LOS ANGELES (AP) – There’s no mistaken “Identity” here. “Identity Thief” opens at number-one this weekend. The comedy starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy takes in $36.6 million dollars — despite the snowstorm that buried much of the Northeast. Officials at Universal Pictures estimate the massive storm only put about a ten percent dent in the comedy’s opening weekend box office take. The zombie romance “Warm Bodies” drops to second. The thriller “Side Effects” opens at number-three.
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Fun. weren’t sure they won the song of the year Grammy for “We Are Young.” Guitarist Jack Antonoff says they heard “we are” and still figured it was Taylor Swift for “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” Fun. also won best new artist. Singer Nate Ruess says they’re trying to play it cool but he knows they’ll end up in each other’s rooms pinching each other, wondering if it all really happened.
Mumford and Sons didn’t think they’d win the Album of the Year Grammy. Marcus Mumford says The Black Keys had been winning all day so he figured it was going to continue. Mumford and Sons’ “Babel” (beat out The Black Keys’ “El Camino.” The Black Keys won Grammys for rock performance, rock song and rock album, and singer Dan Auerbach won producer of the year.
Gotye says Kimbra is what made “Somebody That I Used To Know” come together. He says he searched for six months before finding Kimbra as his guest vocalist. The song won Record of the Year at the Grammys. Kimbra says what she loved about the song was that it was raw emotion with no beating around the bush. Gotye says he sometimes feels self-conscious about the attention that song got. He says it’s a song about confusion and negativity but some have turned it into an anthem. “Somebody That I Used To Know” also won the Grammy for pop/duo performance, and Gotye won the alternative album Grammy.
On February eighth, 1915, the motion picture “The Birth of a Nation,” directed by D.W. Griffith, premiered in Los Angeles.
In 1969, the supergroup Blind Faith was formed, featuring Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Steve Winwood.
In 1971, the Bob Dylan film “Eat The Document” was shown at the New York Academy of Music. Dylan had wanted the documentary to appear on TV, but it didn’t until ten years later.
In 1973, Carly Simon received a gold record for the single “You’re So Vain.”
In 1990, singer Del Shannon was found shot to death at his home in Santa Clarita, California. Police found a rifle near his body, suggesting he committed suicide. His biggest hits were “Runaway” and “Hats Off To Larry.”
Also in 1990, CBS News suspended “60 Minutes” commentator Andy Rooney for racial remarks he allegedly made about blacks in the gay magazine “The Advocate.” Rooney denied the quotes.
In 2006, Sly and the Family Stone reunited for a performance at the Grammys. Stone had not performed live in 19 years.
In 2009, Chris Brown was arrested and accused of beating up Rihanna. He later pleaded guilty to felony assault.
Today’s Birthdays: Composer-conductor John Williams is 81. Newscaster Ted Koppel is 73. Actor Nick Nolte is 72. Comedian Robert Klein is 71. Actor-guitarist Creed Batton (“The Office”) (The Grass Roots) is 70. Actress Brooke Adams is 64. Actress Mary Steenburgen is 60. Author John Grisham is 58. Singer Vince Neil of Motley Crue is 52. Singer-guitarist Sammy Llanas of The BoDeans is 52. Actress Mary McCormack is 44. Guitarist Keith Nelson of Buckcherry is 44. Actor Seth Green (“Austin Powers,” ”Buffy The Vampire Slayer”) is 39. Bassist Phoenix of Linkin Park is 36. Bassist Jeremy Davis of Paramore is 28. Drummer Max Grahn of Carolina Liar is 25. Actor Ryan Pinkston is 25. Actress Karle Warren (“Judging Amy”) is 21.
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has ordered Mindy McCready to get help for mental health and alcoholism.
People magazine reports during an emergency hearing Wednesday, McCready admitted she’s drinking too much because of the death of her boyfriend, songwriter David Wilson.
He died three weeks ago. McCready’s two children have been put into foster care.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — There’s no clear favorite for Sunday’s Grammys. Six artists lead the nominations: Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, fun., Jay-Z, Mumford and Sons, Frank Ocean and Kanye West.
The Black Keys, fun., Mumford and Sons, Ocean and Jack White are up for album of the year. Fun. are also nominated for record and song of the year and best new artist.
If they sweep the four big categories, they’d be only the second artist to do that, after Christopher Cross.
On February seventh, 1944, Bing Crosby and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra recorded “Swinging on a Star” in Los Angeles for Decca Records.
In 1964, thousands of screaming fans greeted The Beatles as they arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport for their first U.S. tour.
In 1965, George Harrison had his tonsils removed at a London hospital.
In 1979, Stephen Stills became the first artist to record on digital equipment, at a recording studio in Los Angeles. However, Ry Cooder is credited with releasing the first digitally recorded record because Stills never released the material.
In 1980, Pink Floyd performed “The Wall” for the first time in the U.S. The band only did the show in Los Angeles and New York.
In 1981, country singer John Conlee joined the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1989, Michael Jackson visited the Stockton, California, elementary school where five students were killed by a gunman the month before. He brought T-shirts and cassettes for the kids.
In 2000, magician Doug Henning died in Los Angeles after battling liver cancer. He was 52. That same day, Foghat singer “Lonesome” Dave Peverett died of pneumonia in Orlando, Florida. He was 56.
In 2005, Paul McCartney performed at the Super Bowl halftime show in Jacksonville, Florida. He was the first act to play that gig following Janet Jackson exposing her breast at the previous year’s Super Bowl halftime show.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Miguel Ferrer is 58. Saxophonist Brian Travers of UB40 is 54. Comedian Robert Smigel (Triumph the Insult Comic Dog) is 53. Actor James Spader is 53. Country singer Garth Brooks is 51. Keyboardist David Bryan of Bon Jovi is 51. Comedian Chris Rock is 48. Actor Jason Gedrick (“Windfall,” ”Boomtown”) is 46. Guitarist Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit is 38. Bassist Tom Blankenship of My Morning Jacket is 35. Actor Ashton Kutcher (“That 70’s Show”) is 35. Actress Tina Majorino (“Napoleon Dynamite,” ”Veronica Mars”) is 28.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The nominations for the Academy of Country Music Awards will be announced next week, and you can watch it online.
The Band Perry, Little Big Town, Scotty McCreery and Ryan Seacrest are among those who will announce the categories by videos posted in real time to the ACM’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
The announcements begin at 9:30 A.M. Eastern on Wednesday.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tim McGraw says his newest record, “Two Lanes of Freedom” is “sort of a flag in the ground” for him.
It’s his first release for Big Machine Records after a longtime dispute with his last label, Curb. McGraw says he prefers to think about the future instead of the past and believes he’s 30 to 35 percent into his career.
He says it’s liberating to know that he’s in control of his music now.
NEW YORK (AP) – Justin Bieber has achieved a milestone with his latest album, “Believe Acoustic.” It’s the first time an artist has hit number one on the Billboard album chart five times before the age of 19.
“Believe Acoustic” sold 211,000 copies its first week out, putting it on top of the list. Bieber is also one of only nine acts who have had a number-one album in four consecutive years.
LAS VEGAS (AP) – Here’s a reason to go back and look closely at the last “Star Trek” movie directed by J.J. Abrams.
Advance the film frame by frame during a scene showing space junk and you might notice R2D2 hiding there. That revelation is as close as Abrams came to talking about “Star Wars” at a video game conference in Las Vegas.
Abrams will be directing the next installment of the “Star Wars” franchise.
