Black Sabbath Celebrate New Release With Special Online Event

Courtesy: Universal Republic Records

Black Sabbath’s decades in the making album, 13 will finally see the light of day tomorrow, Tuesday, June 11^th.  In celebration, the band—Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi—will hold a special live Town Hall via Google+ Hangout.  It will be streamed live on Google+ and YouTube.  The Town Hall will also be broadcast live on Ozzy’s Boneyard on SiriusXM at 7:00pm EDT.  The band will be joined by both Ozzy’s son Jack (who directed the clips to launch 13) and Rage Against The Machine drummer Brad Wilk (who covered the drums on the album) for the event.  Osbourne and Butler will appear live at the Angel Orensanz Foundation for Contemporary Art while Tony Iommi will appear live from Birmingham, England.  Jack Obsourne and Brad Wilk will be on hand live from Los Angeles for the presentation.  Comedian Jim Norton will host the show.  Norton is a co-host of the Opie and Anthony Show on SiriusXM, and is also a host on Ozzy’s Boneyard.

Viewers can tune in to the special event live on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/officialsabbath.  Fans that have SiriusXM can tune in to the even on Ozzy’s Boneyard on channel 38 and through the SiriusXM Internet Radio app for smart phones and other connected devices.  Audiences can also watch the event online at http://www.siriusxm.com

Black Sabbath fans can keep up with all of the latest from the band online at http://www.blacksabbath.com, http://www.facebook.com/BlackSabbath, http://twitter.com/OfficialBlackSabbath, http://instagram.com/officialblacksabbath, and http://google.com/+blacksabbath. 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Carnival Of Madness Band Line-Up Announced

Courtesy: abc-pr

With the unofficial start of Summer come and gone, that means that lots of people will be hitting the roads very soon for their annual Summer vacations.  It also means that the annual rush of Summer music festivals will also be hitting the road.  One of those festivals is the annual Carnival of Madness tour.  The festival tour begins Sunday, August 11^th.  A full list of tour dates will be made available on the official Carnival of Madness website http://carnivalofmadness.com next Monday, June 3^rd.  Tickets will go on sale next Friday, June 7^th.

The tour—sponsored by Monster Energy—will feature Shinedown, Papa Roach, Skillet, In This Moment, and We As Human on the bill.  This year’s tour is not the first time on the festival’s lineup for Shinedown.  The band headlined the festival tour in its inaugural run in 2010.  When it hits the road, the band will be touring in support of its new EP, The Live Room. The EP features five songs from the band’s most recent full length LP, Amaryllis.  Also included in the new EP are performances of Carole King’s classic hit, ‘I Feel The Earth Move’ and audio and video performances of the band’s latest single, ‘I’ll Follow You’, as well as its megahit, ‘Bully.’ 

 Skillet will be touring on the heels of its most recent full length studio release, Awake.  The album was one of only three rock albums that went platinum in 2012.  The only other rock albums to reach Platinum status in 2012 were El Camino from The Black Keys and Babel from Mumford & Sons.  That was just one of the many honors for Awake.  The album debuted at #2 on Billboard’s “top 200 Albums Chart” and #1 on its “Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums” chart.  Also, it reached #1 on iTunes’ “Top Album” chart.  It garnered the band three Billboard Music Awards and four hit singles, including the Gold-Certified #1 single, ‘Awake & Alive’, the Gold-Certified ‘Hero’, ‘It’s Not Me It’s You’ and the Platinum-Certified ‘Monster.’  The companion video to ‘Monster’ earned more than 52 million views on YouTube.  NBC used ‘Hero’ for broadcasts of its weekly NFL Sunday Night Football.  It also served as the theme song for WWE’s 2012 Royal Rumble broadcast.  On June 25^th, the band will release the follow-up to Awake  with its new full length album, Rise.  The band already has released two songs from the album, ‘Sick of It’ and ‘American Noise.’  Both songs have already hit #1 on the iTunes Rock Chart.

All of the accolades received by Skillet have potentially helped another band on the bill for this year’s tour.  That band is We As Human.  The band was signed to Atlantic Records in 2011 via Hear It Loud, a partnership formed partially by Skillet’s John Cooper along with manager Zach Kelm and Todd Rubenstein after Cooper had discovered the band.  The band’s self-titled debut album will be available June 25^th. 

In This Moment joins this year’s tour on the heels of the release of its latest album, Blood, which was released in August 2012.  Blood debuted at #15 on the Billboard “Top 200 Albums” Chart and has sold over 150,000 copies since its release.  The album spawned two hits, ‘Adrenalize’ and its title track.  The band’s 2007 debut record, Beautiful Tragedy earned the band a spot on both the 2007 and 2008 Ozzfest.  And 2008’s The Dream landed the band a slot on the 2009 Warped Tour.  2010’s A Star-Crossed Wasteland was the band’s highest-charting album until the release of Blood. 

Papa Roach’s most recently released single, ‘Where Did The Angels Go’ reached #1 on the Active Rock Radio Chart from BDS/Billboard.  The single comes from the band’s most recent full length release, The Connection, released via Eleven Seven Music.  The album was released in October 2012 and debuted as iTunes’ #2 Rock album.  It’s just one of ten Top 10 rock hits and seven Top 10 alternative hits.  The band also has two Grammy nominations and an MTV VMA nomination.

For more information on each band and the upcoming tour, fans can go online to the festival’s official website, http://www.carnivalofmadness.com or its official Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/CarnivalofMadness.  Audiences can also get the latest updates on the tour via Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube at http://twitter.com/carnivalofmadness, http://instagram.com/carnivalofmadness, and http://www.youtube.com/carnivalofmadness.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

espnW Website Debuts Brand New Look In Re-Launch

Courtesy: ESPN/espnW

ESPN and espnW have released a full beta version of its redesigned espnW.com website.  The redesigned website debuted Tuesday.  The new site incorporates responsive design and time-based feed that makes the full website much more user friendly across its screens.  The main focuses of the redesigned website are on social media and visual integration.  It will be divided into three main content sections:  News & Commentary, Athlete’s Life, and W in Action. 

The first of the sections, News & Commentary, will focus on the top stories of the day.  They will be featured from an espnW perspective.  That perspective includes features, columns, videos and photos.  Athletes Life will offer insight into the lives of athletes through essays, training information, videos, and photos.  Together, they will give audiences insight into “the woman behind the competitor.”  W in Action is meant to highlight how espnW and female athletes are impacting the world and their communities through sports.  This is done via essays, columns, features, and photos.

Laura Gentile, espnW Vice President, discussed the updates to the website, explaining the purpose for the changes.  “espnW.com has become the digital home for a growing community of women who love sports, and nothing is more important than continuing to enhance the way we serve those fans,” she said.  “The editorial focus and design sensibility of the new espnW.com are a direct result of our interaction and connection with fans over the last two years.” 

Along with the site re-launch, espnW has launched a new initiative called The Summer of W.  It will be made up of two main platforms.  The first of the platforms is known as 98 Days to Shine.  This platform is a social photo challenge.  The challenge is meant to inspire women and get them active.  Rewards will be given out daily and weekly for photos submitted to espnW for responses to the challenges that are presented each week.  It all culminates with one grand prize handed out at the end of the summer.  Photos submitted throughout Summer will be posted to espnW.  They will be part of the finale event that celebrates fans’ photos and creativity.  Fans can submit photos on Twitter and Instagram using Hashtag #98DaystoShine.

The second of the platforms included in The Summer of W is comprised mainly of editorial content.  That content includes the features: 10 Faces of Summer, Heart of Summer, and Hot Shots.  10 Faces of Summer focuses on the brightest female athletes across ten different sports.  The athletes in question will take fans into their Summer training regimes and will give fans an inside look at their lives both at home and in competition.  Among the already confirmed athletes for this addition to the revamped site are: Skylar Diggins, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Lakey Peterson, Julie Foudy, Jessica Hardy, Sarah Groff, and Aga Radwanska.  The Heart of Summer features correspondent Summer Sanders.  The column will see her travelling the nation to sporting events of all sizes from a Color Run and a Spartan Race to the MLB All-Star Game and X-games.  Hot Shots features profiles and photo essays of athletes from some of the sports world’s lesser discussed sports.  Those sports include the likes of: paddle boarding, sailing, kayaking, and mountain biking.

As a final bonus to the revamped website, espnW will be the online destination for the film series, Nine for IX.  The film series focuses primarily on some of the most interesting stories of women in sports told through the lens of female filmmakers.      

To keep up with all of the latest updates to the espnW website, audiences can go online to http://espn.go.com/espnw and http://www.facebook.com/espnW. 

To keep up with all of the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Black Sabbath Reveals Dates For Full North American Tour Schedule

Courtesy: Universal Republic Records

The hatchet has largely been buried between the members of veteran hard rock band Black Sabbath.  After over three decades of waiting, fans of this groundbreaking band will finally get to hear new music from the band this Summer.  And in support of the new album, titled 13, Black Sabbath—Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, and Geezer Butler—will hit the road in support of the album with a full North American tour.  Drummer Bill Ward will be replaced on the band’s upcoming tour with a replacement drummer.  Tickets for the band’s upcoming tour will be available Friday, May 3^rd.  Fans can get early access to the pre-sale tickets on May 2^nd when they RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/147056262140133/?context=create or at http://bit.ly/Sabbath_RSVP.

The band’s upcoming North American tour begins Thursday, July 25^th at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, TX.  It spans nineteen dates that will take the band from the East Coast to the West and even into Canada.  The full list of tour dates is available below.

DATE                    CITY                     VENUE

+Thu- Jul 25          Houston, TX          Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

+Sat-Jul 27           Austin, TX             Frank Erwin Center

<Mon-Jul 29          Tampa, FL             Live Nation Amphitheatre

+Wed-Jul 31          W. Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre

~Fri-Aug 02          Bristow, VA           Jiffy Lube Live

*Sun-Aug 04        Holmdel, NJ           PNC Bank Arts Center

+Tue-Aug 06        Detroit, MI            DTE Energy Music Theatre

+Thu-Aug 08        Uncasville, CT        Mohegan Sun Arena

+Sat-Aug 10         Philadelphia, PA     Wells Fargo Center

^Mon-Aug 12        Boston, MA           Comcast Center

*Wed-Aug 14        Toronto, ON          Air Canada Centre

+Fri Aug 16           Tinley Park, IL       First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre

+Sun-Aug 18        Indianapolis, IN       Klipsch Music Center

+Thu-Aug 22        Vancouver, BC       Rogers Arena

*Sat-Aug 24        Seattle, WA           Gorge Amphitheatre

+Mon-Aug 26        San Francisco, CA  Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View

+Wed-Aug 28       Irvine, CA              Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

+Fri-Aug 30          Phoenix, AZ           US Airways Center

+Sun-Sep 01        Las Vegas, NV       MGM Grand Garden Arena

*Tue-Sep 03        Los Angeles, CA     Los Angeles Sports Arena

 

*Previously announced date.

^On sale Friday, May 3

+On sale Saturday, May 4

~On sale, Friday May 10

<On sale, Saturday, May 11

>On sale TBD

Before the band hits the road and the album hits stores, fans can get a glimpse of what is to come now.  The band has released 13’s lead single, ‘God is Dead?’, and fans can check it out now on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVfUimq2KeI.

To get more tour information and all of the latest news from Black Sabbath, fans can go online to the band’s official website, http://www.blacksabbath.com, its official Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/BlackSabbath, and via Twitter and Instagram at http://twitter.com/OfficialSabbath and http://instagram.com/officialsabbath.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Black Sabbath Announces First New Slate Of Tour Dates

Courtesy: Universal Republic Records

Black Sabbath has announced the first handful of dates for its upcoming tour in support of its much anticipated new album, 13.  Four shows have been announced.  All four are American dates.  The current slate of dates is available below. 

DATE                  CITY                 VENUE
Sun, 8-4             Holmdel, NJ           PNC Bank Arts Center
Wed, 8-14         Toronto, ON           Air Canada Centre
Sat, 8-24           Seattle, WA           Gorge Amphitheatre
Tue, 9-3            Los Angeles, CA    Los Angeles Sports Arena

 

Tickets for these tour dates go on sale beginning this Saturday, April 20^th.  Fans can actually RSVP for early access to early tickets by going online to http://bit.ly/Sabbath_RSVP.  Those early tickets will be available this Thursday, April 18^th.

Along with the early tickets being available this Thursday, Black Sabbath will release the first single from 13, ‘God is Dead?’  The song will debut across Clear Channel Media and Entertainment’s forty-plus Active Rock and Mainstream Rock radio stations nationwide.  It will debut this Thursday at 3pm/12pm PT. 

For all of the latest updates on the band’s tour, its upcoming album, singles and more, fans can follow the band online at http://www.blacksabbath.com, http://www.facebook.com/BlackSabbath, http://twitter.com/OfficialSabbath, and http://instagram.com/officialsabbath. 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Black Sabbath Prepping First new LP In Nearly Thirty-Five Years

Courtesy: Vertigo/Republic Records/MSO PR

One of the most legendary of metal’s bands is coming back.  The one and only Black Sabbath will release its brand new album titled, 13 in June.  Currently, the album has no definite release date.  However, it is known that original members Ozzy Osbourne, Tommy Iommi, and Geezer Butler will all be back for this record.  Drummer Bill Ward has been replaced on the album by Rage Against The Machine’s Brad Wilk.  The album was produced by iconic producer Rick Rubin.  It will be released worldwide on the band’s original label, Vertigo and on Vertigo/Republic in the United States.  The upcoming release will be the first for the band in nearly thirty-five years.

In celebration of the brand new upcoming album, Black Sabbath will embark on a European tour in support of the LP beginning Saturday, April 20^th in Auckland, New Zealand.  The tour currently takes the band through May 12^th at the upcoming Ozzfest Japan in Tokyo.  More tour dates are expected.  To keep up with all of the latest tour dates and news from Black Sabbath, fans can follow the band online at http://www.blacksabbath.com, http://www.facebook.com/BlackSabbath, http://twitter.com/OfficialSabbath, and http://instagram.com/officialsabbath.

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it or its companion page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reel-Reviews/381028148587141.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.