Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on May 21st, 2022

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne's eldest daughter Aimee Osbourne was one of two survivors of a deadly recording studio fire in Hollywood, Calif., on May 19 that killed one other person. A local TV station reported firefighters arrived on the scene to find smoke pouring out of the two-story concrete building, and the crew of 78 extinguished the flames in about 51 minutes. Upon searching the structure, the firefighters found one unidentified person dead inside the building. Aimee, 38, and her producer complained of respiratory issues related to smoke exposure, but were treated and released at the scene. Sharon Osbourne revealed the news via an Instagram post, posting that Aimee and her producer had been working in the studio" and "they are the lucky two that made it out alive," also offering her prayers "to the family and friends of the person that lost their life to this senseless fire." The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and it is not yet confirmed whether or not the building was up to code. Meanwhile, Sharon confirmed that Ozzy will be releasing a new album this September during an appearance on The Graham Norton Radio Show that was taped in April. "He's busy in the studio," Sharon said. "He still does all his writing and singing, and it keeps him really happy... He'll never stop singing and writing. We've built him a big studio here [at the house in the UK], so he can do it all at home. And he can't wait to come back, to be honest with you," she added. Sharon said she and Ozzy had been back in the UK "for three weeks" and "then I go home again for three and then come back here for a couple.... So I'm going back and forth until Christmas until we move here permanently." - Billboard/New Musical Express, 5/20/22...... As the U.K. gears up for the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee gala this summer celebrating her 70 years on the throne, an all-star collection of rock and pop stars have been confirmed for a concert at Buckingham Palace on June 4. Queen with Adam Lambert, Diana Ross, Sir Elton John, Sir Rod Stewart, Duran Duran, Craig David, Alicia Keys, Elbow, Hans Zimmer, Andrea Bocelli, Nile Rodgers, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and more will perform across three stages set up in front of the palace with an in-person audience of 22,000 and be broadcast live on BBC One and Radio 2. "The evening will pivot around global themes that have been born, or evolved, during the breadth of Her Majesty's reign due to extraordinary British and Commonwealth contributions including Fashion, Sport, The Environment, 70 Years of Pop Music and Musicals," according to a statement announcing the event. Andrew Lloyd Webber will curate a selection of performances from some of the most beloved Broadway hits, including casts and special guests from "The Phantom of the Opera," "Hamilton," "Six," "The Lion King" and" Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat," including a special appearance from Miranda. Among the other stars set to appear are: Sir David Attenborough, Emma Raducanu, David Beckham, Stephen Fry, Dame Julie Andrews, The Royal Ballet and Ellie Simmonds. "Twenty years after playing The Queen's glorious Golden Jubilee we're very happy to be invited again," the band Queen said in a statement. A poster of the event can be viewed on the Queen Twitter page. - Billboard, 5/19/22...... Disney Original Documentary and Disney+ announced on May 18 that a new career-spanning Elton John documentary titled Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and the Years that Made His Legend is in the works and will serve as the definitive and official feature on the Rocket Man's life and career. Including unseen archival footage, new interviews and a present day look at Elton and his family, the film will culminate with John's final North American show at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles this November. Oscar-nominated filmmaker R.J. Cutler, who most recently directed the Billie Eilish documentary Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry, is directing the film alongside producer and director David Furnish, who is married to John. Furnish also directed the 1997 Elton documentary Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras and produced the Hollywood biopic Rocketman. "What a thrill and an honor it is that David Furnish and I get to create this intimate and unique look at one of the world's most celebrated artists," Cutler said in a statement. No release date was revealed for the documentary but the companies teased a festival run and a theatrical release before it streams on Disney+. In other Elton news, John and Dua Lipa's "Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)" is currently the hottest song on the Billboard Adult Contemporary radio airplay chart, as it rises to No. 1 on the list dated May 21, reflecting play in the May 9-15 tracking week, according to Luminate. The song is Elton's 18th No. 1 on the AC chart, among 41 Top 10s and 75 entries overall on the chart. John also bests all artists in the tally's archives, which date back to July 1961. Elton furthers his lead over The Carpenters, who logged 15 AC No. 1s, in 1970-81, followed by Barry Manilow (13), Celine Dion, Lionel Richie (11 each), Whitney Houston and Olivia Newton-John (10 each). - Billboard, 5/19/22...... Pioneering rock & roller and later country singer Jerry Lee Lewis is one of three new inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the CMA announced on May 15. Lewis is the veterans era inductee, while Keith Whitley is this year's medern era artist, and veteran music exec Joe Galante is being inducted in the non-performer category. The newest members were inducted on Mar. 17 at an event at the Hall of Fame and Museum's rotunda in Nashville. At 86, Lewis attended to accept his induction, telling the audience, "I'd like to say it's a great honor and a great pleasure to be in the Country Music Hall of Fame. My name is Jerry Lee Lewis and I love everybody. I'm just overwhelmed to be asked to be here today. It's always great to be recognized." Lewis has notched 28 top 10 hits on Billboard's Country Songs chart over four decades, earning more hits over a longer period of time than he did on the Billboard Hot 100. In the country genre, his hits have included "Chantilly Lace," "Another Place Another Time," and "There Must Be More to Love Than This," while signature rock and roll songs of his including "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" and "Great Balls of Fire" also topped the Country Songs chart. Lewis is also the fourth member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's founding 1986 class of inductees to also gain membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame, along with Elvis Presley (1998), the Everly Brothers (2001) and Ray Charles (2021). - Billboard, 5/17/22...... Peter Gabriel picked up an Academy Fellowship award at the Ivor Novellos in London on May 19, and earlier spoke to reporters about his recent collaboration with Arcade Fire. Gabriel, who lent his vocals to "Unconditional II (Race and Religion)" on Arcade Fire's latest acclaimed album WE, said he "thought that they were a great band and they asked me." "That's the simple truth about it," he said. "Regine [Chassagne, keys] grew up in Montreal so was exposed to a lot of my music. They're great writers and it was really fun and interesting to see how other people worked," he added. Asked about the music industry's ability to tackle the climate change crisis, Gabriel described it as "a work in progress." "Touring in itself isn't energy efficient," he said. "I know that bands like Massive Attack have tried very hard to deal with that. There are no perfect solutions. They're talking about upping the quality of lighting and PA in venues, which is how it used to be in the very old days. Not that they were good, but it meant that bands didn't take tonnes of gear. That might help. There's a venue in Vegas and they're trying to get one in London too, which was a massive visual and audio sphere. That may take off and would get cheaper to reproduce, and people could arrive and cut down on what they bring," he added. - NME, 5/20/22...... More details of The Who's first performance in Cincinnati, Oh., for nearly 45 years at the city's TQL Stadium on May 15 have leaked. The midwest US city was the centre of an infamous tragedy during the band's tour in December of 1979 after a crowd crush occurred while fans were entering the Riverfront Coliseum left 11 dead and dozens more injured. "I've been trying to think of what to say, what would be cool to say, [and] what would be uncool to say," Who guitarist Pete Townshend told the audience. "Really, there are no words that we can say that can mean (as much as) the fact that you guys have come out tonight and supported this event. Thank you so much," he added. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the band paid direct tribute to the victims of the 1979 tragedy during their performance of "Love, Reign O'er Me," and black-and-white photos of the 11 victims were projected onto the screen, with the full list of names presented following the performance. A video message from Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder was also shared prior to the first encore of the evening. Vedder, who is currently also on tour in North America, told the Cincinnati audience that he was "hoping to be" at the show but was unable to attend. "We're all thinking about you," Vedder said to the audience. "It's a great thing remembering those young people, who will never be forgotten." Vedder went on to mention that both Who frontman Roger Daltrey and Townshend had been there for him following Pearl Jam's own tragedy, when nine people were killed during a stampede at the Roskilde Festival in 2000 while the band was performing. For the final song of the evening, "Baba O'Riley," the band were joined on-stage by students from Finneytown High School, a nearby school in Cincinnati. Three of the victims of the 1979 tragedy went to Finneytown High, and the school established its P.E.M. Memorial Scholarship Fund in the wake of it. "You never get over it, but you gotta live," Daltrey said as the band took its final bows of the evening. Fan-shot footage from the emotional evening can be viewed on YouTube. The Who continued their "Hits Back!" tour for the rest of the week in Boston, Philadelphia and Washington DC before wrapping the current leg of the tour in early June at Madison Square Garden in New York City. - NME, 5/17/22...... On May 16 Eric Clapton announced the postponement of two dates on his current European tour after testing positive for Covid-19. The legendary rock singer/guitarist/songwriter -- who has repeatedly railed against Covid lockdown measures and vaccines -- says he tested positive after playing the second date of a two-night stand at London's Royal Albert Hall on May 8 that served as the kick-off of his current European tour. "Eric Clapton is unfortunately suffering from Covid having tested positive shortly after the second concert at the Royal Albert Hall," read a statement from Clapton about the outing that was originally scheduled for summer 2020, pushed to spring 2021 and then rescheduled a third time to spring 2022 due to the global pandemic that has killed more than 6.2 million to date. "He has been told by his medical advisors that if he were to resume traveling and performing too soon, it could substantially delay his full recovery. Eric is also anxious to avoid passing on any infection to any of his band, crew, promoters, their staff and of course, the fans... we very much hope he will be sufficiently recovered by the end of the week to be able to perform the remainder of the planned performances," the statement added. As a result, planned dates in Zurich at the Hallenstadion on May 17 and Milan's Mediolanum Forum on May 17 have been postponed with plans to resume the tour with two shows in Bologna on May 20 and 21; the statement said that the postponed dates will be rescheduled within the next six months. In 2021, Clapton, 77, teamed up with fellow lockdown opponent Van Morrison for the anti-lockdown screed "Stand and Deliver," as well as releasing his own similar take, "This Has Gotta Stop." Clapton also refused to play shows that required proof of vaccination and earlier this year appeared to embrace a controversial, widely debunked theory claiming that secret messages are allegedly being hidden inside YouTube videos with the goal of driving mass compliance with Covid precautions. The star has also claimed that he suffered from severe nerve damage to his fingers as a result of taking the AstraZeneca vaccine, and was so sick he could not play his guitar for months. - Billboard, 5/17/22...... R&B legend Chaka Khan, whose hits include "I'm Every Woman," "Tell Me Something Good" and "I Feel for You," has signed a new record deal with The SRG/ILS Group, and her first project under the agreement is slated to arrive this summer. In announcing the signing, SRG/ILS Group founder/CEO Claude Villani stated, "Chaka Khan is a beacon of light in our industry. Her spirit and her vocals soar. It is a pleasure working with her on this next chapter. We've got a hot record here." Added Khan, "I'm very proud to be with SRG/ILS, a company that's run by a real musician who understands that the needs of artists have been overlooked for years." Khan's forthcoming project will be her first since 2019's Hello Happiness, which yielded the singles "Like Sugar" and the title track. The singer-songwriter's powerful vocals first garnered attention when she fronted R&B/funk band Rufus, which scored its first top five single in 1974 with "Tell Me Something Good." She later embarked on a solo career in 1978. Distributed worldwide by Virgin Music (Universal Music Group), The SRG/ILS Group's roster includes the likes of Brian McKnight, Mary Mary, Erica Campbell and Kenny Lattimore. - Billboard, 5/19/22...... Former One Day at a Time star and the late Eddie Van Halen's first wife Valerie Bertinelli, 62, filed for divorce on May 12 from her husband of 10 years, financial planner Tom Vitale, 60. The couple, who legally separated in Nov. 2021, cited irreconcilable differences. - People, 5/30/22...... Sony Music and the estate of Michael Jackson announced on May 15 that a double-CD anniversary edition of Jackson's 1982 LP Thriller is being planned for release on Nov. 18, the 40th anniversary of the mega-selling album. The set will package the original Thriller (whose nine songs included "Lady") along with a bonus disc of never-released tracks that Michael had worked on for the album. Released Nov. 30, 1982, Thriller spun off seven top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 with two achieving No. 1: "Beat It" and "Billie Jean." In addition to winning eight Grammys and setting various chart records, the album has since been RIAA-certified at 34-times platinum. Having amassed more than 100 million in sales worldwide, Thriller is the biggest selling album of all time. Music from it as well as Jackson's other hit albums is spotlighted in Broadway's "MJ The Musical," which recently earned 10 Tony Award nominations. For the U.S., Walmart will sell an exclusive version of the original Thriller album featuring an alternate 40th anniversary cover. Target stores, meanwhile, will have an exclusive version of the original album with a commemorative "Thriller 40" vinyl slip mat. Both versions will also be available outside the U.S. through various retailers. Additionally, several anniversary activations are planned between now and the end of the year. The first is new merchandise featuring the special "Thriller 40" logo, now available exclusively through the MichaelJackson.com webstore. Mastering the anniversary package from the original analog master tapes, Mobile Fidelity will also make the original Thriller available as a 33rpm LP, limited to 40,000 numbered copies, as well as a hybrid super audio CD (SACD). An UltraDisc two-LP set of Thriller will be released at a later date. - Billboard, 5/16/22...... Bob Neuwirth, musical artist, painter and popular member of the 1960s New York City folk scene known for his collaborations with Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and more, died in Santa Monica, Calif., due to heart failure on May 18. He was 82. Mr. Neuwirth co-wrote his friend Janis Joplin's hit "Mercedes Benz" along with poet Michael McClure. He also introduced the Kris Kristofferson-penned "Me and Bobby McGee" to Joplin, who recorded the song before her death in Oct. 1970, according to Neuwirth's biography. Both songs appeared on Joplin's posthumous 1971 album Pearl, which topped the Billboard Hot 200 album chart and pent 42 total weeks on the chart. In 1994, Mr. Neuwirth and John Cale collaborated on the experimental album Last Day on Earth, on MCA. His series of solo albums began with a self-titled 1974 effort. Most notably, Mr. Neuwirth is seen throughout D.A. Pennebaker's famous Bob Dylan documentary Don't Look Back, and also co-starred in Dylan's 1978 film Renaldo and Clara. "For over 60 years, Bob was at the epicenter of cultural moments from Woodstock, to Paris, Don't Look Back to Monterey Pop, Rolling Thunder to Nashville and Havana," his longtime partner Paula Batson told Variety. "He was a generous instigator who often produced and made things happen anonymously. The art is what mattered to him, not the credit. He was an artist, a mentor and a supporter to many. He will be missed by all who love him." - Billboard, 5/19/22...... Scottish guitarist Ricky Gardiner, who contributed fretwork to David Bowie's 1977 album Low and Iggy Pop's The Idiot, has passed away at the age of 73. Gardiner formed the progressive rock band Beggars Opera in 1969, and also worked as a solo artist and released such records as The Flood (1985), Precious Life (1987) and 2015's Songs For The Electric. In 1995 he fell ill and developed electromagnetic hypersensitivity, which restricted the amount of time he could spend with computer devices while recording music. Gardiner first met Iggy Pop while recording Low at the Chateau d'Hrouville studio in France, and subsequently became a member of his live band. The guitarist later worked on Iggy's Lust For Life album in 1977, co-writing "The Passenger," "Success" and "Neighbourhood Threat" and playing lead guitar on such tracks as "Lust For Life." "Dearest Ricky, lovely, lovely man, shirtless in your coveralls, nicest guy who ever played guitar. Thanks for the memories and the songs, rest eternal in peace," Iggy posted on his Twitter feed on May 16. - NME, 5/16/22...... Greek composer Vangelis, whose rousing electronic theme music for the Oscar-winning 1981 film "Chariots of Fire" became one of the most loved movie scores, has died on May 17 of as yet undisclosed causes, according to his law firm. He was 79. Born Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou in 1943, the young Vangelis developed an early interest in music and experiments with sounds produced by banging pots and pans or fixing nails, glasses and other objects to the strings of his parents' piano. He absorbed the tones of Greek folk songs and Orthodox Christian choral music, but he had no formal musical training, which he later said had helped save his sense of creativity. After a start with local rock bands, Vangelis left for Paris at the age of 25, joining an exodus of young artists following a 1967 coup that installed a military junta in Greece. Away from home, he was attracted by the then-new field of electronic synthesizers that allowed him to create the lush melodic colors that became his trademark sound. Despite enjoying success in the European "prog rock" scene of the early 1970s with Aphrodite's Child, a band he formed with fellow Greek musician Demis Roussos, Vangelis was uncomfortable with the expectations on a commercial performing artist and largely retreated to the recording studio he created for himself in London. It was there that he wrote the score for the film Chariots of Fire, the story of the triumph of a group of British runners at the 1924 Olympic Games. Unashamedly non-contemporary, its pulsating synthesizer beats and soaring melody made the slow motion opening sequence of a group of athletes running along a beach a model for the way the cinema portrayed sport. Vangelis once said the score, which earned him an Academy Award and topped the charts for weeks, was in part a tribute to his father, who had been a keen amateur runner. But he was also slightly dismissive of the enormous popularity it enjoyed. "It's only another piece of music," he told an interviewer. The success of "Chariots of Fire" overshadowed his other scores, but he wrote the music for a number of major films including Missing, directed by his compatriot Costa-Gavras, and Ridley Scott's futuristic thriller Blade Runner. He refused many other offers for film scores, saying in an interview: "Half of the films I see don't need music. It sounds like something stuffed in." Vangelis was a prolific composer over many decades, his work ranging from advertising music and film scores to elaborate symphonic-style compositions and Jon and Vangelis, his duo with Yes frontman Jon Anderson. Vangelis received many awards in Greece, France and the U.S. Little was known of his personal life besides that he was an avid painter. "Every day I paint and every day I compose music," he said -- in that order. In a post on Twitter, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Vangelis "a pioneer of the electronic sound." "He began his long journey on the Chariots of Fire," Mitsotakis wrote. "From there he will always send us his notes." - Reuters, 5/19/22.

Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie Presley has shared a touching tribute on Instagram in which she mourns the loss of her son Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide in July 2020 at age 27, and shares her thoughts about the new Baz Luhrmman-directed Presley biopic Elvis. "I haven't posted in quite some time because there really isn't much to say, as I am and will forever be mourning the loss of my son," Lisa Marie, 54, posted on May 14. "Navigating through this hideous grief that absolutely destroyed and shattered my heart and my soul into almost nothing has swallowed me whole. I do want to take a moment to let you know that I have seen Baz Luhrmann's movie "Elvis' twice now, and let me tell you that it is nothing short of spectacular. Absolutely exquisite," she added. Her post was accompanied by a photo of the Elvis movie poster. She also touched on actor Austin Butler's performance in the title role: "(He) channeled and embodied my father's heart and soul beautifully. In my humble opinion, his performance is unprecedented and FINALLY done accurately and respectfully. (If he doesn't get an Oscar for this, I will eat my own foot, haha.)." She added that Benjamin "would have absolutely loved Elvis as well" and that it "breaks my heart that my son isn't here to see it." - Billboard, 5/15/22...... The Who took the stage at Cincinnati's TQL Stadium on the evening of May 15 for the English rock icons' first show in the city in over 40 years. Eleven people tragically died in a pre-show stampede at the same venue in 1979, and at the time the Who were on their first tour following the 1978 death of legendary drummer Keith Moon and the sold-out, general admission Cincinnati show was the third stop on the outing. In a heart-wrenching 2019 documentary, The Who: The Night That Changed Rock, the band lamented the show going on, and their decision to leave town shortly after it finished, rather than staying around to grieve with their fans. "For us to come back to Cincinnati after such a long time... we should never have left," Who guitarist Pete Townshend said before the concert. "It gives us a chance to get back there and reconnect, which is very, very important for us." Townshed added that remembering the 11 "does remind us ultimately that accidents happen and when you have a bunch of people caught up in an accident it is tempting to get caught up in the wave of headlines and examination that often drown out the details of the actual loss." "It becomes more about issues, about politics, about policing, about truth-telling and analysis. And then you lose the individual stories," he noted. On the night of the show, a crowd had been slowly gathering all day outside the venue in frigid weather and when they heard the band's music playing inside two hours before showtime. A sudden rush occurred near the only two doors that were open at the time, and the sound the crowd heard, according to the band's manager, Bill Curbishley, was a quick test of a trailer for the Who's Quadrophenia film, not, as erroneously reported, a late sound check. The May 15 Cincinnati area show was originally scheduled to take place just across the river at Northern Kentucky's BB&T Arena in Apr. 2020, however that stop was subsequently canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. - Billboard, 5/13/22...... Ozzy Osbourne's daughter Kelly Osbourne announced via Instagram on May 12 that she and partner Sid Wilson of the band Slipknot are expecting their first child. "I know that I have been very quiet these past few months so I thought I would share with you all as to why... I am over the moon to announce that I am going to be a Mumma," Kelly captioned a picture set of her holding her ultrasounds photos. "To say that I am happy does not quite cut it. I am ecstatic!," she added. Osbourne is currently in a relationship with Wilson, who commented with a string of heart emojis underneath his girlfriend's big announcement. Kelly opened up about wanting to be a mother during her 2021 appearance on Red Table Talk. "I feel very behind," she said at the time. "As a woman, I would have loved to be married and have children by now. My brother [Jack Osbourne] has three daughters and I would have loved to have kids by now, but that wasn't what was in the cards for me yet." She added, "I would have been no kind of mother at all, because I was that crazy addict that was like, 'Oh yeah, I'll stop doing drugs when I get pregnant because I have to.' Like, that's insane that I would ever even think that." - Billboard, 5/12/22...... A sequel to the 1984 "mockumentary" This Is Spinal Tap has been announced by Castle Rock Entertainment, with original director Rob Reiner at the helm, along with original stars Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer also reprising their roles as the fictional English heavy metal band. In addition to directing, Reiner will reprise his onscreen role as documentarian Martin "Marty" DeBergi. "When it was announced that Spinal Tap would reunite for one final concert, Marty DeBergi saw this as a chance to make things right with the band who viewed This is Spinal Tap as a hatchet job. So he left his position as visiting adjunct teacher's assistant at the Ed Wood School of Cinematic Arts in pursuit of film history," said Reiner. The sequel will launch at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and an early 2024 general release is being planned, tied to the 40-year anniversary of the original. - The Hollywood Reporter, 5/13/22...... The Rolling Stones have announced a new box set of all their single releases from 1963-1966 in conjunction with their 60th anniversary celebration in 2022. The Rolling Stones Singles - 1963-1966 will drop on June 10, and the imited-edition set includes reproductions of the first 18 7" vinyl singles and extended play records, which were originally released by Decca and London Records. The tracks have all been remastered by 12-time Grammy Award-winning engineer Bob Ludwig. The set will also come with a 32-page book with extensive liner notes by Stones expert Nigel Williamson, as well as rare photos and ephemera plus a set of five photo cards and a poster, all housed in a hard-shell box. A companion second vinyl box set in the series, The Rolling Stones Singles 1966-1971, will be released in 2023. The band has previously announced that their 60th anniversary celebration will also include a special BBC docuseries and a radio program, My Life As a Rolling Stone, featuring exclusive interviews with the band members. The four-part series will air on on BBC Two and iPlayer this summer. - NME, 5/12/22...... Lindsey Buckingham announced on Twitter on May 12 that he's been forced to postpone his upcoming UK and European tour after he and members of his band and crew recently contracted Covid-19. The former Fleetwood Mac musician had been due to kick off his solo tour in Dublin on May 17, with further dates booked in Glasgow, Liverpool and London. "It is with great sadness that we are announcing the postponement of Lindsey's European tour," the statement reads. "Along with other members of his band and crew, Lindsey contracted COVID-19 at the end of his latest North American tour, forcing that to end prematurely. Unfortunately, he's still recovering and has no choice but to move the upcoming tour to a later date. This is heartbreaking for Lindsey, he was so excited to come to Europe for the first time as a solo artist this spring," it added. The affected dates are set to be rescheduled, with Buckingham's team "hoping to have some news to share on that very soon." - NME, 5/12/22...... Bloomberg.com is reporting that Pink Floyd is in talks to sell their back catalog for hundreds of millions. The band reportedly begun talks with several potential buyers for the rights to the entirety of their back catalog in early May, according to the report, and if successful, the bid could be worth hundreds of millions. As noted in the Bloomberg piece, "representatives for the band have reached out to potential buyers" according to sources "familiar with the matter." The report added that "the process began in the last few days, and it's too early to know what the outcome will be, [the sources] said." The likes of Neil Diamond, Sting, Bob Dylan, ZZ Top, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks and more have all sold their back catalogs recently. - NME, 5/10/22...... The costumes for ABBA's upcoming Voyage digital tour have been revealed, and according to costume designer B. kerlund, the inspiration came from Greek gods and goddesses. "I wanted to reflect the power that ABBA hold as iconic artists... The costumes are the perfect representation of the ancient Greek reference that I was aiming for, with a twist of modern disco. I am very proud of the way this project came together," kerlund said in a statement. Concert producers Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson added: "Rather than recreating a 'nostalgic' 1970s look for ABBA Voyage, our vision, along with director Baillie Walsh, was to dress the band as the contemporary pop stars they are. Our designer B. kerlund was the perfect collaborator for this project, bringing together styles ranging from high fashion, to fantasy, to futuristic." ABBA's Voyage tour is set to open at London's brand new ABBA Arena on May 27, with the world premiere taking place the previous day. - NME, 5/12/22...... Judas Priest confirmed on May 15 that their former guitarist K.K. Downing will join them at their 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction this November. Priest bassist Ian Hill says that Downing, who left the band in 2011 citing differences with the band and management, will participate when the heavy metal icons accept an Award for Musical Excellence on Nov. 5 during the 37th annual RRHOF induction ceremony in Los Angeles. Priest frontman Rob Halford previously spoke of the band's RRHOF nomination, calling it "a blessing" and "a rush." "This year's selection... it's crazy," Halford said. "My mind's going, 'I must do a duet with Dolly Parton! I must do a duet with Kate Bush!' If Lionel [Richie] and Priest get in, I think we'll both be dancing on the ceiling together." - NME, 5/15/22...... Julien's Auctions has announced that more than 1,500 lots of personal items owned by late TV legend Betty White will be put up for auction during a three-day event in Beverly Hills (and online) beginning Sept. 23. Among the items are White's wedding ring from her 1963 wedding to Allen Ludden (est. starting bid: $600-$800), a vintage Van Cleef & Arpels brooch ($14K-$16K), first-draft and finale scripts from her series The Golden Girls ($3K-$5K each), her original Golden Girls "BETTY" director's chair ($3K-$5K), and a lavender dress the actress wore for 1986 Golden Girls publicity images ($600-$800). White, famed for her roles in The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls, died on Dec. 31, 2021, just 17 days before her 100th birthday. "My optimism runs eternal," she said in 2007. "You just can't get rid of me." - People, 5/23/22..... St. Elsewhere and Bridget Loves Bernie star David Birney died of Alzheimer's disease at his home in Santa Monica, Calif., on Apr. 27. He was 83. Bridget Loves Bernie, loosely based on the vintage Broadway play "Abie's Irish Rose," ran for one season in 1972 and was canceled in part over the furor created by some religious groups (primarily Jewish) over the show's condoning of mixed marriages. Mr. Birney and his co-star, Meridith Baxter, later married each other in real life. - People, 5/23/22...... Veteran film and television actor Fred Ward, best known for playing gruff, tough-guy roles in movies such as Tremors, Escape from Alcatraz and The Right Stuff, died on May 8, according to his publicist. He was 79. No cause or place of death was released, as per his family's wishes, his publicist said. Ward served three years in the U.S. Air Force in the 1960s, then worked as an Alaskan lumberjack, short-order cook, and amateur boxer where his nose was broken three times. He made his first American film appearance playing a cowboy in the 1975 film, Hearts of the West, but his breakthrough role came when he played opposite Clint Eastwood in the 1979 film Escape from Alcatraz. In 1983 he portrayed Mercury 7 astronaut Virgil "Gus" Grissom in the adaptation of Tom Wolfe's book, The Right Stuff. That same year he appeared in the action movie Uncommon Valor with Gene Hackman and in the drama Silkwood with Meryl Streep. He won a Golden Globe and the Venice Film Festival ensemble prize for his performance in Short Cuts in 1993, and his final role came in 2015 in the television series True Detective. He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Marie-France Ward, and a son, Django Ward. - Reuters, 5/13/22.