Building the house of style

We've followed MTV's blueprint for three decades.
Here's our formula for musical fashion that always pops.

By AMY DILUNA
DAILY NEWS FASHION EDITOR




From Stevie Nicks' gauzy gypsy skirts to the Grateful Dead's tie-
dyed T-shirts, music has always had a huge impact on fashion. But
when MTV arrived, pop-influenced style exploded. Suddenly, teens
from Akron to Alaska had a 24-hour buying guide right in their own
living room. Skintight miniskirts and stilettos? Worked for Robert
Palmer's ladies, works for us. Lace-up platform shoes? Hey, even the
Spice Girls made the cover of Vogue.
While MTV's impact on fashion is undeniable, its taste has been
varied. Sometimes it's awesome. (Thanks, in-"Vogue" Madonna!) And,
well, sometimes it's absolutely revolting. (S&M Britney, anyone?) So
here are our fab formulas for a pitch-perfect style moment, decade
by decade.


The '80s ...


Admit it: You briefly believed that it was okayto leave the house
wearing spandex. Thanks to Olivia Newton-John's "Let's Get Physical"
video, the "What a Feeling" you got from Jennifer Beals' ripped
sweatshirts in "Flashdance" and the Jane Fonda tapes that collected
dust on your TV stand, exercise-chic meant it was acceptable to wear
workout gear on the street. At the same time, Madonna dressed up her
fans in more than just her love: The Material Girl's bevy of
bracelets and bold bra shapes shocked moms across the world. You
can't get much more fashion-forward than that


The '90s...


Think of it as Fashion Unplugged. Unkempt. And unattractive. In
the '90s, earth-women became pop icons — and footage from the Lilith
Fair, the all-female festival that kicked off in 1997, made stars of
sweet sirens like Sarah McLachlan. Skirts flowed, crushed velvet
made a comeback, and floppy hats shielded outdoor concert-goers from
the dangerous rays of the sun. But other, more nefarious influences
emerged. Though supermodel-hosted shows like "House of Style"
offered trends and advice, the horrifying grunge epidemic inevitably
infected the masses, cloaking its victims in flannel shirts, bizarre
piercings and torn stockings.


Right now


Thought disco was flashy? Witness the new generation of trash and
sass: Men in white suits at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, no-
holds-barred bling on the red carpet and more nudity than a spring-
break special. Style and music have become so closely linked, it's
no wonder we just saw J.Lo storming the runway at the end of her
first fashion show.


*******************************************************************
The heads talk: Veejay days
past & present



By BREANNE L. HELDMAN
DAILY NEWS FEATURE WRITER


The originals: J.J. Jackson, Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Martha
Quinn and Alan Hunter (l.-r.).

Changes have always been essential to MTV's amorphous chemistry,
including the constantly shifting roster of on-air talent. We
examined the 24-year generation gap with original veejay Nina
Blackwood and current "TRL" co-host Damien Fahey.
Daily News: How'd you get your job at MTV?

Nina Blackwood: I was living in L.A., working as a harpist and an
actress. They wined and dined me at Tavern on the Green. [Producer]
Robert Morton literally saved my life. I inhaled a piece of dry roll
and I was choking. He gave me the Heimlich maneuver and goes, "You
owe me." And I go, "Well, okay, I guess I'd better take the job."

Damien Fahey: I was a radio deejay in Boston and they auditioned me
in the [station's] basement. I've just been riding the wave ever
since.

DN: What did you think you were getting into?

NB: An FM station on television.

DF: A life of riches and fame and free stuff.

DN: What's the best perk?

NB: The job itself was really one big perk if you love music and you
love talking about music.

DF: We've got this soda machine downstairs, and I get free soda.

DN: What happened when you became "that MTV person?"

NB: In Manhattan, the entire city really opened up. I'd be trying to
get a cab and cops would stop, pick me up and take me where I was
going.

DF: It was good, but people kept calling me Carson.

DN: Got a favorite video?

NB: Fleetwood Mac's "Gypsy." I thought it was so pretty. Martha
[Quinn] would make fun of me and say, "It's so airy fairy!"

DF: I like "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel. That video really made
me want to watch MTV.

DN: What's different between MTV now and MTV then?

NB: At the beginning, it was cutting edge, but now it's part of the
mainstream. I hate to say it, but it is.

DF: We're still very influential and very groundbreaking with
television shows. I think, to a degree, the more successful you
become, the less risks you want to take.

DN: Did MTV make you a pop culture icon?

NB: The five of us [original veejays] are because we were there at
the beginning of a pop culture revolution. It changed the music
industry and television and also helped to reduce attention spans.

DF: No. I have a studio apartment with a mini-fridge. There's
nothing iconic about that.

Originally published on March 20, 2005

*********************************************************************
From the Miami Herald:

"Rumor has it talks are underway for a coheadlining tour this summer
between ex-lovers Stevie Nicks and Don Henley. Stevie has a thing
about hopping on stage with her exes, it would appear. Should this
come to pass expect the two to sing their 1981 hit Leather and Lace."

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/entertainment/music/11157177.htm

*********************************************************************
From Pollstar:

"A Gypsy In Vegas"

March 17 2005

Stevie Nicks is the latest baby-boom superstar with a big show in
Las
Vegas.
The gypsy diva will perform "a never-before-seen concert
experience"
created exclusively for The Colosseum at Caesars Palace - Celine
Dion
and Elton John's home away from home.
Nicks' "Dreams" is a four-show engagement taking place May l0,
11,13
and 14.
Tickets go on sale March 19 at 10 a.m. PST at the Caesars Palace
box
office and through Ticketmaster, and are priced at $75 - $175
"Stevie Nicks is one of the world's most popular rock music icons
and she is a perfect fit for The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, a
world-
class entertainment venue. The opportunity to see such a great
performer in such an intimate setting will be a most memorable
experience for our guests," said Caesars Palace President Mark
Juliano.

http://www.pollstar.com/news/viewnews.pl?NewsID=3870

http://www.pollstar.com/tour/searchall.pl?
By=Artist&Content=STENIC&PSKey=Y

********************************************************************
From "Ask Billboard" 3/16/05

MORE MAC?

-Hi Keith,

Do you see another tour for Fleetwood Mac this year? Do you think
they will tour Canada and other parts of the United States?

Jill Douglas


-Hi Jill,

It's unlikely that Fleetwood Mac will mount another tour in 2005 as
the band band wrapped up its 2003-2004 world tour in September.

Currently, the Mac's Stevie Nicks is prepping to stage a
special "Dreams" show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las
Vegas. The four-night event (May 10-11, 13-14) was created
exclusively for the venue, which is also home to Celine Dion's "A
New
Day" and Elton John's "The Red Piano." Tickets go on sale March 19
through the Caesars Palace box office and Ticketmaster.

Meanwhile, band member Lindsey Buckingham is at work on a
forthcoming
studio album, which he hopes to release by the end of the year. The
Mick Fleetwood Band (Fleetwood, Todd Smallwood and Lauren Evans)
issued "Something Big" in September 2004. Christine McVie -- who did
not participate in the Mac's Say You Will tour -- released her solo
album "In The Meantime" set last September as well.

Fleetwood Mac's most recent studio album, "Say You Will" (2003),
debuted and peaked at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 and has sold
844,000
copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Nicks'
latest solo set, "Trouble in Shangri-La," debuted and peaked at No.
5
in 2001 on the same chart and has moved 648,000 copies.

Nothing has been announced officially regarding any upcoming album
releases from either Fleetwood Mac or Nicks.


http://www.billboard.com/bb/ask/index.jsp

********************************************************************
NEW Stevie pictures from the 20th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Induction Ceremony Press Room on 3/14/2005:
Click this link and then do a search on "Stevie Nicks":
> http://www.wireimage.com

*********************************************************************
READ THIS!....


Nicks Making 'Dreams' Come True in Vegas

Tue Mar 15, 2005 05:24 PM ET
By Jonathan Cohen

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks will begin a
four-night stand, called "Dreams," on May 10 at the Colosseum at
Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

"I am looking forward to it because it's a chance to play and do
something where you don't really have to travel," the artist said
backstage Monday night (March 14) at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
induction ceremony in New York.

"So, for me, as an almost 57-year-old woman, this looks very good,
because it means you can put all of your energy into the show as
opposed to traveling all over the United States," she said. "It
would
be a nice thing for me to be able to do until I'm a very old, little
old lady."

Nicks says the show will consist of "favorite songs, which you don't
always get to do. This is a chance for me to go back through all
those many, many years and pick out a few songs I haven't always
done. "

The artist would not comment on reports that she will tour this
summer with Don Henley, saying only, "I can't talk about that
because
I'm not sure. I really don't know."

As for Fleetwood Mac, which played nearly 140 shows in support of
the
2003 comeback album "Say You Will," Nicks says, "We're just resting
right now, because we feel that as all wonderful things go, you come
out and you make a big show of it, and then you go away for a little
bit and rest, so when you come back, it's all wonderful again."

Added drummer Mick Fleetwood, who held Nicks' hand tightly while
answering questions, "I think there's always a Fleetwood Mac story
somewhere." Asked if longtime member Christine McVie, who did not
contribute to "Say You Will" except as a guest musician, would ever
return to the fold, he replied, "I think (the chances are> very,
very
slim (or) next to nothing, so I will say no. But we miss her."

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7911173


*********************************************************************
STEVIE PLANS DESERT DATES IN CELINE'S NEW VEGAS HOME

FLEETWOOD MAC star STEVIE NICKS has become the latest star to sign
up
for a string of dates at CELINE DION's new Las Vegas, Nevada, home.

The rocker will join the likes of GLORIA ESTEFAN and ELTON JOHN when
she plays four dates at Caesar's Palace in May (05).

She says, "It's basically going to be favourite songs, which you
don't always get to do. This is actually a chance for me to go back
all those many, many years.

"I am looking forward to it because it's a chance to play and do
something where you don't really have to travel. For me, as an
almost
57-year-old woman, this looks very good because it means you can put
all of your energy into the show as opposed to travelling all over
the United States.

"It would be a nice thing for me to be able to do until I'm a very
little old lady."

http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/stevie%
20plans%20desert%20dates%20in%20celines%20new%20vegas%20home


*********************************************************************
USC Trojan Marching Band Infuses 2005 World's Fair With American
Spirit
Monday March 7, 9:00 am ET


WASHINGTON, March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Pavilion today announced
that the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band would
put on a special performance on USA Day on June 20th at the World's
Fair, called the World Expo 2005, in Aichi, Japan.

The Trojan Marching Band has played an instrumental role in helping
USC's college football team attain back-to-back National
Championships
in 2003 and 2004. The band will bring that same winning spirit to the
World Expo and tour Japan for a total of ten days, with additional
performances scheduled in Kyoto, Tokyo, and Hamamatsu. The USA Day
performance is part of a series of entertainment events that the U.S.
Pavilion will offer throughout the Expo.

The band has performed all across the globe, including three previous
World's Fairs in Australia, Spain, and Portugal. For its performance
in Japan, the band will play its school fight song, "Fight On," as
well as its number "Tusk," which was composed in collaboration with
Fleetwood Mac and quickly went platinum.

The Trojan Band also promises to bring some Hollywood-style star
power
to the World Expo. The Band has many silver screen credits to it name
for appearances in such movies as "Grease II," "The Naked Gun," "The
Last Boy Scout" and "Forrest Gump" and is also no stranger to the
small screen. The band has guest-starred on two "Academy Awards"
telecasts and made a special appearance with OutKast at the 2004
"Grammy Awards." The Trojan Band is also well known for its
appearances at such special events as the Olympics, Super Bowls, and
the World Cup.

"We are extremely excited to perform at the World Expo and tour Japan
for the very first time," said Dr. Arthur C. Bartner, who has
directed
the USC Trojan Marching Band since 1970. "This is a wonderful
opportunity to strut our stuff on the world stage. It is truly an
honor to represent the United States and foster global understanding
at such an important event as the World Expo."

Dr. Bartner notes that USC has had a strong presence in Asia for many
years. Indeed, USC is the most international university in America
and
currently has more foreign students on campus than any other U.S.
school, according to the Institute of International Education.

"We are delighted to host the USC Trojan Marching Band on USA Day at
the World Expo," said Lisa Gable, U.S. Commissioner General to the
World Expo 2005. "The U.S. is looking forward to sharing the culture
and heritage of America with the rest of the world. This band is a
shining example of American-style hope, vitality, and optimism, which
is precisely the message we want to convey."

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050307/sfm044_1.html