Classical Fans Build Vacations Around Music

LONDON (Billboard) – Dedicated rock fans have long made vacations out of following their favorite bands on the road. Now European classical fans are booking entire holidays around their chosen genre.

Travel industry executives say that growing numbers of classical fans are exchanging beaches for Berlioz and Bizet, with classical music festival organizers and venues benefiting from increased bookings.

John Whibley, who organizes classical music tours through his U.K.-based John Whibley "Holidays With Music" agency, says such trips are becoming increasingly popular among members of his target demographic -- "comfortably off" tourists over the age of 50.

"People like spending time with those who share a common interest," Whibley says. "Friendships are made on holiday, and clients return to see their friends."

In the last 10 years, more than half of Whibley's 1,200-strong client base has taken more than one tour with his firm, with 140 people booking seven or more trips, he says. Whibley runs about 25 high-end tours per year to classical music festivals or events. They range from 775 pounds ($1,130) for a four-night trip to the United Kingdom's Buxton Festival (including four operas, meals and sightseeing) to 1,875 pounds ($2,737) for a six-night trip to the Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt, Germany, which includes four-star hotel accommodations and nightly concerts by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra.

MUTUAL BENEFITS

Concert venues welcome the guaranteed ticket sales that such tours bring.

"We work together with more than 300 travel agencies and have a very close marketing relationship with (tourist organization) Berlin Tourismus Marketing," says Berlin State Opera head of marketing Sabine Turner. "A third of our audience comes from outside of the city, and this is seeing an upward trend."

Most classical music tour operators don't have formal business relationships with venues or festival promoters, preferring to book tickets on an ad hoc basis.

"Not many (travel operators) want to meet our 15 percent deposit conditions on tickets. Most prefer to reserve them and pay nearer the time," says Kim Gaynor, managing director of Switzerland's Verbier Festival, one of Whibley's touring destinations.

Gaynor suggests that the Verbier fest itself could soon compete for some of the same tour business.

"Running bespoke packages is something the festival would like to do in the future," she says. "It's a great way of increasing attendance."

But despite their relatively high prices, classical music tours are often less profitable than mainstream tours, according to Nigel Hosking, senior product manager at the U.K. tour operator Cox & Kings.

"You have to pay (for) an expert, musicians and excursions," he says. "We accept that we don't make much profit on them."

Still, Australian classical musician Vivienne Pittendrigh, who founded Chamber Music Holidays and Festivals in 1982, says classical music tour operators like herself are proving to be a growing niche. Her agency, which has offices on the Greek island of Corfu and in Bournemouth, England, averages about 78 bookings per year, up from an initial annual average of 20 customers.

Tour operators also cut deals directly with individual artists and chamber groups. Pittendrigh books musicians for her own events, such as the Divertimenti in Corfu, while Whibley hires musicians for some of his tours.

Organist/singer Peter Medhurst works with Cox & Kings as a specialist tour guide and musical performer. He leads tours to Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, performing organ and vocal recitals for tour groups.

"It creates goodwill all 'round," Medhurst says. "If you're taking a party of 35 to a venue, that's a chunk of seats filled immediately, and these audiences are also likely to get to know the artist and follow them."

Reuters/Billboard

R&B Vet Wilson Has Fresh Hit On His Hands

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Singer Charlie Wilson remembers soulstress Chaka Khan once telling him, "You work way too hard."

"My friends still tell me that," Wilson says with his signature hee-hee laugh. "But I'm still having a good time performing. I'm always going to give music all the energy I've got."

That old-school energy, enthusiasm and work ethic have served him well during a career that has included a hits-laden, '80s-era run as frontman for funk trio the Gap Band ("Burn Rubber," "Outstanding") -- as well as a drug problem that temporarily sidelined him 14 years ago.

But Wilson is back on the upswing again thanks to the top 10 R&B hit "There Goes My Baby." Written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and singer-songwriter Calvin Richardson, the track is the lead single from Wilson's second Jive solo album, "Uncle Charlie" (February 17).

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This latest chart run picks up on the momentum sparked by Wilson's 2005 Jive debut, "Charlie, Last Name Wilson." Sporting songwriting/production by R. Kelly, T-Pain, the Underdogs and Gregg Pagani, among others, the album debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and No. 3 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, while the title track climbed to No. 11 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. To date, the CD has sold 442,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. An earlier solo effort, 2000's "Bridging the Gap," has sold 195,000.

Ask Wilson what the major difference is between his two most recent projects and he quickly boils it down to one word: control.

"I executive-produced my own record this time," he says of "Uncle Charlie," which he worked on in the studio at his ranch outside Los Angeles. "I also wrote a little. When my brothers and I had the Gap Band, we thought we were in control, but we got sideswiped by our label and others. Now I'm in control of my own destiny."

Wilson reunites with such collaborators as Pagani, the Underdogs and T-Pain on "Uncle Charlie," which derives its title from the nickname Snoop Dogg gave him several years ago. The rapper once again plays a supporting role, featured on the dance jam "Let It Out." And actor/singer Jamie Foxx jumps on a slow dance remix of the single "Supa Sexxy."

Beyond the party vibes and the easy, feel-good blend of contemporary and classic R&B that powers "There Goes My Baby," Wilson gets down to emotive basics on the ballad "Homeless." Telling the story of a man who gets kicked out of the house by his woman, the song uses the metaphor of being homeless to further drive home the pain of the severed relationship.

"I've been there," Wilson says. "I know wholeheartedly about being homeless and all the factors about it. How it feels not to eat, sleep and be without a person you love. I definitely took that record and sung the hell out of it."

Reuters/Billboard

Spears Gets Order Against Lutfi, Ghalib

LOS ANGELES – Britney Spears has obtained a restraining order against former pal Osama "Sam" Lutfi and one-time boyfriend Adnan Ghalib, court records show.

Attorneys for Spears and her father, who is her legal conservator, received the order Friday. The documents state that Lutfi, Ghalib and attorney Jon Eardley have been trying to gain control of Spears' affairs.

"On the first anniversary of the establishment of the conservatorship, the co-conservators are informed and believe that these three figures are working in concert to disrupt the conservatorship, with an utter disregard for Ms. Spears' health and well being," the documents state.

Lutfi was a manager and friend of Spears, whose mother once accused him of grinding pills into her food to control her. Ghalib, a paparazzo, had dated the singer.

Download Mp3 Music Britney Spears

Judge Aviva K. Bobb signed a temporary restraining order Friday forbidding Lutfi, Ghalib and Eardley from having contact with Spears, her parents and her young children. A hearing on whether to extend the order is scheduled for next month.

The documents, released late Friday, claim that Lutfi tried to contact Spears in late December by sending text messages to her hairdresser. The documents state Lutfi later started sending text messages to Spears and one of her father's attorneys, Blair Berk, trying to arrange a meeting.

Spears father, Jamie, wrote in a sworn declaration that he has found Lutfi's phone number in his daughter's phone records.

The documents state that Spears continues to inform Ghalib of her travel "and that he then arranges for paparazzi to meet and film her to his financial benefit," the documents state.

A phone message left for Lutfi was not returned Friday. A phone number for Ghalib could not immediately be found.

Geraldine Wyle, an attorney for Jamie Spears, wrote that Lutfi and Ghalib have "disappeared," and private investigators had been trying to find the pair unsuccessfully for six weeks.

The order, first reported Friday by the celebrity Web site TMZ, alleges that Lutfi has also sent "anonymous, harassing and threatening" messages to Spears' father.

This week, the documents state, an attorney sent a proposal to remove Spears' court appointed attorney. He later told Spears' attorneys that he had been contacted by Eardley and Lutfi, according to the filings. The documents were never filed with the court, and that attorney dropped Lutfi and Eardley as clients, the documents state.

Eardley once claimed to be Spears' attorney and tried to get her conservatorship case moved to federal court. A phone message left at Eardley's office was not returned Friday.

Spears and her father agreed not to renew a temporary restraining order that was issued against Lutfi last year when it expired in July.

At the time, Spears' court-appointed attorney Samuel D. Ingham III issued a statement renouncing their friendship. "Britney has made clear to everyone that she does not want to be further harassed or contacted in any way by Osama 'Sam' Lutfi, now or at anytime in the future," Ingham said in a statement.

Lutfi at the time declined to comment, saying only that he and Jamie Spears had reached an agreement.

That arrangement called for Lutfi to have no contact with Britney Spears or her parents, according to details released Friday.

Spears was placed under the conservatorship a year ago on Sunday. The arrangement has been expensive — her estate has paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees — but since her father took control of her life, the pop singer has not had the bouts of erratic behavior, including two hospitalizations, that led to his intervention.

She released her newest album, "Circus" in December on her 27th birthday and is preparing for an upcoming concert tour.

Breaking Benjamin - The Diary of Jane

Madonna Resuming Sticky & Sweet Tour

NASHVILLE (Billboard) – Madonna will crank up her Sticky & Sweet tour again this summer with about 25 more shows in the U.K. and Europe. The initial trek wrapped December 21 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The final leg of the tour -- already the top-grossing tour ever by a female or solo artist -- will start in London at the O2 Arena on July 4. Madonna also will play the Manchester (U.K.) Evening News Arena. The rest of the shows on the tour will be at stadiums in European markets that Madonna has never played or hasn't played in several years, according to tour producer Arthur Fogel, chairman of global music for Live Nation. The complete route and list of venues will be released Friday (January 30).

Adding another leg to a tour is a highly unusual move for Madonna. "It absolutely has not happened in the four tours I've been involved with," Fogel told Billboard.com. "There has been talk (of extending) during each one, but it has never come to be. But with this one, she loves the show, she's had a great time and she's excited about playing new markets."

Download Mp3 Music Madonna

The extension will take Sticky & Sweet to around 80 shows, and boost it well into the top five grossing tours of all time. Despite the more than six-month break, the tour will feature the same production and performers as in 2008.

The Sticky & Sweet tour was the first under a 10-year multi-rights agreement between Madonna and Live Nation, valued in some reports at about $120 million.

Reuters/Billboard

Springsteen Promises High-Energy Halftime Show

TAMPA, Fla. – Anybody who thinks it's tough playing the halftime show at the Super Bowl with 150 million people watching should try serenading Barack Obama with the majestic granite visage of Abraham Lincoln staring over your shoulder.

Bruce Springsteen did.

"It kind of was a good warm-up for this," Springsteen joked Thursday after arriving in Tampa with the E Street Band. "That takes some of the pressure off, you know."

In his first news conference in more than 20 years, The Boss was as cool as ever.

Download Mp3 Music Bruce Springsteen

Wearing black jeans, a black crewneck sweater and black boots, Springsteen and his band charmed a standing-room-only crowd by joking about his lack of football knowledge, that the group is still together — and its members still alive — and the tremendous year he's having personally and professionally.

"Is there anybody from New Jersey? Don't give them the microphone!" the Garden State native called out before taking questions in his first large forum since a 1987 news conference for Amnesty International.

But Springsteen has reason to celebrate.

His song, "The Wrestler," from the movie of the same name, won a Golden Globe earlier this month, and he followed it with a performance at the National Mall to honor Obama two days before the inauguration. Springsteen was a huge Obama booster during the campaign.

His latest CD, "Working on a Dream," was released Tuesday, and he'll kick off a world tour in San Jose, Calif., on April 1.

"Good times," the 59-year-old rocker smiled. "You just have years where things happen, or years where it's quieter. But what's special for me right now is I really believe our band is going through sort of a golden age. We've made three of what I think are some of our best records in a row, which is really one of the reasons we're here. And the band, on the last tour, played the best it's ever played.

"We've been on the road awhile. We're some old soldiers. But the band is still really burning, and I really want people to know about the record. Good year, you know? It's been great."

So now the band plays Sunday's halftime show of the Super Bowl, which is enjoying a run of booking major talent for the roughly 15-minute slot before the largest television event in the nation. Acts have recently included the Rolling Stones, U2, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

The NFL said last year's halftime show with Petty was watched by more than 148 million viewers in the U.S.

Springsteen, for years, had turned down invitations to play the Super Bowl, unsure of the legitimacy of such a performance. After all, for many years the halftime show was made up of local and college marching bands and drill teams.

But Springsteen said the opportunity to promote the album, and the upgraded production team that has given the invitation a prestige factor, changed his mind.

"Initially, it was sort of a novelty and so it didn't quite feel right," he explained. "But it was just like, this is the year. ... Bands of our generation, you can sort of be seen on a stage like this or, like, not seen. There's not a lot of middle places. It is a tremendous venue."

The performance is expected to be a teaser for the upcoming tour, and scores of Las Vegas sports books are taking bets on the set list. Asked who ultimately decides what songs will be played, Springsteen staked his claim as leader of the band.

"I'm the Boss! The Boss decides what we play!" he yelled. "Nobody else decides. People suggest. Hint. Beg. Cajole. But I decide."

Pittsburgh receiver Hines Ward said he was looking forward to the performance, and even had a song request.

"I love Bruce. I hope he plays 'Born in the USA.' He has a great voice when he says, 'Boorrrn,' " Ward said. "He has a lot of swagger about himself. He's very confident. When he's up there performing, it's all about him."

Springsteen only offered one slight teaser, vowing to pack the bands' usual emotion and energy into their brief performance.

"We want it to be a 12-minute party," he said. "The idea of the show is, you are going to the Meadowlands, you get lost on the way. You are watching your clock, `Damn, the show is starting right now.' You stop at a bar to get some directions, and the bar gets held up while you are there. So that takes another 45 minutes to get out of there.

"You come back and you miss your exit on the turnpike, and you are driving to get back around. And so you make it into the stadium 2 hours and 48 minutes into the show — that's what you are going to see: the last 12 minutes."

Jennifer Hudson Films New Video

NEW YORK – Jennifer Hudson has finished filming her first video since the slayings of her mother, brother and nephew.

The clip for "If This Isn't Love" was done in Los Angeles and is set to debut the week of Feb. 9.

The 27-year-old singer/actress is slowly starting to return back to work following the October slayings of her 57-year-old mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson; 29-year-old brother Jason Hudson; and 7-year-old nephew Julian King. Her estranged brother-in-law has been charged in the killings.

She is scheduled to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl on Sunday, and also at the Feb. 8 Grammy Awards, where she is nominated for four awards for her self-titled debut CD.

OONY Cancels Remaining Performances This Season

NEW YORK – The Opera Orchestra of New York has canceled its two remaining performances this season because of the recession.

The company, which usually presents three or four concert performances each season at Carnegie Hall, scrapped plans to perform Wagner's "Rienzi" on March 19 and Cherubini's "Medea" on April 21. It also canceled a concert with Ferruccio Furlanetto on Feb. 27.

It's only performance this season was Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Czar's Bride" on Oct. 15.

"Rienzi" was rescheduled for next season, which also is to include Meyerbeer's "L'Africaine" and a benefit recital by soprano Aprile Millo. "Medea" is now planned to open the 2010-11 season.

The cancellation was first reported on the Web site parterre.com.

The Whispertown 2000 - Swim - Album Review

by Jon Lusk
Although it's not clear where they got the name from, The Whispertown 2000 is an improvement on Vagtown 2000, the stage moniker that lead singer and songwriter Morgan Naylor used to go by. On first listen, this LA-based indiefolk band's second album sounds like a half-arsed, ramshackle mess fronted by a woman who can't hold a tune. Persevere, because Naylor's chameleonesque vocal persona soon begins to work its magic, and her inventive way with melodies starts making sense.

It's hardly surprising the first band to sign to Gillian Welch and David Rawlings Acony label should have an ear for semi-acoustic alt. country, and even backwoods hoedowns, but Whispertown 2000 also revel in light touches of psychedelia. Get past the throwaway playground chant of 103, and that becomes apparent in the backwards guitars and dreamy backing vocals of Done With Love. Naylor has a distinctive and appealing way of toying with words, first evident on the phrase, ''tell everyone I'm done with love'.

Erase The Lines takes the wiggyness further, with surreal lyrics (''spotted tiger spotted me''), unhinged whistling and a percussive crescendo. Both this and the carefree country strum of Lock And Key suggest an affinity with (fellow Californian) Ryan McPhun's band The Ruby Suns.

On the electric soul/blues gumbo of Ebb And Flow, Naylor's shrill tones seem to echo blue-eyed soul firebrand Laura Nyro, while on Mountain she's closer to an extra-sulky Cat Power offering a twisted take on The Rolling Stones' Love In Vain. So yeah, the 1960s live on in the 2000s.

Aside from a few guests, brothers Casey and Tod Adrian Wisenbaker play most of the instruments, with harmony vocalist Vanessa Corbala shadowing Naylor for much of the album, and sounding almost like a sister. When she’s absent,as on the stripped-down drawl of No Dope, Naylor's slightly contrived
tendency to sing off-key does grate a little. But if it were cleaned up and straightened out, this music might lose much of its appeal. Even so, the four-part vocal harmonies of Atlantis (also featuring Welch and Jenny Lewis) suggest that may not be the case.

source: bbc.co.uk/music

Lynyrd Skynyrd Keyboardist Dies At Florida Home

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboard player Billy Powell, who played on such hits as "Sweet Home Alabama" and survived the 1977 plane crash that killed three band members, died Wednesday. He was 56.

Powell called 911 in this Jacksonville suburb saying he was having trouble breathing. Rescue crews performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead about an hour later, Orange Park Police Lt. Mark Cornett said.

Powell, who had a history of heart problems, missed a Tuesday appointment with his doctor for a cardiac evaluation, and a heart attack is suspected as the cause of death.

The Jacksonville-based band was formed in 1966 by a group of high school students — famously, it took its name from a physical education teacher they disliked, Leonard Skinner. Powell joined the group in 1970 and became its keyboardist in 1972, the year before they released their first album, "Pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd."

It became one of the South's most popular rock groups, and gained national fame with such hits as "Free Bird," "What's Your Name" and especially "Sweet Home Alabama," which reached the top 10 on the charts in 1974. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

The band was decimated on Oct. 20, 1977, when their chartered plane crashed in a swamp near McComb, Miss.

Six people were killed — lead singer Ronnie Van Zant; guitarist Steve Gaines; Gaines' sister, vocalist Cassie Gaines; as well as an assistant road manager, the pilot and co-pilot.

Powell received facial injuries in the crash, but eventually recovered. He was the only band member well enough to attend the funerals of those killed in the crash.

Two years after the accident, Powell and fellow members Allen Collins, Gary Rossington and Leon Wilkeson formed the Rossington-Collins Band. It broke up in 1982.

In 1987 Johnny Van Zant — Ronnie's brother — and a new Lynyrd Skynyrd Band went on a tribute tour, and Powell was on hand again in 1991 when the revived version of the band put out a new album, "Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991" and started a tour in Baton Rouge, La., where the band was headed in 1977 when the plane crashed.

Fans who kept their tickets from the canceled 1977 concert were admitted free.

The band's last album, "Vicious Cycle," was released in 2003.

Johnny Van Zant was devastated by Powell's death. Hearkening back to the deaths of other members of the band, he said: "Maybe it is just the destiny of Lynyrd Skynyrd. We've played before millions and millions of people and it's been a wonderful ride and a bumpy one too."

Van Zant said Powell had been a roadie for the band when his brother heard him playing the keyboard.

"Nobody knew he could play the keyboard," Van Zant said.

Earlier this year, Powell and the band took a four-day cruise on a ship out of Miami with "4,000 crazy Skynyrd fans," said Van Zant.

The band had recorded several songs for a new album and had upcoming gigs, which will be canceled, Van Zant said.

Howard Kramer, curatorial director at the Rock and Roll Hall, said Powell "was a phenomenal piano player. The band may be able to get another piano player, but they will never replace Billy Powell."

"He was one of the best piano keyboardists, rock 'n' roll keyboardists, of our lifetime," said Ross Schilling, the band's manager.

Hank Williams Jr. said: "I will truly miss Billy. We have all lost one of our best rowdy friends."

Zappa Family Loses Court Battle In Germany

DUSSELDORF, Germany (Billboard) – Gail Zappa, widow of U.S. rock legend Frank Zappa, has failed in her bid to stop a German music festival from using her husband's name and image.

Zappa and her family trust had launched a lawsuit against the German Frank Zappa fan club over its annual Zappanale festival, demanding the removal of a bronze sculpture of Zappa at the festival site in Bad Doberan and damages of $325,000 if the festival continues to use the Zappanale name.

Download Mp3 Music Frank Zappa

But the higher court in Dusseldorf ruled January 21 that festival organizers may continue to use Zappa's name and his image on the festival logo and related merchandise such as T-shirts and baseball caps. It ruled that Gail Zappa's rights were not violated and that she could not prove she uses the Zappa brand in Germany herself. The court found that she has had knowledge of the festival since it began in 1990. Frank Zappa died in 1993.

Several thousand Zappa fans had demanded the withdrawal of the lawsuit, which was launched in April 2008.

Thomas Dippel, festival speaker and head of the German Zappa fan club, welcomed the ruling.

"We have always been certain that we have the older rights," he said. "We have also patented the name of the festival with the German patent office. Gail Zappa only applied for the patent of her own rights in 2002."

The Zappanale festival, which features various bands performing composer/guitarist Zappa's music, had 6,800 visitors in 2008. The 2009 edition is scheduled for August 12-16.

Reuters/Billboard

Henry Purcell - Dido And Aeneas - Album Review

by Charlotte Gardner
Forgive me a sweeping generalisation, but its fair to say that great British operas, pre-Britten, can be counted on one hand. Half a hand, even. However, what we lack in quantity, we make up for in quality, as illustrated by Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. This new recording for Chandos from the Choir and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is surely set for widespread critical acclaim.

The performance takes into account new developments in scholarly thinking, aiming to emulate more closely the court entertainment of Purcell's day. Most noticeable is the incorporation of other dance works by Purcell: a tune from Bonduca, the Almand from his G minor keyboard suite and, my personal favourite, two improvised guitar dances played by the OAE's plucked-continuo players. These inclusions do give the opera a different, more courtly feel to previous recordings; they open it out, allowing more contemplation on the unfolding action. The orchestra, directed by Steven Devine and Elizabeth Kenny, plays with rather more reserve than in Christopher Hogwood's Academy of Ancient Music recording, but this turns out to be no bad thing. In fact, it strangely enhances the dramatic punch.

Sarah Connolly as Dido is magnificent; from her opening ''Ah, Belinda'', she presents a queen emotionally removed from her surroundings, a subdued loner, predicting disaster even amidst present happiness. Her lament, the crowning climax of a weighty performance, is as vocally beautiful as her acting has been insightful. Lucy Crowe as Belinda, bright and pure of tone, is the perfect foil to Connolly's Dido, whilst Patricia Bardon’s Sorceress oozes stage presence. Carys Lane and Rebecca Outram as the witches are a more sophisticated 21st century pair than the traditional hags hopping around a fire: think Bewitched rather than Macbeth. I prefer the latter, but it's a matter of personal taste. Then, Gerald Finley as Aeneas is in fine voice, capturing to a T the hapless lover torn between war and his queen.

This truly feels like the 'Dido' for the 21st century.

source: bbc.co.uk/music

A Legal Thriller: Michael Jackson Sued by John Landis

Remember that Thriller musical we told you about yesterday? Seems Michael Jackson already has a sequel in the works.

This one will be playing out not on Broadway, however, but in a Los Angeles courtroom.

John Landis, the filmmaker whose credits include Animal House, The Blues Brothers and Trading Places, is suing over another one of his best-known hits—Jackson's "Thriller" video. Landis says Jackson owes him big bucks in royalties for the classic 14-minute clip.

Download Mp3 Music Michael Jackson

Per the complaint, filed in L.A. Superior Court last week and obtained by E! News, the 58-year-old filmmaker accuses the 50-year-old Moonwalker of "fraudulent, malicious and oppressive conduct" for failing to fork over a check.

Landis says he's due 50 percent of the net profits from the groundbreaking video, which he cowrote and directed, as well as an hourlong "making of" documentary.

The suit doesn't specify the exact amount Landis is owed, but it's thought to be around $1 million. In any case, the legal action comes at a fortuitous time, considering Jackson just sold the rights to the "Thriller" video to theatrical wizards Nederlander Organization, which plans to stage a Broadway musical based on the horror spoof.

Jackson's rep, Dr. Tohme Tohme, was not immediately available for comment.

Speaking to the entertainment site the Wrap, Landis attorney Martin Feldman said the lawsuit was a last resort.

"I can't understand what they are doing to John Landis' company. It is such a straight-ahead thing," he said. "It makes no sense at all to me."

As if the life of Michael Jackson ever made sense to any of us.

source: eonline.com

Rock Fans Head To Iowa To Recall Day Music Died

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa – It's been 50 years since a single-engine plane crashed into a snow-covered Iowa field, instantly killing three men whose names would become enshrined in the history of rock 'n' roll.

The passing decades haven't diminished fascination with that night on Feb. 2, 1959, when 22-year-old Buddy Holly, 28-year-old J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and 17-year-old Ritchie Valens performed in Clear Lake and then boarded the plane for a planned 300-mile flight that lasted only minutes.

"It was really like the first rock 'n' roll landmark; the first death," said rock historian Jim Dawson, who has written several books about music of that era. "They say these things come in threes. Well, all three happened at the same time."

Starting Wednesday, thousands of people are expected to gather in the small northern Iowa town where the rock pioneers gave their last performance. They'll come to the Surf Ballroom for symposiums with the three musicians' relatives, sold-out concerts and a ceremony as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame designates the building as its ninth national landmark.

And they'll discuss why after so many years, so many people still care about what songwriter Don McLean so famously called "the day the music died."

"It was the locus point for that last performance by these great artists," said Terry Stewart, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. "It warrants being fixed in time."

Clear Lake is an unlikely spot for a rock 'n' roll pilgrimage — especially in winter. The resort town of about 8,000 borders its namesake lake, and on winter days the cold and wind make the community 100 miles north of Des Moines anything but a tourist destination.

The crash site is on private property, a five-mile drive from Clear Lake and half-mile walk off the road. Corn grows high in adjacent fields during the summer, but in winter the fields are covered with snow and a path to the small memorial is often thick with ice. The memorial features a small cross and thin metal guitar and records, all of which are draped in flowers during the summer.

"It's a much nicer trip in the summer," said Jeff Nicholas, a longtime Clear Lake resident who heads the Surf Ballroom's board of directors. "But in the winter, you get more of a feel of what it was like."

No one tracks the number of visitors, but fans stop by throughout the year and on some summer days visitors to the crash site can create the oddity of a corn field traffic jam.

Stewart said the deaths still resonate because they occurred at a time when rock 'n' roll was going through a transition, of sorts. The sound of Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Holly was making way for the British Invasion of the mid-1960s.

"The music was shifting and changing at that point," he said. "The crash put a punctuation point on the change."

All three musicians influenced rock and roll in their own way.

Holly's career was short, but his hiccup-vocal style, guitar play and songwriting talents had tremendous influence on later performers. The Beatles, who formed about the time of the crash, were among his early fans and fashioned their name after Holly's band, The Crickets. Holly's hit songs include "That'll Be The Day," "Peggy Sue" and "Maybe Baby."

Richardson, "The Big Bopper," is often credited with creating the first music video with his recorded performance of "Chantilly Lace" in 1958, decades before MTV.

And Valens was one of the first musicians to apply a Mexican influence to rock 'n' roll. He recorded his huge hit "La Bamba" only months before the accident.

The plane left the airport in nearby Mason City about 1 a.m., headed for Moorhead, Minn., with the musicians looking for a break from a tiring, cold bus trip through the Upper Midwest.

It wasn't until hours later that the demolished plane was found, crumpled against a wire fence. Investigators believe the pilot, who also died, became confused amid the dark, snowy conditions and rammed the plane into the ground.

The crash set off a wave of mourning among their passionate, mostly young fans across the country. Then 12 years later the crash was immortalized as "the day the music died" in McLean's 1971 song, "American Pie."

Vonnie Amosson, who manages the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Clear Lake, said that ever since the plane crash, the community has embraced the tragedy. It's a continues stream of tourism dollars, and the town's chamber of commerce estimates that this year's events, dubbed "50s in February," will generate more than $4 million for Clear Lake's economy.

"It's kind of sad that that is what we are known for," Amosson said. "But on the other part of it, I think the whole '50's in February' weekend is a huge memorial and it's an honor to them."

In part because of its role in rock history, the Surf Ballroom has retained its vintage look, with a 6,000-square-foot dance floor, ceiling painted to resemble a sky, and original cloud machines on either side of the room. Ten Buddy Holly banners line the wall opposite the stage. The 2,100-capacity ballroom still hosts many national and regional performers, most of whom add their names to a backstage wall that is now crowded with drawings and signatures.

"It's quite a special place," said Nicholas, the Surf board member. "This place looks just like it did in 1959."

National Geographic Launches Record Label

NEW YORK (Billboard) – National Geographic Society has launched a record label, Nat Geo Music, through its music division of the same name.

The label will record, release and promote contemporary music from around the globe by artists working in various genres. It will be headed by Nat Geo Music general manager Mat Whittington, who will report to National Geographic Entertainment president David Beal.

Reuters/Billboard

Bruce Springsteen To Launch World Tour

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Bruce Springsteen will launch a world tour this year, the rock performer said on his website on Tuesday as his album "Working on a Dream" hit music stores.

Springsteen and his E Street Band will start their 47-date tour on April 1 in San Jose, California. They also will perform in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago and other U.S. cities.

Download Mp3 Music Bruce Springsteen

Following those shows, the tour will head to Europe with stops including Sweden, Italy, France and Spain.

Springsteen, 59, will perform at the half-time show for the Super Bowl professional football championship on Sunday.

His last tour with the E Street Band was in 2007. "Working on a Dream" is Springsteen's 24th album. It received a five-star rating from Rolling Stone magazine but other reviews were less positive.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Bill Trott)

Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde Talks New Tour, Album

LOS ANGELES – Not too long ago, Chrissie Hynde was still touring behind the same hits that have made her husky, vibrato-steeped voice one of the most memorable in rock 'n' roll.

Now the Pretenders' frontwoman is revving up to launch a U.S. tour Thursday in support of "Break Up the Concrete," the group's first studio album in six years. While she may sing classics like "Brass in Pocket," newer tunes will fill the bulk of her repertoire.

"We'll be doing about eight or nine songs from the album. There's the chance of people going to the bar when you launch into a new song, but I can't do that greatest hits stuff anymore. We can play practically the whole album, and some of the rockers," Hynde, 57, said in a phone interview from London, her main home since the 1970s.

The Pretenders' new album, released last fall, is an Americana ode to love, loneliness and Hynde's hometown of Akron, Ohio, where the longtime animal rights activist opened a vegan restaurant and bar in 2007. It was recorded for movie producer Steve Bing's fledgling label Shangri-La Music.

Bing swept in during a down time for the band, when the group was label-less. He and Hynde connected during a Pretenders tour with ZZ Top.

"I said to Steve, 'We don't have a record deal and we don't have a producer,'" said Hynde. "Steve said, 'You've been doing this for 25 years, you don't need a producer.' No one had ever told me that before. I thought, 'Let's get this going!'"

Later, he pulled in legendary session drummer Jim Keltner — whose credits include playing with John Lennon — to work on the record (regular drummer Martin Chambers returns for the tour).

Though the album was recorded in 12 days in Los Angeles, much of it is informed by Akron. She acquired an apartment there to be closer to her aging parents and rediscovered the city after years away, from brisk autumn weather to local animal sanctuaries and her old record collection.

The title song, a jumping rockabilly tune, refers to the "red brick road where I grew up on" in Akron being "gone gone gone." Numbers such as "Don't Lose Faith In Me" have a country-ballad twang, filled with vulnerability: "The artist on the cover/ Is a phony and a crook/ I'm looking for you lover/ Show me where to look."

"I'm referring to myself in that line," Hynde said. "I get sometimes angry with myself. Sometimes I find myself saying, 'You ... phony.' It goes like that until you crack it. It can be a torturous process."

Hynde said her songwriting process after decades of music is much the same.

"It's me alone with the guitar and a notebook. I don't use too many gadgets. My methods haven't changed," she said.

As for the future, Hynde remains thankful that "I'm doing what I want to do."

"Some people can get all their realizations in one place, being in the same town," she said. "Some people have to move all the time. I feel more comfortable moving all the time. I wish I could stay still. But that's how bands usually are."

Paul Mccartney Set For `Colbert Report' Visit

LOS ANGELES – The Comedy Central TV channel says Paul McCartney is going to drop in on Stephen Colbert.

McCartney will be a guest on Wednesday's "The Colbert Report," talking up his latest album, "Electric Arguments." The work represents a collaboration between the former Beatle and producer-musician Youth, and was released under the band name the Fireman.

"The Colbert Report" airs at 11:30 p.m. EST weeknights.

Download Mp3 Music Paul McCartney

Buddy Holly not Fading Away, 50 Years After Death

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – One snowy night 50 years ago, Buddy Holly took off on a small plane and died a few minutes later when it crashed in an Iowa field.

A tragic icon was born, but so was a half-century of litigation and finger-pointing. The latest legal showdown has been going on for 15 years as Holly's family chases alleged unpaid royalties from his Universal Music Group label.

"They've cheated us," Holly's older brother Larry told Reuters. Universal won the initial case, he said, but the family is appealing. He later declined to elaborate, suspecting that he was speaking to "an agent" for the label. A Universal official did not reply to a request for comment.

But the parties have made up, at least temporarily, to collaborate on a pair of multi-disc CD sets that will be released on January 27, a week before the anniversary of the February 3, 1959, crash that also claimed Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson.

The three-CD "Memorial Collection" boasts all of Holly's hits -- including "That'll Be The Day," "Not Fade Away," "Peggy Sue" and "Rave On"-- as well as seven recordings previously unreleased in the United States.

Download Mp3 Music Buddy Holly

The two-CD "Down The Line - Rarities" features home recordings dating back to when Holly was 14, widely bootlegged undubbed versions, alternate takes and informal solo tapes.

Some of the recordings -- such as "Think It Over" and "Fool's Paradise" -- have been stripped of overdubs that were added by Norman Petty, arguably the No. 1 villain in the Buddy Holly story.

Petty was an independent producer who owned the Clovis, N.M., studio where Holly and his band the Crickets recorded most of their tunes between 1956 and 1958. In addition to taking control of Holly's career and finances, he added his name to the songwriting credits -- a dubious but not uncommon practice in those days.

"I'D RATHER SEE YOU DEAD"

After Holly suffered disappointing sales for such tunes as "Rave On" and "It's so Easy," he grew resentful of Petty's control. The cash-strapped musician and his new wife, Maria Elena, visited Petty at the studio to end their partnership, and seek his unpaid royalties.

In an interview with Reuters, Maria Elena Holly, recounted that Petty told his young protege, "You know what, Buddy? I'm gonna say this to you. I'd rather see you dead than to give you the money now."

Holly almost punched Petty, but his wife's cooler head prevailed, and they returned to their new apartment in New York where they borrowed money from Maria Elena's aunt. In a financial bind, Holly reluctantly joined the lineup of the "Winter Dance Party" tour of small towns in the frozen upper Midwest, leaving his pregnant bride at home.

The troupe traversed vast stretches in an old, unheated bus. For Holly, the discomfort was exacerbated by his legal problems with Petty.

After the 11th show, at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2, he decided to take a small plane rather than reboard the bus for an overnight trip to the next venue 400 miles away in Moorhead, Minnesota.

The single-engine, four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza was no match for the developing blizzard, making it about four miles before crashing in a corn field and tossing its famous stars out into the snow. All died instantly, with Holly's skull split open and his chest crushed. He was just 22.

Maria Elena, who miscarried after learning of her husband's death, stopped short of saying Petty "killed" Holly, but said, "He had something to do with his accident."

Larry Holley (the "e" was dropped by Buddy for his stage name) was less equivocal.

"Man, that guy. I hope he's in hell right now. I imagine he is." (Petty died in 1984)

THE BUDDY HOLLY BUSINESS

After Holly died, his family split the estate with Maria Elena. For the most part, the two camps get along fine now, although there were problems in the past, said Holley.

Tax bills forced the family to sell down their interest in Holly's catalog to Paul McCartney's publishing company, but they still make "a good living" from royalties, said Holley. McCartney's MPL Communications also scooped up Petty's ownership stake in Holly's compositions.

Maria Elena kept her share, and has spent her life overseeing the Buddy Holly business. She briefly remarried and had three children, but her husband "realized that my heart was not there. It was still with Buddy."

The Puerto Rican native has earned a reputation for being fiercely protective. She refused to let Holly's hometown of Lubbock, Texas, use his name for its walk of fame and annual music festival, but says she is on good terms with the city now.

"I trademarked that name already," she said. "People want to use it without compensation and I feel that was Buddy's bread and butter and the legacy left to us. I'm the guardian of that legacy. "

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Janet Jackson Postpones Shows in Japan

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Janet Jackson has postponed the Japanese leg of her tour, blaming the slumping economy, the singer's representatives said on Monday.

Jackson, who launched her Rock Witchu Tour in September, was scheduled to play five shows in Japan in February.

"It's unfortunate but the world's economy does not allow Janet to make a trip at this time," the singer's manager, Kenneth Crear, said in a statement.

Jackson's representatives offered no other details about the postponement, including any plans to reschedule.

Download Mp3 Music Janet Jackson

She had postponed six North American shows after falling ill with migraine-associated vertigo. In November, the singer announced those shows would not be rescheduled.

Jackson, 42, is the younger sister of pop icon Michael Jackson. Her tour, which opened on September 7 in Vancouver, was the first time she had gone on the road in seven years.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and John O'Callaghan)

John Rich Keeps New Marriage Under Wraps

WASHINGTON – John Rich's latest song is about a relationship, but if you're looking for dish about his recent wedding or other details on his real-life love, you're out of luck.

Rich — who is half of the top country duo Big & Rich and host of CMT's "Gone Country" — got married last month to his longtime girlfriend, Joan Bush.

But unlike some other celebrities, he has no interest in sharing his big day, or much else about his marriage, with the public.

"I've never really understood artists that sold their wedding pictures or they sell pictures of their kids," he said in a recent interview. "To me, I'm just not that kinda guy. You gotta keep something for yourself, and my private life is my private life. Everything else the fans are completely welcome to, and I've let 'em in just about every corner of my life except that."

Rich's public profile is about to ramp up even more with the slated release of his upcoming solo album. The first single, "Another You," was recently released.

The 35-year-old said he probably would not have made the record had partner Big Kenny Alphin been healthy. Alphin has been sidelined due to an injury. He got hit by a drunk driver in 2001 and had to have a second surgery on his neck last year. That meant he couldn't tour for a while.

"I was faced with doing nothing for 18 months, which wasn't gonna happen, or put out new music," said Rich.

The "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" singer said he already had a number of songs written that probably never would have ended up on a Big & Rich album, because they were too personal. So those tunes will be part of his solo album due out in May, titled "Son of a Preacher Man."

Rich's dad is, in fact, a preacher, "the fire and brimstone kinda guy," Rich said. And that strong belief system is one thing Rich inherited. But Rich also calls himself "one of the most hard core honky-tonk guys in the business," which makes for an interesting combination.

"I live my life with a King James in one hand and a Crown and coke in the other," said Rich.

But he can still remember when he was John broke, not John Rich, and that's something that keeps him grounded.

"If you took everything that I've accumulated away from me, you'd still find me in a country bar somewhere, singing for tips with a guitar until two o'clock in the morning," he says.

Big & Rich plan a tour in the next few months.

Jury to Visit Spector's Home in 2nd Murder Trial

LOS ANGELES – The jury in Phil Spector's second murder trial will visit the music producer's home where actress Lana Clarkson died, but the judge set strict rules Monday on the presence of Spector's wife and the operation of an outdoor fountain.

Prosecutors complained that during his first jury's tour, Spector tried to change the volume of the fountain to suggest a chauffeur could not have heard him clearly when Spector allegedly said, "I think I killed somebody."

Deputy district attorneys Alan Jackson and Truc Do gave the judge e-mail exchanges they obtained between Spector and his first defense team in which a jury consultant suggested "the fountain be on full bore."

During the first jury's tour, the panelists asked to have the burbling fountain in the courtyard turned on and off so they could hear the ambient noise.

Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler rejected prosecution objections to this jury's tour but agreed to consider having the fountain on if it is found that there is only an on-off switch and no way to manipulate the sound.

The judge also said Spector's young wife Rachelle can't be present in sight of the jurors. The tour was expected to take place next week.

Defense attorney Doron Weinberg wants to duplicate the scene at Spector's Alhambra home on Feb. 3, 2003, when Clarkson came there with Spector.

Spector, 68, the eccentric rock 'n' roll legend renowned for his "Wall of Sound" recording technique, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Clarkson, 40, who became a 1980s cult figure following her starring role in the Roger Corman film "Barbarian Queen."

The new jury must decide the same question that ultimately stumped the first: Did Spector, a man known for threatening people with guns, shoot Clarkson, or did the actress, down on her luck and despondent about her future, turn a gun on herself?

The first jury heard five months of testimony and deadlocked 10-2 with the majority favoring conviction. The current trial has been under way for nine weeks.

Weinberg opened his defense case with testimony from the Los Angeles County medical examiner. He questioned why a "psychological autopsy" was not performed on Clarkson, exploring her emotional condition to determine if she might have committed suicide.

Legal arguments over the questioning guidelines delayed the answer until Tuesday when the trial resumes.

Lil Wayne to Perform Single Live for Facebook

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Lil Wayne has announced a tentative April 7 release date for his next album, "Rebirth." The set's first single, "Prom Queen," will debut live Tuesday (January 27) on Wayne's MySpace page.

In addition, "Prom Queen" will debut Wednesday on the social networking site Facebook as part of a partnership between Lil Wayne and AT&T. The rapper will perform the single for the first time during a concert in San Diego, which will be streamed live on AT&T's FREEdom of Choice and Mobile Music Facebook pages at 9:40 p.m. PT on January 28.

"We have streamed festivals and shows in the past, but this is the first time AT&T will stream a live performance for our Facebook pages," AT&T spokesperson Heather Buffington told Billboard.com.

According to Huffington, AT&T customers downloaded Lil Wayne ringtones more than any other artist last year. He's also the most popular artist with a Facebook page, she said.

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Contrary to previous reports that said the forthcoming Universal/Cash Money album would be titled "Tha Carter IV," the rock-inspired "Rebirth" will not be the next installment in "Tha Carter" series or related to any previous album that Lil Wayne has released, according to his publicist.

Wayne's move to a rock 'n' roll sound isn't surprising, considering that he often plays guitar at his concerts and has aligned himself with rock artist Kevin Rudolf. He appears on the latter's debut single, "Let It Rock," which recently peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"I might want to hear a certain sound like Prince, but I can't pay him to play it. So, I picked up a guitar and learned how to play it," Wayne told Billboard last year. "(It) goes to show you the only thing that can't be done is what you don't want to do."

Lil Wayne will perform February 8 at the Grammy Awards.

Reuters/Billboard

50 Cent Explains Why He Skipped Obama Inauguration

By Jayson Rodriguez
'If Obama didn't invite you, you really shouldn't be there,' MC says.

50 Cent hopped on the "Change" train a bit late. The G-Unit rapper initially backed now-presumptive Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over President Barack Obama during the Democratic primaries, before changing his allegiance to Obama and finally saying he didn't know.

While he says he's pleased with Obama's victory, 50 said he never thought to attend the festivities, unlike Diddy, Jay-Z, Nas, Young Jeezy and others. He even poked fun at Obama-mania, saying that since the president didn't invite him to party, he'd stay home.

Download Mp3 Music 50 Cent

"I [might have] watched it from a really nice hotel room in D.C.," the rapper told HollyScoop.com at the Sundance festival before Tuesday's inauguration. "Because there's gonna be a whole lot of people out there, for no reason, doing different things. If Obama didn't invite you, you really shouldn't be there. You really shouldn't. That's the way I feel about it. Because when I go places that people didn't invite me [to], they look at me crazy, like, 'Why is he out there?' "

Fif wasn't all jokes, however. He soberly admitted the difficulties the new president faces and the challenges that lie before him.

"I think he's inheriting the country in a difficult state," 50 said. "Actually the worst [state], right? So I think it will take time. I hope, for all of our sakes, that whatever his plans are work for us.

"People watch [Obama on] the monitor like God is speaking, like, 'I hope he can get me a job,' " Fif added.

Watch "Be the Change: Live From the Inaugural" online now, and come back Thursday for the full performances from Kanye West, Kid Rock and Fall Out Boy. Stick with us for wall-to-wall coverage of the inauguration and of the scenes in Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Kenya.

ABBA Singers Deny Catfight Reports

By Jem Aswad
'Of course we competed, but to good effect,' singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad says.

Swedish pop group ABBA, have denied longstanding rumors that they are enemies, according to The Associated Press.

In a rare joint interview published Friday (January 23), Agnetha Faltskog, 58, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 63, set the record straight.

"A lot has been written about how Agnetha and I fought and quarreled with each other. There is absolutely no truth in that," Lyngstad was quoted as saying by Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet, according to the AP. "Of course we competed, but to good effect."

Download Mp3 Music ABBA

"No, we didn't fight. But we have to live [through] a whole lot of such misinterpretations," Faltskog said.

Lyngstad and Faltskog formed ABBA in 1970 together with male members — and their now-ex-husbands — Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. The women's versatile, soaring voices lofted Andersson's nimble melodies to create some of the most memorable pop singles of the 1970s, including "Waterloo," "Dancing Queen," "Mamma Mia," "Money, Money, Money." The group has sold an estimated 370 million records and have long dismissed lucrative offers for them to re-form.

"Mamma Mia!," the musical and film based on their music, has been a long-running hit. (Dominic Cooper, who stars in the film, recently told us that a sequel is not in the works.)

Abba split in 1982 after the inter-group marriages (Lynstad to Andersson, Faltskog to Ulvaeus) dissolved in divorce.

The two women came together Thursday to accept Aftonbladet's lifetime achievement award.

The four former group members are rarely seen together in public but reunited in 2008 for the Swedish premiere of the "Mamma Mia!" film.

ABBA Women Dismiss Rumors of Fights

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – The two women members of 1970s hit group ABBA have rejected long-standing rumors that they are bitter enemies.

In a rare joint interview published Friday, Agnetha Faltskog, 58, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 63, took a chance to set the record straight.

"A lot has been written about how Agnetha and I fought and quarreled with each other. There is absolutely no truth in that," Lyngstad was quoted as saying by tabloid Aftonbladet. "Of course we competed, but to good effect."

Download Mp3 Music ABBA

Lyngstad and Faltskog formed ABBA together with male members Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus.

The band has sold more than 370 million records and is famous for hits like "Waterloo," "Dancing Queen" and "Money, Money, Money."

After ABBA split in 1982, rumors of fights between Lyngstad and Faltskog swirled in articles and books about the band.

"No, we didn't fight. But we have to live (through) a whole lot of such misinterpretations," Faltskog said.

The two women came together Thursday to accept Aftonbladet's lifetime achievement award.

The four former ABBA members are rarely seen together in public, but were reunited in 2008 for the Swedish premiere of "Mamma Mia!" a film based on their hits.