Rock's Worst Career Moves

Michael Jackson tops the list again

(NEWSER) - When you’re a celebrity, dying doesn’t have to mean you stop making money. Forbes offers up its annual list of the top-earning celebs of the past year:

1. Michael Jackson: The King of Pop is in the top spot for the second year in a row, earning $170 million thanks to music sales, his stake in the Sony/ATV catalog, and a new Cirque du Soleil tour.
2. Elvis Presley: The King of Pop is followed by the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, who earned $55 million, much of which came from Graceland admissions. A Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas didn’t hurt, either.
3. Marilyn Monroe: A resurgence in popularity is partly to thank for her $27 million in earnings; for example, she was featured in an ad for J’Adore fragrance, and soon she’ll be getting her own line of cafes.
4. Charles Schulz: The Peanuts creator earned $25 million as his creations found themselves coming into the digital age via a video game, e-books, and a Facebook app, among other things.
5. John Lennon: The Beatles sold 1.6 million albums last year after finally arriving in the iTunes Store, which may have something to do with Lennon’s $12 million in earnings. Also helping? Yet another Cirque show.

Despite feud, McCartney came to former bandmate's aid

(NEWSER) - Marking what would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday, his widow Yoko Ono revealed yesterday that it was Paul McCartney who saved their marriage. Despite the bandmates' well-known post-Beatles feud, McCartney came to Lennon’s assistance during the infamous “lost weekend,” when he ran off with his personal assistant, Ono tells the Times in an interview obtained by the Daily Mail . McCartney “was genuinely concerned about his old partner,” Ono recalls, and visited her to ask how Lennon could win her back. More»

We all love Norah Jones, but she's still on this list

(NEWSER) - You would never guess, but Jimi Hendrix was technically a one-hit wonder. Yep, the definition of the term is “an artist or band who only has one song make the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart,” regardless of album sales or performance on other charts, writes Sam Greenspan. He goes on to list 10 more very surprising one-hit wonders on 11points.com :

• Grateful Dead, “Touch of Grey”: “Go figure—an eternally loyal army of hippies doesn't translate into huge financial returns.”
• Garth Brooks, “Lost in You”: His “only top 40 single was from that rock album he made under the pseudonym ‘Chris Gaines.’ No song actually attributed to Garth Brooks has ever made the top 40. Ouch.”

Star-studded NYC bash also honors Jimmy Cliff, Stooges

(NEWSER) - ABBA, the Stooges, the Hollies, Genesis, and Jimmy Cliff made their way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last night. "I'm very angry that Madonna got in before us," joked ABBA’s Anni-Frid Lyngstad; she and ex-husband Benny Andersson attended the New York ceremony while their former co-members stayed home. Another notable absence: Genesis’ first frontman, Peter Gabriel, PopEater reports. But “we've played without him for 30 years," said replacement Phil Collins. "We're used to not having him around." More»

Norah Jones, Nelly also snag spots

(NEWSER) - The Beatles might have had its heyday a few decades ago, but the band managed to emerge from this decade with the best-selling album. Perhaps more surprising is the decade’s top-selling artist: Eminem, with 32.2 million albums sold—followed closely by, yes, the Beatles again in the No. 2 spot with 30 million sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The most surprising appearance of all, however, is a certain boy band… More»