Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 79

Grammy Nominations 2014: A Big Night For Hip-Hop?

Leave it to Jay Z to earn nine Grammy nominations–and have that be the second-biggest story on him in a given news cycle.

While many focused on the signing of the newly minted baseball agent’s first client, Robinson Cano, to the third-largest deal in the history of the sportlast Friday, Jay Z quietly garnered the most Grammy nods in a field that included some of pop’s biggest names.

The nominations announced over the weekend suggest that the 56th annual Grammys, scheduled for January 26th in Lo...

Cano Signs $240M Deal With Seattle; Jay Z Saves Face, Sort Of

Robinson Cano went into the offseason asking for the largest contract in baseball history–his team of agents, led by Jay Z, was reportedly looking for a 10-year, $310 million deal. He’ll have to settle for the third-largest. Cano has agreed to a ten-year, $240 million pact with the Seattle Mariners.

It’s quite a feat, given what has transpired over the past few weeks. The Yankees held fast to their insistence on keeping their offer to Cano well under $200 million, and the second baseman and hi...

50 Cent At Henri Bendel: One More Step In Headphones As Fashion

Walk into the Henri Bendel store on Fifth Avenue in New York, and you’ll immediately be inundated by fashion accessories best described as bold. There are bedazzled iPhone cases, Davy Crockett-esque fur hats and row upon row of glittery bangles. The latest addition: 50 Cent’s SMS headphones.

New models were on display at the store yesterday, arranged in stacks of boxes that together looked like a despondent Rubik’s Cube. Behind them lurked massive posters featuring the different colors availab...

50 Cent At Henri Bendel: One More Step In Audio As Fashion

Walk into the Henri Bendel store on Fifth Avenue in New York, and you’ll immediately be inundated by fashion accessories best described as bold. There are bedazzled iPhone cases, Davy Crockett-esque fur hats and row upon row of glittery bangles. The latest addition: 50 Cent’s SMS headphones.

New models were on display at the store yesterday, arranged in stacks of boxes that together looked like a despondent Rubik’s Cube. Behind them lurked massive posters featuring the different colors availab...

Jay Z, Cano And The Dangers Of A $100 Million Bluff

Among a certain subset of gamblers, a popular pastime is the poker variant known as Guts. That’s precisely what one must possess to prevail in a game characterized by rapidly multiplying pots and tense showdowns.

Jay Z used to rap about “playing Guts on the cruise” in the days before he could afford to rent his own boat, back when he still touted Izod bucket hats and hadn’t yet discovered Tom Ford suits. Hip-hop pioneer Fab 5 Freddy remembers him playing the game with a handful of NBA basketba...

Rascal Flatts’ Nashville: Where To Eat, Drink, Listen And Stay

see photosTamara Reynolds

Click for full photo gallery: Inside Rascal Flatts' Nashville

Want to live Music City like its most famous trio? Here’s a quick guide, courtesy of lead singer Gary LeVox, bassist Jay DeMarcus and guitarist Joe Don Rooney.

EAT & DRINK

Kayne Prime

DeMarcus calls it the best steakhouse in town, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. Enjoy the ambience (railroad ties stacked along the walls) and the steaks (the wagyu filet mignon), but don’t forget the sides (corn crème...

Grand New Nashville: A Private Tour From Rascal Flatts

see photosTamara Reynolds

Click for full photo gallery: Inside Rascal Flatts' Nashville

“WE USED TO DROP OUR GEAR OFF RIGHT THERE!” exclaims Joe Don Rooney, the lead guitarist for pop-country trio Rascal Flatts, motioning to a nearby parking garage.

Rooney and I are cruising down Nashville’s Church Street in the back of a black Mercedes, accompanied by the band’s lead singer, Gary LeVox, and bassist/keyboardist, Jay DeMarcus, who is currently trying to get our driver’s attention. “Stop right her...

Kanye West Makes His Own Artpop On Yeezus Tour

It’s more than halfway through one of Kanye West’s recent Yeezus tour dates, and the audience still hasn’t seen his face. His head has been covered by a series of masks designed by Maison Martin Margiela: one that appears to be covered in bedazzled dream-catchers, another that resembles a black diamond Spider-Man mask, another that seems to be festooned in white Chiclets, and another that makes his head look like a disco ball.

That’s just a small part of his setup, which, in typical fashion, a...

Sony Trims Film Slate, Bets Big On TV And PS4

see photosSCEA

Click for full photo gallery: PlayStation 4 Hardware

It’s been a rough stretch for Sony Corp. After announcing its first annual profit in five years last May, the media and electronics giant has endured a handful of flops in its film division as well as pointed criticism by activist investor Daniel Loeb and a loss of $197 million last quarter.

Changes are on the way. At an investor conference in California yesterday, Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascalannounced that the company w...

How Toad The Wet Sprocket Kickstarted A Comeback

What do Amanda Palmer, Delta Rae and Toad the Wet Sprocket have in common? They’ve all funded albums through Kickstarter. And in the case of the latter two, they’ve also performed live concert sets in the FORBES newsroom.

Toad the Wet Sprocket, our latest guest, stopped by to play a set that included 1990s alt-rock staple “Walk on the Ocean” along with new songs “California Wasted” and “New Constellation” (see full performances below). The latter is the title track of the band’s latest album,...