May 17, 2008 A pregnant Ashlee Simpson marries Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy. The union lasts three years; Simpson gets remarried to Evan Ross (Diana's son) in 2014.
May 11, 2008 John Rutsey, the original drummer for Rush, dies of a diabetes-related heart attack at age 55.
May 11, 2008 Leonard Cohen kicks off his first tour in 15 years with a show in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He continues touring on and off for the next five years in a series of highly acclaimed performances.More
May 7, 2008 A number of British tabloids, including The Sun and The Daily Mail, blame the "emo suicide cult" for the death of 13-year-old Hannah Bond. My Chemical Romance take the brunt of their ire for allegedly glamorizing death on albums like The Black Parade, which was a #2 hit in both the US and UK. MCR, who insist they never encourage self-harm, respond by leading their fans in chants of "F--k the Daily Mail!"
May 6, 2008 In Central London, Mark Saunders, a barrister, Oxford-educated, very secure financially, and married to an equally successful woman, takes a shotgun and fires at random from his kitchen window. Police arrive promptly, and after a siege lasting more than five hours, marksmen open fire on him, and he is shot dead. At the inquest in October 2010, it is ruled he was killed lawfully, and one of the firearms officers involved in the siege is accused of inserting song titles into his evidence. The officer concerned is known only as AZ8, and the songs concerned include "Enough Is Enough" by Barbara Streisand and Donna Summer, "Line Of Fire" by Journey, and "F--k My Old Boots (Robo Cop And Seacombe)" by The Membranes. AZ8 is cleared in March 2011 of doing this with intent. Obviously he had Faith in the British system of Law And Order, the police having to Shoot Shoot a man who was Ticking until he went off Like A Hurricane.
May 3, 2008 The A-Sides, a brief side project for British indie-folk rockers Noah and the Whale, play a one-off gig at London's Push Club. They promise new wave interpretations of Noah and the Whale songs, covers and some "punk style" new originals. Prior to the show, the band urges fans via their MySpace page to "read the Motley Crue biography The Dirt, because that's pretty much how it's gonna go down."
April 27, 2008 A nearly naked photo of 15-year-old Miley Cyrus makes the entertainment news when it appears in Vanity Fair. Shot by Annie Leibovitz, the photo is more tasteful than scandalous, revealing Miley's back but not much else. Cyrus, under contract with Disney, later claims she was coerced into taking the photo.
April 4, 2008 After years of quiet courtship, Jay-Z and Beyoncé get married in a secret ceremony, becoming the most powerful couple in entertainment.More
April 3, 2008 Jay-Z joins Madonna and U2 in signing a huge contract with Live Nation; he scores a 360 deal that includes his own label.More
March 20, 2008 At the O2 Arena in London, the Eagles launch their world tour in support of their album Long Road Out of Eden.
March 10, 2008 Dapperly dressed in a classic black tuxedo, Leonard Cohen appears on stage in New York for his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with Madonna, John Mellencamp, The Dave Clark Five and The Ventures. In his acceptance speech, Cohen paraphrases a famous quote by record producer and current chairman of the Hall's nominating committee, Jon Landau: "I have seen the future of rock & roll, and it is not Leonard Cohen."
March 2, 2008 The blind Canadian blues rocker Jeff Healey dies of cancer at 41. Known for his unique playing style with the guitar placed on his lap, he built a legend among blues guitarists, with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton and many others among his fans.
February 22, 2008 After much controversy and debate over whether or not to honor recently deceased musician and Mississippi native Ike Turner, the state legislature compromises and passes a resolution that honors his musical achievements only.
February 5, 2008 On the day of the Super Tuesday primary elections in America, luminaries from across many genres of music (country - not so much) voice their enthusiastic support for Barack Obama, who wins big in the primaries on his way to the White House.More
February 4, 2008 With digital delivery transforming the industry, some record companies package releases with additional goodies. The Virgin-owned Astralwerks label issues Laura Marling's debut album, Alas, I Cannot Swim, in what they call a "songbox" format, which includes a concert ticket and souvenirs representing each song along with the CD.
January 17, 2008 Gene Simmons is the third contestant fired by Donald Trump on Season 7 of The Celebrity Apprentice.More
December 8, 2007 Thanks to an appearance on Oprah where she declares it one of her "favorite things," the Josh Groban Christmas album Noël goes to #1 in America, where it becomes the top-selling album of 2007.More
December 4, 2007 Pimp C (real name Charles Lamont Butler) is found dead in a West Hollywood, California, hotel room. The 33-year-old rapper had ingested promethazine and codeine, drugs used in the "purple drank" referred to in many rap songs.
November 15, 2007 The first episode of Daryl Hall's show Live From Daryl's House airs on the web, with Hall performing from his home in Millerton, New York. The series gains traction and gets picked up by the Palladia network. Over the years, Smokey Robinson, Joe Walsh, Cee Lo Green, Rob Thomas and many other musical luminaries appear, performing a mix of their own songs, covers and Hall & Oates tracks.
October 24, 2007 Backstreet Boys release Unbreakable, their first album without Kevin Richardson.More
September 24, 2007 The Big Bang Theory premieres on CBS with a theme song written and recorded by Barenaked Ladies.
August 14, 2007 After finding success as a songwriter in Nashville (Billy Currington's "Good Directions," Travis Tritt's "My Honky Tonk History"), Luke Bryan releases his debut album, I'll Stay Me, at age 31.
August 5, 2007 DNA tests prove that at least two of the 12 claimants to the estate and fortune of recently deceased soul legend James Brown are found to be legitimate. His will had already named six known children.
July 15, 2007 After getting favorable ratings for their unruly reality series Flavor of Love, featuring hip-hop legend Flavor Flav, VH1 decides to cash in on a bygone era of rock n' roll with a similar spectacle called Rock of Love, starring one the biggest names in hair metal: Bret Michaels of Poison.More
July 14, 2007 The album Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus goes to #1, as did the first soundtrack from the Disney show Hannah Montana the previous year. Miley Cyrus, who plays Hannah on the show, is now being promoted as a singer under her real name, not just her character.
July 7, 2007 Live Earth, a series of concerts to initiate action against global warming, takes place around the world.More
July 1, 2007 In memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, a concert is held at the newly built Wembley Stadium in London. Acts include friends of the Princess Duran Duran and Elton John as well as artists she enjoyed such as Nelly Furtado, Tom Jones and Kanye West.
June 21, 2007 The Spice Girls announce that they're getting back together, with the five original Spices reuniting.More
June 12, 2007 Canada issues postage stamps honoring Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Anne Murray and Paul Anka.
June 9, 2007 Rihanna's "Umbrella," with a guest verse from her label boss Jay-Z, reaches #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stays for seven weeks.
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