on Novy TV, which means plenty of coverage on YouTube for all of us.
"We're going to have to a great evening and we hope to see you there," McCartney said in a statement. "So come along, its going to be great evening hopefully for the Ukraine. Pull together, groove, rock and roll all together."
Victor Pinchuk, Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist saw it in broader terms.
"One could not imagine this 30 years agon" he said in a statement. "Nobody could even dare to hope for this 20 years ago. One could only dream about it 10 years ago. 5 years ago we could only envy our neighbours for whom this became a reality. And finally the day has come. For the first time we have the opportunity to hear the songs that changed the world and created a new culture. The songs that we grew up with and became who we are."

Sometimes, it's funny how predictable the "American Idol" voters can be.

They felt bad about Brooke White messing up a song for the second week in a row. They continue to find Jason Castro, as Simon Cowell explained, "charming." And the Davids are just way too good at this point.

So that leaves Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson, who both had decent nights (for them), up for elimination. And though Smithson was better, she just doesn't have the ability to connect with fans the way the others do. It's something that, despite her great voice, she still hasn't been able to work out yet.

Maybe she'll eventually get it. 

Mariah Carey had her biggest opening week ever with "E=MC2" last week, selling 463,000 copies to become the year's biggest one-week seller.

With the weakness of this week's new releases, Carey will likely hold on to the top slot, but will she be able to stay ahead of Madonna's "Hard Candy" album, which drops next week? Carey seems ready to give it a try, appearing on "Good Morning America" on Friday with a Times Square concert. 

"Mariah's an inspiration, the true definition of a star," said Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid, Island Def Jam Music Group's chairman. "She continues to amaze us with every incredible new album she creates. Now Mariah has added another plateau of success to what has become her virtually unapproachable track record on charts around the world. She proves beyond a doubt that with talent, ambition, and sheer force of will, all things are possible."

Last week's No. 1, Leona Lewis' "Spirit" slips to No. 2 and Miley Cyrus' "Best of Both Worlds" zooms to No. 3 on the strength of her hosting duties at the CMT awards and her "Idol Gives Back" appearance. Country group Lady Antebellum debuts at No. 4 and the "Now 27" compilations rounds out the Top 5.

If Nine Inch Nails' new single "Discipline" (Null) sounds remarkably upbeat (for them) and danceable, why shouldn't it?

Trent Reznor has figured out a business model that seemed to work for the release of his instrumental double-album "Ghosts," a mix of traditional and Internet-distributed pay-what-you-want means. He likely made far more on a collection of instrumentals than he would have with a traditional major-label release of it.

But how will he fare with a more commercial release? Well, we may soon see, since he seems to be hinting that a new release may be ready, perhaps even with on-again, off-again collaborator Robin Finck, who has signed on for the band's summer tour as well.

In the meantime, "Discipline," which hit radio last night, is available for free at the Nine Inch Nails website. It's no doubt part of a broader roll-out that Reznor will clue us all in on soon enough. Until then, he suggests, "Take off your shirt and dance to it!"

PHOTO: Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor by Rob Sheridan 

The reunited A Tribe Called Quest and The Pharcyde, along with Nas, Mos Def and Amityville's De La Soul will headline this year's edition of Rock the Bells, which arrives at Nikon Theater at Jones Beach on July 27. Ghostface Killah and Raekwon, the two members of Wu Tang Clan who are not clashing at the moment, will also be on hand as Cuban Linx, as will Method Man and Redman, Santogold and Murs.

Pre-sale tickets will be available May 14 at www.guerillaunion.com and generally through Ticketmaster on May 17.

Though De La's landmark "3 Foot High and Rising" album didn't arrive in the United States until 1989, it was initially released overseas in 1988, making this summer its 20th anniversary. That should make for quite the De La party at Jones Beach.

PHOTO: De La Soul for Tommy Boy Records. 

With all the talk about the falling ratings for this season’s “American Idol,” Andrew Lloyd Webber week couldn’t have come at worse time.

Great songs? Sure. Ratings bonanza? Um, no.

When David Cook has to hang up his neo-grunge stylee for a week to knock out a powerful version of “Music of the Night,” that’s really not going to bring in loads of viewers. Neither is David Archuleta turning the “Phantom of the Opera” song “Think of Me” into what sounds like a Backstreet Boys hit. That move may be good in “Idol” terms, but kind of iffy outside that bubble.

And after Brooke White messed up “You Must Love Me” and pretty much sealed her fate. (Or will the sympathy vote save her and send Carly Smithson home?) Either way, there isn’t really much suspense for tomorrow’s show, which means bad ratings again.

By the way, Smithson should probably stuck with her first choice “All I Ask of You,” which I suggested for her, though I guess it is hard to tell Andrew Lloyd Webber that he’s wrong to his face. If she gets kicked out, though, for her weird version of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” she’ll know that’s exactly what she should have done.

David Cook, “Music of the Night”
David Archuleta, “Think of Me”
Syesha Mercado, “One Rock and Roll Too Many”
Carly Smithson, “Jesus Christ Superstar”
Jason Castro, “Memory”
Brooke White, “You Must Love Me”

BOTTOM THREE: Brooke, Jason, Carly
WILL BE CUT: Brooke
SHOULD BE CUT: Brooke
ACTUALLY CUT:

Tributes for Danny Federici, keyboardist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band who died Thursday after a three-year battle with melanoma, are now set.

The funeral will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center through a memorial website for Federici, thedannyfedericimelanomafund.com. The site also includes statements from Federici and his son, Jason, who writes about his father's last performance with the E Street Band.

"The feeling of the evening was electric," wrote Jason Federici, of his father's performance in Indianapolis on March 20. "The visible bond between the fellas was so special to watch. Nils spent most of the night next to him, Clarence kept turning around to give him props during the night, and Bruce was so visibly happy to have him there."

PHOTO: Danny Federici and Max Weinberg by Danny Clinch for Columbia Records.

Fan tributes are starting to come in on YouTube. A couple of them sent in by a Newsday reader and fellow Federici fan follow. 

Amy Winehouse became the first artist ever to land two nominations in the best song, lyrically and musically, category of the Ivor Novello songwriting awards, for "Love Is a Losing Game" and "You Know I'm No Good."

She's up against "Let Me Out" by Ben's Brother in that category. Her song "Rehab" is  nominated in the best-selling British song category, against Mika's "Grace Kelly" and Beyonce and Shakira's "Beautiful Liar."

The awards will be announced in London on May 22.

Winehouse gets three Ivor Novello nominations [Reuters] 

Yes, the new Patrick Dempsey movie "Made of Honor" (a.k.a. "My Best Friend's Wedding" with the genders flipped and McDreamy in the Julia Roberts role) looks quite bad in the trailers, but at least they've decided to revive Dashboard Confessional's excellent single "Stolen" as the movie campaign theme. So maybe the movie's not awful? Yeah, OK.

With Andrew Lloyd Webber as this week’s celebrity mentor, “American Idol” will be all about the drama tomorrow night. And that means if Carly Smithson doesn’t hit it out of the park, she’s probably done for since Webber’s music suits her best. (Sure, it’s a gimme-week for David Archuleta as well, but, let’s face it, unless he takes to smothering puppies or doing Jack Daniels shots onstage, he’s not going anywhere.)

The big, broad showtunes could spell disaster for Brooke White, who was already teetering with Mariah Carey songs, and Jason Castro, who will have to search hard for a Webber classic that works with his laid-back vibe.

Or, of course, he could just follow our advice.

What should the Top 6 be singing?

Madonna, "You Must Love Me" (what Carly Smithson should sing)

Danny Federici, the E Street Band's longtime keyboard player, died Thursday night at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center after a three-year battle with melanoma. He was 58.
"Danny and I worked together for 40 years - he was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician," Bruce Springsteen said on his Web site. "I loved him very much...we grew up together."
Though Federici's organ and piano sounds may not have attracted as much attention as Clarence Clemons' sax solos or Little Steven's guitar riffs, they were just as important to the E Street Band sound. He will be missed.

Danny Federici takes a bow

Kristy Lee Cook's Houdini-like escapes finally came to an end -- and, fittingly, it was kind of unexpected.

She had been improving and her version of "Forever" wasn't half bad, especially when compared to Brooke White coming unglued in the middle of "Hero."
(In fact, Kristy's countrified "Forever" could probably make a run up the country charts.) 

So when they ended up in the bottom two, it seemed like Brooke would be over and out, but somehow she was saved. But for her to survive Andrew Lloyd Webber week, she's definitely going to have to adopt Kristy Lee's Houdini-like abilities.

Will Bruce Springsteen's endorsement of Barack Obama carry weight on the streets of Philadelphia? I guess we'll find out.

In a statement on his website yesterday, The Boss made his support for the nation's next boss official. "After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans. Over here on E Street, we're proud to support Obama for President."

Springsteen lent his support to John Kerry in 2004, heading up the Vote for Change tour and even trying to sway voters in Ohio with an Election Eve concert in Cleveland, though, in the end, Kerry came up short.
 

For the first time in 17 years, the original Jane's Addiction lineup -- drummer Stephen Perkins, singer Perry Farrell, bassist Eric Avery and guitarist Dave Navarro (above) -- will play together again, celebrating receiving NME's "Godlike Genius Award" on April 23.

Avery, who released his latest solo album "Help Wanted" (Dangerbird) last week, has been the holdout for years, not participating in previous Jane's Addiction tours or the 2003 album "Strays." However, he thought the NME award, which has previously gone to the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, New Order and The Clash, was different.

"I have always considered reunions to be a way to make a quick buck, and it sells short my own experience of it the first time around," Avery said in a statement. "The reason I started to even consider this is because it's honoring the past instead of trying to recreate it."

PHOTO: Jane's Addiction for Warner Bros. 

"Uncle." (Should it be "Aunt"?)

With her new album, "E=MC2" (Island Def Jam), Mariah Carey has assembled a collection of perfect little pop pleasures that will charm even the staunchest naysayer.

Carey worked through nearly all her various personal and musical issues throughout the long, six-times-platinum run of 2005's "The Emancipation of Mimi." And all the success shows on "E=MC2."

Not only does Carey get to work with all the best hit makers around - from the unstoppable T-Pain to the masterful Jermaine Dupri - but she has a little extra bounce herself, the deserved swagger of knowing for sure that your ideas are going to work.

There were songs on "Mimi" that felt a little forced, a little too desperate to be liked, but there's none of that on "E=MC2." In fact, the first notes of the album come from one of her patented high-register, dog-whistle flourishes that get her so much grief.

My new favorite "momager" is Sue Baran, who handles Long Island's Push Play, who tells Rafer in a story on the band today that she recently turned down a major label's advances, saying: "Tell me something we don't have and maybe I'll think about it."

Judging from the band's video, she's probably right.

Push Play, "There She Goes Again"

Remember when Jesse McCartney was all doe-eyed and earnest, going on about “beautiful souls”? Well, on his new single “Leavin’” (Hollywood), it seems young Master McCartney has embraced his inner playa. The irresistibly catchy, R&B-tinged track, produced by Tricky and The-Dream, is a sweet slice of springtime fun that picks up where Chris Brown’s smash “With You” left off. And it should give McCartney, who has honed his songwriting chops penning Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love” with Ryan Tedder, his biggest hit yet.

Jesse McCartney, "Leavin'"

Kellie Pickler picked up three "Buckles" at the CMT Music Awards last night, including breakthrough video and performance for "I Wonder." Her emotional performance of the song at last year's CMA Awards also won the Tearjerker Award.

Taylor Swift's "Our Song" won Video of the Year and Top Female, while Trace Adkins won Top Male. Sugarland won Top Group and Brad Paisley's "Online" was Best Comedy Video.

The entire show, hosted by Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus, is streaming here.

Kellie Pickler, "I Wonder" (Live at 2007 CMA)

Mariah Carey debuted her new single "Bye Bye" on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" today, ensuring a huge opening for it when it goes on sale at iTunes tomorrow along with the rest of her "E=MC2" album. (As Oprah repeated often "E=MC2" is Carey shorthand for "Emancipation equals Mariah Carey to a higher power.")

Carey also explained how the song is, in part, about the loss of her father, Alfred Roy Carey, though the song's theme is about dealing with any sort of loss.

Much of Carey's "Oprah" appearance was dedicated to her recent weight loss, though she did take time out to show off the lingerie closet in her Manhattan apartment, where her undergarments are organized by color.

And she also addressed her recent honor, becoming the solo artist with the most No. 1 singles in the modern music era, passing Elvis Presley when "Touch My Body" became her 18th chart-topper. "I didn't do this," she said of the honor. "This is not me. It’s the grace of God. I also have to thank the fans."

PHOTO: Island Def Jam

FULL REVIEW: On 'E=MC2," Mariah Carey has no equal [Newsday]