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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Jan 15, 2006 15:52:24 GMT -5
You'd think that businesses would check these things out before sending out equipment, like getting ahold of Eric's management and asking if it's legit or not. So, did the guy just call up and say "Hi, I'm Eric Johnson, send me some stuff" and they went "Oh, okay sure! What do ya need?"
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Jan 5, 2006 3:11:16 GMT -5
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Brian Sparks was not a famous musician, but he claimed he was and convinced guitar dealers around the country to send him guitars and equipment.
On Tuesday, Sparks, 42, admitted in federal court that he had bilked businesses out of about $18,000 worth of guitars and equipment by posing as Grammy-winning guitarist Eric Johnson. Sparks pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Sparks acknowledged he used the ruse to get guitars shipped to his home. Businesses targeted included Sadowsky guitars in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Larrivee Guitars in Vancouver.
Johnson, of Austin, Texas, gained prominence in 1990, when his instrumental single, "Cliffs of Dover," won a Grammy award.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Jan 5, 2006 2:49:55 GMT -5
VIENNA, Austria - Have scientists found Mozart's skull? Researchers said Tuesday they'll reveal the results of DNA tests in a documentary film airing this weekend on Austrian television as part of a year of celebratory events marking the composer's 250th birthday.
The tests were conducted last year by experts at the Institute for Forensic Medicine in the alpine city of Innsbruck, and the long-awaited results will be publicized in "Mozart: The Search for Evidence," to be screened Sunday by state broadcaster ORF.
Past tests were inconclusive, but this time, "we succeeded in getting a clear result," lead researcher Dr. Walther Parson, a renowned forensic pathologist, told ORF. He said the results were "100 percent verified" by a U.S. Army laboratory, but refused to elaborate.
The skull in question is one that for more than a century has been in the possession of the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, the elegant Austrian city where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on Jan. 27, 1756.
Parson said genetic material from scrapings from the skull was analyzed and compared to DNA samples gathered in 2004 from the thigh bones of Mozart's maternal grandmother and a niece. The bones were recovered when a Mozart family grave was opened in 2004 at Salzburg's Sebastian Cemetery.
Mozart died in 1791 and was buried in a pauper's grave at Vienna's St. Mark's Cemetery. The location of the grave was initially unknown, but its likely location was determined in 1855.
The grave on that spot is adorned by a column and a sad-looking angel.
Legend has it that a gravedigger who knew which body was Mozart's at some point sneaked the skull out of the grave. Through different channels, the skull — which is missing its lower jaw — came to the Mozarteum in Salzburg in 1902, according to Dr. Stephan Pauly, the foundation's director.
The foundation, a private nonprofit organization that works to preserve Mozart's legacy, was founded in 1880 by Salzburg residents and made the skull available for the DNA tests.
The skull long has fascinated experts: In 1991, a French scholar who examined it made the startling — though unconfirmed — conclusion that Mozart may have died of complications of a head injury rather than rheumatic fever as most historians believe.
Anthropologist Pierre-Francois Puech of the University of Provence based his belief on a fracture he found on the skull's left temple. Mozart, he theorized, may have sustained it in a fall, and that would help explain the severe headaches the composer was said to have suffered more than a year before his death.
Austria has designated 2006 a Mozart jubilee year, with dozens of events in Salzburg, Vienna and elsewhere to commemorate his 250 birthday.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Jan 16, 2006 0:31:49 GMT -5
Happy Flippen Birthday Trexx!! Break out some UFO and old Scorps and pudding, and make sure you have plenty of towels handy!! Have a great one!!
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Apr 26, 2006 1:19:22 GMT -5
Here it's about $2.89 for regular unleaded, at least it was a few hours ago, probably be higher tomorrow morning
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Dec 31, 2005 20:02:04 GMT -5
Happy New Year to everyone here! Have a sfe one, all that are venturing out on amateur night. I've done enough partying for 5 lifetimes already, best to stay home and hang, get buzzed and see where that ends up
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Dec 30, 2005 3:16:42 GMT -5
id like to date like joan jett back in the day. C'mon! You know about Joan Jett, don't you? Do I tell him? No offense but I don't think she would be terribly interested ... You beat me to it
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Dec 23, 2005 22:35:16 GMT -5
Sir Paul McCartney signed a fan's arm - so the admirer could have his signature tattooed on his body.
The former Beatle had been autographing copies of his new book, 'High In The Clouds', at a signing session in London when the fan made the unusual request.
After McCartney scrawled his name on the admirer's arm, the fan quickly rushed off to have the writing permanently engraved on his limb as a tribute to the legendary musician.
McCartney isn't the only star to have come face to face with a tattoo obsessed fan recently.
Earlier this month, Angelina Jolie was left red-faced after a female fan bared her bottom to show off a tattoo of the sexy actress on one cheek - moments after having her photo taken with her.
The screen beauty, known for her love of tattoos, happily posed for a snap with the pretty admirer at a benefit concert, but as she turned her back female fan Emily Sheridan flashed her butt to reveal an 8-inch tattooed image of the 'Tomb Raider' beauty. Luckily, the blushing actress saw the funny side and took a picture of the tattoo on her mobile phone.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Dec 23, 2005 22:07:30 GMT -5
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Dec 21, 2005 0:33:11 GMT -5
A human rights group has made the claim that the music of Dr Dre and Eminem has been used to torture inmates at a secret US prison in Afghanistan.
The organisation called Human Rights Watch has issued a report saying that an Ethiopian detainee at the jail was holed up in a pitch black cell and made to listen to Eminem and Dre for up to 20 days.
The music was then replaced by "horrible ghost laughter and Halloween sounds” the report went on to say according to the BBC.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Dec 19, 2005 1:26:26 GMT -5
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Dec 18, 2005 15:00:50 GMT -5
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The richest man in the world, Bill Gates, and his wife, Melinda, were named Time magazine's "Persons of the Year" along with Irish rocker Bono for being Good Samaritans who made a difference in different ways.
The three were chosen for their work in trying to find ways to eradicate such calamities as malaria in Africa, HIV and AIDS and the poverty that kills 8 million people a year, said James Kelly, Time managing editor. The magazine's December 19 issue comes out on Monday.
Time also named former U.S. Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton as "Partners of the Year" for their humanitarian efforts after the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, and the unlikely friendship that developed from that work.
"Natural disasters are terrible things, but what defines us is not what happens to us, but how we react to it," Kelly told Reuters. "When you look at the number of people who die from the kind of diseases and poverty that the Gates and Bono are fighting, the death tolls are far greater than what occurs in natural disasters or wars."
An unlikely alliance has emerged from Bono and the Gates' interest in aiding the poorest of the poor, after the three met for dinner in 2002, Time reported.
Bill Gates, the founder of computer software giant Microsoft Corp., told Time that he was not sure at first it would be worth his while to meet with Bono.
"World health is immensely complicated. It doesn't really boil down to a 'Let's be nice' analysis. So I thought a meeting wouldn't be all that valuable," Gates told Time, adding that he quickly changed his mind. "He really reads this stuff; he cares about the complexity."
THE ROCKER AND THE GEEK
Bono said that Gates' reputation for business savvy was a plus. "When an Irish rock star starts talking about it, people go, yeah, you're paid to be indulged and have these ideas. But when Bill Gates says you can fix malaria in 10 years, they know he's done a few spreadsheets," Bono told Time.
The Gates Foundation funds hundreds of projects around the world primarily focused on public health, from vaccinating children to developing new drugs, as well as educational programs and scholarships in the United States and elsewhere.
Bono and fellow musician Bob Geldof spearheaded a popular campaign to tackle poverty in Africa by canceling the debts of the poorest countries in the world, raising global awareness through the Live 8 concerts in July.
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Dec 13, 2005 1:12:01 GMT -5
What disturbs me is the fact that the main reason they don't want him to be executed is the fact that he wrote children's books. Well hell, given the opportunity I'm sure Saddam Hussein or Hitler could've written children's books. That in itself shouldn't be enough reason to raise a ruckus over someone being offed. If the guy found a cure for cancer or something, yeah, but for writing CHILDREN'S books? Give me a fuckin' break. I guess that makes up for the people who've been offed by the crips over the years. I don't know for sure whether he killed those people or not, only he and the people killed know for sure I suppose, but I DO know that many people have been killed by the gang he supposedly helped to start, so see ya
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Dec 12, 2005 11:52:14 GMT -5
MOUNT HOLLY, Ark. - A hunter suffered hypothermia and kidney damage after becoming entangled in his deer stand and dangling upside down 30 feet above the ground in sleet for 8½ hours.
Raybon E. Upton was hunting by himself Wednesday when his ankle became caught on the deer stand and he slipped. He was trapped there until about midnight when rescuers called by his wife were finally able to free him.
“I had cooked a big supper and he wasn’t home, then I just got this gut feeling that something wasn’t right. And I went out there and found him,” Tammy Upton said Friday.
Upton was conscious but trapped when his wife found him about 8:30 p.m. and call for help. A firefighter was able to secure him with a rope until a fire crew with a ladder could free him.
Upton underwent surgery on Thursday and had another scheduled Saturday and Monday, his wife said.
“He thought he was going to die there,” Tammy Upton said. “He had made his peace with God and everything.”
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Dec 12, 2005 10:35:39 GMT -5
The music industry is planning to extend its war on unlicensed music by taking action against internet sites that provide guitar tabs and lyrics without copyright.
The Music Publishers’ Association (MPA) which represents sheet music companies in America says it will launch a crackdown in 2006 with MPA President Lauren Kaiser saying she wanted site owners jailed.
Keiser told the BBC that the majority of song scores on the internet were “completely illegal” and added that the MPA wanted to go further that shutting sites down and imposing fines, adding authorities can “throw in some jail time, I think we'll be a little more effective"
The MPA plan to target big sites that appear to be legitimate to users, Kaiser said: "The Xerox machine was the big usurper of our potential income," he said. "But now the internet is taking more of a bite out of sheet music and printed music sales so we're taking a more proactive stance."
David Israelite, president of the National Music Publishers’ Association added on the subject: "Unauthorised use of lyrics and tablature deprives the songwriter of the ability to make a living, and is no different than stealing. Music publishers and songwriters will consider all tools under the law to stop this illegal behaviour."
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Apr 25, 2006 8:33:07 GMT -5
ATLANTA - Phil Walden, the Capricorn Records founder who launched the careers of Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers Band, has died after a long battle with cancer, a family friend said Monday. He was 66.
Walden died at his home Sunday, said Leon Jones, law partner of Walden's son, Philip Walden Jr.
The Macon, Ga.-based record label was influential in creating the Southern rock sound of the 1970s.
"Phil was a visionary," said Chuck Leavell, who joined the Allman Brothers on keyboards in 1972 and now plays with the Rolling Stones. "He just had a great vision and a true, deep passion for the music."
Over a long career, Walden also promoted groups including the Charlie Daniels Band and Wet Willie.
Walden's two most famous artists, Redding and guitarist Duane Allman, both died tragically, Redding in a plane crash in 1967 at 26 and Allman in a motorcycle accident in 1971 at age 24.
The Allman Brothers Band, the quintessential Southern rock band which the guitarist founded with brother Gregg and others, continued after Duane Allman's death.
"They weren't trendy," Walden said in a 1996 interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"You had all these British groups dressed up in Edwardian finery," Walden continued. "But there was never any attempt by the Allmans to be a show band. They played music. On occasions, when they were allowed to, for hours."
Earlier, Walden met Redding in Macon in the 1950s, when both were teenagers. Redding became a top rhythm and blues star in the 1960s and was on the brink of wider acclaim when he died.
He had recorded his "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" just days earlier. It became a smash hit in 1968.
"His legend is really sans-hype," Walden said in a 1997 Associated Press interview. "It has made it to this point purely on the magnificence of his music."
During the 1970s, Walden was an early backer of then-Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter. He helped Carter's upstart bid for the presidency financially, as did the Allmans and other Capricorn groups, who played benefit shows.
Carter said Monday in a statement that he and wife Rosalynn were sad to hear of Walden's death. "Phil was one of the pre-eminent producers of great music in America," Carter said. "His many performing partners, including Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers, helped to put Macon and Georgia on the musical map of the world."
Redding and Walden's close friendship made them outcasts in the segregated South, Redding's widow, Zelma Redding, recalled in 1997. She said Walden's passion for black music made him "the little white boy who everybody was wanting to beat up on."
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Dec 10, 2005 21:06:21 GMT -5
RIP Richard. One of the best comedians of our times. You'll be sorely missed
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Dec 13, 2005 0:55:30 GMT -5
Well, while it'd be politically correct to say "Oh what a tragic loss", all I can think of is "1 down, too many to go". :PMaybe this will be the next trend for all the homies in the 'hood. If we could find a way to incorporate it into all their bling bling, we could do the world a big favor, yo I've got it!FREE zip-gun (weapon similar to that mentioned) with every new Cd RAP release! ...also look for the discount ammunition coupon inside! What's sad is probably the only ones that'd get offed would be suburban white kids trying to be black on their way home from the mall ::)Maybe that would cause rap sales to plummet ;D
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Dec 10, 2005 3:11:39 GMT -5
Well, while it'd be politically correct to say "Oh what a tragic loss", all I can think of is "1 down, too many to go". :PMaybe this will be the next trend for all the homies in the 'hood. If we could find a way to incorporate it into all their bling bling, we could do the world a big favor, yo
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Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Dec 6, 2005 16:32:17 GMT -5
ST. PARIS, Ohio (Dec. 6) - Steven Zorn had put the pen gun to his head and clicked before, apparently thinking it was jammed and would not work.
But on the third try, the tiny silver pistol went off as the 22-year-old budding rap artist was drinking to celebrate an impending record deal. He died at a hospital.
The Nov. 18 shooting at Zorn's home in this rural village of 2,000, about 50 miles northeast of Dayton, is believed to have been accidental, according to family, friends and law enforcement officials.
"Steven had a career and his dreams all ahead of him," said Zorn's mother, Lisa McCoy-Horn. She said she wants lawmakers to outlaw pen guns, which are small-caliber, single-shot weapons that resemble pens.
Zorn had taught himself to play the keyboard and record tracks using inexpensive software on his home computer. He tracked down rap artist Miracle in Georgia and urged the crunk artist to listen to a CD of his original recordings.
"The lyrical content was awesome," Miracle said. "He had a lot of skill. I took a liking to him, took him under my wing."
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