Peter Gabriel has announced that the WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) Festival he founded in 1980 "is officially back" after taking a break in 2025 as it was "re-evaluating, regenerating and reinvigorating" after facing challenges post-COVID. Now, Gabriel has revealed that the 2026 edition will be held at Neston Park, Corsham, Wiltshire, on July 23-26. "I'm delighted to say that WOMAD is officially back," Gabriel said in a statement on Oct. 30. "We're back and in a beautiful new home; Neston Park near our own base in Real World Studios. We have looked at many wonderful sites around the country, but when we learned that Sir James and Lady Venetia Fuller were keen to open up their beautiful estate and host WOMAD, it immediately felt to us like a warm and welcoming home into which we could sink our roots," he continued. The statement went on to say: "While we've been away, all the team have been working away regenerating our beloved festival and poring over your extensive feedback -- and finding so many great suggestions." The 2025 year off follows the festival's cancellation in 2021 amid the COVID pandemic, which, at the time, Gabriel put down to a lack of support from the UK government. He had previously warned that the event would be cancelled unless the government offered an insurance program. Since 2007, the WOMAD festival, which aims to spotlight an eclectic mixture of genres, has travelled to 27 countries across the world, while the main UK event has taken place in Charlton Park in Wiltshire since 2007. - NME, 10/30/25...... 
Posting a two-minute clip on his YouTube channel on Oct. 30, Neil Young has attacked Pres. Donald Trump and what he describes as "looting oligarchs" -- Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk -- in footage that collects a variety of news clips. Titled "As Time Explodes," the clips are pieced together as a critique of both the Trump administration and the increasing power granted to tech billionaires. No lyrics are featured, and the instrumental track that plays over the top is a guitar-driven nod to his song "Be The Rain," which he released with Crazy Horse in 2003. The clip begins by showing media coverage of the demolition of the White House's East Wing during the government shutdown. It then goes on to show a banner that reads "The 1% ruins the world," before embedding a compilation of some of the highest profile billionaires in the world -- the infamous footage of Musk wielding a chainsaw along with Pres. Trump accepting a luxurious jet from Qatar, and Apple CEO Tim Cook is seen going to the White House. There is also a nod made to the extortionate cost behind Bezos' wedding, which was held in Venice over the summer. Another clip in the video shows a tweet that reads "The oligarchs gather & so starts the looting of America," and more footage shows the National Guard being deployed to the ICE Protests across the US. Toward the end, the huge crowds that gathered for the "No Kings Protests" across America over the past few weeks are shown, and the National Guard being deployed for "security." The clip is the latest in a series of occasions the "Heart of Gold" singer has used his platform to make a political stand. In Jan. 2022, he announced that he was removing his music from Spotify after episodes of Joe Rogan's controversial podcast spread misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines, and more recently he hit out at the president with the song "Big Crime" and told his fans that Trump was "out of control" and "we need a real president." - New Musical Express, 10/31/25...... After the Oct. 9 revelation that actress Soairse Ronan (Ladybird, Little Women) would be playing Linda McCartney in the forthcoming biopics about the Beatles, more of the actresses playing other of the Fab Four's significant others have been announced. The Beatles - A Four-Film Cinematic Event has cast Shogun's Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono, The White Lotus' Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd, and How to Have Sex's Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Cox Starkey in the Sam Mendes-directed biopic series. The four actresses join Paul Mescal (Paul McCartney), Harris Dickinson (John Lennon), Barry Keoghan (Ringo Starr), and Joseph Quinn (George Harrison) in the biopics, which will arrive in theaters beginning in Apr. 2028. "Maureen, Linda, Yoko and Pattie are four fascinating and unique figures in their own right... and I'm thrilled that we've managed to persuade four of the most talented women working in film today to join this amazing adventure," Mendes said in a statement. Producers also noted that the actors portraying other core characters in the Beatles universe -- Cynthia Lennon, Brian Epstein, George Martin, Ravi Shankar, and other key roles -- will be revealed at a later date. - Rolling Stone, 10/31/25...... 
The final years of David Bowie are set to be explored in a new BBC Channel 4 documentary dubbed The Final Act. According to Deadline.com, the documentary will "chart the final creative chapter of one of music's most iconic artists" and will feature rare interviews with those who knew and worked closely alongside Bowie. The documentary will include interviews with famous fans and artists who have been inspired by his work, and "uncover the strategy behind the star's artistic resurrection and the inexhaustible extraordinary creativity that defined his final decade." Speaking about the project, director Jonathan Stiasny said: "The traditional music documentary celebrates triumph. What fascinated me most when making this film was how Bowie's final chapter wasn't an ending, it was a resurrection." A firm release date for The Final Act has yet to be announced. In early October, the BBC also announced a new Bowie documentary set to premiere in 2026 under the working title Bowie In Berlin, which will explore the icon's time in Berlin between 1976 and 1978. That 90-minute documentary will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer sometime in autumn 2026. Bowie had famously retreated from fame and moved to Berlin in 1976 to battle his cocaine addiction and reroute his career. The move would prove integral, as it sparked three legendary albums: Low, "Heroes" and Lodger -- also known as the Berlin Trilogy. Bowie died at the age of 69 in Jan. 2016 following an 18-month battle with cancer, just two days after he released his final album, Blackstar. - NME, 10/30/25...... Stevie Nicks has clarified an often misheard lyric in the 1973 Buckingham Nicks track "Frozen Love" and apologized to Lindsey Buckingham for the misconception. In September, the the legendary duo reissued their 1973 album Buckingham Nicks, making it publicly available for the first time since its original release. Now, the former Fleetwood Mac members have appeared on the Song Exploder podcast to discuss "Frozen Love," in an episode comprising two separate interviews. In her segment of the episode, Nicks described the song's themes, saying it's about "two people that were in love, that had a lot of differences and saw the world slightly differently, but had this like relationship that seemed to be, like a gift." She went on to compare them to classic literary romances. "I like to think of it as Wuthering Heights or Great Expectations. A modern-day love affair, tragedies. Because nobody really loves happy songs. Certainly, I didn't, and neither really did Lindsey." After Nicks wrote the song, she said that she gave it to Buckingham to further develop, with him explaining: "I don't think she craved my input on that level, and nor did I crave hers on production or instrumental level, either. She understood that I was transforming things for her, and I understood that I wouldn't have had anything to transform without the beautiful center that she'd given me." Nicks then detailed how their turbulent relationship influenced their work, explaining: "Our relationship was up and down and up and down and up and down and difficult, but at the same time, fantastic. And what we were doing was so fantastic that it was worth putting up with the trials and tribulations of a relationship that's difficult." She then went on to clarify a frequently misheard lyric, "Hate gave you me for a lover," saying she originally wrote it as, "Fate gave you me for a lover." "When I hear myself sing that line, it sounds like I'm saying 'hate,'" she said. "So, that's not good. I'm sorry, Lindsey. I'm calling him later." Elsewhere in the podcast, Nicks shared that she and Buckingham are now back on talking terms, saying: "Lindsey and I started talking about it last night. This whole thing seems really like yesterday to us." - NME, 10/30/25...... 
The National Football League's hospitality provider, On Location, announced on Oct. 29 that Sting will be headlining an intimate Super Bowl-branded concert on Feb. 6 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, two days before Bad Bunny takes the stage for the Super Bowl halftime show at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 8. The former Police singer and solo superstar will perform as part of an event dubbed "Super Bowl LX Studio 60," described as "a weekend of unforgettable music entertainment at one of San Francisco's most iconic venues," that will give fans a chance to see artists "up close and personal." The announcement of the Sting show comes as the 2026 halftime show headliner has gotten unequivocal messages of support from the NFL and rapper Jay-Z -- whose Roc Nation has been booking the halftime show since 2019 -- following complaints about Bad Bunny's booking from Pres. Donald Trump and other administration figures. When recently asked by a TMZ photographer about the harsh words coming Bad Bunny's way from some on the right, Jay-Z reportedly told the site that the Puerto Rican superstar is more beloved in the U.S. than some would like you to think. "They love him. Don't let them fool you," he said. - Billboard, 10/29/25...... Iconic '70s funnyman and musician Steve Martin has earned his seventh No. 1 on the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums chart with Safe, Sensible and Sane, his collaborative album with fellow banjo player Alison Brown. The Compass Records disc, featuring songs with Jackson Browne, Vince Gill and Jason Mraz, debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated Nov. 1, making it the seventh time that the comedian-actor-playwright-banjo player has appeared on the list, five times opening at the very top, and it is Brown's second No. 1 debut. Martin's musical career was once considered a sideline to his comedy and film-TV career but it's now a big part of his creative output. His 2009 debut, The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo, spent 31 weeks at No. 1 and he's since enjoyed 84 weeks at the top of bluegrass album charts, the most among male solo artists. Not only that but four of those No. 1 bluegrass albums have also reached the top 10 on Americana/folk album charts while five appeared on the all-genre Billboard Hot 200 album chart. Martin had four comedy albums from 1977-1981 on the Billboard 200, including two in the Top 10, including A Wild and Crazy Guy, which reached No. 2 in 1978. Songs from those albums, including "King Tut," "Grandmother's Song" and "Cruel Shoes," even cracked the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, with "King Tut" making it to No. 17. In addition to his successful music career, Martin is touring with his Only Murders in the Building co-star Martin Short, while also appearing with Selena Gomez in the Hulu mystery-comedy which he co-created. He also recently co-hosted the 2025 IBMA Awards in Chattanooga, Tenn., with Brown. - Canoe.com, 10/30/25...... 
As a teenage journalist for Rolling Stone, Oscar-winning director/screenwriter Cameron Crowe logged quality face time with some of rock's greatest legends throughout the 1970s, including Led Zeppelin, David Bowie and Joni Mitchell -- experiences that later inspired his 2000 semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous, which he wrote and directed. For Crowe, 68, that bit of wisdom led to a one-of-a-kind career as a writer and filmmaker, which he recounts in his new memoir The Uncool, out Oct. 28. The book covers his California childhood with his parents, older sisters, family tragedies and the almost-too-good-to-be-true stories of his time with pop culture icons. Crowe says writing The Uncool was a way for him to pay tribute to the myriad of "vivid characters," professional and personal, who helped shape his unforgettable and inspiring ride. "Take a little optimism with you," he says, sharing his own motto. "Something is waiting if you just don't give up. Life will surprise you in the most spectacularly original ways." - People, 11/3/25...... Influential jazz drummer Jack deJohnette, known for his work with such jazz greats as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Alice Coltrane, died on Oct. 26 in hospital in Kingston, N.Y., due to congestive heart failure. He was 83. Born in Chicago, 1941, Mr. DeJohnette broke into the jazz scene when he was asked to play for Sun Ra and His Arkestra at a rehearsal session. He went on to play for John Coltrane after Coltrane's regular drummer was late for a set, which prompted the club owner to "let Jack DeJohnette play!". Moving to New York in the mid-1960s, Mr. DeJohnette was a seminal part of jazz bands with greats like Davis, Charles Lloyd and Keith Jarrett, having also worked with Hancock, Coltrane, and plenty more. He was part of Davis' Bitches Brew ensemble, and would play with Davis regularly until 1971. "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Jack DeJohnette," his family wrote on social media. "He was surrounded by his wife, family, and close friends. Jack was a NEA Jazz Master. His legacy will live on." He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Lydia, and their two daughters, Farah and Minya. - NME, 10/28/25...... Actress Prunella Scales, best known as acid-tongued Sybil Fawlty in the classic British sitcom Fawlty Towers, has died, her children revealed on Oct. 28. She was 93 and had lived with dementia for many years. "Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home," her sons said. "She was watching 'Fawlty Towers' the day before she died." Ms. Scales' career included early roles in a 1952 television version of Pride and Prejudice and the 1954 film comedy Hobson's Choice, followed by her TV breakthrough starring opposite Richard Briers in Marriage Lines, a popular 1960s sitcom about a newlywed couple. In Fawlty Towers she played the exasperated wife of hapless Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese, whose efforts to run a seaside hotel inevitably escalated into chaos. Only 12 episodes were made, in 1975 and 1979, but it is regularly cited as one of the funniest sitcoms of all time. Later roles included Queen Elizabeth II in A Question of Attribution, Alan Bennett's stage and TV drama about the queen's art adviser, Anthony Blunt, who was also a Soviet spy. She played another British monarch in the one-woman stage show "An Evening with Queen Victoria." Ms. Scales was a versatile stage performer whose theatre roles ranged from Shakespeare's comedies to the morphine-addicted matriarch Mary Tyrone in a 1991 production of Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night." Ms. Scales was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2013. Between 2014 and 2019, she and her husband, actor Timothy West, explored waterways in Britain and abroad in the gentle travel show Great Canal Journeys. The program was praised for the way it honestly depicted Ms. Scales' dementia. - AP, 10/28/25.
Black Sabbath guitarist Tommi Iommi gave a surprise performance at the end of the press night for the new Black Sabbath ballet stage production in London on Oct. 22. Iommi made the surprise appearance at the end of the Birmingham Royal Ballet's performance of "Black Sabbath - The Ballet" at Sadler's Wells in London. The ballet, which was first announced in 2023, has seen Iommi take a role in the creation of the ballet, working with Birmingham Royal Ballet director Carlos Acosta. The show includes eight of the band's tracks plus new music inspired by them, all performed live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. At the end of the event in London, Iommi played his iconic guitar solo to "Paranoid" as part of the evening's closing number, and the performance has been shared on YouTube. Iommi's Queen friend and fellow guitar legend Brian May was in attendance, and later shared his own video clips on Instagram, writing, "Wow! The true Father of Heavy Metal making that beautiful axe sing like a bird tonight at Sadlers Wells. Tony Iommi plus a 40 piece orchestra and a cast of 50 dancers - putting the icing on the cake of a great production of Black Sabbath the Ballet. Proud to call this infinitely modest and generous genius my friend." "Black Sabbath - The Ballet" is currently playing in London before travelling to the Edinburgh Festival Theatre from Oct. 30. - New Musical Express, 10/24/25...... 
In a new poem shared with RollingStone.com, Joan Baez suggests that a "little green worm" has eaten the part of Pres. Donald Trump's brain "where empathy originates." In the piece titled "Little Green Worm: A Note to the President," the folk icon and longtime social justice advocate slams the president's lack of "empathy," "impulse control" and "basic intelligence," positing that Trump has none of the above due to a "little green worm" entering his brain and eating it all up. "I've been thinking about a little green worm that has worked its way into your anterior insular cortex, the part of the brain where empathy originates," Baez wrote. "The little green worm quickly devoured yours. He then munched onward until he came to the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in impulse control and regulating social behavior. It's meant to stop us from blurting out vulgarities such as 'Grab her by the p---y' and 'S-thole countries' or accusing all Mexican immigrants of being criminals, rapists and drug dealers," the poem continued. The piece closes with Baez illustrating how the little green worm eventually moves on to the part of Trump's brain that should be "responsible for thought," only to find that he doesn't have one. "Oh s--t: there's nothing there," the musician concludes. Baez explained to Rolling Stone that turning to poetry instead of songwriting has helped her process the overwhelming nature of today's political landscape. "When I'm present and looking out at my own yard and the trees and all of that, it's still as beautiful as it ever was," she told the publication. "And then there are times of great sorrow and times of frustration, like everybody. And I found that the poetry helps -- just doing it and getting it down on paper or on computer to keep my head above water." - Billboard, 10/24/25...... In related news, Bruce Springsteen is continuing to speak out against Pres. Trump, offering up a "prayer" for "no kings" amid the ongoing protests against the politician. At the American Film Institute Opening Night Gala on Oct. 22 -- where Springsteen was in attendance to support new biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere -- The Boss performed his song "Land of Hopes and Dreams." Before diving into the track, however, he called it a "prayer for America, our community and no kings." "Outside, all hell is breaking loose in the United States," Springsteen said. "For 250 years around the world, despite all the faults that we've had, the United States has served as a beacon of democracy and hope and freedom." Despite how "terribly damaged" he thinks the country is, though, the Jersey rocker also noted that the nation's "ideals remain worth fighting for." In September, Springsteen told Time magazine that he intends on continuing to call out the faults he sees in the Trump administration. "I'm going to stay true to who I've tried to be. I can't give these guys a free pass," he said. In a June interview with the New York Times, Springsteen called Trump "a moron" and his rise on the political scene "an American tragedy." "I think that it was the combination of the deindustrialization of the country and then the incredible increase in wealth disparity that left so many people behind. It was ripe for a demagogue," he said. Springsteen's American Film Institute performance can be streamed on the AFI Instagram account. Also during the Fest, the musician told Variety that he's already planning a sequel to the Deliver Me From Nowhere film. "I suppose if you can make four Beatles movies, you can make a couple of Bruce Springsteen movies," he said in reference to Sam Mendes' four upcoming biopics of the legendary band members. Deliver Me director Scott Cooper also chimed in: "There's so many chapters in Bruce's life, in all seriousness, that are quite right for cinematic treatment," he noted. "That's something quite honestly that Bruce and I have discussed. I think he really loves this film. He's loved the experience. I think he feels incredibly comfortable with, someone telling a very painful chapter in his life. You'd have to ask him, but I think he's ready for more." - Billboard/NME, 10/23/24...... 
The Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh will be adding his star power to the "Knockouts" rounds of the NBC amateur talent series The Voice during season 28. Walsh will be a "mega mentor," mentoring contestants on teams for Niall Horan and Reba McEntire, while Zac Brown Band frontman Zac Brown will mentor contestants on teams for Michael Bublé and Snoop Dogg. Brown and Walsh will mentor the remaining contestants as they prepare for the Knockouts round, which begin on Oct. 27. Walsh's five-decade career began with the James Gang in 1969, before he founded the trio Barnstorm and later launched a solo career. In 1975, he joined the Eagles. The Voice airs Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC and will stream the following day on Peacock. - Billboard, 10/20/25...... Former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was laid to rest in an intimate, private ceremony in the Bronx on Oct. 22 attended by family, friends, and his three surviving KISS co-founders: singer/guitarist Paul Stanley, bassist/singer Gene Simmons and original drummer Peter Criss. SiriusXM radio host and Frehley friend Eddie Trunk posted about the event on Instagram, including the program for the memorial service honoring the beloved guitarist who died on Oct. 16 at age 74 featuring a quote from John 14:1-3, 27 which concludes with: "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." In the accompanying note, Trunk wrote, "It has been an emotional couple of days to say the least saying farewell to a rock icon and long time friend. All of the services went as well as they could and were attended by a small group of family and close friends, including the 3 surviving original members of @kissonline." He also noted that there will also be a public event in the future to pay tribute to the musician known as "Spaceman" for his fiery guitar solos and irreverent sense of humor. In another Instagram post, Trunk added that Frehley was buried in a cemetery in the Bronx, where he grew up and close to where his parents are buried, per his request. In addition to the KISS trio, Trunk said some of Frehley's solo bandmates were on hand as well, though no fans attended the "very small, private" memorial or burial. That's why Trunk re-iterated that he's trying to pull together a public fan memorial, something he said Ace would have "loved I think he deserves that." Frehley died on Oct. 16 at his New Jersey home of undisclosed causes, with his spokesperson attributing his passing to a "recent fall at his home." According to TMZ.com, the Morris County, N.J. medical examiner's office is conducting a series of exams to determine the musician's cause of death, including a toxicological screening and external body exam, with results due in several weeks. KISS will be honored at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors taping on Dec. 7 -- and airing Dec. 23 on CBS -- with Frehley becoming be just the third person to receive the honor posthumously. - Billboard, 10/24/25...... 
Spinal Tap have announced plans for a "final" concert movie entitled Stone Henge: The Final Finale. The film, which will hit cinemas in 2026, was originally filmed in August this year and sees the definitive rock "mockumentary" boys performing their first and final concert at the historical landmark with the likes of Eric Clapton, Shania Twain and Josh Groban. The famous ancient landmark Stonehenge is an integral part in the original 1984 movie This Is Spinal Tap, where the band perform the song "Stonehenge" around a hilariously small 18-inch model of the historical landmark. The track pops up again in the sequel, this time with the help of Elton John, and a much larger prop. Directed yet again by Rob Reiner, The Final Finale follows the long awaited Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues sequel which was released in September. "I'm told this is it. They're really serious this time," says Kent Sanderson, CEO of the film's distributor, Bleecker Street. "While this is ostensibly the end, how fitting is it that this actual-probable-send-off is shot, historically, at Stonehenge, the mysterious landmark that we now know must have been erected thousands of years ago purely to serve as the setting for the last act of Spinal Tap." A teaser trailer for The Final Finale can be viewed on YouTube. - NME, 10/24/25...... Longtime 10cc drummer Paul Burgess has announced his intention to step down from the band due to the "rigours of touring." Burgess, 75, has sat behind the kit for 10cc for 52 years, and is also known for his tenures with Jethro Tull, Camel, Magna Carta, and The Icicle Works. "Having enjoyed many years with 10cc, I'm sorry to say that for me the rigours of touring have become incommensurate with age, and it's time to put excessive hours spent waiting in airports and sitting on tour buses behind me," Burgess said. "I have no intention of retiring and will continue to play, but at a more agreeable pace, working with past associates and a new band of like-minded musicians, The Guilty Men." 10cc frontman Graham Gouldman admitted it will be "strange" being onstage without his "longest-running musical associate." "When Paul and I started working together in 10cc, we never imagined in our wildest dreams that we would still be doing it even 30 years later, let alone 52," Gouldman said. Burgess' replacement will be Ben Stone, who has drummed for the likes of Mike and the Mechanics and Bonnie Tyler. Burgess, who had various stints with 10cc since he joined in 1973, played his last concert with the "I'm Not In Love" hitmakers in Alexandria, Va. in September. 10cc has announced plans to bring their "And Another Bloody Greatest Hits Tour" to the UK in 2026. - Music-News.com, 10/25/25...... 
Popular '50s/'60s actress June Lockhart, known for her roles in the TV series Lost In Space and Lassie and the film musical Meet Me in St. Louis, died of natural causes on Oct. 23 in Santa Monica, Calif. She was 100 years old. Ms. Lockhart became known for her performances as young Timmy's foster mother, Ruth Martin, on the CBS series Lassie from 1958 to 1964. She took over from Cloris Leachman as the Martin family moved on to the famous collie's farm and became foster parents to both the orphaned Timmy and Lassie. She then starred as Dr. Maureen Robinson on the CBS series Lost in Space from 1965 to 1968, playing a brilliant biochemist and loving mother of three who is marooned in space along with her family. In a 2024 interview, Ms. Lockhart noted that Lost in Space was the favorite of her many projects. "It was so campy," she said, "And I truly enjoyed my relationship with my space family." Over nearly eight decades on screen, Ms. Lockhart went on to appear in dozens of series and movies well into her 80s, with recurring roles on Petticoat Junction, General Hospital, Beverly Hills 90210, and guest appearances on shows from The Beverly Hillbillies to Happy Days to Full House, Roseanne and Gray's Anatomy. The daughter of actors Gene Lockhart and Kathleen Lockhart, Ms. Lockhart was born in New York City in 1925. She made her feature film debut at 13 years old, starring alongside both of her parents in Edwin L. Marin's 1939 A Christmas Carol, where she played Belinda Cratchit. After her breakout role, she appeared in films such as All This, and Heaven Too, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Yearling, and Sergeant York. In the 1950s, she guest-starred in several Western series such as Wagon Train, Cimarron City, Gunsmoke, Have Gun - Will Travel, and Rawhide. She was nominated for two Emmys, including Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series for her performance in Lassie. She also received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for motion pictures and one for television. Lockhart was previously the recipient of a Special Tony Award for Outstanding Performance by a Newcomer for her role on Broadway in "For Love or Money" in 1948. Her last role was the voice of "Alpha Control" in a 2021 episode of the Lost in Space remake series and her last on-screen appearance was in the 2016 movie The Remake. A private service has been planned in her honor. - Variety, 10/24/25.
The UK paper The Sun is reporting Fleetwood Mac is in talks to create a TV show and one-off concert after news that band members are planning to reunite to mark the 50th anniversary of their landmark album 
The Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock has told the Daily Star paper that the band "have ideas" for making new music with their new frontman Frank Carter. In 2024, bassist Matlock, guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook of the punk legends' original line-up enlisted former Gallows frontman Carter to take on lead vocals in place of John Lydon for a series of shows at London's Bush Hall. The line-up has since gone on to play tours around the UK and have announced shows in North and South America. Now, Matlock has suggested that the new version of the band is prepared to record new music together too and are currently considering their options. "We talked about it with Steve Jones," Matlock told the paper. "We have ideas and Frank is a very good lyricist. Everyone has ideas, but we're very busy at the moment and haven't had a chance to really work things out." Matlock also reflected on how any new music would impact the band's legacy. "Above all, we have to ask ourselves if the public really wants us to release new music," he said. "In the end, who knows?" The Pistols and Carter were due to kick off their North and South American dates in September, but were forced to postpone when Jones broke his wrist. They told fans that the gigs would be rescheduled when he has fully recovered. - NME, 10/22/25...... People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have reached out to former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, urging him to temporarily change his name to "Robert Plant Wool." The push comes as November, which PETA categorizes as "Plant Wool Month," raises more awareness by the organization for plant alternatives to sheep's wool. In a letter to the Plant, PETA notes that the short-term name change would make more people aware of plant-powered yarns, including those made from hemp, cotton, orange waste, and more. It also would help the push to have people turn away from animal wool and cashmere industries, which it criticises as environmentally-destructive and sometimes abusive. "Plant Wool Month celebrates animal-free and plastic-free yarns that promote sustainable fashion while lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and protecting the animals with whom we share this precious planet," said PETA Vice President of Programmes Elisa Allen. "PETA is asking Robert Plant to sing the praises of plant wool with a temporary name change that reminds everyone that nothing compares to soft, natural, and eco-friendly plant wool." PETA also maintains that Plant Wool Month will generate more recognition for "hard-working crop farmers, innovative textile makers, and pioneering designers who grow, spin, and work with these beautiful yarns to create knitwear, suits, and more." Plant has not yet responded publicly to the letter from PETA. Meanwhile, Plant is currently on tour in the US behind his latest solo album Saving Grace, wrapping on Oct. 22 with a show at the United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles. - NME, 10/21/25...... 
Singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins is slamming the unauthorized use of his hit "Danger Zone" in a new AI video shared by Pres. Donald Trump which shows the president flying a plane and dumping feces on protesters set to "Danger Zone." In a statement posted to his 
In related news, Debbie Harry has revealed who she'd like to play her in a potential Blondie biopic. If it were somebody like Florence Pugh, I would be in heaven... I just think she's a great actor and she could do anything," Harry told the London Times. In 2014, Harry said she supported the idea of a Blondie biopic, and that a film would help people have a "finer appreciation" of the iconic New Wave group. At the time, she said: "It's difficult. You can only really skim the surface. If it's good entertainment, honest, well-acted and directed? Maybe," she replied when asked about her thoughts on the matter. "I think many people could be informed and have a finer appreciation of the person or era." Harry released her book Face It: A Memoir in 2019, charting her rise in the downtown New York City scene of the 1970s to become a global superstar, as well as how she overcame heroin addiction, bankruptcy and Blondie breaking up. A biopic could be based on any of the Blondie members' memoirs, with Chris Stein sharing his Under A Rock in 2024, and Harry's Face It coming out in 2019. - NME, 10/20/25...... Ozzy Osbourne's daughter Kelly Osbourne has thanked fans in Ozzy's hometown of Birmingham, UK for their support while accepting a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of the metal pioneer at the Birmingham Awards, and later reflected on what the city meant to him. "Last night I had the honor of accepting my father's life time achievement award on his behalf at the @birminghamawards," she later wrote in an Instagram post," Kelly posted on 
While chances of a Fleetwood Mac reunion appear to be improving, it's just the opposite for a potential Pink Floyd reunion, with David Gilmour recently doubling down on an interview in 2024 in which he said -- referring to his former bandmate Roger Waters -- he would rather "steer clear of people who actively support genocidal and autocratic dictators like Putin and Maduro." In a new interview with The Telegraph, Gilmour was asked what it would take for him to join forces with Waters again. "Nothing," he replied. "There is no possible way that I would do that." Going into further detail in the 2024 interview, Gilmour explained: "Nothing would make me share a stage with someone who thinks such treatment of women and the LGBT community is OK. On the other hand, I'd love to be back on stage with [Pink Floyd keyboardist] Rick Wright, who was one of the gentlest and most musically gifted people I've ever known." Gilmour's wife Olly Samson has also been vocally outspoken against Waters' politics, accusing him in 2023 of being "anti-Semitic to [his] rotten core" and "a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac". Gilmour re-shared Samson's post, adding that "every word [is] demonstrably true. "Waters himself issued a statement in response, in which he described Samson's comments as "incendiary and wildly inaccurate," adding that he "refutes [them] entirely." He also said that he was "taking advice as to his position" regarding the claims. Gilmour has also said he finds it "wearisome" to have to talk about Waters. "Do you know what decade of my life I was in when Roger left our pop group? My thirties. I am now 78. Where's the relevance?" he told Britain's Mojo magazine in 2024. In a Rolling Stone interview, however, he also stated that "one day there are things I will talk about." - NME, 10/19/25.
The Eagles will soar higher in 2026 by adding eight additional dates to their long-running residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas. The new dates -- Jan. 23-24, Jan. 30-31, Feb. 20-21, and Feb. 27-28 -- will make their 52-date residency the longest-running one of any band at the innovative venue so far, breaking out of a tie with Dead & Company's 48 shows. The Don Henley-led band launched its Sphere stint in Sept. 2024, and after an initial spate of dates spanning five months, have rolled out extensions a handful of concerts at a time, most recently adding eight October and November dates last April. Presale registration for the shows is available now through the Eagles.com website. Among the other acts performing at the Sphere since its Sept. 2023 debut are U2, Phish, Anyma, Kenny Chesney and Backstreet Boys, and the Zac Brown Band will debut its run in December. - Billboard, 10/13/25...... British actor James Norton, currently appearing in Netflix hit House Of Guinness, is reportedly under consideration to play The Beatles' former manager Brian Epstein in the forthcoming biopics about the band. Epstein met the band in 1961 and became their manager until his death in 1967, aged just 32. Often nicknamed "The Fifth Beatle," he was portrayed in a 2024 biopic called Midas Man by fellow British actor Jacob Fortune-Lloyd. In an apparent acknowledgement of the news, Norton shared a screenshot of the Deadline article on his 
Actor/musician Johnny Depp joined Patti Smith on stage on Oct. 12 during a London concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of Smith's seminal album 
Carlos Santana is pushing back on viral rumors that he's opposed to his fellow Latino performer Bad Bunny being booked for the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show next February. Since Bad Bunny was announced as the halftime headliner, viral rumours -- partially made through AI -- have circulated the internet claiming that Mexican-American guitarist Santana pushed back against the idea of the Puerto Rican rapper playing the coveted slot. Meanwhile, other posts claimed that Santana had even petitioned to replace the "Perfumito Nuevo" rapper at the sporting event. Now, Santana and his manager have provided statements to Billboard debunking those claims. "AI has accelerated the spread of misinformation, making it harder for the truth to break through the noise. Don't rely on random or unverified posts -- even well-meaning outlets can get misled," Santana's manager wrote. Santana said in his own statement: "I congratulate and celebrate Bad Bunny's success and his position right now with the world and with the Super Bowl. I feel total oneness with what he's doing because we are here to utilize art to complement and bring the world closer to harmony and oneness." The Grammy-winner continued: "However, we're living in a time of fear, division, separation, superiority and inferiority. Fear is the flavour right now. Fear is what motivates ignorant people to put words in my mouth -- saying that I didn't want Bad Bunny to be represented at the Super Bowl. I never said that, nor would I ever. Just to be clear, my heart is in total harmony with Bad Bunny, and I celebrate his success, his triumph and his phenomenal achievement. Anything other than that is coming from people's ignorance. We're living in a time when hostile forces love to create conflict, separation and division, because the hostile forces don't like unity, harmony, oneness and joy. They want people to be miserable and to spend too much time in their minds. I spend a lot of time in my heart, and in my heart I celebrate Bad Bunny. I can't stop playing his song 'Monaco' -- there's something really magical about it." Bad Bunny's Super Bowl slot has received a wave of criticism from the ring-wing community, who believe that the rapper -- despite hailing from Puerto Rico, a territory of the U.S. -- should not be performing at the sporting event. The right-wing backlash to the news was almost immediate, with US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem criticizing the NFL for choosing him as their halftime performer, despite the largely Spanish-performing artist being a US citizen. Pres. Donald Trump's administration has also stirred controversy by confirming that ICE agents will be present at the Super Bowl to apprehend any illegal immigrants, and the President himself has branded Halftime Show slot "crazy" and says he's "never heard of him." - NME, 10/14/25...... The BBC Factual arm of the BBC has ordered five new history commissions, among them a program charting the abuse allegations against Michael Jackson. With a working title of Legacy: Michael Jackson, the three part documentary series will explore Jackson's rise to fame, as well as the "abuse allegations and enduring legacy of one of the most successful pop stars of all time," per an announcement from the BBC. "With access to rare intimate archive, and revelatory interviews with those closest to him, this is the most fully rounded and authoritative portrait of Jackson yet produced," it continued. "A deeply researched study of a trailblazing musical genius, whose personal life remains a complex enigma." The doc will also examine the stories behind Jackson's biggest hits, as well as his innovative videos and live performances, touching on how his estate is still able to generate billions of dollars from his work. The comprehensive look at his life and legacy will begin with his early Jackson 5 years in the racially segregated landscape of '60s America, to the controversies that dogged him in his final years. - NME, 10/13/25...... 
The family of the late Ozzy Osbourne visited a huge Halloween pumpkin mural of Ozzy Osbourne at a farm in Hampshire, UK on Oct. 11. Sharon Osbourne, along with children Jack and Kelly Osbourne visited the Ozzy "pumpkin pyramid" at Sunnyfields Farm in Totton, Hampshire, where each year a mural is built from pumpkins, the subject of which is decided by public vote. This year, the annual poll saw 70% of the public vote for an Ozzy-themed mural in the wake of his passing in July, aged 76, just 17 days after the iconic Black Sabbath frontman played one last show as the frontman of the metal band at the "Back To The Beginning" concert in Birmingham. It was Osbourne's first full gig since 2018, having undergone multiple surgeries in the following years. He also experienced other health problems, including Parkinson's disease. On display since Oct. 4, Sunnyfields' Ozzy mural took 16 people four-and-a-half hours to create and will run through Halloween on Oct. 31. A video of the mural being created, and the Osbournes' visiting, can be viewed on 
Co-founding KISS guitarist Ace Frehley died on Oct. 16 "peacefully surrounded by family in Morristown, New Jersey, following a recent fall at his home," according to a statement shared by his family. He was 74. "We are completely devastated and heartbroken," the family wrote in the statement. "In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth. We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace's memory will continue to live on forever!" Earlier on Oct. 16, TMZ.com reported that Frehley was on life support after suffering a brain bleed when he fell at home weeks ago. The musician had canceled his performance at the Antelope Valley Fair in Lancaster, Calif., after suffering what was then described as a "minor fall resulting in a trip to the hospital." "He is fine, but against his wishes, his doctor insists that he refrain from travel at this time," a statement read on his Instagram at the time. Less than two weeks later, Frehley's team announced on social media that he would be canceling all of his remaining appearances in 2025 "due to some ongoing medical issues." Born Paul Daniel Frehley in New York City in 1951, Frehley co-founded KISS in 1973 with singer/guitarist Paul Stanley, bassist/singer Gene Simmons and drummer Peter Criss. Among the songs Ace helped write for KISS were classics like "I Was Made For Lovin' You," "Rock And Roll All Nite," "Detroit Rock City," "Love Gun" and more, and he designed the group's iconic logo. The members' identities were famously kept secret until a decade after their debut, by which Frehley had left the band to pursue a solo career, coupled with his struggles with substance abuse and rising tension within the band about their direction. In the years following his exit from KISS, Frehley formed a new band, Frehley's Comet, which released two albums but failed to achieve commercial success. He reverted to using his own name for this 1989 album Trouble Walkin',, which saw former bandmate Criss provide backing vocals. Frehley would rejoin KISS for their reunion in 1996 and stayed with them until 2002. He did not join them for their farewell world tour in 2022. Frehley and Simmons had a notably rocky relationship, with Simmons in 2019 claiming that Frehley was fired from the band for his substance abuse, while Ace argued that he was 12 years sober by then and quit "of my own free will, because you and Paul [Stanley] are control freaks, untrustworthy and were too difficult to work with." Earlier in October, Frehley cancelled his remaining solo dates for 2025 due to "some ongoing medical issues," which has since been confirmed as the fall he suffered. Frehley's former bandmates Simmons and Stanley are among a slew of fellow musicians and friends that have paid tribute to the iconic rocker, also known as "Spaceman." 
"Our hearts are broken. Ace has passed on. No one can touch Ace's legacy. I know he loved the fans. He told me many times. Sadder still, Ace didn't live long enough to be honored at the Kennedy Ctr Honors event in Dec. Ace was the eternal rock soldier. Long may his legacy live on!," Simmons posted to 
Posting on his 
Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain is denying he's planning to leave the band, despite recent claims to that effect from the band's guitarist Neal Schon. On Oct. 9, Schon posted on 
Oscar-nominated Irish actress Saoirse Ronan (Ladybird, Little Women) has reportedly been cast as Linda McCartney in the upcoming Beatles "Four Film Cinematic Event" directed by Sam Mendes. Deadline.com is reporting that -- according to multiple sources -- Ronan will portray Paul McCartney's first wife in the upcoming series of biopics. Reps for distributors Sony Pictures are yet to make an official comment. Ronan, 31, has received four Oscar nominations across an illustrious career and appeared in addiction-recovery drama The Outrun in 2024. More recently, she led the dark comedy Bad Apples, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September. Ronan joins a cast that includes Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Harris Dickinson as John Lennon. With scripts written by Jez Butterworth, Peter Straughan and Jack Thorne, the films are expected to arrive in spring 2028, though official details currently remain scant. Linda Eastman and Paul met in 1967, and they were married until her death from cancer in 1998. She was a photographer, musician and animal rights activist who founded a vegetarian food company. She also performed alongside Paul as part of his post-Beatles band, Wings. - Billboard, 10/9/25...... KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons was hospitalized after a car crash in Malibu, Calif., on Oct. 7. According to NBC4 Los Angeles the crash was reported to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department just before 1:00 p.m. PT when Simmons' Lincoln Navigator reportedly crashed into a parked car on Pacific Coast Highway. He told deputies on the scene that he had either fainted or passed out before the crash, according to the L.A. Sheriff. Simmons' wife, Shannon Tweed, told NBC4 that the rocker was recovering at home, while a rep for KISS told Billboard on Oct. 8 that Simmons is "already back to work." Also on Oct. 8, Simmons posted on his 
As Linda Ronstadt reissues a 50th-anniversary vinyl edition of her 1975 album 
The Moody Blues bassist/vocalist John Lodge died "suddenly and unexpectedly" on Oct. 10, according to a 
On Oct 6 Rush surviving members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson announced they'll embark on their first tour in 11 years beginning in June 2026. The legendary prog rockers announced dates for a 12-show North American swing they are calling the "Fifty Something Tour." It will mark the first time singer/bassist Lee and guitarist/vocalist Lifeson hit the road since the group wrapped their "R40" 40th anniversary tour on Aug.1, 2015 at the Forum in Los Angeles. According to a press release, the outing will be a celebration of Rush's "music, legacy and the life of late drummer and lyricist Neil Peart"; the band's time-keeper and primary lyricist died of the brain cancer glioblastoma on Jan. 7, 2020 at age 67. Fittingly, the tour will kick off on June 7 with the first of two shows at the KIA Forum in L.A., followed by shows in Mexico City, Fort Worth, Chicago, New York and Toronto, wrapping up on Sept. 17 at the Rocket Arena in Cleveland. The "evening with" shows will feature the band playing two sets a night, with each show featuring a distinctive set of songs pulled from a setlist of 35 hits and fan favorites. They will be joined on the dates by German drummer/composer/producer Anika Nilles, 41, who has performed with Jeff Beck and released four solo albums. "It's been over 10 years since Alex and I have performed the music of RUSH alongside our fallen bandmate and friend Neil," wrote Geddy Lee in a statement. "A lifetime's worth of songs that we had put our cumulative hearts and souls into writing, recording and playing together onstage. And so, after all that has gone down since that last show, Alex and I have done some serious soul searching and come to the decision that we f---ing miss it, and that it's time for a celebration of 50-something years of RUSH music... No small task, because as we all know Neil was irreplaceable," he added. Fans can get in on a Rush artist pre-sale by signing up at 
On Oct. 1 The Who performed their final show of their North American farewell tour at the Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms, Calif. Surviving co-founding members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend and co. opened the performance with a live rendition of "I Can't Explain," before rocking other Who chestnuts including "Substitute," "Who Are You," "I Can See For Miles" and "Pinball Wizard." The penultimate track of the night was "The Song Is Over" from the band's 1971 fifth studio album, Who's Next, and the band made a final goodbye with a tender performance of "Tea & Theatre" -- a single from their 11th studio set, 2006's Endless Wire. "I suppose, you know, it's goodbye," Townshend told the audience at the end. "That's what it is. To what we know as The Who, it's goodbye. What Roger and I will get up to next, who knows? If we last any longer, I'm sure we'll get up to all kinds of mischief. We'll do stuff together, I'm sharing some stuff, all kinds [of] bits and pieces. But for this kind of thing, it's goodbye. And you were last!" Daltrey said: "Thank you so much for your support, over all the years. It means so much to us. It was every band's dream in the '60s to make it in America. And thanks to you guys, you made it happen for us. Thank you so much!" A fan-shot clip of the moment has been shared on 
It has been revealed that the surviving members of The Cars -- guitarist Elliot Easton, drummer David Robinson and keyboardist Greg Hawkes -- have been working on new music started by late Cars frontman Ric Ocasek. The trio of the legendary new wave band have been building a collection of tracks from the dozens of demos Ocasek left behind, as was teased in the new Cars biography 
Chris Dreja, a core member of the seminal British blues-rock band The Yardbirds and who helped shape the sound of some of their biggest hits, passed away on Oct. 2, according to his sister-in-law, Muriel Levy. He was 79. "It is with a deep sadness that I have to announce that my brother-in-law Chris Dreja, former member of legendary band The Yardbirds, rhythm guitarist and also bass player has passed away after years of health problems," Levy posted. "I share the pain with my sister Kate who took care of him during all those years and his daughter Jackie... May he RIP." The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, into which Dreja was inducted as a member of The Yardbirds in 1992, paid homage to the band's "innovations in feedback and distortion" and credited them for informing a slew of burgeoning genres like psychedelic rock, progressive rock, and punk in their short-lived but highly influential tenure" in a post on