Monday, 30 June 2008

Canadian author's debut novel wins prestigious literary award

The 2008 International IMPAC Dublin Award winner was announced Thursday morning. The £100,000 cash prize (almost $200,000) — the biggest for fiction published in English — goes to Canadian author Rawi Hage for "De Niro's Game," a debut novel about two childhood friends growing up in Beirut who, when they come of age, must decide whether to stay in their troubled city or abandon it for an expatriate existence.



Hage was born in Beirut and lived through nine years of civil war in Lebanon. The book was chosen from 137 titles, nominated by 162 libraries in 45 countries. Past winners include Colm Tóibín for "The Master" and Per Petterson for "Out Stealing Horses."



Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times book critic








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Wednesday, 25 June 2008

Stevie Wonder announces European tour

Stevie Wonder announced details of a European tour during a showcase in London today (June 5).

Marking the announcement with a live set at the Hard Rock Caf� it was confirmed that the star will play his first European shows in over a decade this year.

"I am looking forward to performing in these venues in Europe," declared Wonder. "We are going to have some wonderful nights of intimate excitement."

The dates are:

Birmingham NIA (September 8)
Manchester MEN (9)
London O2 Arena (11)
Rotterdam Ahoy (14)
Aalborg Gigantium (17)
Stockholm Globe (19)
Hamar Vikingskipet (20)
Cologne Arena (22)
Mannheim Sap Arena (23)
Munich Olympiahalle (25)
Milan Datchforum (26)
Paris Bercy (28)

To check the availability of Stevie Wonder tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/GIGS now, or call 0871 230 1094.

For more on Wonder's lunchtime set stay tuned to NME.COM.

Monday, 16 June 2008

Yosefa

Yosefa   
Artist: Yosefa

   Genre(s): 
Retro
   



Discography:


The Desert Speaks   
 The Desert Speaks

   Year:    
Tracks: 12




 





Paulina Rubio - Rubio Forced To Sit Down With Snapper She Beat Up

Friday, 13 June 2008

Rocco and Bass-T

Rocco and Bass-T   
Artist: Rocco and Bass-T

   Genre(s): 
Trance
   



Discography:


Alright   
 Alright

   Year: 2007   
Tracks: 3




 






Michael Hoppe and Tim Wheater

Michael Hoppe and Tim Wheater   
Artist: Michael Hoppe and Tim Wheater

   Genre(s): 
New Age
   



Discography:


Wind Songs   
 Wind Songs

   Year: 2001   
Tracks: 8


Dreamer  Vol. 2  Alto Flute Romances   
 Dreamer Vol. 2 Alto Flute Romances

   Year: 1997   
Tracks: 11


The Yearning: Romances For Alto Flute   
 The Yearning: Romances For Alto Flute

   Year: 1996   
Tracks: 12


Romances   
 Romances

   Year: 1993   
Tracks: 12




 






Emmerdale star fighting mystery illness

'Emmerdale' star Clive Hornby is to take a break from the show amid fears over his health.
According to The Mirror newspaper, the 63-year-old is fighting an unnamed illness.
Hornby is 'Emmerdale's longest-serving cast member after making his first appearance as Jack Sugden 28 years ago.
He recently insisted that he loved the programme and had no plans to retire, saying: "I can't believe I'm still here sometimes. Some of the kids in the show weren't even born when I started.
"I can't imagine leaving - it would be the death of me, that. I'm happy to be doing it as long as they want me doing it."
A show spokesman said: "We can confirm that Clive is unwell but fully intends to return to work."
Hornby, who originally joined the soap on a three month contract, will be seen in episodes until mid-February.

Britney & Kevin On Amicable Terms

As the weather begins to heat up, Britney Spears� relationship with Kevin Federline has become distinctly less frosty, and in recent weeks, K-Fed, 30, has even warmed to his ex.

�Kevin drove up to drop off the kids on May 29. Usually, he has the bodyguards do that, but clearly Britney and Kevin�s relationship has improved to the point where he has no problem handing them off to her himself,� a family friend tells OK!. �It�s all about the boys these days.�

In that spirit, Britney has even been spending quality time with her sons, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 21 months, hosting a pool party and barbecue in the backyard of her Studio City, Calif., home on May 31.

And while Britney, 26, is still working hard to get better, Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz agreed with Brit�s lawyer on May 29 that the star cannot capably participate in her own legal proceedings.

Instead, Britney has been squarely focusing her energies on being the best mom she can be to her boys � and her newly civil relationship with Kevin doesn�t hurt. �Successful co-parenting has to start with at least a camaraderie between parents,� Kevin�s lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, tells OK!.




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M-Sphere

M-Sphere   
Artist: M-Sphere

   Genre(s): 
Electronic
   



Discography:


Electronic Relaxtion   
 Electronic Relaxtion

   Year: 2003   
Tracks: 8




 





Louis Armstrong and Friends

Warner Music Songs Taken Down From Last.fm

Warner Music Group has reportedly removed all of their songs from popular music site Last.fm last Friday, June 6th.


Users can still stream music from artists on the label via their artist-based radio stations, as these are licensed through a different deal suggest reports. But members can no longer stream tracks on-demand as previously allowed.


A spokesperson for Warner Music Group told Listening Post via email: "I can confirm that our music is no longer available on the service."


"In our efforts to include music on the Listening Post blog, we've ended up turning to imeem more than Last.fm, because Last.fm doesn't allow single-song embedding, and imeem seems to have more on-demand music."


"And that was before the Warner deal fell through. Now, imeem, MySpace, Napster and YouTube could become more attractive to users, because each of them still has the label's music free and on-demand."


Last.fm still continues to allow members to stream songs from other labels via the site, for three times only.




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