Movie musicals have been around as long as there have been movies. Studios realized right away that a hit song from a movie could generate additional revenue which was certainly music to everyone’s ears. However, most classic movie musicals of the 30s, 40s and 50s could be counted on to maybe deliver one or two hit songs. Then along came that hip swinging sensation from Tupelo, Mississippi who once again changed the game. When Elvis Presley started making movies, the soundtrack albums in many ways became just as important as the movie content. This is where a long list of his number one hits was generated and it changed the way movie studios approached soundtrack albums forever.

A true collector of Elvis Presley vinyl will have mint condition examples of his entire movie career. Elvis journey into cinema got off to a rather curious start in the feature “Love Me Tender”. It was curious because the story was set during the time of the Civil War which doesn’t immediately lend itself to generating hit rock and roll music. However, anyone familiar with Elvis discography will know what an important role the song “Love Me Tender” played in Elvis career. To this day, that song stands as one of his most popular recordings.

For his next two movies, Elvis got to play the rebel audiences expected him to be. “King Creole” was directed by Michael Curtiz who also helmed the perennial favorite “Casablanca”. So, yes Mr. Curtiz went from Bogie to the King and helped Elvis deliver one of his most critically acclaimed film performances. Alongside the Creole was “Jailhouse Rock” and everyone knows what that movie soundtrack did for the sale of record albums.

When Elvis was drafted into the army, his movie and music career were put on hold for two years. Although the sale of his record albums remained steady there was no real chart busting hit until he returned to the big screen in “G.I. Blues”. Gone was the rebel and in its place was a clean-cut soldier who was just a good ol’ boy who liked fast cars, good looking women and had a chance to sing. In fact, one of his films “Flaming Star” proved to be a box-office disappointment because Elvis didn’t sing except for one song that was shot after the movie screened for test audiences.

If you flip through the Elvis Presley movie collection you’ll run across titles like “Blue Hawaii”, “Girls, Girls, Girls”, “Fun in Acapulco”, and “Clambake”. Each one had its own string of hits and firmly planted Elvis in popular culture. Although there are some that scoff at the fact that Elvis was really just redoing the same movie over and over again they are missing the point. These films have served as a time capsule for the King capturing at the pinnacle of his career. If Elvis was about fun and good music then his 25 movies certainly reflected that and his popularity as a star was certainly reflected in the sale of his record albums.

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This year’s American Idol Finale came down to two 16-year-olds, Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina. 90 million people tuned in to watch it and there were 122 million votes casted. Scotty McCreery, who is a country singer, won the finals.

The results show also featured performances by Tony Bennet, Steven Tyler, Lady Gaga, Marc Anthony, Beyonce, Judas Priest and Tom Jones.

This years show had many surprises, including a surprise elimination of Pia Toscano, who was eliminated at top 7, but got a record deal the next day. I really wanted her to win and was disappointed to see her go home so early. James Durbin who performed mostly rock and metal was also a favorite of mine and many, who got eliminated at the top 4 show.

Next year Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson will be back as judges, but Jennifer Lopez only had a one year contract and it is not yet known if she will sign on again.

It is is official, the new American Idol judges have been announced. Although, there were rumors who the new judges would be, American Idol held a press release recently, with the new judges present and announced who they would be. The 2 new judges are Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosomith.

In case you had not heard by now, Simon Cowel will not be with the show because he is starting the US version of his show X-Factors, which will be similar to American Idol. Kara Dioguardi and Ellen DeGeneres were let go by the show. Randy Jackson has remained as the only judge from the past.

Lopez said she was very excited “to work with you and watch you grow.” In a press release, Peter Rice, chairman of Entertainment for Fox Networks Group, said, “We’re incredibly excited to have Jennifer join the Fox family. From the worlds of dance and music to television, films and fashion, she is a global superstar with iconic and captivating style, along with impressive insight on how to reach and move audiences worldwide.”

Steven Tyler said he wanted to be a “part of something bigger” than himself. “I wanna bring some rock to this roller coaster.”

For some of us who were brought up to listen to 80s music on conventional radio, that era will always mean something special to us. Almost every glam rock band in the 80s knew their instruments and with their soaring vocals, lifted our hearts while our feet kept to the quick pace of the beats.

The dawn of MTV also signaled a change of guard when it came to how music was going to be presented with your proverbial VJ throwing scraps of music trivia at us while we watched the slick videos that were made to put faces to the names of music.

(Talk radio was also around but held no fascination like music television did!)

Live performances were also a part of the whole ‘gig’ but television really rocked our world when we were so young and cynicism hadn’t set in as yet. Watching Eddie Van Halen, Nuno Bettencourt, Prince and other bands in action was a treat to watch, and will remain that way for most of us who think that these musicians were at the zenith of their performance.

With the internet really taking off in the 90s or so, another phenomenon has emerged that puts a unique spin on the concept of listening to music. Yes, it is known as streaming radio and this is a service that not only entertains music lovers in a city but all around the world.

Another good place to find out more about 80′s Music is the 80′s Music Forum.

Digital copyrights have become more strenuous than ever these days. Thanks to people dropping mp3s here and there and all over the internet, artists feel robbed of their royalties that would otherwise be earned especially if their music was in the top 40 list.

With the ‘it’s all about the money, honey’ paradigm kicking in for a decade or so now, and with digital music leaving the music industry behind because of their outdated ways, it seems as if music labels are trying to sell records just as they did with 80s music.

However, there is one method of promoting music thee days that is really catching on with old and young alike. There is nothing revolutionary about it except for the fact that people have launched radio stations all over the internet, only requiring a unique web address and some basic software to do so.

SHOUTcast and AOL radio have been the mainstay of streaming radio but with the software requirements to set up your own radio station costing as little as $ 5.95 a month, people are broadcasting their own shows in rapid succession.

Is this good or bad for artists seem to be the question?

To which the answer is: Very good. Just as conventional radio has worked for artists in the past, internet radio will play a much larger role in promoting an artist’s music (without any foul play) to a much much wider audience. So, without further ado, welcome to the world of online radio…

American Idol aired their finale last night. The final came down between Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox. Even tough on the previous night judges seemed to have liked Crystal better, Lee Dewyze won by a margin of 2% in the votes, as Ryan Seacrest proclaimed.

The show also said goodbye to Simon Cowell, who is leaving American Idol to concentrate on his launching of American version of X-Factor. Many funny clips of Simon’s past at the show were aired as a goodbye. Even Paula Abdul showed to say a few words.

The Finale was 2 hours and featured many live performances from past American Idol winners and top 10 finalists, as well songs performed by artists such as Bee Gees, Joe Cocker, Brett Michaels, Alanis Morissette, Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilara and Chicago. Past winers, Kris Allen, Ruben Studdard and Kelly Clarkson also performed their new hits.

“Pants on the Ground” singer General Larry Platt who was in auditions this year also performed. This song became sort of a funny hit, due to it’s catchy hook. William Hung a past contestant who is also a celebrity due to his lack of singing capabilities performed with the General on this song.

Lady Gaga has been working on her third album and is renegotiating a new contract with her record label Interscope. Lady Gaga has had several hit songs, including “Poker Face”, “Just Dance” and her recent hit “Telephone” that features Biance. She has had two hit albums “The Fame” and “The Fame Monster” and sold out concerts. She also recently appeared on American Idol show.It was reported that she demanded $250,000 for the performance, but no one knows if she actually got paid this amount, but it is very likely that she did.

Lady Gaga is trying to negotiate her new deal prior to the release of her third album. Lady Gaga, said the following regarding her new album: “Well, I’m working on it now and I’ve already written kind of the core of it, so I’m just kind of continuing to travel around the world and just make something great. It’s certainly my best work to date.”

I just wanted to post that I found this great George Michael Forum, which also includes his bio, pictures, discography and much more. Check it out at http://www.g-michael.com/