Posted by Administrator on April 6th, 2024
After Beyoncé featured a cover of the Beatles' 1968 "White Album" track "Blackbird" on her new country-themed album Cowboy Carter, Paul McCartney took to his Instagram page to praise the pop icon's rendition of the song. "I am so happy with @beyonce's version of my song 'Blackbird," Sir Paul wrote in a caption of a carousel comprised of a photo of the two artists and the standard Cowboy Carter artwork. "I think she does a magnificent version of it and it reinforces the civil rights message that inspired me to write the song in the first place. I think Beyoncé has done a fab version and would urge anyone who has not heard it yet to check it out. You are going to love it!," he added. Beyoncé's "Blackbird," stylized as "Blackbiird" on her new LP, reimagines the acoustic original with additional bass, orchestral flourishes and lush harmonies (and lead vocals on the final verse) from a quartet of rising female Black country performers, including Tanner Adell, Reyna Roberts, Brittney Spencer and Tiera Kennedy. McCartney -- whose original master recording is used in Beyoncé's version, also revealed that he had the chance to speak with the singer about her take on "Blackbird." "I spoke to her on FaceTime and she thanked me for writing it and letting her do it," wrote Paul, who attended one of Beyoncé's 2023 Renaissance World Tour concerts. "I told her the pleasure [of her cover] was all mine and I thought she had done a killer version of the song. When I saw the footage on the television in the early 60s of the black girls being turned away from school, I found it shocking and I can't believe that still in these days there are places where this kind of thing is happening right now. Anything my song and Beyoncé's fabulous version can do to ease racial tension would be a great thing and makes me very proud." In another Beatles connection, Emmy-winning documentarian Ken Burns recently compared Cowboy Carter to "The White Album," citing both records' extensive exploration of different musical genres. - Billboard, 4/4/24...... 
When KISS took the stage at the final night of their farewell tour in Dec. 2023 at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden, they ended by revealing digitized avatars of themselves. Now the band announced on Apr. 4 that they've sold the band's publishing, recording royalties and trademarks -- including both the band's logo and its iconic makeup design -- to the Swedish company Pophouse that also backed ABBA's successful avatar-featuring Voyage show in London. The deal will result in a Pophouse-produced KISS virtual show, using some of the same technology as Voyage. "We have a lot of plans for KISS," Pophouse CEO Per Sundin says. Although Sundin says the company bought out the rights owned by frontmen Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, the two musicians will work with the company to develop the show, which is expected to open in 2027 in a U.S. city that will be announced at a later date. But don't expect it to look anything like ABBA Voyage, Sundin says. "We want to keep to the legacy. We want to extend it and amplify it for new generations," he says, adding that fans can also expect a KISS biopic and a documentary. Pophouse would not comment on the terms of the deal, which are presumably more complicated than a straightforward purchase of publishing rights, but it is estimated to be worth over $300 million. "We went to see the ABBA show and it blew our socks off," Gene Simmons said as he reacted to the Pophouse deal. "And the technology since then has improved by leaps and bounds. We've seen sketches of what it will look like and we looked like the X-Men," he added. Since KISS concerts were always heavy on spectacle, Simmons adds that a virtual show seems ideal for the band. "Everything is theater. We wanted bombast theater," he added. At this point, KISS may be better known for its concerts than its songs. But the deal includes those, plus recording royalties. Pophouse also has a good relationship with UMG, which owns the band's recordings, since Sundin was previously managing director of Universal Music Sweden and president of Universal Music Nordics. The band's trademarks belonged to Simmons and Stanley, including the makeup designs for their characters: The Demon (Simmons), the Starchild (Stanley), the Spaceman (originally Ace Frehley, more recently Tommy Thayer) and the Catman (originally Peter Criss, more recently Eric Singer). - Billboard/AP, 4/4/24...... The brother of late The Ramones co-founder Joey Ramone is fighting back against a lawsuit filed by late Ramones member Johnny Ramone's widow over a planned Netflix movie about the pioneering punk band, calling the case "baseless and flimsy" and filing his own countersuit against her. Johnny's wife, Linda Cummings-Ramone, sued Joey's brother Mitchel Hyman (better known as Mickey Leigh) in January over allegations that he had "covertly" developed an "unauthorized" biopic, believed to be Netflix's announced movie starring Pete Davidson as Joey. In the lawsuit, Cummings-Ramone said that any "authoritative story of the Ramones" would require her sign-off. But in a sharply worded response filed in March, Leigh's attorneys argued that Cummings-Ramone had, in fact, already greenlit such a movie many years ago -- and that her "baseless" lawsuit was simply one more step in a yearslong plan to "install herself as the Queen of the Ramones." "Ms. Cummings-Ramone's main purpose is to embarrass, harass, and destroy the integrity of Mr. Hyman, create an utterly false narrative about him, rewrite her role in the history of the Ramones, and win a popularity contest in which, in her mind, she takes over & the legacy of a band of which she never was a member and had nothing to do with creatively," Leigh's lawyers wrote in the Mar. 15 filing. Joey (real name: Jeffrey Ross Hyman) and Johnny (real name: John William Cummings) were not actually brothers, and they had a notoriously chilly relationship during their decades as bandmates. In the years since the two died, that feud has seemingly continued between Leigh and Cummings-Ramone. As the executors of Joey's and Johnny's respective estates, Leigh and Cummings-Ramone each own half of Ramones Productions, the holding company that controls the band's music and other assets. But that partnership has not gone smoothly, featuring multiple lawsuits and arbitrations over the past decade. The latest legal scuffle was triggered in part by the plans for a movie version of I Slept With Joey Ramone, Leigh's 2009 memoir, which Netflix announced in Apr. 2021. - Billboard, 4/3/24...... The two most prominent of Michael Jackson's alleged child molestation victims have requested access to nude photos of Jackson that were taken by the police back in 1993, around the same time Jackson was accused by a 13-year-old boy of sexual abuse. In March, Wade Robson, now 41, and James Safechuck, now 46, issued a subpoena requesting access to "photographs of Michael Jackson's genitalia and naked body taken by police" in an attempt to unseal the records. But lawyers for Jackson's estate are fighting back, arguing that the "highly sensitive" and "private" documents had been "sealed by a court-entered protective order from the Santa Barbara Superior Court." The team went on to call the plaintiffs' request "an egregious violation" and "simply beyond the pale." "The photographs Plaintiffs seek were not taken willingly by Mr. Jackson; they were the result of a court-ordered search based on a false statement in what became a discredited criminal investigation," the attorneys wrote. "To allow Plaintiffs to exploit that series of circumstances to their benefit by obtaining those photographs now adds a second defilement to the first," In 2013 and 2014 respectively, Robson and Safechuck accused the King of Pop of sexually abusing them as children. Both men are now suing the deceased singer's companies, arguing they are liable for allowing the alleged abuse to take place. - Music-News.com, 4/4/24...... 
Cher was honored with the iHeartRadio Icon Award during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards held at the Dolby Theatre on Apr. 1, 2024 in Los Angeles. When the Grammy-winning singer and Oscar-winning actor took the stage, she had some words for the haters. "There are people who say, 'Doesn't that b-tch have more than one pair of pants?'," she said, laughing, while sporting a pair of Chrome Hearts pants. "I've had these pants for 40 years. I thought we should come here and accept this award together." Speaking to her longevity, Cher said she felt "lucky to have people that have stayed with me all these years," while acknowledging that "most of you weren't born" when her career began as part of Sonny & Cher in the 1960s. "I don't usually talk about it, but I have been down and out so many times you could not believe it," Cher admitted. "Dropped by record companies, couldn't get a job they said, 'Oh, she's so over.' But I never gave up my dream." Cher also had some advice for everyone in attendance and watching at home, too. "Have a dream and don't give it up no matter what happens. If you have a dream and stick with it, you will have a wonderful life and it will probably come true." Prior to accepting the Icon Award, Cher hit the stage to perform her No. 1 hit "Believe," joined by vocal powerhouse (and fellow Oscar and Grammy winner) Jennifer Hudson. Cher's Icon Award was introduced by another living legend: Meryl Streep, who has been friends with Cher since they starred in the 1983 drama Silkwood together. Streep noted that Cher is the only woman who has notched a No. 1 Billboard song in every one of the last seven decades. She also shared a story about listening to "I Got You Babe" back when she was just a teen in the mid '60s. "[Cher was] 17. I thought she was old -- she could have been a senior! Now we're both seniors," she added drily. - Billboard, 4/1/24...... Prince's Grammy-winning 28th studio album Musicology received rave reviews from fans and critics alike when it was released 20 years ago, and with its revolutionary direct-to-fan marketing strategy, effectively changed music promotion forever. On Apr. 5, to commemorate the anniversary, NPG Records and Paisley Park Enterprises, in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment, released "United States Of Division," a rare 2004 Prince recording that was initially offered as a virtual B-side download for "Cinnamon Girl" exclusively from Prince's NPG Music Club and eventually as a non-LP bonus track for the UK CD single of "Cinnamon Girl," but has not been distributed via streaming services until now. "United States Of Division" is a powerful protest song that sees Prince boldly confronting the social and political issues that continue to plague the nation to this day. Over a percussive backbeat and slinking bassline colored by synths and horn stabs, Prince laments the state of a fractured nation: "How far from heaven must we go? / Before the winds of change will blow and show / This world how it's supposed to be / Land of peace and harmony." Released on Apr. 20, 2004, in the midst of the US war in Iraq, "United States Of Division" serves as a potent reminder of Prince's often underappreciated passion for social commentary. Musicology was praised by Rolling Stone for "its sinuous grooves and effortless swing" and earned Prince two Grammy awards in addition to being certified double platinum by the RIAA in 2005. The album came at the peak of Prince's early 2000s resurgence, practically coinciding with his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame where he performed his now iconic guitar solo on an all-star rendition of The Beatles classic, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." His Musicology tour that year was also his highest-grossing US tour of his career and one of the most successful US tours of the year, with the artist performing for over 1.4 million fans. - Music-News.com, 4/5/24...... ABBA has reportedly struck a "multi-million-dollar" deal to take their acclaimed 'Voyage' hologram show to Las Vegas. Band members Benny Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Bjorn Ulvaeus have reportedly been in talks with Resorts World to bring the ABBA-tars to Vegas following its huge success in London over the last couple of years. "ABBA has been secretly in talks for a while about getting a deal in Vegas," a source told the Daily Star paper. "The music of Abba is well liked in the US and the unique selling point of avatars makes it more than an ABBA show as the spectacular is something that could well wow audiences." In 2023, it was reported that a Voyage world tour was in the works for the virtual concert experience, but no plans have been confirmed in regard to the timeframe or locations where it could happen. - NME, 4/2/24...... Bruce Springsteeen paused his Mar. 31 concert with the E Street Band at San Francisco's Chase Center to sign a young student's absentee note to cut class to attend his show. Springsteen's attention was brought to a young fan in the front row, who was carrying a handwritten sign that read "Skipping school, sign my note?". The note would allow the kid to skip school on Apr. 1 after attending the concert. Springsteen obliged the young fan and signed the now, however it is currently unclear if the absentee note signed by The Boss was accepted by their school. Elsewhere during the show, the New Jersey rocker kicked off the concert with "Light Of Day," marking its first time being performed on his ongoing tour, as well as the first time he had performed the song with the E Street Band since 2016. - NME, 4/2/24...... 
Former King Crimson principal Robert Fripp went nude on Apr. 1 to announce that he had joined the adult content site OnlyFans -- but it turned out to be an April Fool's Day joke. On that day Fripp took to YouTube and other social media to share a new video in which he appears nude, with nothing but his guitar to cover his lower half. As he sits on stairs, Fripp caresses the neck of his Gibson Les Paul and licks his lips suggestively, before a link to his OnlyFans page is shown onscreen. A description for his OnlyFans page reads: "Robert has officially joined OnlyFans! Subscribe now for exclusive, jaw-dropping content you never knew you needed." Upon clicking the link, you're taken to a broken page, suggesting that Fripp has indeed not joined OnlyFans, and that it was all a ruse in the name of April's Fools. Since Fripp posted the video, reactions online have ranged from some fans finding the April Fool's joke funny, while some have seemed to miss the joke entirely. "This will no doubt upset all the King Crimson purists," one fan wrote on YouTube with laughing emojis, while another wrote, "WTF!!!! Robert's lost it! Get the doctor!". On X, users seem to be taking the joke better, with some calling it the best prank they've seen this year. One fan even posted a tweet using the cover of King Crimson's classic In The Court Of The Crimson King to convey his reaction to the joke. "This is my sincere reaction," he captioned the post. - NME, 4/2/24...... Speaking to People magazine, Wolfgang Van Halen has revealed a sweet salute for his late dad Eddie Van Halen at every concert he performs by pointing to the sky after every performance. "The reason I do what I do is because of my dad. So if I didn't or at least think about him throughout the process, I'd be doing a disservice to my existence," said Wolfgang, who fronts his solo project Mammoth WVH and used to play with Van Halen. "So I think it's very important to establish that to thank my dad every night, every time I'm on stage. Just to thank my father and to know that he's always there with me every night." Wolfgang recently revealed the reason he refuses to cover his dad's songs is because it's important to be his "own musician." Speaking on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, Wolfgang explained: "I'm happy to be able to prove myself. The important key distinction is that I'm not doing what my dad did, I'm my own person, I'm my own musician it's why I don't play any Van Halen music or have a plan to play Van Halen music during my sets. Even my dad hated doing covers back in the day, his quote resonates with me all the time where he says: 'I'd rather bomb with my own music than succeed with somebody else's', and that's exactly how I feel about playing Van Halen music. I'd much rather fail on my own than succeed heartlessly by playing 'Panama'." - Music-News.com, 4/5/24...... Chaka Khan has announced she's been forced to turn down a legends slot at the UK's Glastonbury festival this year due to her busy work schedule. Khan, 71, is the curator of this year's Meltdown festival at London's Southbank Centre, following in the footsteps of late rock legend David Bowie, Grace Jones and Yoko Ono, to name a few, and due to her busy schedule, she was unable to accept the offer from the world-famous music festival's organisers, Michael and Emily Eavis. But Khan says she hopes to perform at the 2025 edition of Glastonbury. "Yeah, sure - I would love that," she said when asked if she would do it next year. Country-pop singer Shania Twain was ultimately chosen for the Sunday afternoon slot dedicated to music icons, joining headliners SZA, Dua Lipa and Coldplay. Khan is using the Meltdown festival to mark her 50 years in music after she hit the landmark in 2023, following the release of her 1973 debut album Rufus. Her first solo single, "I'm Every Woman," was released in 1978 and is among the classics of the disco era. Chaka, who has released 13 solo albums to date, will also perform a run of UK shows this summer including at the Nocturne Live concert series at Blenheim Palace in London on June 13. - Music-News.com, 4/4/24...... 
John Sinclair, the counterculture poet and political activist who was also the former manager of the Detroit rock band MC5 and helped launch the career of Iggy Pop, died on Apr. 2 at Detroit Receiving Hospital following congestive heart failure. He was 82. Mr. Sinclair was an influential activist who was best known for his fight toward legalizing marijuana in the US and for his role in MC5. Born on Oct. 2, 1941 in the Flint, Mich. suburb of Davison, Mr. Sinclair was also a champion of civil rights and co-founder of the radical anti-racist group the White Panther Party. He also helped launch the seminal punk rock band Iggy Pop and the Stooges, and managed the MC5 through 1969, helping the group score its contract with Elektra Records. Mr. Sinclair was famously arrested for allegedly giving two cannabis joints to police officers in the late 1960s and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He served 29 months but was released a few days after John Lennon, Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger and others performed in front of 15,000 attendees at the University of Michigan's Crisler Arena. Lennon also wrote a song named after Mr. Sinclair that appeared on his 1972 solo album, Sometime In New York City. Mr. Sinclair also faced charges of conspiracy to destroy government property in 1972, which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and resulted in a landmark decision that prohibited the government's use of electronic surveillance without a warrant. After those cases, Mr. Sinclair spent time living in Amsterdam -- where he established the John Sinclair Foundation to promote arts and media -- and New Orleans, where he continued writing and performing. He formed bands, including several iterations of his Blues Scholars, and recorded a litany of albums, including the highly regarded Guitar Army in 2007. He also hosted performances at the Detroit Jazz Center in the city's downtown and launched the Radio Free Amsterdam channel online. Over the years, Mr. Sinclair also promoted concerts and festivals and helped to establish the Detroit Artists Workshop and Detroit Jazz Center. He taught blues history at Wayne State University and wrote liner notes for albums by such artists as The Isley Brothers and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. His death comes just two months after MC5 guitarist and co-founder Wayne Kramer died at the age of 75 after battling pancreatic cancer. "He was a truly interesting man, one of a kind. Thanks and praises," Iggy Pop posted on X following his passing. Billy Fuller, Robert Plant's bassist, also paid his respects. He wrote: "RIP John Sinclair I met him once when I was asked to bring some smoke for him before his gig at the Thekla in 2002. He signed my copy of [the MC5's] Kick Out The Jams as a thank you." Mr. Sinclair had been in poor health for a number of years, including diabetes, and was admitted to the hospital during the weekend to treat a leg sore that had become infected and turned into sepsis. He's survived by two daughters, Marianne and Celia. Memorial arrangements are pending. - NME, 4/2/24.
The veteran prog-rock band Hawkwind is releasing its 26th studio album, Stories From Time And Space. Although guitarist/vocalist Dave Brock is the only member that remains from Hawkwind's original lineup in 1969, the band's sound still immediately recognizable as Hawkwind, and songs on the album stand up in terms of originality and an experimental spirit. It features synths and pounding rhythms, psychedelic jams, massive and harsh riffs, and sounds seeming to appear from nowhere, in Hawkwind's trademark style. Stories From Time And Space arrives on Apr. 5 via the Cherry Red label, and its first single, "The Starship (One Love One Life)," can be viewed on YouTube. Hawkwind will mount a four-city UK tour behind the album on Apr. 4 in Cardiff, followed by Newcastle Upon Tyne (Apr. 5), Edinburgh (Apr. 6) and Glasgow (Apr. 7). - Music-News.com, 3/29/24...... 
In a new interview with Billboard, former Foreigner vocalist Lou Gramm says he'd "given up" on his famous classic rock band being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame until it was revelaed that Foreigner was among the Class of 24 RRHOF nominees in February, and he's still trying to temper his expectations as the Rock Hall prepares to announce the latest inductees later in April. "I was not feeling good that our peers were in years ago and we were completely neglected, Gramm said in a phone interview from his home in his native Rochester, N.Y. "I personally had given up that we would ever be considered. I didn't even think about it anymore, to be honest with you. So (the nomination) was a big surprise to me, and I didn't want to be too excited about it when I heard. I didn't want to be amped up or get my hopes up because of the way things have gone down in the past. I was, 'OK, that's good. Let's see what happens. I hope we get in.' I'm patiently waiting to see what happens." Gramm does however feel that "things look pretty good," and he's been particularly appreciative of the campaign efforts by Mark Ronson, son-in-law of Foreigner founder Mick Jones, who's enlisted artists such as Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Slash, Jack Black, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith and others to publicly express disbelief that the veteran act isn't in the Rock Hall already. Gramm was Foreigner's original frontman and was with the band from 1976-1989 and 1992-1993, also serving as Jones' principal songwriting partner. The two were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013, the same year Gramm published his memoir Juke Box Hero: My Five Decades in Rock 'n' Roll. Gramm was part of Foreigner reunion shows during 2017 and 2018 and currently performs with his Lou Gramm All Stars. He'll be part of Poison frontman Bret Michael's Parti-Gras 2.0 tour this summer as well. Gramm says he hasn't been in contact with any of his bandmates, but he's been told that if inducted, Foreigner -- which has remained in the top 5 of the fan vote since it opened in February -- will perform two songs at the ceremony in Cleveland. "One I'm sure is gonna be 'I Want to Know What Love Is,'" Gramm notes. "I don't know what the other one is gonna be." Gramm does feel like there's some unfinished business for Foreigner, however. He says that "there's a whole album's worth of songs -- from the early 2000s that he and Jones wrote and only recorded in rough form." Although he isn't sure if Jones is "ever gonna do anything with them... I kind of doubt it, but I would like to at least listen to those roughs that we did. Those were great ideas." The current Foreigner lineup, fronted by singer Kelly Hansen, is in the midst of a farewell tour that will likely go into 2025. In February, Jones disclosed he has Parkinson's disease, which has kept him from performing with Foreigner since 2022. Gramm, meanwhile, is also planning to retire after his 2024 run. "I've been doing it for years now, and I've thought about (retiring) a few years ago, and a few years before that. I still enjoy playing but I can't stand the travel anymore. I'm sure I'm gonna miss it initially, but I have a lot of memories, fantastic shows performed all over the world. I'm not becoming a reclusive person, but I value my time on my own, and when I'm out there, I don't have that, and I don't like that anymore." - Billboard, 3/28/24...... 
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld paid tribute to his fellow Long Islander pal Billy Joel during Joel's 100th show at Madison Square Garden. "I am from Long Island, like Billy is from Long Island," Seinfeld told the crows. "He captured how we all feel living in this particular part of the world. Long Island. New York. He's like the companion that we've gone through our whole lives with. His music is our best friend for our whole life." Seinfeld continued: "100 sellouts in a row. Congratulations, Billy," Seinfeld said while presenting a banner to commemorate the milestone. "Most lifetime performances by any artist. You can die now," he joked. "And I want to thank you for buying my house," Joel told Seinfeld as he left the stage. "That was a nice thing to do." Seinfeld currently lives in his former house, having purchased Joel's house almost 25 years ago. Joel has been performing at the venue for a residency once a month for the last decade, with each of his 100 shows being a sell-out. His first MSG concert took place on Dec. 14, 1978, and every Billy Joel concert there has been a sell-out since. Fan-shot footage of Seinfeld's Piano Man tribute has been shared on X. A taping of the entire concert, The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden - The Greatest Arena Run of All Time, is set to air on Apr. 14 from 9 to 11 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. The special will also be available to stream live or on demand in the US for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers; Paramount+ Essential subscribers will have access to watch it on demand in the U.S. the day after its debut. - NME, 3/31/24...... Michael Jackson's three children made a rare appearance together at a press night performance of "MJ: The Musical" at London's Prince Edward Theatre on Mar. 27. Paris Jackson, Prince Jackson and Bigi Jackson (formerly known as Blanket) posed together for photos before walking into the theater to watch the Tony Award-winning musical based on their father's life. In 2022, Paris and Prince attended the Tony Awards together to present the "MJ: The Musical" cast's performance of "Smooth Criminal." "A lot of people seem to think our dad Michael Jackson changed popular music forever. And who are we to disagree?" Prince said at the time. "He loved musicals, on film and on the stage." Bigi rarely makes public appearances, but in March the 22-year-old asked a Los Angeles judge to stop his grandmother from using money from the his late father's estate to fund her ongoing legal battles against the estate's executors over their recent $600 million deal with Sony. Michael's life and career will be the subject of an upcoming biopic, titled "Michael," which will be produced by Graham King (Bohemian Rhapsody) and John Branca and John McClain, who are the co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate. The film will be directed by Antoine Fuqua, with Michael's nephew Jaafar Jackson portraying his late famous uncle and -- just recently announced -- The Vampire Diaries star Kat Graham playing one of Michael and The Jackson 5's mentors, Diana Ross. In other MJ news, one of the King of Pop's original "Thriller" jackets 1983 is available to buy now via an online auction. The red jacket with black trim, red lining, ribbed shoulders and collar, stud fasteners, with belts to waist and sleeves, was originally owned by Jackson's manager Frank DiLeo from 1983 to 1989. It was then sold at Sotheby's in 1993, and is now available for bids until Apr. 12 via the GottaHaveRockandRoll.com memorabilia site. The minimum bid for the item is $100,000 (£79,000), and it is listed as having an estimated sale value of $300,000-$500,000 (£240,000-£400,000). The item's listing states that Jackson wore the jacket for promotional events, although it is not the particular article worn by the singer during the shooting of the "Thriller" video. That jacket went to auction in Los Angeles in 2011, just two year's after Jackson's death. It was sold to the Texan gold trader Milton Verret for $1.8 million, who said he intended to use the jacket to raise money for children's hospitals around the world. Also being put up for sale on GottaHaveRockandRoll.com is Elvis Presley's iconic 1974 Martin D28 acoustic guitar. The guitar comes from Presley's close friend and former Memphis Mafia member Charlie Hodge. According to Hodge, "When Elvis first came on stage he would always do two songs and then he would always take his guitar and flip the guitar to end the song and then toss the guitar over his shoulder without looking at me and throw it for me to catch." Well, this is exactly what happened, as Elvis threw this guitar to Hodge on stage. The auction house estimates the guitar to sell for between $150,000 to $300,000. - Billboard/Music-News.com, 3/28/24...... In more rare memorabilia auctions, Paul McCartney's original, handwritten lyrics for the 1967 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band track "Lovely Rita" will be among the items to be sold at the ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair, which returns to Manhattan's Park Avenue Armory from Apr. 4-7. Now in its 64th year, the celebrated book fair will boast Sir Paul's lyrics in black ink on a piece of paper, torn from a spiral notebook. Also included are Macca's later revisions in blue ink (he changed "writing all the numbers in her little black book" to "filling in a ticket with her little blue pen," neither of which made it to the final product). Biblioctopus Rare Books brings the item to the fair with an asking price of $650,000. And if you're a Beatles fanatic who can't quite cover the "Lovely Rita" asking price, you can also check out an original artwork by Dutch art collective The Fool (Marijke Koger and Simon Posthuma) that the Beatles commissioned for Sgt. Pepper's. The piece, available from Voewood Rare Books, is signed by Ringo Starr as "Billy S" (Billy Shears, his fictional Pepper persona). Details about the "Lovely Rita" lyrics and the 2024 Antiquarian Book Fair can be found at nyantiquarianbookfair.com. Meanwhile, "banned" and "unflattering" artwork that an artist claimed was banned by McCartney for being "too unflattering" is now headed to auction. However, it has since emerged that the Beatles' icon has never seen the piece. The artwork in question is a wooden sculpture created by Wilfrid Wood, which was originally set to be released as part of the 2024 Secret 7 vinyl project -- in a bid to raise money for the charity War Child. The project is being released in conjunction with a host of gigs that War Child puts on to raise money for its charity, and consists of various artists including McCartney releasing a limited edition 7" record for a specific track, which are later auctioned off. However, the single artwork for McCartney was withdrawn. Wood claimed that the wooden sculpture was banned from the exhibition after the rock veteran deemed it "too unflattering," according to the artist. Wood then took to Instagram to share that he will be auctioning the piece off personally anyway, and donating the proceeds to War Child UK. However, a spokesperson for McCartney has since revealed to New Musical Express that McCartney "never saw this artwork". - Billboard/New Musical Express, 3/27/24...... 
A cache of never-before-heard Marvin Gaye music that has potentially lain hidden in Belgium for over 40 years has been found, according to a report by the BBC. Gaye moved to the coastal city of Ostend in 1981 after taking the business card of a Belgian concert promoter in a nightclub while he was living in London. At the time, he was a heavy cocaine user, but his move to Belgium helped him to beat his addiction. It was also during this time that he recorded one of his biggest hits, "Sexual Healing." For a time, Gaye lived at the home of a Belgian musician, Charles Dumolin, and it is Dumolin's family who are claiming ownership of the material. "They belong to [the family] because they were left in Belgium 42 years ago," said Belgian lawyer Alex Trappeniers. "Marvin gave it to them and said, 'Do whatever you want with it' and he never came back. That's important." Trappeniers continued: "Each time a new instrumental started when Marvin started singing, I gave it a number. At the end when I had listened to all the 30 tapes I had 66 demos of new songs. A few of them are complete and a few of them are as good as 'Sexual Healing', because it was made in the same time." Meanwhile, Gaye's heirs in the US might theoretically have the rights to the music but would be unable to access it without owning the tapes. Trappeniers said he thought a compromise was due. "I think we both benefit, the family of Marvin and the collection in the hands of [Dumolin's heirs]. If we put our hands together and find the right people in the world, the Mark Ronsons or the Bruno Mars. I'm not here to make suggestions but to say 'OK, let's listen to this and let's make the next album'," he said. "Morally," he says, "I'd like to work with the family but this is the nightmare for them that someone comes from a country where there's a lot of money and we make an agreement and this collection leaves this country." The family of Dumolin, who died in 2019, undoubtedly own the collection, particularly in light of a Belgian law that stipulates that any property becomes yours after 30 years, regardless of how it is acquired. This, however, doesn't apply to intellectual property, meaning Trappeniers and his partners could end up as the owners of the physical tapes on which the music was recorded, without the right to publish the songs. Also among the rediscovered Gaye items is a valuable collection of his stage costumes and notebooks. - NME, 3/31/24...... If you've ever wanted to see Mick Jagger himself dancing to Maroon 5's 2011 hit "Moves Like Jagger," now's your big chance. On Mar. 27, the Rolling Stones frontman took to Instagram to post a video of himself dancing along to a bar band's performance of the song during a night out on the town. He captioned the video "moves like who !," while also giving a shout out to the live band, Splash. The Stones released their 24th album Hackney Diamonds in Oct. 2023, marking their first full-length effort since 2005's A Bigger Bang. On Apr. 28, the "world's greatest rock and roll band" will kick off a US tour in Houston, Tex., followed by seven additional dates in May. They are also set to play at this year's edition of New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival alongside Foo Fighters and Neil Young and Crazy Horse and more. - NME, 3/28/24...... Bruce Springsteen joined country-rock singer Zach Bryan onstage at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on Mar. 27 for a two-song encore that included a performance of Bryan's unreleased number "Sandpaper" and a duet of "Revival," the closer from Bryan's 2020 album Elisabeth. Snippets from the Springsteen-assisted encore can be viewed on X. The collaboration is something of a payback by The Boss, as Bryan has covered Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. classic "I'm on Fire" on several occasions, live and in the studio. Springsteen, 74, recently made a triumphant return to the road in March, taking the stage in Phoenix, AZ with the E Street Band to relaunch their world tour after a six-month break due to the singer's battle with peptic ulcer. 
In other Springsteen-related news, actor Jeremy Allen White is reportedly in talks to portray Springsteen in an upcoming biopic. White, best known for his roles in The Iron Claw, Shameless and more, took the 2024 award season by storm with his intense but vulnerable role as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto in the FX comedy-drama series The Bear. The Brooklyn-born White, 33, won a number of best actor awards for his role on The Bear, including two Critics' Choice Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two SAG Awards, an Emmy Award and more. The upcoming film is set to focus on the making of The Boss' 1982 stripped-down album Nebraska, and will be based on the 2023 Warren Zanes deep-dive novel of the same name. Springsteen has previously said that Nebraska, his sixth studio album, is his most definitive work. "If I had to pick out one album and say, 'This is going to represent you 50 years from now' I'd pick Nebraska," he told CBS Sunday Morning in 2023. Nebraska peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart dated Oct. 30, 1982. So far no further details on a timeline or production details about the Springsteen biopic have been announced. - Billboard/The Hollywood Reporter, 3/28/24...... Speaking to the UK's The Times newspaper, Roger Daltrey reflected on recently turning 80, saying that "he has to be realistic" and that he is "on the way out." "I have to be realistic," he wrote in a "backstage diary" feature for the paper. "I'm on my way out. The average life expectancy is 83 and with a bit of luck I'll make that, but we need someone else to drive things." Daltrey was referring to recently wrapping up his last year the active curator of the Teenage Cancer Trust series of charity shows. "I'm not leaving TCT -- I've been a patron since I first met the charity's founders, Dr. Adrian and Myrna Whiteson, more than 30 years ago -- and that will continue, but I'll be working in the back room, talking to the government, rattling cages." The Who frontman also opened up about feeling nerves ahead of his recent shows: "We haven't done anything for seven months and this winter's been brutal. I've been in hibernation. For the whole of January, I lost my voice completely." His remarks come after the singer recently announced a new "semi-acoustic" 9-date solo tour of North America, launching in Vienna, Va. on June 12. Meanwhile, Who guitarist Pete Townshend has teased the prospect of a worldwide The Who "final tour" before they "crawl off and die." In an interview with The New York Times, the 78-year-old musician said he was open to making new music, five years after The Who's last album of new music and 31 years after his last solo album. "I do and I think I will," Townshend said when asked if he wants to make new music. "It feels to me like there's one thing the Who can do, and that's a final tour where we play every territory in the world and then crawl off to die," he noted. Townshend admitted he has mainly been "touring for the money" in recent years, and while he's been writing a lot in his spare time, he hasn't felt a desire to release any of the material. He added: "I don't get much of a buzz from performing with the Who. If I'm really honest, I've been touring for the money. My idea of an ordinary lifestyle is pretty elevated. I've been immensely creative and productive throughout that period, but I haven't felt the need to put it out. And if I can make it personal, I don't care whether you like it or not. When White City came out [in 1985] and the sales were so slow, I thought, 'Screw this'. Nobody wanted me as I was -- they wanted the old Pete." - New Musical Express/Music-News.com, 3/31/24...... A new documentary examining the life and career of "King Tut" comedian Steve Martin is currently streaming on the Apple TV+ platform. STEVE dives into the extraordinary story o Martin, told from two distinct points of view that trace his rise in standup and examines the golden years of his career. - Canoe.com, 3/24/24...... 
ABBA will be releasing a 50th-anniversary deluxe reissue of their iconic 1974 album Waterloo on Apr. 5 to mark 50 years after the now-legendary Swedish band had their international breakthrough in the Eurovision Song Contest on Apr. 6, 1974 at The Dome in Brighton, UK. The reissue comes on the Polar Music International label and arrives as a half-speed mastered 45 RPM 2-LP vinyl, along with a limited edition box set of the three vinyl singles originally released in 1974. The three singles are also available as separate picture disks. There is also a unique 10-inch vinyl disc featuring "Waterloo" in four different languages, as well as a new line of retro-'70s apparel. As well as the now-iconic title track, the tracklist of their second album also includes songs such as "Honey, Honey," "Dance (While The Music Still Goes On)," and "Hasta Maana" -- a ballad that very nearly became ABBA's Eurovision entry choice instead of the title track. As well as the vinyl reissue, fans are also being given the chance to dance along to ABBA's hits on the roof of London's O2 to celebrate the milestone. Taking place for one night only on Apr. 4, fans can climb the landmark venue, then swap their climbing shoes for dancing shoes as an ABBA silent disco will be held against the backdrop of London's skyline. For more information and tickets you can visit the aegeurope.com website. In other ABBA-related news, the ABBA tribute show Björn Again has been confirmed as one of the headliners for the UK's Hampton Court Palace Festival 2024. Set for June 11 to June 22, this year's lineup also includes Nile Rodgers and CHIC, Paloma Faith, Sheryl Crow, Sir Tom Jones, Jessie J, Jack Savoretti, Deacon Blue and Sam Ryder, with Björn Again taking the stage on June 15. Artists perform in an intimate 3,000-seat auditorium in Base Court, set against the backdrop of Henry VIII's magnificent Tudor Palace and attendees can enjoy picnics, drinks and street food in the Palace Gardens, with luxury packages on offer. Ticket info can be found at HamptonCourtPalaceFestival.com. - NME/Music-News.com, 3/27/24...... Actor Louis Gossett Jr., best known for his Oscar-winning 1982 role as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley opposite Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentleman, died in Santa Monica, Calif., on Mar. 29. He was 87. A statement from his family announced the death, and no cause was revealed. The New York-born Mr. Gossett was the first Black man to win a best supporting actor Oscar, and he also won an Emmy in 1978 for his role in Roots, the ground-breaking TV mini-series about slavery. Mr. Gossett made his Broadway debut as a teenager and later starred in shows such as "A Raisin in the Sun" and "Golden Boy." He went on to gain critical acclaim across a six-decade career. He continued acting into later life and his last role was in the 2023 musical remake of "The Color Purple." His other credits include Backstairs At The White House, The Story Of Satchel Paige, The Josephine Baker Story (for which he won a Golden Globe), and Roots Revisited. He also starred in the cult 1980s science fiction film Enemy Mine as the alien Jeriba Shigan, alongside Dennis Quaid. - AP, 3/29/24.
On Mar. 24 Roger Daltrey celebrated his final performance as the curator of the annual Teenage Cancer Trust concerts after 24 years with an all-star performance of one of The Who's most beloved songs, "Baba O'Riley." The "Ovation" concert at London's Royal Albert Hall ended with the 80-year-old Daltrey singing the Who's go-to show-closing 1971 epic, with Robert Plant, Eddie Vedder, Glen Hansard, Kelly Jones of the Stereophonics, and Pete Townshend's brother Simon Townshend. In fan-shot video shared on 
Ahead of a new Beach Boys documentary set to air on Disney+ in May, the band will release their first-ever and only autobiography, 
After becoming a staple within pop culture, notably being featured in the famous final scene of HBO's The Sopranos series finale "Made in America" as well as numerous theatrical films including Rock of Ages, Glee and Monster, Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" has been named as "the biggest song of all time" by Forbes magazine. According to the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), "Don't Stop Believin'" is now an 18-times-platinum-certified single, meaning that the track has moved more than 18 million units between pure sales and other forms of consumption like streaming in the US alone. Before reaching this honor, in May 2013, "Don't Stop Believin'" had only hit quadruple platinum status. Journey's founding member and lead guitarist Neal Schon took to 
Joni Mitchell's catalog of classic tunes has been restored to Spotify.com, a week after her old friend Neil Young allowed his song canon to return to the popular streaming music platform. Mitchell pulled her music from Spotify in early 2022 in solidarity with Young over their concerns about the vaccine and Covid-19 misinformation being spread on the platform's popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Though Mitchell, 80, has not as yet formally commented on her music's return to Spotify, in a note on her official website posted at the time of the boycott she explained, "I've decided to remove all my music from Spotify. Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue." Earlier in March, Young said in a post on his Neil Young Archives site that the end of Spotify's exclusive deal with Rogan led to the restoration of his music to the service. "My decision comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at Spotify," Young's post read -- in a clear reference to the Joe Rogan podcast, though he never mentioned the show, or its host, by name. Since February, the Rogan podcast has been available on a variety of platform, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and YouTube. At the time of Mitchell's boycott not all of her music was actually removed from Spotify. While such iconic titles as 1970's Ladies of the Canyon, 1971's Blue and 1974's Court and Spark went away during the pull-out, her four Geffen Records albums from the 1980s and early 1990s were still available. - Billboard, 3/22/24.
In other Ozzy-related news, the historic Birmingham pub where Ozzy and Black Sabbath once played has been granted secured listed status by the UK's Department of Culture, following fears it may be knocked down. The Crown venue on Station Street, also regarded by some as the "birthplace of heavy metal" was one of the buildings at risk on that street, as is the Electric -- the UK's oldest working cinema which was shut down earlier in March. Now however, the Crown has been listed as Grade II by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England, helping to secure its future on the street. The iconic space, first erected in 1881, has been empty for 10 years now, and initially, Birmingham Open Media had planned to buy and restore the pub, however the organisation lost its funding and faced competition from a developer wanting to use the site for housing. The listed status comes after more than 15,000 people signed a petition, calling for the street to be saved and regarded as "a site of civic pride, cultural value and historic asset." The new status gives the venue more protection from re-development. Not only did Black Sabbath famously play many of their first shows at the site, but it also saw acts including Thin Lizzy, The Who, Supertramp, Duran Duran, Status Quo and Judas Priest headline earlier in their careers. Black Sabbath's Toni Iommi, one of the Crown's biggest backers, celebrated the news with a post on 
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band returned to the stage on Mar. 19 at Phoenix, Arizona's Footprint Center after Springsteen took an extended 6-month break from the road as he suffered from peptic ulcer disease that caused him to postpone 29 dates on his world tour with the band. The Boss, clad in a red and black checkered shirt with rolled-up sleeves and black jeans, was in top form from show opener "Lonesome Day" and fully had his sea legs back by third song, "No Surrender," when he gave his first trademark shout out, "Cmon, Steve!" beckoning for his brother-in-music for over half a century, Steven Van Zandt, to join him on the mic. Unlike the setlists from earlier shows on this tour that seemed slightly more reflective and wide-ranging, the latest show was more of a high-octane, freight train of a rock show. Springsteen and the band barreled through 29 songs, passionately delivering mainly full-on rockers, in 2 hours and 45 minutes. The only break between songs was the few seconds it took for Springsteen to change guitars and, other than a few asides, he only addressed the audience for the speech before "Last Man Standing" and after "Backstreets." He never brought up his illness until right before the closing song when he apologized to anyone inconvenienced by the Phoenix date shifting from Nov. 30 to Mar. 19, adding, "I had a mother-----r of a bellyache." His 7-song encore included a rendition of the Isley Brothers' classic "Twist & Shout," after holding up a suggestion sign from a member of the audience to the band. - Billboard, 3/20/24...... Songs by '70s artists The Doobie Brothers, Donna Summer and Charlie Pride are among ten recordings that were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame on Mar. 20, following a two-year period in which the Hall was put on hiatus for a reevaluation. Several changes were made during the hiatus period. The number of inducted recordings is down significantly from 25 to 30 in prior years. And while past classes have included repeat inductions by such Hall of Fame mainstays as The Beatles and Ella Fitzgerald, all of this year's choices are by first-time inductees into the Hall. The as usual eclectic selection of artists chosen include the Doobies' 1979 No. 1 smash 
On Mar. 18 Jeff Lynne's ELO announced the dates for the classic rock group's final run of North American dates. The 27-date "Over and Out Tour" is slated to kick off on Aug. 24 in Palm Desert, Calif. and keep the "Evil Woman" band on the road through late October, with stops including Seattle (8/27), Vancouver (8/28), San Francisco (9/1), Toronto (9/9), Pittsburgh (9/10), Cincinnati (9/14), New York (9/16), Boston (9/23), Chicago (9/27), Denver (10/2), Detroit (10/9), Houston (10/16), Phoenix (10/21) and Sacramento (10/23) before winding down on Oct. 25 with a show at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Tickets go on sale on Mar. 22, and more info can be found at 
On Mar. 19 Deep Purple announced details of a new UK arena tour set for later in 2024. Called the "'One More Time" tour, the dates comprise five shows across the country, and will see frontman Ian Gillan and co. run through live renditions of their biggest hits including "Smoke on the Water," "Highway Star" and "Soldier Of Fortune." The dates kick off with an opening night at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham on Nov. 4, before resuming two days later with a show at London's O2 on Nov. 6. A gig at the First Direct Arena in Leeds is scheduled for the following night (11/7), and the tour wraps up with slots at Manchester's AO arena and Glasgow's OVO Hydro -- set for Nov. 9 and 10 respectively. Support for the UK shows will come from '90s indie-rock legends Reef, and tickets go on general sale on Mar. 22. Ahead of embarking on their UK shows, Deep Purple are set to head down under next month, and play a series of Australian festival slots alongside rock icons including Blondie, Alice Cooper, Placebo, Wolfmother and more. A run of European tour dates will then follow, and run throughout the summer. Deep Purple will also soon launch a deluxe version of their classic 1972 album Machine Head. 
M. Emmet Walsh, the familiar character actor in such films as Blade Runner, Blood Simple, Ordinary People, Knives Out, My Best Friend's Wedding, Slap Shot and more than 200 other films and TV shows spanning a half-century, died on Mar. 19. He was three days short of turning 89. His manager Sandy Joseph told Deadline.com that Mr. Walsh died of cardiac arrest at Kerbs Memorial Hospital in St. Albans, VT. Born on Mar. 22, 1935, in Ogdensburg, NY, Mr. Walsh was raised in rural Vermont. He began his screen career guesting on late-1960s TV series before landing bit parts in films including Alice's Restaurant, Little Big Man and Escape from the Planet of the Apes. He continued to guest-star in episodes of popular 1960s and 70s series including Bonanza, All in the Family, Ironside, The Bob Newhart Show, McMillan & Wife, The Rockford Files, The Waltons, Starsky and Hutch, James at 16, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and many more. He also appeared on the big screen in such '70s hits as 
Knopfler, meanwhile, recently released a re-recorded version of his song "Going Home" for Teenage Cancer Trust, featuring Brian May, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton and Ronnie Wood. After being teased earlier in 2024, the track officially dropped on Mar. 15 on 
During his Luck Reunion concert in Spicewood, Tex. on Mar. 14, Willie Nelson and Kermit the Frog delivered a sweet duet of The Muppets' classic "Rainbow Connection." With Kermit on banjo and Nelson on guitar, the pair delivered a tender, heartwarming cover of the classic song, which was originally released in 1979 for The Muppet Movie. Kermit's rendition -- performed by Jim Henson -- reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart and earned an Academy Award nomination for best original song. In addition to "Rainbow Connection," the two icons also treated the crowd to a rousing gospel medley featuring selections such as "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," "I'll Fly Away" and "Hard to Be Humble." Footage of Willie and Kermit's duet has been shared on 
Neil Young announced on Mar. 12 that he's bringing his music back to Spotify more than two years after requesting its removal from the popular streaming platform. In Jan. 2022, Young published an open letter asking Spotify to pull down his catalog, citing what he called the spread of vaccine misinformation on the wildly popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, which was then hosted exclusively on the streaming platform. Several other artists, including Joni Mitchell, Indie.Arie and Young's Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young bandmates David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, subsequently followed suit, though CSN/CSN&Y and Aries music have since been restored to the service. Mitchell's catalog remains absent. Now in a new post on his Neil Young Archives website, Young said the end of Spotify's exclusive deal with Rogan led to his decision to restore his music to the service. "My decision comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at Spotify, the post reads -- a clear reference to the Joe Rogan Experience, though Young never mentions it by name. "I cannot just leave Apple and Amazon, like I did Spotify, because my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers at all, so I have returned to Spotify, in sincere hopes that Spotify sound quality will improve and people will be able to hear and feel all the music as we made it," Young continued, before giving a shout out Qobuz and Tidal, where his catalog also lives, as "High res streaming options." Young concludes his post by stating his hope that Spotify "will turn to Hi Res as the answer and serve all the music to everyone. Spotify, you can do it! Really be #1 in all ways. You have the music and listeners!!!! Start with a limited Hi res tier and build from there!" A longtime advocate of high-resolution audio, Young once launched his own (now-defunct) high-res audio download platform, Pono, in 2015 before shuttering it two years later. It has been estimated that the absence of Young's catalog on Spotify had cost him roughly $300,000 in lost recorded music and publishing royalties by Sept. 2023. - Billboard, 3/12/24...... Patti Smith will be among the headliners of London's Somerset House Summer Series this summer. The iconic central London venue will host the series again beginning in July, from the 11th to the 21st. Smith will close out the series, which also features the likes of Smino, Hak Baker, The Amazons, Hania Rani and The Big Moon, on July 21. - NME, 3/16/24...... Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed has described the script for the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic Michael as "startlingly disingenuous." Given the project's connection to the Jackson estate, it is unclear whether the film will explore the most controversial aspects of the singer's life, including the allegations of child sexual abuse. However, according to Reed, who has read a draft of the script, the film makes a point to discredit Wade Robson and James Safechuck, the two men who allege that Jackson sexually assaulted them in the 2019 docuseries Leaving Neverland. "Jackson is only ever seen caring for children with childhood cancer, or dancing with a little girl in a wheelchair, or tucking up multiple little boys, mostly his nephews, at sleepovers," Reed said of the script. "It feels like the creators of the movie have been stuck in a room with John Branca and just told what to write." Michael will be directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer, Brooklyn's Finest) and Jackson's own nephew, Jaafar Jackson, will play the King of Pop in the film. The movie has been confirmed to receive a theatrical release in the US on Apr. 18, 2025, per production house Lionsgate. A UK release date is yet to be announced. - NME, 3/14/24...... Jack and Kelly Osbourne have revealed who they think should play their famous parents in a biopic about the couple. Speaking on a recent episode of 
Steve Harley, the frontman of the '70s band Cockney Rebel, has died at age 73. The news was confirmed by his family in a statement, who said: "We are devastated to announce that our wonderful husband and father has passed away peacefully at home, with his family by his side." Harley, who had been receiving cancer treatment, had cancelled a run of shows in late 2023, writing on his website at the time that it was a "heartbreaking decision, but necessary in order to fight a "nasty cancer." His family continued that they knew Harley would be "desperately missed by people all over the world... Whoever you know him as, his heart exuded only core elements. Passion, kindness, generosity. And much more, in abundance." Born Stephen Nice, the musician grew up in London, and while working as a local journalist in the early 1970s, he started busking and playing in the city's folk scene. He formed the glam rock group Cockney Rebel in 1972 with Jean-Paul Crocker, Stuart Elliott, Paul Jeffreys and Milton Reame-James, and they were quickly signed by EMI Records. The band had early success with singles such as "Judy Teen" and "Mr. Soft," but they began to fall apart due to other members wanting to write more of the group's material. Harley reformed the band with a new line-up, including Elliott, Jim Cregan, Duncan Mackay and George Ford, and renamed them Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. Their first single together, 
Eric Carmen, the former leader of the '70s power pop band The Raspberries before setting out on an internationally successful solo career, died on Mar. 11. He was 74. "It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen," a message posted by his wife of eight years, Amy, to his website, Facebook and X account reads. "Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep, over the weekend. It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy," she added. Over his long career which began in the 1960s, Carmen scored three top five hits on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart: the No. 2-peaking 
The second LP,