Annette Funicello Dead at 70

The singer and actress eventually lost her ability to talk. Extra

Rick Ross Concert Cancelled Amid Rape Lyrics Protests

(Radio.com) The petitions urging Rick Ross to apologize for lyrics that many complain glorify rape have begun to affect the rapper's live music obligations.

According to local newspaper Ottawa Citizen, Ross' Ottawa, Ontario concert, to be held at the Pandemonium on Tuesday (April 9), has been cancelled.

In an announcement made last Friday, the Carleton University Students Association (CUSA) noted that ticket refunds would be available for those planning to attend the show.

"Due to the protest surrounding Rick Ross latest song "U.O.E.N.O." the concert Pandemonium scheduled (April 9), is now officially cancelled because of security concerns," the concert's promoter, Urban Jamz Entertainment, announced Friday (April 5). The promoter previously defended its decision to let Ross' show go on, amidst a local social media campaign protesting otherwise.

The current controversy around Ross stems from his verse on a single from rapper Rocko, "U.O.E.N.O.," that includes Ross rapping about slipping a girl the drug Molly without her knowledge and later having sex with her.

"Put Molly all in her champagne/She ain't even know it," Ross raps. "I took her home and I enjoyed that/She ain't even know it." more on this story

Brian McKnight Takes A Jab At Boxing

(Radio.com) In Brian McKnight's video for "Fall 5.0″ the singer can be seen throwing jabs in a boxing ring. Turns out, he has danced his way into professional boxing arena as a cornerman who is supporting boxers in his own way.

As one of the cornermen for Ukrainian-born boxer Anatoliy Dudchenko, McKnight has gotten more than a taste of the sweet science.

"I work the corner for him [Anatoliy], it's a nasty business. I'm taking mouth pieces out and doing the grunt work–washing mouthpieces out, getting water," Brian McKnight told Radio.com. "To be able to tell him, 'Follow that one-two with a cross and you got 'em.' It's great to have a hand in the career of someone who has nothing to do with what I do."

While McKnight has no plans to step in the ring as a prize fighter, he said he does train as a boxer. "I got drawn into this boxing thing because I just wanted to stay in shape," McKnight said. "My trainer [Phil Paolina] didn't want me to just lose weight. He said if 'I'm going to train you, I'm going to train you to fight.' For me, I can't just go run. I'm fooling my body to think I'm learning something while maintaining a decent shape." more on this story

Huey Lewis and Weird Al Yankovic Get Psycho Together

(Radio.com) Prepping for the 30th anniversary of his breakthrough album Sports, Huey Lewis turned to comedy website Funny Or Die to parody the satirical murder thriller American Psycho with "Weird Al" Yankovic.

Huey Lewis, American Pyscho and Weird Al are all woven together in a magically meta way. If you're familiar with the movie, you know Christian Bale's character Patrick Bateman is a psychopathic killer who details his appreciation for the band's work, especially Sports and Fore!, before putting an ax into Paul's head.

Lewis plays Bateman perfectly, from his mannerisms and speech to his walk. Notice the difference on the prescription bottles; the parody video vs. the original clip.

Huey's "New Drug" is a reference to "I Want A New Drug," the second single from Sports. Then Lewis directly references American Psycho by popping in the DVD and going directly to the scene he is parodying, which features the Huey Lewis and the News song "Hip to Be Square." So meta.

Where does "Weird Al" fit into this? His album Dare to Be Stupid features the song "I Want a New Duck," a parody of "I Want A New Drug." But an ax to the head? Some people might say "Weird Al" had it coming. Watch it here!

Carrie Underwood Won't Be Julie Andrews In 'Sound of Music' Remake

(Radio.com) Carrie Underwood's role in the upcoming made-for-TV version of The Sound of Music will not be a knock-off of Julie Andrews' in the 1965 film.

The country singer told People that Andrews is like royalty and there is no way she's trying to compete with her iconic take on Maria von Trapp. "It would be like you're beneath her," Underwood said. Adding, "I think once people tune in and realize that [our version] is not a remake, they won't compare it to the movie."

Underwood's version, set to air later this year on NBC, is based on the original Broadway show and will feature her singing live. The live performance will certainly be challenging for Underwood, who previously appeared on a 2010 episode of How I Met Your Mother and played a church leader in the 2011 movie, Soul Surfer, but she says she's up for it.

"It's a giant challenge, which I appreciate," she said. "Everybody keeps saying, 'People don't do this anymore, singing live!'"

Though, Underwood is keeping busy with work, she admitted to the mag that she would put her career on hold if that's what her husband of two years, NHL star Mike Fisher, wanted. more on this story

Brad Paisley Wants To Surprise With New Album Wheelhouse

(Radio.com) In celebration of the release of his brand-new album Wheelhouse, Brad Paisley is our latest IMPACT artist. Wheelhouse is the country superstar's ninth studio album, and it hit stores and digital outlets today, April 9.

For the first time, Brad chose to produce the album himself, and to record it with his road band in a studio on his property in Tennessee.

And like the process, he wanted the songs themselves to be a challenge for him, too. "Every song was meant to incorporate something new for me, and to take some sort of twist you don't expect," Paisley explained in his press notes. "Whether that be the lyric or the loop or the guest, or a different format like rap, or getting a comedian like Eric Idle, it needed to spin your head around somewhere."

"It's like my dog when you say his name followed by a command he doesn't understand. He's like, 'Huh?' And he turns his head a little sideways. That's what I wanted every song to do."

The album's first single was "Southern Comfort Zone," which fans are well familiar with now, as the song made it all the way to Number One. But as Brad explains, he "never dreamed it would be a single." The song was initially envisioned as simply the first track on the album. Brad describes it as a "mission statement" for the album that "basically says, 'here's where we're going, here's where we're headed.' Which is, 'we're going to see the world, we're going to break down boundaries, we're going to leave our comfort zones.'" more.

Daft Punk Went For West Coast Vibe on New Album

(Radio.com) As the May 21st release date for Daft Punk's fourth studio album, Random Access Memories, looms ever closer, the French dance music duo have issued the second in a series of "Collaborators" videos (the first highlighted disco pioneer Giorgio Moroder).

The latest installation features an interview with house music hero Todd Edwards, who revealed that the new Daft Punk album has a "West Coast vibe" a la Fleetwood Mac, the Doobie Brothers and the Eagles.

This is not the first time Edwards has worked with the pair, co-writing and singing the song "Face to Face" from 2001′s Discovery, which he references in the video.

"It's been very difficult to harbor this secret," Edwards admits in regards to the top-secret recording sessions for Random Access Memories, "and I'm waiting for this album to intoxicate and infect everyone so I'm not making music in a sterile world anymore."

The stalwart house music producer, who has a host of dance-floor hits to his credit (including his smash 1995 remix of St. Germain's "Alabama Blues") discusses the painstaking recording process, which found the band working with lots of live instrumentation.

"Thomas [Bangaltier] was talking about how they wanted to pick up this West Coast vibe, and at first I didn't really know what that meant," Edwards said. "I'm from Jersey. I've gone to L.A. like twice in my life. But they were saying like going back to the time of like Fleetwood Mac, the Doobie Brothers, just picking up the West Coast vibe, the Eagles," he continued in reference to Daft Punk's approach to the new album. More including the video

DJ Zedd Explains The Art of the Remix

(Radio.com) Russian-born DJ Zedd (proper name: Anton Zaslavski) may be best known to pop audiences as one of the producers behind Lady Gaga's forthcoming and much-anticipated ARTPOP. Or as the guy almost didn't let Justin Bieber have the beat for "Beauty And A Beat." Or as a friend and partner-in-arms with Skrillex.

The DJ has also done a number of interesting remixes and, in fact, a remix contest on Beatport is where he started making a name for himself. In an interview with Radio.com, he broke down the art of making the best possible remix.

"It is different every time. A lot of people try to make [a song] sound better," Zedd said. "A lot of people, I don't know, try to make it a radio hit when they remix. For me it's always been important, if I do a remix, it has to sound like me. If you play it to someone who knows the original, he has to be able to say, 'It's a Zedd remix.'

"However your want to get there, that's the one thing I can tell people. If you're doing a remix, just try to make it your interpretation of the song."

He considers aping the successful techniques of other remixes to be boring and, even more surprisingly, doesn't let the person the song belongs to have any input into his remix.

"I usually don't have any sort of interaction with the artist because it's — as soon as I agree on doing a remix, it's my song." more on this story

Kip Moore Explains Inspiration Behind 'Hey Pretty Girl'

(Radio.com) Kip Moore's poignant new single "Hey Pretty Girl" is climbing the charts, and for good reason. It's a pleasant, low-key track that's both honest and relatable.

Moore sat down with Radio.com and explained how the song came together. Written with one of his "dearest friends," Dan Couch, Moore came up with the concept after his guitar player Dave Lapsley came to him when he learned his wife was pregnant.

"I met Dave right when I moved to town. Dave and I used to really hit the town hard together. He was my wild running mate," Moore said. "Dave settled down and got married, and about three years ago Dave's wife told him she was pregnant.

"I didn't have a record deal yet, and he was still trying to grind it out with me. He came to me and was like, 'My wife's pregnant, and I've got a kid on the way, and we need to make this thing happen now.'"

Moore explained how there was a whole new dimension to his friend. "All of a sudden Dave was really serious about providing for this family," Kip continued. "'If something doesn't happen soon I'm going to have to quit playing and go and get a steady job.' That struck me pretty hard because Dave was my brother. So, I went in and was talking about it with Dan. Even though I don't have a wife and kids, it just made me really think about that."

He further explained that he wanted to get across what he hopes to feel and have one day. "I wanted to capture that the best that I could. So that's why I sat down and wrote 'Hey Pretty Girl.' For what I hope to have one day."

A song that resonates with many country fans, Moore said he tries to write everything as honest as he can. more on this story

48th Academy of Country Music Awards Highlights

(Radio.com) The three-hour broadcast of the 48th Academy of Country Music Awards is over now, and the winners have been named and honored. At the top of that list is, of course, Luke Bryan, who walked away with Entertainer of the Year.

Luke's win was certainly a highlight of the evening–he went knocked-over surprised to practically bawling on stage, and finally came round enough to give a speech thanking fans that was probably as genuine as anything an award winner has given to date. This kind of raw emotional reaction is of course exactly what country fans adore in their artists–and what sets this genre apart.

But Luke wasn't the only one to show that degree of tearful sincerity during the show. Both Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert battled emotions as they accepted Record and Song of the Year awards for "Over You," a song they wrote together and that Miranda recorded and turned into a Number One hit. The photo of them embracing on stage is one of the night's most memorable.

As for the award, Miranda noted that "having your songs and lyrics be recognized by your peers is as good as it gets." And she also made sure to give a shout out to country music as a whole, saying that she loves being a part of the genre because "every time someone gets nominated, I just cheer."

You could see that love not only from fans but between artists all night long. Blake Shelton seemed truly excited that his cohost Luke Bryan won Entertainer of the Year, for instance (as did Shania Twain, who presented the award and practically had to hold Luke up when he accepted). Same goes for Jason Aldean's win for Male Vocalist of the Year–the high fives he got as he took the stage, including the cheers from fellow nominee Eric Church, was impressive. more including photos.

Living Colour Celebrate Vivid's 25th Anniversary

(Radio.com) "All of these songs were written in this city, about this city!" Vernon Reid was talking to the audience at a special New York City show celebrating the 25th anniversary of Living Colour's debut album, Vivid, held April 6th at Irving Plaza.

NYC is, of course, a great melting pot, and Vivid reflected that: It's an album by a (sort of) heavy metal band made up of all African-American men, featuring a Talking Heads cover, cameos by Public Enemy's Chuck D and Flavor Flav and two tracks produced by Mick Jagger. When the album came out, they were still playing New York's punk rock mecca CBGB, and about a year later they were a hit on MTV and pop radio. It was a Top 10 album on Billboard 200 album chart, and earned them a GRAMMY.

The show started with a DJ set very close to what an emcee would have been spinning in the late '80s (De La Soul, Dee-Lite, old-school funk and R&B) while Liquid Television-like visuals were projected onto a screen. Close to 9 p.m., the band took the stage with a cover of Robert Johnson's "Preachin' Blues," which they first played last year at a tribute to the iconic bluesman.

From there, they launched into Vivid, playing each song, in order. The lead track, "Cult Of Personality," has lost none of its power over the years, and neither has singer Corey Glover, who jumped into the audience to lead a group chorus on the band's most well-known track.

The audience knew every word — as well as, seemingly every riff and every drum beat — to every song. The band mainly stuck to the album's arrangements, bringing a bit more of a gospel feel to "Open Letter To A Landlord" and a blues intro to their version of Talking Heads' "Memories Can't Wait." Before "Broken Hearts," bassist Doug Wimbush took a moment to dedicate it to "my good friend and brother Muzz Skillings," the man he replaced in the group in 1992 (Skillings was in the audience). more on this story

Singled Out: Silas Fermoy

Today Joshua Mash from Silas Fermoy tells us about their single "Lights Burn Bright" from their debut EP "Chapters," which is being released today. Here is the story:

"Lights Burn Bright" was written at a point in my life when things really started coming together. This was the song that started the band pretty much. All thoughts of music came from this walk home at 6am up 1st avenue to the subway.

When Jordan and I first met we were working until about 2am at a bar in the east village. We became close pretty quick and got into a regular routine of hitting a specific bar after work until about 6-7am.

I had been in New York for about 3 years at this point and up until then had been flying pretty solo as far as music or friendship goes so it was a nice change to suddenly be surrounded by a bunch of people and conversation...I'm naturally a night owl so the fact that this all happened in the wee hours of the morning went hand in hand!

We were attracted to this particular bar because the bartender Dom used to play really chill wind down music at this time of night, stuff like Bon Iver and The Fleet Foxes. It was perfect for us, just getting out of a hectic night we were never in the mood to go crazy. It'd hit 2am and he'd shut off the regular radio that played through the early evening, turn the lights down low and plug his laptop in which had unbelievably huge selection of indie music on it! He'd call this time "Dombiance". We'd laugh as new people walked in and he'd say "Welcome to the Dombiance!"

It would hit 6-7am and we'd come out of that front door onto first avenue and it would be beautiful! The sky would be turning that perfect ethereal blue that comes with sunset, the wind would be blowing just perfect so it wasn't too hot or cold...and the street lights above your head mixed with the sky would be incredible!

I couldn't take my eyes off the street lights walking home sometimes. I thought it was amazing that if (and most people don't) you happened to catch THESE lights, with THIS sky, at THIS time of the morning...you were able to feel like this. All thoughts would drift from my head and I'd just enjoy that walk.

The first time it happened I was so taken back i went home and stayed up till early afternoon the next day writing Lights Burn Bright.

Jordan came over the next day and laid his bass line down and left immediately to go to work... I stayed on producing around it for a few hours and emailed what I'd done to Jordan before heading to work myself. When I got to work the expression on his face was pretty great! He was amazed at how it had turned out and we agreed to do another track together...

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!

Wait there is more!