U.K. dance music icons Underworld, best known for the hit “Born Slippy,” have been named musical directors for the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. “It’s just one of those things you never expect,” the duo’s Karl Hyde told Rolling Stone.”It’s like ‘Born Slippy’ was for us,” Hyde says. “As a kid you dream of having number ones, [but] you never imagine you can have something that’s gonna outlast you, and that certainly has done that. And the Olympics, well you never ever believe you’re gonna be musical directors of the biggest gig on earth.” Hyde is not exaggerating when he calls it the biggest gig on earth – the opening ceremonies are typically seen by a worldwide audience of billions. As musical directors, Hyde and partner Rick Smith could put together just about any show they want. Perhaps they want Kanye West and Portishead to duet, David Bowie to come out of retirement, or the Dead – of whom they are big fans – to jam with Aphex Twin. They know at the very least people will take the call. “It does give you a once-in-a-lifetime calling card,” Hyde says. “There are ideas in place.”These as-yet-unrevealed ideas will be spearheaded by acclaimed film director Danny Boyle (127 Hours), who is directing the opening ceremonies. Boyle has worked with Underworld for the last 15 years and is the one who invited the group to be part of the Olympic Games. “[Boyle's] breadth of musical knowledge is vast – it’s pretty varied and like ourselves – which is ultimately why he wanted to work with us,” Hyde says. “So he knows we aren’t just gonna be making techno tunes. This has to be music that is utterly appropriate.” Surprisingly, Hyde says the band had to think over the gig because of the major “life commitment” involved, as he puts it. Prior to working on the ceremonies, Underworld had teamed with Boyle on a National Theater of London production of Frankenstein, which gave them a taste for what the job might entail. “When he told us about the Olympics, I think we just took a step back because working in theater was such a commitment,” Hyde says. “We literally lived in the theater for months. We lived in a hotel next door. We rehearsed with the cast, and we kind of grew up with them for several months.” So what made Underworld decide to ultimately say yes to the challenge? “We thought, ‘When are you gonna get to say that you went from washing dishes in a burger joint in Cardiff, and [now] you’re doing the Olympic games?’” Hyde says. “I think it’s a ‘yes.’”

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The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to discuss the Stop Online Piracy Act on THURSDAY, and advertising from CREATIVE AMERICA have hit THE NEW YORK TIMES and THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. TOMORROW (12/15) ads will run in THE HILL, ROLL CALL, CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY and POLITICO. ADAGE reports, “the ad urges members of Congress to pass both the Protect IP Act and the Stop Online Piracy Act. In the ad, such piracy is compared with counterfeit medications and other products. The bills’ supporters say that stringent measures are needed to curb the pirating of movies, music, books and other types of content.” “Every day, internet criminals use illegal foreign websites to steal from NEW YORK companies and hardworking Americans,” the ad reads. Supporters listed in the ad include ABC, ESPN, SONY MUSIC, TIME WARNER, and about 50 other companies and groups. Credit – Allaccess.com

Music industry executive John Atterberry, in critical condition at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center, was sitting in his silver Mercedes on Friday by the intersection of Sunset Blvd. and Vine St. when the gunman shot him. Atterberry is a longtime recording industry manager and promoter and has been involved with acts like The Spice Girls, Brandy and Jessica Simpson, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times. VIDEO: Gunman Opens Fire Near Hollywood’s ArcLight Theater “I was shocked to hear the news,” says Courtney Barnes, publicist for Smokey Robinson and Ron Artest who has worked with Atterberry before. “His office is nearby, ours is four blocks away, it could have been any of us driving through that intersection.” Barnes describes Atterberry as “a really nice guy.” Police still do not have a motive for the shooting.The gunman, identified as 26-year-old Tyler Brehm by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office, randomly opened fire at approximately 10:19 a.m. near the ArcLight Cinemas. The suspect allegedly fired between nine and 12 shots before being killed by police, according to reports. When he ran out of bullets, the gunman allegedly pulled out a knife, yelling, “Kill me” and “I want to be killed.” In what the Los Angeles Police Department called a “random shooting,” witnesses enlisted the help of two police officers who were working on a nearby movie set after seeing a man open fire in the street. The man walked northbound on Vine with a gun in the air and when cars began driving by, lowered his gun and fired at them.One of those vehicles who was shot at was a THR.com photo editor, who was on his way to work from his North Hollywood home when the gunman fired at his black truck, which was captured on video.Update: New information about the shooter shows he broke up with his girlfriend of four years, Alicia Alligood, this month. She says that their split may have triggered Brehm’s shooting rampage. She also says that he had been very stressed lately and began taking drugs given to him by an unnamed pharmaceutical salesperson. Alligood says he was a “humanitarian” who was “extremely motivated to change the world for the better.”

What more can be said about Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon? Originally released in March of 1973, it remained in the charts for an amazing 741 weeks from its release date until 1988, longer than any other album in history. Forty-five million copies have been sold!We let a friend of ours know that we were going to review one of the greatest sound recordings of the rock and roll era. Her opinion of the record was succinct: “One of the perfect albums.” Nothing new can be said about the music, but this deluxe repackaging of it should be a cause for celebration. Pink Floyd have taken full advantage of EMI’s willingness to sell some product before the total collapse of the music industry as we know it, and in so doing they have expanded the listening experience by issuing a beautifully re-mastered version of the studio album on one disc, and a clearly-recorded live show on disc two, recorded at Wembley Stadium in 1974. The subtle sonic enhancement of the studio version together with the strong live document of the second disc, make this a perfect Christmas gift for any Wizard of Oz fan.