On to the Super Bowl! That’s the shelf life of an ersatz awards show these days. The fawning press, part of the sell-out gravy train, casts no critical eye, the public tweets its snarkiness, and by breakfast we’re done with the Pop Tart and on to something new. Blame Neil Portnow. Blame Ken Ehrlich. But […]

Steven Tyler is a rock star, James Taylor is a national treasure and Lady Gaga knows that fun is the one thing that money can’t buy. Yes, last night at the L.A. Convention Center baby boomers celebrated the life and work of Carole King while across town at the Beats party Gen X honored hip-hop […]

He gave himself seven months. Not Steve Barnett, but Sam Smith. That’s where I was, at Steve’s house, at a small luncheon introducing Sam. Sure, they played the music in the background, but I already had the album. I enjoyed talking to Rodney Jerkins. What’s strange about show business is everybody’s two-dimensional until you meet […]

Too much, too soon. We expected him to be a decrepit has-been in middle age, addicted to his drugs and his faded fame, but we didn’t expect him to flame out quite this quickly. Blame us. The music industry. We preyed on this naif and wanted to believe we could profit yet not be responsible. […]