Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on November 18th, 2017

Neil Young announced on Nov. 15 that he'll be releasing his new album, The Visitor, along with an entire high-quality digital catalog on Dec. 1. "December 1st will be a big day for me," Young posted on Facebook. "The Visitor will be coming to your town. I will be going to my town. You will be able to hear me and see me. My archive will open on that same day, a place you can visit and experience every song I have ever released in the highest quality your machine will allow. It's the way it's supposed to be. In the beginning, everything is free." Young says he built his Neil Young Archives site "for myself as much as for everyone else," according to a welcome note. The NYA will use Xstream Music high resolution streaming by OraStream to offer uncompressed master recordings. A timeline on the archives will outline "when and how the music was made" throughout his career. "Every single, recorded track or album I have produced is represented," he says. Info cards with album contents, art and credits will be available, as well as a filing cabinet to present all of Young's songs chronologically, with their corresponding media, memorabilia, press clips and more. - Billboard, 11/15/17...... Kiss member Gene Simmons has reportedly been banned from the Fox News Channel for life after exposing his belly and attacking staff with a copy of his new book, On Power. On Nov. 16, as he appeared on the FNC show Fox & Friends to promote the book, Simmons reportedly left the set and barged into a staff meeting, before making crude insults to the female staff members and shouting "Hey ladies, sue me!," then lifting his shirt up. One witness said Simmons also made Michael Jackson-related paedophilia jokes, before hitting each staff member on the head with a copy of On Power, and remarking that the sound it made suggested they were lacking in intelligence. Simmons' actions have resulted in his picture being put up at the Manhattan building's entrance, and the star receiving a lifetime ban from Fox News. A representitive for Simmons declined to comment. Elsewhere, commenting on the Harvey Weinstein controversy, Simmons said, "The lunatics have taken over the insane asylum when respected business entities such as yourself ask guys that like to stick their tongues out what I think of Harvey Weinstein. Okay, I'm a powerful and attractive man, and what I'm about to say is deadly serious. Men are jackasses. From the time we're young we have testosterone. I'm not validating it or defending it." - New Musical Express, 11/17/17...... Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," which originally appeared on the band's 1970 set Led Zeppelin III, has once again climbed to No. 1 on Billboard Hard Rock Digital Song Sales roundup after being featured in the newly-released movie Thor: Ragnarok. "Immigrant Song" previously achieved the No. 1 position on the same chart in April 2017 after appearing in the film's trailer. Downloads of "Immigrant" increased by a whopping 977 percent to 18,000 sold in the week ending Nov. 9, up from 2,000 in the previous week. "Immigrant" also returned to the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart at No. 4, where older songs can re-enter if showing a meaningful increase and ranking in the top 25. The song previously hit No. 16 powered by the Thor trailer earlier this year. Meanwhile, Led Zep's 2007 greatest hits compilation Mothership leaped from 166 to 80 with a 70% gain to 8,000 equivalent album units. Mothership also jumped from No. 11 to No. 2 on the Hard Rock Albums chart. - Billboard 11/15/17...... In related news, actor Jack Black, who also used "Immigrant Song" in his 2003 movie School of Rock, has challenged Thor star Chris Hemsworth to a Battle of the Jams to settle the "claim" to the song. Black, who went as far as to beg for Led Zeppelin's permission to use the song in his film by filming the Battle of the Bands scene to enlist the crowd in his begging, tweeted "This is a challenge!" to Hemsworth. Hemsworth seemed equal parts uncomfortable and confused when he posted his response to Instagram, saying, "You're right, you got me! Guilty as charged." Hemsworth then posted compliments to the School of Rock faux music professor, writing "We stole 'Immigrant Song' from you. But guess what? You stole it, too. And as Oscar Wilde once said, 'Talent borrows and genius steals.' So, we're both guilty of the same crime." - Billboard, 11/13/17...... Fleetwood Mac announced on Nov. 15 that they will reissue their self-titled 1975 album, featuring unreleased material, on Jan. 19 via Warner Bros. The remastered album will be available in three different formats: a single-CD, a 2-CD collection featuring unreleased studio and live recordings, and a 3-CD/LP/DVD deluxe edition that features additional live material. The unreleased material includes live performances of several tracks, including "Rhiannon," "Landslide" and "Say You Love Me." The live songs were recorded during concerts in 1976, and the deluxe edition will include 14 additional unreleased live tracks. The deluxe edition will also include the original album pressed on 180-gram vinyl, plus a DVD featuring 5.1 surround sound and high-resolution 24/96 stereo audio mixes of the record. Earlier in 2017, the Mac's Christine McVie revealed the band would launch a world tour in 2018. "We're going to start rehearsing in March, next year. The tour is around June. It will be global," she said. - New Musical Express, 11/16/17...... Late Steely Dan member Walter Becker's wife Delia issued a statement on Nov. 15 saying that her husband died "in the course of being treated for an extremely aggressive form of esophageal cancer." Becker passed away on Sept. 3 at age 6, less than four months after he was diagnosed. "Walter passed peacefully in our New York City home, surrounded by his family, his music, and a blustery rainstorm -- one of his favorite sounds -- blowing outside the window," she writes. "In keeping with his wishes, he was cremated without ceremony or memorial in New York City. Understandably, Walter wanted privacy during the course of his illness and he hoped for recovery. He wanted to be able to return to the stage and once again perform for his fans. It's important to me, as it was to Walter, that you all know he never intended to keep anyone in the dark about his condition. He just ran out of time much sooner than any of us thought possible," she added. Delia also thanked fans for the "tsunami" of tributes and remembrances that have come in the past two months, calling them "deeply moving." "Thank you, everyone, for helping me and his loved ones know that Walter's mark on the world -- and on all of you -- will not soon fade," she wrote. Becker was absent at both of Steely Dan's performances during July's Classic West and Classic East concerts due to an unspecified illness. In August, his bandmate Donald Fagen said that his bandmate was "recovering from a procedure," but didn't elaborate further. Fagen recently embarked on the first Steely Dan tour since the death of Becker. - NME, 11/15/17...... Jeff Lynne has announced his latest incarnation of Electric Light Orchestra will embark on its first U.S. tour in over 35 years on Aug. 2, 2018 at Oakland, California's Oracle Arena. The tour will then zig-zag across North America, playing Los Angeles (8/4), Denver (8/8), Houston (8/10), Dallas (8/13), Rosemont, Ill. (8/15), Detroit (8/16), Toronto (8/18) and New York's Madison Square Garden (8/21) before wrapping at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center on Aug. 24. The tour comes days before the arrival of ELO's new Wembley Or Bust. live album and DVD ."Our audiences are amazing. It's like they're in the group. We can't wait to play for them again," Lynne said in a statement. After a nearly 30-year hiatus, Lynne revived ELO in Sept. 2014 under the moniker "Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra" at the sold-out BBC Radio 2's Festival in a Day. They performed at the Grammy Awards in Feb. 2015 and released Alone in the Universe -- the first album credited to "Jeff Lynne's ELO" -- the following November, promoting the release with rare performances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live and CBS This Morning. - Billboard, 11/13/17...... A concert special of Barbara Streisand's "The Music| The Mem'ries| The Magic!" 2016-17 tour will premiere globally on the Netflix streaming service on Nov. 22. In the Miami concert, Streisand strolls through her six-decade career, up to her 35th studio album, Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway. The album, released in Aug. 2016, became Streisand's 11th No. 1 album and featured the diva performing with a number of collaborators, including Melissa McCarthy, Anne Hathaway and Jamie Foxx. - Billboard, 11/13/17...... Long imprisoned cult leader Charles Manson is reportedly in grave condition at a Bakersfield, Calif. hospital with a bleak prognosis. The 83-year-old Manson, who is serving seven life sentences in Corcoran State Prison in California, has been suffering from health issues for some time, and In January he had to be hospitalized for severe intestinal bleeding. He also needed surgery to repair a lesion but doctors said he was too weak and sent him back to prison. Since arriving at the Bakersfield facility three days ago, Manson's been getting various treatments around the hospital, always guarded by five cops. A source familiar with Manson's condition told TMZ.com that "it's not going to get any better for him... it's just a matter of time." Behind bars since 1971, Manson has been denied parole a dozen times. His next hearing is scheduled for 2027. - New York Daily News, 11/15/17...... Rocky star Sylvester Stallone has become one of the latest Hollywood celebrities to be accused of sexual assault. While filming a movie in Las Vegas in 1986, Stallone is alleged to have forced a 16-year-old girl to have sex with him and his bodyguard Michael De Luca at a hotel, according to a police report obtained by the UK's Daily Mail. The unnamed teen claims she was "intimidated" about having sex with Stallone, and became "very uncomfortable" when De Luca joined in but felt she had "no choice." After the incident, the girl said Stallone -- who was 40 at the time -- threatened "to beat her head in" if she told anyone because both men were married. The teen didn't pursue charges against them because she was "humiliated and ashamed" after the encounter, according to the police report. However a spokesperson for Stallone has categorically denied the allegations. "This is a ridiculous, categorically false story," said Stallone rep Michelle Bega. "No one was ever aware of this story until it was published today, including Mr. Stallone. At no time was Mr. Stallone ever contacted by authorities or anyone else regarding this matter." - Postmedia News, 11/16/17...... Queen guitarist Brian May took to Instagram on Nov. 13 to voice his displeasure at a photographer named Barbara Kremer who reported one of his photos for copyright violation. May posted a screenshot of the notification he received, after a user reported one of his photos when he forgot to credit them -- which resulted in his account being suspended. And he wasn't afraid to name and shame. "Well this is what I woke up to," he wrote. "How RUDE! I'm usually very careful to credit anyone whose photos I post -- but in this case, at the end of the day, I must have forgotten. (Barbara Kremer) reported me to Instagram and they not only took the picture down but disabled my whole account until I'd dealt with the issue -- which took about 45 minutes of my time that I could not afford because the link refused to work on my phone." May then made it very clear that Barbara was not welcome at any future gigs: "If I ever discover that you are at one of our concerts in future, look out, because, logically, I will be tempted to have you thrown out." Several Queen fans flocked to support May, with one user commenting: "Please don't let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch, as Michael Jackson used to sing." However, another user jumped in to suggest that naming her was unfair: "Yes, poor judgement from her side. But I think you should know better than to hang and shame a regular woman, way below you in society, possibly exposing her for harassment or even death threats." - NME, 11/13/17...... Former The Carol Burnett Show cast member Vicki Lawrence will star in a new sitcom pilot for Fox with a "retirement home" theme called Cool Kids. Lawrence will join David Alan Grier (The Carmichael Show), Leslie Jordan (Will & Grace) and Roseanne alum Martin Mull in the sitcom, from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia masterminds Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton. - Deadline.com, 11/16/17...... Veteran gossip columnist Liz Smith, known as the "Dame of Dish," died in New York on Nov. 12 of natural causes. She was 94. Ms. Smith chronicled the gossip among New York City's rich and scandalous for 60 years and played a key role in the high-profile divorce between Donald and Ivana Trump. For more than a quarter-century, her Daily News column -- titled "Liz Smith" -- was one of the most widely read in the world. Its success was due in part to Smith's own celebrity status, giving her insider access. However unlike some of her rivals, including Walter Winchell, Ms. Smith succeeded with kindness and an aversion to cheap shots. Whether reporting on entertainers, politicians or power brokers, the "Dame of Dish" never bothered with unfounded rumors, sexual preferences or who's-sleeping-with-whom. Ms. Smith later worked in television at WNBC-TV for three nights a week commentary, then jumped to Fox, and she later did work for the cable channel E! Entertainment Television. During that time, she migrated from the Daily News to the rival New York Post and finally to Newsday, ultimately earning salaries well into six figures. Her column was syndicated nationwide, drawing millions of readers. - CBS News, 11/12/17...... Malcolm Young, guitarist and co-founder of legendary Australian rock band AC/DC, died on Nov. 18 after a three-year battle with dementia. He was 64. Young founded AC/DC alongside his brother, Angus Young, in 1973, ten years after the brothers relocated to Sydney, Australia from Glasgow, Scotland. He and Angus had been credited as co-writers on every AC/DC song beginning with debut High Voltage in 1975 through 2014's Rock or Bust. Malcolm last performed with AC/DC in 2010 following the band's tour in support of 2008's Black Ice album, officially retiring from the group in 2014. Malcolm is said to have died peacefully alongside his family, and is survived by his wife, O'Linda, and two children. AC/DC confirmed the news on its website, posting that "it is with deep heartfelt sadness that AC/DC has to announce the passing of Malcolm Young... With enormous dedication and commitment he was the driving force behind the band. As a guitarist, songwriter and visionary he was a perfectionist and a unique man. He always stuck to his guns and did and said exactly what he wanted. He took great pride in all that he endeavored. His loyalty to the fans was unsurpassed." Angus Young added, "As his brother it is hard to express in words what he has meant to me during my life, the bond we had was unique and very special. He leaves behind an enormous legacy that will live on forever. Malcolm, job well done." Other musicians reacting to Malcom's death include Eddie Van Halen, who posted that "it is a sad day in rock and roll. Malcolm Young was my friend and the heart and soul of AC/DC. I had some of the best times of my life with him on our 1984 European tour. He will be missed and my deepest condolences to his family, bandmates and friends." Paul Stanley, Slash, Ozzy Osbourne and Joe Satriani also tweeted their condolences. Malcom's death came just 27 days after his older brother, musician/producer George Young, died at age 70. - Billboard, 11/18/17...... It has been publicly revealed that actor Don Pedro Colley, perhaps best known for playing the straight-shooting Sheriff "Big Ed" Little of Chickasaw County on the 1979-85 CBS action comedy The Dukes of Hazzard, died on Oct. 11 in his hometown of Klamath Falls, Ore., following a long battle with cancer. He was 79. Colley also recurred as Gideon, a friend of Fess Parker's lead character, on NBC's Daniel Boone and appeared on other shows including Daktari, The Wild Wild West, Adam-12, Night Gallery, Ironside, The Streets of San Francisco, Little House on the Prairie, Starsky and Hutch and The A-Team. His big screen credits include Beneath the Planet of the Apes and the first film directed by Star Wars director George Lucas. - The Hollywood Reporter, 11/17/17.

An anonymous buyer has paid $396,500 for a Martin D-28 acoustic guitar once owned by Bob Dylan and played by him at such seminal rock events as George Harrison's 1971 Concert for Bangladesh in New York City and during Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour from October 1975 to May 1976. Larry Cragg, Dylan's former guitar repairman and the current owner of the guitar, paid $500 to Dylan in 1977 to buy the instrument, and his original purchase receipt was included in the auction. The auction was conducted by Heritage Auctions in Dallas on Nov. 11. AP, 11/12/17...... A freelance science journalist named Ben Ryan is alleging that Rolling Stone founder and publisher Jann Wenner once offered him a writing deal in exchange for sex back in 2005. Speaking to the website BuzzFeed.com, Ryan said Wenner invited him to come to his apartment to discuss writing opportunities at Men's Journal, then one of his Wenner Media magazines, and to his surprise, kissed him as they were sitting on a couch, but he rejected Wenner's advances. Ryan then claims that Wenner tried to convince him to stay and continue their encounter by offering him a writing deal, which Ryan says he also flatly turned down. Wenner, in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, confirmed the encounter with Ryan but said that an offer was never made. "He turned me down, which I respected," the openly gay Wenner said. "I had no intention of making him feel uncomfortable. His piece was subsequently published in any case; no work was promised and no work was lost. I have never and would never make an offer of this kind." Wenner is also the subject of a new book by media reporter Joe Hagan called Sticky Fingers, which he has since disavowed but originally participated in. - The Hollywood Reporter, 11/10/17...... John Cale, a founding member of the late '60s/early '70s band The Velvet Underground, has announced he'll perform two shows at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Nov. 16 and 17 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of VU's iconic 1967 LP The Velvet Underground & Nico. Cale, joined by such special guests as Animal Collective, MGMT, Sky Ferreira and Kurt Vile, will perform the album in its entirety. Cale has also announced he'll be throwing his own birthday party, "John Cale's 75th Birthday Celebration: A Live Audio-Spectrum from Dissonance to Destruction," focusing on his solo work. - Billboard, 11/10/17...... What turned out to be late rock legend Tom Petty's final tour, his 2017 40th anniversary trek with his band the Heartbreakers which began on Apr. 20 in Oklahoma City, Okla., drew a total of 637,671 fans to 44 headlining performances at arenas, amphitheaters and stadiums in the U.S. and Canada. Petty's final stand of three concerts at the Los Angeles amphitheater in September capped a five-month trek through 36 North American cities that grossed more than $61 million during its run. The Hollywood Bowl stint was ultimately the highest-grossing date on the jaunt, with a $5.3 million take from 49,217 sold seats on Sept. 21, 22 and 25. The only other three-show run was in Berkeley, California, in late August at the Hearst Greek Theatre. Petty also made a handful of festival appearances during the summer, among them a headlining slot on the final night of British Summer Time, a six-night festival at London's Hyde Park. It was his only European event this year, and marked only his second performance in the U.K. in two decades. The tour's success makes it on track to potentially rank among 2017's top 25 tours for the first time since 2010 when it ended the year at No. 14 based on $45 million in sales. - Billboard, 11/10/17...... Elton John celebrated the 25th anniversary of his Elton John AIDS Foundation on Nov. 7 at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City by delivering a teary and emotional speech about his efforts to raise awareness and fight against AIDS. After the mother of Ryan White, an Indiana teenager who became the poster child for HIV awareness during the 1980s AIDS crisis, spoke passionately about how the iconic rocker visited her son while he was sick and helped her family financially, John said the White family "lit a little candle in my soul." "Six months after Ryan passed away, I got help and I became sober," Elton said. The Elton John AIDS Foundation launched in 1992 in the United States and in the United Kingdom a year later. The two organizations have raised more than $385 million since then, and John said 98 percent of what is raised is used to help others. John told the audience that he's convinced his struggle to end the AIDS epidemic will be successful by 2030. Also attending "An Enduring Vision: A Benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation" were host Neil Patrick Harris along with Billy Joel, Sting, Sheryl Crow and actresses Glenn Close and Susan Lucci. The event raised more than $700,000 in a live auction. - AP, 11/8/17...... I In related news, former Pink Floyd principal Roger Waters wrapped the opening leg of his Us + Them World Tour in Vancouver on Oct. 28 and 29, the last stop on a 45-city trek through North America that launched in late May. The tour's latest jaunt, from Oct. 2-29, has grossed over $18 million and ranks among the top 10 top-grossing tours for the week ending Nov. 10. So far the tour has racked up a total of $89 million in ticket sales from 63 concerts scheduled during a five-month stretch. More than 734,000 fans of the Pink Floyd alum caught the tour in North American markets during the run. - Billboard, 11/10/17...... The Eagles have shared audio of their first live performance of "New Kid in Town" in 1976 from their three-night stand at The Forum in Los Angeles, several weeks before the December release of their now classic Hotel California album. Co-written by lead singer Glenn Frey along with Eagles drummer/vocalist Don Henley and close band friend J.D. Souther, "New Kid in Town" would go on to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart and win a Grammy for best vocal arrangement for two or more voices. The live "New Kid in Town" is one of 10 tunes featured on the Eagles' upcoming Hotel California: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, which hits stores on Nov. 24. The 2-CD/1 Blu-ray Audio set includes a newly remastered version of the original album and the 10 concert tracks. The accompanying Blu-Ray audio disc features the 5.1 Surround Sound mix originally released on DVD-A in 2001. A more economically priced 2 CD remastered version of the album will be released the same day. - Billboard, 11/9/17...... A musical cast recording of the forthcoming Jimmy Buffett-based musical "Escape to Margaritaville" has been announced for release on Feb. 16, 2018, the same day Buffett's first-ever musical debuts on Broadway. The CD and digital release of the album will come via Buffett's Mailboat Records and will be recorded later in November in Chicago, featuring such Buffett classics as "Come Monday," "Volcano" and "Cheeseburger in Paradise." "Escape to Margaritaville" will play Chicago's Oriental Theater from Nov. 9 - Dec. 2 before arriving at Broadway's Marquis Theatre; previews begin Feb. 16, 2018 and the show officially opens Mar. 15. Meanwhile, Buried Treasure: Vol. 1, a special collection of Buffett songs recorded in 1969 in Mobile and Nashville and discovered hidden in a recording studio closet, will be released on Nov. 17. - Billboard, 11/9/17...... In related news, the live theater division of Universal Pictures announced on Nov. 8 that the Bee Gees will be getting their own stage musical. Universal president Jimmy Horowitz says he's reached an agreement with surviving Bee Gee Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb's widow Yvonne Gibb and the estate of Robin Gibb to develop a stage musical based on the life story of the legendary trio. Barry Gibb will serve as an executive producer on the project, which will feature the group's iconic music. "This is a wonderful opportunity for our family," said Barry Gibb in a statement. "I'm personally very excited to be a part of the creative process along with Yvonne and Dwina. It's another adventure for us and a chance to throw the spotlight on all my brothers and finally the real story of us will be told. It's an honor to be working alongside the people I most respect. I can't wait to get started!" - Billboard, 11/8/17...... Legendary 1960s British pop singer Petula Clark has announced her first U.S. tour in five decades behind her new album Living for Today, which hits stores on Nov. 10. The 84-year-old Clark -- best known for her 1964 hit "Downtown" and for starring turns on stage in Sunset Boulevard and Blood Brothers -- recorded the album mostly in London, and along with original songs includes choice covers of Steve Winwood's "While You See A Chance," Peggy Lee's "Fever" and the Beatles' "Blackbird." An original song called "The Rainbow" reunites Clark with her "Downtown" collaborator Tony Hatch for their first teaming in decades. Clark, who now resides in Geneva, kicks off her U.S. tour on Nov. 12 in Modesto, CA, with dates booked through Dec. 26 at B.B. King's in New York City. - Billboard, 11/9/17...... Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie Presley says she intends to file a lawsuit against her former financial managers, claiming they squandered more than $100 million over a 10 year period. Presley claims her financial guru Barry Spiegel sold 85% of her interest in Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE) and then gave the money to Robert F.X. Sillerman as a way of ingratiating himself with the famous investor. Presley also charges that Spiegel spent $9 million of her money without her knowledge to buy an English estate and couldn't make the balloon payment on the property, and stopped paying her taxes in 2012 which left her with a tax bill of $7 million. Siegel counters that Lisa Marie overspent herself into destitution, and as early as 2003 as $20 million in debt and he was the one who righted the ship. Siegel says he tried hard to get her to stop her excessive spending over the next 10 years but it fell on deaf ears. - TMZ.com, 11/9/17...... In an interview with the UK paper The Sun, Mick Jagger revealed that the Rolling Stones will be "getting plans into place" for some huge shows in the UK in 2018. "We were disappointed not to perform in the UK on our recent jaunt and we're looking forward to getting plans in place to do so next year," Jagger said. This summer the Stones said they were forced to pass on UK shows in 2017 "due to lack of available venues because of sporting fixtures." The news comes after reports emerged that band would be headlining a "multi-day extravaganza" at Knebworth in the summer of 2018. - New Musical Express, 11/8/17...... In what has become a sort of annual tradition, a new private detective has alleged that Patrick McDermott, the ex-boyfriend of Olivia Newton-John, faked his death in 2005 and is now living in Mexico. The detective, Charlie Parker, told New Idea magazine that a photo discovered "last month on a noticeboard at [a] run-down El Palmar del Camaron beach campsite" shows a man who is almost certainly McDermott. Parker says the man in the photograph and McDermott are a "90% match." In an interview with the Australian version of 60 Minutes in 2016, Newton-John said she has no idea what happened to McDermott, and that it's just one of those things you have to "accept and let go...I live on." - Jezebel.com, 11/7/17...... The CBS television network has annouinced that will air a Grammys Greatest Stories: A 60th Anniversary Special on Nov. 24 that will feature rare archival footage, exclusive interviews and special appearances by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and U2. The special will also take viewers behind the scenes of "Music's Biggest Night," revealing secrets about the remarkable performances and unique Grammy moments only seen on the the Grammy Awards. CBS has also announced a 50th anniversary Carol Burnett special for Dec. 3 that celebrates Burnett's classic award-winning comedy series The Carol Burnett Show. In the special, filmed on the show's original soundstage (Stage 33 at CBS Television City in Los Angeles), Burnett reminisces about her favorite sketches, Q&As with the studio audience, guest stars, her memorable wardrobe and bloopers, as well as the tremendous effect the show continues to have on television today. Guest stars include original cast members Vicki Lawrence and Lyle Waggoner, costume designer Bob Mackie, and comedians and friends including Jim Carrey, Stephen Colbert, Bernadette Peters, Jay Leno and Martin Short...... Pentti "Whitey" Glan, a session drummer who played on Alice Cooper's Welcome to My Nightmare and Lou Reed's Rock 'n' Roll Animal, has died of lung cancer at age 71. Glan was once of member of the band Bush, which opened for Steppenwolf and Three Dog Night in the early '70s. ne of Bush's songs, "I Can Hear You Calling," which Glan co-wrote, was the b-side to Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World." Steppenwolf frontman John Kay then used his talents on a pair of solo albums, 1972's Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes and 1973's My Sportin' Life. Glan also played the drummer in The Rose, the 1979 Bette Midler movie that was loosely based on the life of Janis Joplin. - 11/8/17...... Actor John Hillerman, best known for his portrayal of Tom Selleck fastidious estate caretaker Jonathan Quayle Higgins III on Magnum, P.I., died on Nov. 9 at his home in Houston, Tex., of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 84. Mr. Hillerman received four Emmy nominations in consecutive years for portraying Higgins and won in 1987. He also played the Hardin twins in the 1973 film Paper Moon, one a moonshiner ripped off by Ryan O'Neal, the other a sheriff's policeman who chases him into St. Louis and has him beaten up. Other bigscreen appearances include What's Up, Doc?, The History of the World, Part 1, and Blazing Saddles. Mr. Hillerman retired from acting in 1999, after a career spanning more than 70 film and TV roles (and dozens more on the stage). His final role was in A Very Brady Sequel, in 1996. - The Hollywood Reporter, 11/9/17.