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Steve & Joe, Say It Isn't So: Tense Musical Partnerships
Is Steven Tyler in or out? The Aerosmith singer crashed bandmate Joe Perry's gig last Tuesday (Perry was doing his own moonlighting with the Joe Perry Project) to announce that he wasn't leaving the 40-year-old band, contrary to the rock rumor mill. There's only one person who doesn't necessarily believe it: Joe Perry.
Right after the gig, Perry insisted that his Toxic Twin wants two years off and that he wouldn't rule out the option of finding another dude who looks like a scary old lady to front the band. Perry wants to keep rocking, and he doesn't seem to care what skinny, scarf-wearing singer is standing next to him.
Despite once having a common interest in illegal substances, Perry and Tyler have had a famously tumultuous relationship ever. But some of the best bands are born from the most tense relationships.
As Tyler pins his hopes on "Brand Tyler," here's a reminder of those frontmen who thought they could make it fly without the guitarist on stage left.
Oprah's Love Couch Confessions
Ellen DeGeneres certainly doesn't shy away from talking about her personal life these days. We're happy for the once romantically challenged talk show host who finally seems in love and at peace with her wife, Portia de Rossi. So it's not surprising that last week Ellen poured her heart out to everyone's favorite confidante, Oprah Winfrey, on the original Queen of Daytime's talk show.
Ellen, who was on the show promoting their four different shared covers of O Magazine, told Oprah, "I'm going to be with [Portia] until the day I die." DeGeneres is not the first star to bare her soul to Lady O. Here are some other celebrities who have shared their innermost feelings during an Oprah Love Couch Confession.
Retro Minute: November 19, 1980
CBS comes between Brooke Shields and her Calvins. What box office flop is in theaters? Shawn's wakin' up the memories...
R.I.P. Ken Ober
The host of one of MTV's early non-music series "Remote Control" passed to that great game show in the sky this week. The 1980s pop culture quiz show tested contestants' knowledge of TV, music videos, and all things entertainment by strapping them into recliners and handing them a remote used to chose categories. Ober was quick-witted and casual, a perfect combo for the MTV fare. He was the Wink Martindale of Generation X, going on to host three more game shows ("Make Me Laugh," "Smush," and "Perfect Match") before trading in his blue cue cards for a job behind the camera. Most recently he produced comedies like "Mind of Mencia" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine." He is credited with helping launch the careers of several comedians including "RC" regulars like Adam Sandler who said he was one of "sharpest, quickest, sweetest guys I ever met," and Denis Leary added, "he was a welcoming ringmaster who helped to kickstart the careers of numerous talents, including Adam Sandler, Colin Quinn and myself.
Watch a clip of "Remote Control" here.
Most Dramatic Musician Makeovers
After slamming Susan Boyle on the Opie & Anthony Radio Show, queen bitch Sharon Osbourne apologized... sort of. On November 5, Ozzy's old lady called Boyle a "slapped arse" on a radio show with millions of listeners. Five days later, the Osbourne matriarch apologized to her 100,000 Twitter followers. You tell me which statement made the bigger impact. Why is it the insult is always the lead and the apology always buried?
Of course, Sharon Osbourne forgets her own homely days before she could afford hair dye and plastic surgery. No makeover may turn Susan Boyle into a beauty queen, but that misses the point. In the music business, the goal is not to become beautiful; the mission is make yourself into someone different. The history of popular music is littered with men and women who have hired an army of hairstylists, makeup artists, and trainers in order to prepare for the hit parade - and escape their previous incarnations.
Some end up looking better than before, others look freaky, and for a few like Susan Boyle, things don't change all that much. Still, you can't blame a girl for trying. Let those who have never sat in the stylist's chair cast the first angry Tweet.
Here's my Makeover Hall of Fame:
