Sunday, June 24, 2012

The Hollywood Walk of Fame Finds a "Pearl"

The list of people and groups that will be receiving stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013 was announced on Friday by Marg Helgenberger at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The 24 inductees will have separate ceremonies throughout the year.

From the world of music, three veteran artists made the cut. Both Janis Joplin and Luther Vandross are being given stars posthumously, an honor that previously went to the likes of Buddy Holly and George Harrison. Also receiving a star are the New Kids on the Block who are being joined by their more modern counterparts the Backstreet Boys. Other musicians receiving stars are Jennifer Hudson, Jane's Addiction, Usher and Thalia.

Also receiving stars are master makeup man Rick Baker, movie actors Javier Bardem, Viola Davis, James Franco, Olympia Dukakis and Helen Mirren, director/actor Ron Howard, television actors Simon Baker, Bryan Cranston, Ellen DeGeneres, Jane Lynch, Katey Sagal and Mathew Perry, magicians Penn & Teller and radio personalities Steve Harvey and "Shotgun Tom" Kelly.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Stones say they're not dead yet!


As we expected, the Rolling Stones have said that the U.K. Mirror's story that they will make their final performance at next year's Glastonbury Festival is not true.

In a Twitter post they state, “Every year the @RollingStones are asked to play this UK festival..but playing Glastonbury is not in our plans”.

The UK paper quoted “an insider” as saying that the band will break-up in their 50th year with a final performance slated for the Glastonbury festival next year. Noise11.com and VVN Music called foul on the story as soon as it surfaced.

While plans for the 50th are yet to be unveiled, speculation of a break-up at this point are just purely Murdoch newspaper rumour mongering.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Is it indeed "The Last Time"?

British tabloids aren't best known for their accuracy, but the never-ending saga of if, or when, we get any sort of live Rolling Stones gigs as a farewell has just taken a turn.........

This Could Be The Last Time: Rolling Stones Calling It Quits After 'A Number' Of …

Sunday, June 17, 2012

He's Still Got It

At the age of 71, Neil Diamond is back and as entertaining as ever. The iconic singer and songwriter has made music since the 1960s, penning and recording more than one hundred songs. Scan a list of Neil Diamond songs and you may be surprised to find that you've been a fan of his for years without knowing it - he's written for artists as diverse as Barbra Streisand, The Monkees, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, UB40, Smash Mouth and Lulu. A music legend who has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Diamond continues to receive recognition for his life-long work, most recently in a tribute as part of the “Kennedy Center Honors” series.

Close on the heels of his third marriage to co-manager Katie McNeil this April, Neil Diamond Concert Tickets went on sale and people began clamoring to get in on his comeback tour. Diamond will hit 29 cities in the United States and Canada, finishing up on September 1 in Las Vegas. The tour will include an August stop at the legendary Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in celebration and recognition of the 40thanniversary of his album, Hot Summer Night. His Tampa concert has already drawn rave reviews, invigorating a crowd of 12,000 fans.

Although he has four children and seven grandchildren, Diamond seems almost ageless. Both the young and old have memories in which songs of his play a part. From the angst of the Solitary Man to the patriotism of America or the sing-along fun of Sweet Caroline, Diamond's songs help us laugh and cry to this day. Even now, who can forget the stunned applause when the Grammy Awards show came back from a commercial to an unannounced performance by Diamond and Barbara Streisand singing You Don’t Bring Me Flowers in duet?

What can fans with Neil Diamond tickets for the summer tour expect? Hit after hit, of course, from Diamond and his well-polished band. They pack over forty years of memories into one emotion-driven show. With a stage that extends right out into the audience, Diamond reaches out and pulls the crowd in. It is sure to be a crowd-pleasing night.

With over 115 million records sold worldwide and eight number one singles, Diamond still has fans of all ages and from every background. It is hard to believe that a man who once studied medicine on a fencing scholarship at New York University would eventually become one of the most successful contemporary artists in Billboard chart history.

How has the music of Neil Diamond touched your life? Share a comment below or pass this article on to your friends and ask them which Neil Diamond song they would like to hear live in concert.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Let The Games Begin!

There have been a ton of rumors over the last six months about who would be playing at the Olympic's opening and closing ceremonies and, normally, the organizers are pretty closed lipped about the lineup, but Paul McCartney has let his little secret out of the bag.

Paul said on Monday to BBC Radio 5, "I've been booked."

Who else will be there is not known, but there will be 15,000 participating in the opening. The show is being directed by Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) and is titled Isle of Wonder.

Monday, June 4, 2012

CD Releases Fit For A Queen (of Soul)

Aretha Franklin's fledgling Aretha's Records has signed a deal with the Universal Music Group to distribute their releases which will include classic Franklin recordings along with new artists that the singer has discovered.

Roger Friedman's Showbiz411 elusively announced the deal on Friday, also breaking the news that the first first releases will be Franklin's last five albums for Atlantic Records (not counting the Sparkle soundtrack) which had never been officially released on CD. Four of the five will also include bonus tracks.

The five albums and the bonus tracks:

With Everything I Feel in Me (1974/#57 Pop/#6 R&B)
  • Til' It's Over
  • Springtime in New York

You (1975/#83 Pop/#9 R&B)
  • Rock Me
  • White Dove
  • Can You
  • You Can’t Make It
  • I Want To Make Love To You
  • TNT Dynamite

Sweet Passion (1977/#49 Pop/#6 R&B)
  • Before The Magic C Is Just A Memory
  • Musta Up Some Gusta
  • You Light Up My Life

Almighty Fire (Woman of the Future) (1978/#63 Pop/#12 R&B)


La Diva (1979/#146 Pop/#25 R&B)
  • I Need Your Love