Four surviving members of the Jackson 5 were honored with keys to the city of Detroit on June 15 during a high-ticket private party that launched the second Detroit Music Weekend festival. Detroit police chief James Craig, who presented the honors to Jermaine, Jackie, Tito and Marlon Jackson, declared the iconic Motown group "truly Detroiters." Jermaine told the crowd that "coming back to Detroit is like coming home," and Marlon said in an interview later that though it was Motown that made the Jackson 5 famous, the brothers already had a special relationship with the city before they signed to the label. A city key was also awarded posthumously to the late Michael Jackson, who Jermaine said "we miss dearly." Prior to the presentation the group and the city were mired in controversy over the naming of a street in downtown Detroit. In May it was announced that a Michael Jackson Ave. would be dedicated during the festival, much to the surprise and displeasure of the other brothers. A Detroit city ordinance requires streets to be named only after individuals, and no compromise was reached during the four weeks following the announcement, scuttling the plan entirely. But the Jacksons' management said on June 15 that the street naming would be revisited next year as part of the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Jackson 5's first recordings for Motown, which will also include a world tour and other projects. "It's all going to be rectified and done and we're going to celebrate it and come back and unveil the street and do a 50th year celebration here," Marlon said. The four Jacksons -- who will headline Detroit Music Weekend on June 16 -- also attended a 90-minute tribute concert featuring the hits of the Jackson 5. The Detroit Music Weekend is also scheduled to feature a performance from Grand Funk Railroad co-founder Mark Farner. - Billboard, 6/16/18...... 
Steve Miller, currently in the midst of his second co-headlining summer tour with Peter Frampton, has announced he and Frampton will release a live album of jams that they perform together during the tour. Miller says that every show is being recorded and that the two are "putting a record together now" that will showcase their performances of songs from such blues icons asd Freddie King, Elmore James, K.C. Douglas, Otis Rush, and more. "Jamming together has turned out to be a real interesting thing," Miller says. "We're just having fun. It's an added bonus to the tour, just a really, really great musical combination... [The record] is pretty much everything we've jammed from last year up through this year. ... As we go on we'll add more tunes." Meanwhile, Miller says he's been going through his vaults for unreleased material to mark the 50th anniversary of his first two albums. "We're trying to gather all the outtakes and interesting bits that weren't released and songs that were recorded that were never released, and we found some really good stuff," he says. - Billboard, 6/15/18...... Neil Diamond was honored with the Johnny Mercer Award during the 49th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Dinner at New York City's Marriott Marquis Hotel on June 14. Diamond, who was officially inducted into the Hall in 1984, closed the with a rousing, extended rendition of "Sweet Caroline," even though the 77-year-old has announced he has retired from touring due to being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Diamond barely spoke at the event, where Kool and the Gang, John Mellencamp, Alan Jackson and Jermaine Dupri were inducted into the SHOF class of 2018. - AP, 6/15/18...... Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman has released a new LP of what he describes as "cosmic-influenced" ringtones. Cosmic Ringtones & Sonic Realms - Your Universe Is Calling is a 29-track album conceived and produced by Holzman and recorded by his son Adam Holzman, a known keyboardist and synthesizer artist. While the LP is available for download on all streaming services, the CD release contains liner notes that detail the origin story for each of the tracks. The cosmos-inspired titles include everything from the straightforward "The Big Bang" and "String Theory" to the whimsical "Primordial Cosmic Soup" and "Pluto Sheds a Tear." In the 1960s, as Holzman was discovering and signing such bands as the Doors and Bread to his fledgling record label, he released the groundbreaking album series Authentic Sound Effects in the 1960s. - Billboard, 6/15/18...... Paul McCartney will reportedly be joining late night talk show host James Corden in a new episode of Corden's popular "Carpool Karaoke" series. Sir Paul's episode will see the pair go on a Beatles tour in Liverpool. The series has previously featured a wide range of artists including Christina Aguilera, Foo Fighters, Linkin Park and Pink. While in Liverpool, McCartney also performed a secret gig for fans at Liverpool's Philharmonic pub. - New Musical Express, 6/13/18...... 
Willie Nelson issued a statement on June 14 denouncing Pres. Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy that has resulted in the separation of hundreds of migrant children from their parents at the southern U.S. border. "What's going on at our southern border is outrageous," the Texas native wrote. "Christians everywhere should be up in arms. What happened to 'Bring us your tired and weak and we will make them strong?' This is still the promise land." The reference to "promise land" in the statement is a reference to the David Lynn Jones written song "Living in the Promiseland," which appeared on Nelson's 1986 The Promiseland album. Nelson is among a growing chorus of artists, activists, religious figures and politicians who are decrying the zero tolerance policy. - Billboard, 6/15/18...... Barry Manilow was forced to put the debut of his "Manilow Live -- The Hits Come Home" Las Vegus run on the third weekend in June on hold on June 14 after the 74-year old star was admitted to a local hospital and prescribed antibiotics. Manilow is scheduled to be released from the hospital in the next few days and is planning to resume his Vegas series on June 21. "Our new show is ready, we're all ready, and we were all looking forward to tonight," he tweeted shortly after his diagnosis. - Billboard, 6/15/18...... Speaking of Las Vegas, lawmen there are searching for two suspected burglars at Vegas icon Wayne Newton's home several miles southeast of the Las Vegas Strip after Newton and his wife Kathleen scared away the men as the arrived home after a June 14 Newton performance at Bally's hotel-casino. The Newtons told police the intruders fled when as they arrived at their their 20-acre home and believe that home surveillance video will help police identify the suspects. The also said they've bolstered security at the estate. The Newtons moved to their current house in 2013 following the bankruptcy sale of their nearby 40-acre estate, Casa de Shenandoah. The gilded property, which features gardens, pools, stables for Newton's Arabian horses, is now a tourist attraction and museum. - AP, 6/14/18...... The Def Leppard and Journey co-headlining summer tour hit New York's Madison Square Garden on June 13. After openers Journey performed their '80s anthems "Any Way You Want It," "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" and "Faithfully" with current frontman Arnel Pineda on vocals, Def Leppard came out swinging with "Rocket," following up with hits including "Let's Get Rocked" and "Armageddon It" during their 90-minute set. The band also covered the David Essex hit "Rock On," and ended the night with "Rock of Ages" and "Photograph." - Billboard, 6/14/18...... Paul Simon has scored his first entry on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Album Sales chart with a remixed version of his acclaimed 1986 LP Graceland. Graceland: The Remixes reinterprets all 11 of the original album's tracks, including "Al," by Groove Armada, as well as cuts by Paul Oakenfold, Sharam, Thievery Corporation and Joris Voorn. The original Graceland reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 200 in Apr. 1987, won the Grammy Award for album of the year and spun off three Hot 100 hits: "You Can Call Me Al" (No. 23), the title cut (No. 81) and "The Boy in the Bubble" (No. 86). - Billboard, 6/14/18....... 
The B-52s are in the midst of an extensive North American tour which was launched in May to celebrate their 40th anniversary. The "tacky little dance band from Athens, Ga.," as the band calls themselves, are playing arenas, amphitheaters and stadiums, joined by another LGBTQ pioneer, Boy George. The band formed in 1976, with singer Cindy Wilson's older brother, guitarist/principal songwriter Ricky Wilson (who died in 1985), and his best friend, drummer-guitarist Keith Strickland (who retired from touring with the band in 2012). Rounding out the lineup are Fred Schneider and Kate Pierson. Four of the band's five original members did, in fact, identify as LGBTQ: Ricky, Schneider and Strickland as gay men, and Pierson, who was involved with a man until the early 2000s, is now married to a woman. But Schneider says they didn't set out to explicitly write queer anthems, as later acts like Erasure would. "We just did our own thing," he says now. "I guess subconsciously we were trying to say something. But it was sort of stream of consciousness, it was so out there." - Billboard, 6/14/18...... Fleetwood Mac has been added to the lineup of the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Festival, set for Sept. 21 and 22 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. "It is an honor to be performing at the iHeartRadio Music Festival for our very first time," Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks said in a statement. "The beauty of an event like this is that it is a true representation of the power of radio. It's an opportunity for artists across all genres to share one stage and what we all love most -- music!" The band will be marking its first time playing together as a new band since Lindsey Buckingham's exit in April, and will be joining previously announced headliners including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood, Mariah Carey, Imagine Dragons, Panic! at the Disco and Kelly Clarkson at the two-day event. - Billboard, 6/12/18...... David Byrne announced on June 12 that he'll launch a lengthy 2018 UK and Ireland arena tour this fall with cities to include Leeds, Glasgow, Dublin, Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Brighton and Manchester. "We'll be doing some new songs, and many others that will, I assume, be familiar," the former Talking Heads frontman said on his current production. "I'm excited. This is the most ambitious show I've done since the shows that were filmed for Stop Making Sense, so fingers crossed." - New Musical Express, 6/12/18...... Barbra Streisand announced on June 11 that she's inked a new content deal with the streaming giant Netflix, bringing 6 of her classic TV shows and a special edition of her 1976 film A Star is Born to the site soon. The diva's vintage specials set to stream on Netflix will include My Name Is Barbra (1965), Color Me Barbra (1966), Barbra Streisand: A Happening in Central Park (1968), Barbra Streisand and Other Musical Instruments (1973), Barbra Streisand: The Concert (1994) and Barbra Streisand: Timeless (2001). Her A Star is Born movie will reportedly feature never-before-scene footage in an extended cut. Streisand recently participated in an interview with actor Jamie Foxx on the closing night of the 2018 FYsee event. - Billboard, 6/11/18...... 
The Allman Brothers Band released a four-disc set of rarities on June 15 entitled Peach Picks: Cream of the Crop 2003. It features 36 performances from the Allmans' July 25-Aug. 10, 2003 run, including shows in Pittsburgh, Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C., Hartford, Conn., and Darien Center. N.Y., all during a tour supporting that year's Hittin' The Note, the Allmans' first new album in 10 years. "It was a really good time period for the band," says guitarist Warren Haynes, who served as supervising producer for the set. "We had all the new material and we were reinventing a lot of old material and the band was on a high note at that point, so it just seemed like a good thing to go back and make [the recordings] available to folks." Haynes says he was already working on Peach Picks when Gregg Allman's health took a turn for the worse in 2017, and listening to the material provided a bit of relief for him. "It's really interesting to hear how energized the band was at that point in time," says Haynes, who co-wrote "Desdemona" with Allman for the Hittin' The Note album. "Everybody was so psyched to make a new record and so proud of the record we had just made it just seemed like the band was really hitting it stride. Not having heard any of the stuff in a long time, when I went back to start listening to it. It was just really refreshing to get a snapshot of where the band was at that moment." The release also includes a selection of covers, including Derek and the Dominos' "Layla," as well as guest appearances by Susan Tedeschi, Karl Denson and Branford Marsalis, the latter of who plays saxophone on epic renditions of "Dreams" and "Whipping Post." - Billboard, 6/12/18...... Sylvester Stallone is currently under investigation for sex crimes by authorities in Los Angeles, a spokesperson for the LA District Attorney's office announced on June 13. It's unclear what allegations 71-year-old Rocky star faces, but according to CNN, the complaint was originally filed to the Santa Monica Police Department in Nov. 2017, and concerns an alleged sexual assault take took place in the 1990s. In December, the Santa Monica Police Department was investigating a claim that Stallone raped a teenager in the 1990s, an allegation that the actor denied at the time, although he admitted to spending three days with the woman in Israel on a shoot in 1987. Another instance of sexual assault allegations against Stallone has circulated in recent years -- this one involving a 1986 police report in which a 16-year-old alleges she was forced into a threesome with Stallone and his bodyguard, Michael De Luca, in Las Vegas. Stallone denied the allegations through his attorney Martin Singer, who called the announcement "outrageous" because "it makes the public think that there's something there." - Jezebel.com, 6/14/18...... Saturday Night Fever star John Travolta portrays infamous mob boss John Gotti in a new film called Gotti, which made its premiere on June 14. Speaking at the premiere, Travolta said Gotti's widow Victoria Gotti "made us a gorgeous spread one afternoon. It was awesome." Travolta's actress wife Kelly Preston appears as Victoria in the film which was sanctioned by the family, and some critics say it's too sympathetic and favourable toward a mafia boss. Gotti, who died in prison in 2002, was head of the Gambino crime family and was convicted of murder and racketeering in 1992. The film has been in the works for years, with even Lindsay Lohan in the running to play the mobster's daughter in an early iteration. - AP, 6/15/18...... 
D.J. Fontana, who acheived rock 'n' roll immortality as Elvis Presley's first and longtime drummer, died in his sleep in Nashville, Tenn., after suffering complications from breaking his hip in 2016. He was 87. Mr. Fontana, a member of the Rock Hall of Fame, was the last surviving member of Elvis' original core of musicians. He met Presley and the others on the Louisiana Hayride, a popular and influential radio and TV country music program based in Shreveport. Staff drummer Fontana asked to join his group for a session broadcast in October 1954. A regional act at the time, the 19-year-old Presley had been recording and touring since the summer with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, the musicians Sun Records founder Sam Phillips brought in after Elvis turned up at the Memphis, Tennessee-based label's studio. Fontana was there for Presley's first wave of success, from such hit singles as "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock" to his increasingly frenzied live shows and hip-shaking appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and other TV programs. He played on many soundtracks -- and was occasionally seen on camera -- for Presley's '50s and '60s movies. He was on the "comeback" Christmas TV special of 1968 that featured Presley and fellow musicians jamming on a tiny stage before a studio audience, with Fontana keeping time on a guitar case. Widely cited for reviving Presley's career, that show was his first live performance in years and the last time Moore and Fontana worked with Elvis, who died in 1977. In 2000, Mr. Fontana played on Paul McCartney's cover of an early Presley hit, "That's All Right." - AP, 6/14/18...... Nick Knox, the former drummer of the band The Cramps, has died at the age of 60. Knox, born Nicholas Stephanoff, had played in the Electric Eels with Cramps frontman John D. Morton before becoming a member of the influential punk outfit. - New Musical Express, 6/16/18.
Elton John has called for a boycott of major social media companies who allow homophobic hate speech to exist on their platforms. "I don't know why they allow it. It's supposed to be free speech, but the things that are on social media are so disgusting that there has to be action taken by the people who own these companies," Sir Elton said in an interview with BBC News on June 8. "People say, 'well, what about my freedom of speech?' Well, sod your freedom of speech," he added. John says a boycott, and the resulting lack of revenue it would cause, would force the social media giants to "sit up" and take a stance against homophobic hate speech on their platforms. "Companies like Facebook and Instagram cannot pretend they are purely private enterprises. I believe they have a public role and responsibility," he said. "But if we found ways to automatically respond to hatred with fact, good could be all the way around the world before falsehood even got its boots on." Shortly before the interview, Elton delivered the "Diana, Princess of Wales Lecture" on HIV in London, when called on the British government and private sector to take necessary actions in order to rid the country of the disease. - Billboard, 6/11/18...... 
Paul Simon treated fans to a performance of his 1970 Simon & Garfunkel smash "Bridge Over Troubled Water" as his "Homeward Bound: Farewell Tour No Longer" trek stopped in Detroit at the DTE Energy Music Theatre on June 10. Simon explained to the crowd that he hadn't played the Grammy-winning song that he wrote yet on the tour, which began on May 16 in Vancouver, because "it has a strange deterrent for me... that's not much of an introduction is it?" SImon added he was "setting expectations low" for this rendition, but after the performance received a rapturous response, he quipped that "maybe I'll sing it again sometime." Simon is scheduled to wrap up the first American leg of the tour on June 20, then head to Europe 10 days later, then return to the U.S. for one final leg in September, closing with two shows at Madison Square Garden on Sept. 20-21 and a third, on Sept. 22 at a location to be announced. - Billboard, 6/11/18...... Bruce Springsteen performed a stripped-down spoken word rendition of his 1984 Born In the USA track "My Hometown" during the 72nd Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 10 in New York City. After being presented with a special Tony honor by his pal Billy Joel and receiving a warm introduction from his actor friend Robert DeNiro, who quipped how hard it was to get tickets to the Boss's "Springsteen on Broadway" show, Springsteen strode over to the piano and began reciting childhood memories of his home on Randolph Street in Freehold, N.J. He played softly as he reminisced, speaking of growing up "surrounded by God and all my relatives" near St. Rose's Cemetery, where people did the best they could to "hold off the demons, outside and inside, that sought to destroy them." His spoken word gave way to lyrics from "My Hometown," a song that ruminates on the places most familiar to us. The musician was nominated for a special Tony for his Broadway show, which kicked off at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Oct. 3, 2017. The show is currently scheduled to wrap in Dec. 2018. - Billboard, 6/10/18...... In related news, Paul McCartney and CBS Late Late Show host James Corden made a surprise visit to Paul and the other Beatles' hometown of Liverpool, England on June 9 when they toured such sites as Sir Paul's childhood home at 20 Forthlin Road and the roundabout immortalized in the Fab Four's classic "Penny Lane." The pair also made a stop at the Philharmonic Dining Rooms, where Paul played a set with members of his band. Meanwhile, the sudden disappearance of McCartney's profile pics on his Twitter and Instagram pages have prompted rumours that the superstar could be getting ready to make a big announcement very soon, possibly a release date for a new album he's been working on for some time or a special 50th anniversary release of "The White Album." - Billboard, 6/9/18...... 
Speaking of 50th anniversaries, Led Zeppelin have posted on their offical Twitter account that they have reunited to work on a new book about the band to mark the 50th anniversary of their formation. John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page are pictured with the official announcement, with Plant holding a draft copy of a new book they've been working on together. "Led Zeppelin By Led Zeppelin is the first and only official illustrated book to be produced in collaboration with the members of the band," according to the description. "It is being produced to celebrate 50 years of the iconic rock group and will feature photographs of Jones, Page, Plant, and Bonham "on and offstage, in candid moments and in the recording studio. This definitive 400-page volume includes previously unpublished photos, artwork from the Led Zeppelin archives and contributions from photographers around the world," the description adds. Led Zeppelin By Led Zeppelin is currently available for pre-order and will hit stores in October via Reel Art Press. - New Musical Express, 6/8/19...... The estate of Prince has announced that a previously unheard home studio cassette recording of Prince performing at his piano in 1983 will be released as Piano & a Microphone on Sept. 21. The nine-track, 35-minute project from the Prince Estate in coordination with Warner Bros. Records is planned for what would have been the rock icon's 60th birthday, and is currently available for pre-order on CD, LP, deluxe CD+ LP, digital release and pre-save for streaming. Tracks include Prince working through "Purple Rain" and "17 Days," both of which would be released the following year, a cover of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You," and a rare recording of the pre-Civil War spiritual "Mary Don't You Weep." - Billboard, 6/7/18...... Authorities in Los Angeles have charged Redmond O'Neal,, the son of actor Ryan O'Neal and the late actress Farrah Fawcett, with a long list of offenses including attempted murder after he went on what they describe as a "violent crime spree" between May 2 and May 8. O'Neal, 33, is currently in jail after being arrested in May for an alleged armed robbery, and after his June 8 court appearance the LA District Attorney filed multiple charges against the former voice actor, including one count of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of criminal threats, one count of brandishing a knife and one count of battery. O'Neal, who has struggled with drug addiction for years, allegedly "randomly attacked five men in unprovoked confrontations," in early May, the LAPD said in a statement, with two of the five men being seriously injured. O'Neal has yet to enter a plea in relation to the new charges. - MSN.com, 6/9/18...... 
As the new Beach Boys-authorized release The Beach Boys With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra hit stores on June 8, BB co-founder Al Jardine says "the symphony doesn't get in the way of the vocals." "The vocals are the star of the show," Jardine says. "When the mixes are a little weird or someone tries to do something with a well-known song, it never seems to work out. But this one actually takes you to another level. It's like a punctuation mark on an entire career." The band didn't have a hands-on role in the recording, but simply let one of the world's most prestigious symphony orchestras do their thing over original recordings of "California Girls," "Help Me, Rhonda," "The Warmth of the Sun" and other highlights from the band's body of work. "It doesn't sound like Mahler or anybody, where it takes hours to listen to," adds BB member Bruce Johnston. "It's beautiful seasoning. It didn't ruin Brian (Wilson)'s production magic." Brian Wilson added that "it's a great honor and privilege that we could be associated with that great of an orchestra... I'm very proud of it." - Billboard, 6/8/18...... Peter Stringfellow, a British nightclub owner who was an early backer of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix, has died after a secret battle with cancer. He was 77. Stringfellow once booked a little-known Fab Four to play the Azena Ballroom in his hometown of Sheffield, but in the interim between the booking and the performance Beatlemania exploded, and Stringfellow recalled in a 2014 interview that Beatles manager Brian Epstein "gave me his word and stuck to it... It was just pandemonium when the Beatles came on stage. It was the most exciting night of my life." Other groups performing at Stringfellow's various Sheffield venues included Wilson Pickett, The Small Faces, Stevie Wonder, The Searchers, Elton John, The Who, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner and Pink Floyd. After running venues in Manchester and Leeds, Stringfellow relocated to London and opened the first of his eponymous chain of topless strip clubs in London's West End in 1980, which were frequented by the likes of Prince, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Rod Stewart, Tom Jones and professor Stephen Hawking. - Billboard, 6/7/18...... 
Former Fleetwood Mac guitarist/vocalist Danny Kirwan died in London on June 8 of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 68. Kirwan joined Fleetwood Mac in 1968 and contributed to several albums, including Then Play On, Blues Jam at Chess, Kiln House, Future Games and Bare Trees. The first song he recorded with the group was 1968's instrumental single "Albatross." Kirwan was asked to leave the band while on tour in 1972, reportedly due to his alcoholism. He went on to release a handful of solo albums, and in 1998, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with other members of Fleetwood Mac. Posting on the band's official Facebook page, Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood noted Kirwan was "a huge force in our early years" and "his legacy... will forever live on in the music he wrote and played so beautifully as a part of the foundation of Fleetwood Mac, that has now endured for over fifty years." - Billboard, 6/9/18...... Eunice Grayson, who was the first "Bond girl" in OO7's on-screen debut in 1962's Dr. No, has died at the age of 90. Ms. Grayson starred as Bond's love interest, Sylvia Trench, in Dr. No, as well as the follow-up, 1963's From Russia With Love. As Sylvia Trench, Ms. Grayson elicited one of Bond's most famous catchphrases at the beginning of Dr. No. Over a game of cards at the Le Cercle Club casino, Bond asks her for her name. "I admire your courage, Miss, er" She replies: "Trench, Sylvia Trench. I admire your luck, Mr..." "Bond, James Bond," Connery replies. Ms. Trench said in a 2012 interview that Connery was very nervous in the scene, and she was asked by director Terrence Young to "take him away for a drink" to calm him down, which she did. Ms. Trench, whose lines were rerecorded over by voiceover artist Nikki van der Zyl (like many other Bond girls in the 60s and 70s), had originally been cast as Miss Moneypenny, but the part went to Lois Maxwell instead. The Surrey-born actress had been due to be a recurring character in the Bond franchise, but the idea was dropped by the director of Goldfinger, Guy Hamilton. "An amazing lady who left a lasting impression on everyone she met. She will be very much missed. Our sincere thoughts are with her family," Bond franchise producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli tweeted on June 8. - The Guardian.com, 6/9/18...... Jerry Maren, the last surviving Munchkin in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz, has died at a San Diego nursing care facility. He was 98. Mr. Maren memorably welcomed Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) to Munchkinland as part of the Lollipop Guild, the middle Munchin in a trio donning green and presenting Garland with a giant candy. The actor later appeared in TV bits on popular shows over the years including The Twilight Zone, Seinfeld and Bewitched. His most recent role was in 2010, when he appeared in the movie Dahmer vs. Gacy. Mr. Maren was close to his nieces and nephews after his wife Elizabeth, who was also a little person, died in 2011 at age 69. "I've done so many things in show business, but people say, 'You were in The Wizard of Oz? It takes people's breath away," Maren recalled during an interview in 2011. "But then I realized, 'Geez, it must have been a hell of a picture, because everyone remembers it everywhere I go.'" - MSN.com, 6/6/18.
In a new interview with Billboard, Paul McCartney revealed he and his wife Nancy Shevell snook into a cinema near their home in the Hamptons over the summer for a screening of the recent Beatles-themed movie Yesterday. Sir Paul said he politely declined an offer to see the film at an official screening, but decided to see the movie after he heard Danny Boyle would direct it. "I thought, 'They must think they can pull it off.' And I thought nothing more of it until they asked if I wanted to see a screening," Paul said. "I asked Nancy, and we said, 'Let's go, you and me, on a date to the cinema'. We were in the Hamptons in the summer and there it was, so we got two tickets and walked in when the cinema went dark. Only a couple of people saw us. We were in the back row, giggling away, especially at all the mentions of Paul McCartney. A couple of people in front of us spotted us, but everyone else was watching the film. We loved it.'" Yesterday stars Himesh Patel as singer/songwriter Jack Malik, who lives in a world where nobody knows that the iconic Liverpool band ever existed. McCartney also gave an update on his forthcoming musical adaptation of the movie It's a Wonderful Life, which is due out in 2020. "The reason I never wanted to do a musical is I couldn't think of a strong enough story," he said. "But a guy I've known since school in Liverpool became a theatrical impresario in London [Bill Kenwright], and he rang me up and said, 'I've got the musical rights to It's a Wonderful Life. That's a strong story. So I met with the writer, Lee Hall, and I asked him to write the first 20 minutes of how he sees this as a play. So I was on holiday in the Hamptons, and I had lots of free time. So I read it and thought, 'That's a good opening, I like this', and I sat at the piano and threw this melody at these dummy lyrics he had written. This was August. I sent it to them, and they said, 'You've nailed it'. So it's going well." Macca was interviewed by Billboard after the magazine named the Beatles as topping their list of the "Top 125 Artists of All Time" on the occasion of its 125th anniversary. The Rolling Stones claimed the No. 2 spot on the list, with Elton John named the No. 3 act and top solo artist.- Billboard, 11/14/19...... In other McCartney news, Glastonbury UK festival organizer Emily Eavis has announced that the Beatles icon will headline the legendary festival in 2020 just hours after Paul shared an image of American composer Philip Glass, actress Emma Stone and rock legend Chuck Berry. When the surnames of all three are combined, the not-so-subtle clue of "Glass-Stone-Bury" is provided. Eavis wrote on Twitter: "IT'S REAL!! So excited.. Having Paul McCartney coming back to headline the Pyramid next year is an absolute dream come true. There really was no one that we wanted more for the 50th anniversary." McCartney also confirmed the news, posting: "Hey Glasto - excited to be part of your Anniversary celebrations. See ya next summer!" The announcement ends months of speculation surrounding a headline slot for Macca at Glastonbury's fiftieth anniversary in 2020. Paul last headlined the festival in 2004, alongside Muse and Oasis. Meanwhile McCartney, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour and Jeff Lynne are among some of the names who have signed a guitar to help raise money for former Fairport Convention guitarist Jerry Donahue, who suffered a severe stroke in 2016 and has been disabled since. The guitar -- a signature Jerry Donahue Fender Telecaster -- is expected to sell for in the region of between £10,000 and £20,000. Other big names who have signed the guitar include The Who's Pete Townshend, Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, Dire Straits's Mark Knopfler and The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. - New Musical Express, 11/18/19...... German artist TrippieSteff has reimagined the cover of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album with 21st century celebrities as part of a remake of several classic album covers, including Blondie's Parallel Lines and Nirvana's Nevermind, by a team of graphic designers and artists. TrippieSteff's new Sgt. Pepper's artwork features Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Drake and Lil Nas X in place of the original Fab Four at the center, and the artwork also depicts a range of other contemporary figures including Elon Musk, Kylie Jenner, Bernie Sanders and BoJack Horseman. "The original cover was a blend of high and low cultural figures that depicted the zeitgeist mindset of the late 60s," TrippieSteff explained. "It was also a group of influential figures that were 'heroes' to the Beatles. With a desire to keep the same theme, I chose to feature the most iconic and influential figures of the past decade. These are people that have been controversial figures in music, politics, television, human rights and more. By putting them together in the same image, I wanted to show that they are all equally important." - NME, 11/15/19...... 
Randy Newman has been nominated in both the Best Original Song and Best Score categories at the upcoming Oscars for his contribution to the Toy Story 4 soundtrack. Newman, 75, has two eligible titles in the song category: "The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy" and "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away." Newman, a 20-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner, is the only songwriter in Academy Awards history to receive a nomination for Best Original Song for three films from the same franchise. His tunes have been nominated for each of the first three Toy Story films -- "You've Got a Friend in Me" (1995), "When She Loved Me" (1999) and 2010 winner "We Belong Together," and he could extend his streak come Jan. 13, 2020, with the two new titles. While Newman is the only songwriter to receive a nod for best original song for three films in the same franchise, legendary composer John Williams has equaled or surpassed this feat in the Best Original Score category with two franchises: He was nominated for best original score for five Star Wars films (he won for scoring the 1977 original) and three Indiana Jones movies. He may land his sixth Star Wars nom for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, out Dec. 20. - Billboard, 11/15/19...... Wade Robson and James Safechuck, the two men who accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing them as children, could bring their lawsuits to trial thanks to an update in California's child sexual abuse law. The pair, whose accusations were featured in the documentary Leaving Neverland as well as in a 2013 lawsuit that was dismissed four years later, could find themselves back in court as the new law comes into force. Both men had appealed the 2017 decision to discharge their cases, which was due to a statute of limitations, but these appeals have since been on hold in the appellate court. But the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse cases has since been extended in Californian law, and the California Court of Appeal has issued a tentative ruling that could overturn the 2017 dismissals. Should a trial be granted, Robson and Safechuck would be able to sue the Jackson estate for millions of dollars like they attempted to do so six years ago. The estate, his family, and Jackson himself before he died in 2009 have denied all accusations of sexual misconduct levelled against him. In other MJ news, the famous episode of The Simpsons featuring Michael Jackson has been excluded from the show's catalog available on the newly launched Disney+ streaming service. In the wake of the increased controversy surrounding the allegations made in Leaving Neverland, it was announced earlier in 2019 that the 1991 episode would be pulled from broadcast rotation, with Simpson showrunner Al Jean recently going as far to say that the late singer used his cameo "to groom young boys." The episode, titled "Stark Raving Dad," featured Jackson as the voice of Leon Kompowsky, a psychiatric hospital patient who ends up sharing a room with Homer Simpson. The white, overweight Kompowsky tries to convince Homer that he is the late King of Pop, and is even seen singing "Billie Jean" and showing off his legendary moonwalk dance moves. The episode ends with Kompowsky helping Bart compose a song as a birthday present to Lisa, before admitting that he knows he isn't really Michael Jackson. - New Musical Express, 11/18/19...... In a new interview with People, Ozzy Osbourne's daughter Kelly Osbourne revealed the Osbourne family are the "closest" they've ever been to reviving their hit MTV reality series, The Osbournes. "I'm not joking, every single year about every three months or so someone else gives us another offer and we keep saying no," Kelly said. "It keeps coming 'round. Right now there's another offer on the table and I think this is the closest we've ever come to accepting one. But whether that will happen or not, I don't know." The 35-year-old singer/actress/fashion designer added that it would be more difficult to shoot a new series of the show now that the Osbourne clan has expanded. "We've got other people to think about. My brother [Jack Osbourne] has three kids. Do we want that life for them without them being old enough to choose if they want to do it or not like my brother and I were?" Meanwhile, father Ozzy has just announced that he's going on a joint tour with Marilyn Manson after Ozzy previously postponed world tour dates after a long spate of illness. Osbourne's "No More Tours 2" trek will begin with Manson on May 27 in Atlanta and conclude July 31 in Las Vegas. October and November will then see the Black Sabbath legend embark of rescheduled UK and European dates with Judas Priest. Ozzy also recently announced his first solo album in 10 years, Ordinary Man, with the launch single "Under The Graveyeard." It is expected to drop in January. - NME, 11/15/19...... KISS added some dates to their 2020 schedule, which kicks off with a Feb. 1 show at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H., and sees the shock rockers on the road for 44 dates through an Oct. 2 show at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Tex. The band says their "End Of the Road Tour" will end on July 21, 2021, at an as-yet-unannounced venue in their home turf of New York after a half century of giving their best to the KISS Army. The news of the new dates came just hours after the band canceled a planned Australia/New Zealand tour after singer Paul Stanley fell ill with the flu and was advised by a doctor to rest. The opening date was recently pushed back due to Stanley's illness, and now the singer says he's suffered an additional infection in his throat. "Words cannot begin to convey our massive disappointment in having to cancel our 'End Of The Road' tour of your incredible country," Stanley said in a message to the band's Australia/NZ fans. "Our connection to you is unparalleled and decades deep." - Billboard, 11/14/19...... To mark the 40th anniversary of its seminal 1979 album London Calling, The Clash has opened a new exhibition at the Museum of London which should prove to be a near-essential pilgrimage for fans of the punk icons across the globe. Upon entering, fans will immediately notice Paul Simonon's broken bass guitar, after he famously smashed the instrument on stage at The Palladium in New York City. The moment went on to become immortalized on the cover of London Calling. Other items on display include Joe Strummer's note book with early lyrics to London Calling and Topper Headon's drum sticks -- the only item of Headon's that remains from this time. The exhibition will run through Apr. 19, 2020. - NME, 11/15/19...... 
A previously unseen interview with the late drummer Buddy Miles, a member of Jimi Hendrix's band Band of Gypsys, has just been shared online and sees Miles discussing how he worked with Hendrix to create the now legendary song "Machine Gun." In the new clip posted to 
Terry O'Neill, an iconic British photographer known for capturing the 1960s culture through his work with such famous music and film celebrities as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Elton John and Frank Sinatra, died at his home on Nov. 16 after battling prostate cancer. He was 81. Recognized as one of the world's most collected photographers, Mr. O'Neill began his career at the birth of the 1960s, as he chronicled the emerging faces of film, fashion and music that would go on to define the Swinging Sixties era. He famously captured images of figures such as Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Elvis Presley and Audrey Hepburn and was also one of the first photographers to work with then new 007 franchise starring Sean Connery as James Bond. He also photographed the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, as well as photographed backstage reportage with David Bowie, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Chuck Berry. Elton John paid tribute to Mr. O'Neill on Twitter, where he praised the late photographer. "Terry O'Neill took the most iconic photographs of me throughout the years, completely capturing my moods," Elton wrote. "He was brilliant, funny and I absolutely loved his company. A real character who has now passed on. RIP you wonderful man. Love, Elton," the singer posted alongside a photo Mr. O'Neill took of him. Mr. O'Neill was awarded the Royal Photographic Society Centenary Medal in 2011 in recognition of his significant contribution to the art of photography and an Honorary Fellowship of the Society. Earlier this year, he was also awarded a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to Photography in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours list. - The Hollywood Reporter, 11/17/19.
Edgar Winter has announced he's prepping a star-studded tribute album to his late rocker older brother Johnny Winter that he hopes to release sometime in 2020. "It's really turned out to be a wonderful blessing in my life, doing this," says Edgar, who received early encouragement and support from Johnny including having Edgar as part of his band when it played the legendary 1969 Woodstock festival. "Johnny's my all-time musical hero. If it weren't for him I wouldn't be where I am now. I just feel like I need to acknowledge that and put out a record he would love." Edgar says the 16-song set will include a mix of Johnny Winter originals as well as some of his signature covers, such as Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode," the Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash," Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" and Rick Derringer's "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo," which Johnny Winter recorded first, in 1970. Contributors to the project include Joe Walsh, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Buddy Guy, Joe Bonamassa, Robben Ford and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, with more guests to be announced soon. Meanwhile, Edgar is among the contributors of Ringo Starr's new album 
In a new interview with the toy railroad hobby magazine Railway Modeller, Rod Stewart revealed that he has spent almost 26-years building a huge, 124-ft-long intricate model of a city influenced by both New York and Chicago. Later, after the interview was shared, Stewart rang BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine Show to refute accusations that he hadn't made the model railway himself. "I would say 90% of it I built myself," Sir Rod declared. "The only thing I wasn't very good at and still am not is the electricals, so I had someone else do that. A lot of people laugh at it being a silly hobby, but it's a wonderful hobby," he added. Stewart also told the magazine that he often worked on the model while on tour, sometimes requesting an extra room for his constructions in hotels. "We would tell them in advance and they were really accommodating, taking out the beds and providing fans to improve air circulation and ventilation," the musician said. "When I take on something creative like this, I have to give it 110%," he added. "For me it's addictive. I started, so I just had to finish. I'm lucky I had the room. If I'd have realised at the start it would have taken so long, I'd have probably said, 'No! No! Nah!'" Stewart also revealed that he works on the railway in the attic of his Los Angeles home. - New Musical Express, 11/13/19...... Documentaries about such diverse music figures as Linda Ronstadt, Miles Davis, Luciano Pavarotti, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash are among the 159 feature films that have been submitted in the Best Documentary Feature category for the 92nd Academy Awards, set for Feb. 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. At least seven of the 159 films were also entered for best music film in the upcoming 62nd annual Grammy Awards process. Those films that are vying for both Oscar and Grammy noms are: Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes; David Crosby: Remember My Name; Echo in the Canyon; Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles; Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool; Pavarotti and Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese. Other music docs that are entered in the Oscar process include The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash; Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice; Western Stars (starring Bruce Springsteen) and Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation. A shortlist of the 15 films that are advancing in the category will be revealed on Dec. 16. Nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards will be announced on Jan. 13, 2020. - Billboard, 11/12/19...... On Nov. 12 Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters was announced as a keynote speaker for the 2020 South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Tex. "Roger Waters is a true creative visionary, and we're pleased to have him participate for 2020," said Hugh Forrest, the event's chief programming officer. "SXSW continues to be a unique destination for innovation and discovery, and we're excited about the addition of the many groundbreaking pioneers, influential voices and business leaders that we've added to this year's lineup." Other keynotes include artist and former Sonic Youth basist Kim Gordon and director/producer/writer Erin Lee Carr. Previously announced featured speakers include Chic legend Nile Rodgers and comedic actor Cheech Marin. The 2020 edition of SXSW runs from Mar. 13-22 in Austin, Tex. - Billboard, 11/12/19...... Punk poetess Patti Smith will be among the headliners at the 2020 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tenn., set for next spring. Smith will play with her band and participate in the literary program. The three-day fest (March 26-29), which focuses on "the avant garde, unexpected and surprising," will pay tribute to the 100th anniversary of the invention of the Theremin, with Rob Schwimmer, a master of the eerie instrument leading a trio featuring pianist Uri Caine and violinist Mark Feldman in a 20th anniversary celebration of their album Theremin Noir. - Billboard, 11/12/19...... Singer/songwriter legend Joni Mitchell and jazz great Wayne Shorter were honored by the likes of Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan, Ray Parker, Jr. and Rita Wilson during a fundraiser for the Jazz Foundation on Nov. 10, 2019 in Los Angeles. Heralding Mitchell and Shorter's "transcendent art and boundless imagination" in his opening remarks, JFA executive director Joseph Petrucelli introduced Quincy Jones, who noted that "jazz means freedom." A top-notch crew of session musicians then backed the aforementioned performers in paying homage to Shorter and Mitchell. The Joni Mitchell tribute concluded with a special performance by Chaka Khan of Mitchell's "Man from Mars" and "Hissing of Summer Lawns." Noted Khan as she came onstage, "Wherever Joni goes, there I am." - Billboard, 11/11/19...... In a new interview with the UK's Yorkshire Post, the Who's Pete Townshend said that his "increasingly affectionate relationship" with singer Roger Daltrey is a major reason for the Who's impressive longevity. "I still perform partly because of my ongoing, developing and increasingly affectionate relationship with Roger," said Townshend, who formed the Who with Daltrey, John Entwistle and Keith Moon in 1964. "When you look back at where we started, I wouldn't say we despised each other but we had very little in common. Now, we have very little in common but we really care about each other deeply." Townshend continued: "We are really comfortable with each other. He says, 'You've got your guitar and your pen, I've got my voice'. We meet in the middle and it just happens to be performing." - NME, 11/13/19...... Billy Joel will participate in a special SiriusXM event at the Faena Theater in Miami Beach, Fla. on Dec. 5. "Billy Joel: An Evening of Questions and Answers" will feature the legendary musician sitting in front of a piano taking questions from SiriusXM subscribers in the audience. SiriusXM subscribers will be able to call in to the live event at (844)-365-BILLY (2455) and ask Billy Joel a question. Joel will also be sharing stories behind his music as well as performing portions of songs in between conversation. The exclusive event will broadcast live on Joel's SiriusXM channel, The Billy Joel Channel, at 8pm ET on Dec. 5. The limited-run channel that features the works of the iconic superstar including music spanning his 5 decades-long career along with exclusive stories from Joel will run through Dec. 6 at 3am ET. - Billboard, 11/11/19...... 
On Nov. 11, Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood announced an all-star tribute to the early years of Fleetwood Mac and the band's original co-founder, Peter Green, that will take place on Feb. 25 at the London Palladium. "The concert is a celebration of those early blues days where we all began, and it's important to recognize the profound impact Peter and the early Fleetwood Mac had on the world of music," Mick Fleetwood said in a statement. Among the killer lineup of musicians pitching in will be Mick's Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie, along with ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Jonny Lang, John Mayall, Andy Fairweather Low, Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler and former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. The show will be filmed for later broadcast, and some of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust. Green, 73, and Fleetwood co-founded Fleetwood Mac in 1967 with John McVie, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer. - Billboard, 11/11/19...... KISS announced on Nov. 11 that they have pushed back the kick off of the Australian leg of their "End of the Road" tour due to singer/guitarist Paul Stanley becoming ill. "Due to a bad case of Influenza, doctors have advised Paul Stanley to rest for the next few days and not to undertake the long trip from Los Angeles to Perth," read the note from the group, which had been slated to leave the U.S. on Nov. 12 for the Perth launch of the outing on Nov. 16. "With the expectation of Australian audiences high, KISS don't want to not give 100% and so have made changes to the Australian and New Zealand dates," the note added. As a result, the gig at Perth's RAC Arena has been moved from Nov. 16 to the end of the Australian tour on Dec. 3. - Billboard, 11/11/19...... In related news, Ozzy Osbourne has rescheduled the postponed UK and European dates on his "No More Tours 2" tour after being forced to push them back following a series of illnesses and a fall at home earlier in 2019 that re-aggravated an old injury. According to a roster of dates, the tour is now slated to kick off on Oct. 23 at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle. The dates are currently scheduled to last through a Dec. 2 show at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland. Fellow British metal icons Judas Priest will open the dates. The six-week tour was originally scheduled for January. The outing includes a return to Ozzy's hometown of Birmingham for a Halloween show, as well as gigs in Sweden, Switzerland, Spain and Italy. Osbourne's upcoming solo album, Ordinary Man, is due out in January and his first solo single in nearly a decade, "Under the Graveyard," dropped earlier in November, and its video has been shared on 
Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has announced plans for an immersive new theatre production entitled "Theater of the Mind." The production is inspired by historical and recent lab research, according to Byrne. "It will be in a warehouse, where it's divided into a bunch of different rooms," Byrne told Rolling Stone. "A group of 16 audience members will go from room to room and experience these perceptual things. When they leave one room, another group goes in there. That way, you can get 400 people in from 6 pm to 10. You get the same number as if it were a theatre show, but you get more in small groups." The production is set to open in Denver in August 2020. Byrne recently took his "American Utopia" tour to Broadway. The residency will run until Jan. 20, 2020. - NME, 11/8/19...... Robert "Bob" Norris, who played the iconic "Marlboro Man" in cigarette ads for more than a decade beginning in the 1960s, has died at his Colorado ranch at 90. According to multiple sources, Mr. Norris was never a smoker. Mr. Norris landed the high-profile ad campaign for the Philip Morris cigarette brand by happenstance, after advertising executives sought him out after spotting him in a newspaper photo alongside a famous actor friend, John Wayne. Mr. Norris's son Bobby Noris said his father stepped away from playing the company mascot conceived in the '60s, just as consumers were learning how cigarettes affected their health. "He always told us kids, 'I don't ever want to see you smoking," the younger Norris said, "so one of us finally asked, 'If you don't want us smoking, why are you doing cigarette commercials? He called up Phillip Morris and quit that day." The company stopped using the Marlboro Man in its advertisements only after other men who starred in its campaign died of lung cancer, NPR reported in October 2002. Marlboro aside, Mr. Norris, whose ranch in Colorado eventually covered more than 100,000 acres, was vital to his community. Not only was he held roles in local rodeo organizations, but he was an ardent philanthropist, and a local venue is named after him. His family remembered him in a public service held on Nov. 8. - MSN.com, 11/9/19.
In a new post on social media on June 23, Stevie Wonder opened up about systemic racism and the failings of Pres. Donald Trump. "This past Friday many of us celebrated Juneteenth," Wonder said about America's national holiday to celebrate the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the US. "I did. And yet, so many others didn't and haven't. As a matter of fact, there are three states that still do not recognize it: North Dakota, South Dakota, and Hawaii. How did it feel to celebrate freedom that we're still fighting for? It felt, and feels, too familiar." After noting that it took 18 years to declare Martin Luther King Jr. Day a holiday, Wonder quoted lyrics from his track "Visions' ("I'm not one who makes believe/I know that leaves are green ) to explain how change can come about. "If life can have an ending, all things can have an ending. Systemic racism can have an ending. Police brutality can have an ending," said Wonder. He also urged Americans to vote for the right candidate in the upcoming Presidential primaries if Trump is stand a chance of defeat at the ballot box come November. "I've heard the person in the highest place of this nation say there are fine people on both sides. That sounds noncommittal to me," Wonder noted. - New Musical Express, 6/24/20...... Surfaces, a rising pop duo, has unveiled a new collaboration with Elton John titled "Learn to Fly" on 
Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters has recorded a socially distanced take on Pink Floyd's "Two Suns in the Sunset," the closing track from the band's 1983 album The Final Cut, and posted the clip on 
The family of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Tom Petty filed a cease and desist notice to Pres. Donald Trump's campaign after one of his songs, "I Won't Back Down," was played at the President's campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., on June 20. In a statement issued on social media shortly after the rally, Petty's estate and rights holders -- daughters Adria and Annakim, ex-wife Jane, and widow Dana, issued a joint statement saying that Trump "was in no way authorized to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind." The Petty family also expained that Pres. Trump's beliefs were far out of line from the late musician's. "Tom wrote this song for the underdog, for the common man and for EVERYONE," the family wrote. "We want to make it clear that we believe everyone is free to vote as they like, think as they like, but the Petty family doesn't stand for this. We believe in America and we believe in democracy. But Donald Trump is not representing the noble ideals of either. We would hate for fans that are marginalized by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage." Numerous other artists, including R.E.M., Guns N' Roses, The Rolling Stones, Steven Tyler and Rihanna, have previously called out the President for using their music without permission. - Billboard, 6/21/20...... Emily Eavis, organiser of the legendary Glastonbury festival in the UK, says she's planning to combine two festival line-ups for next year's Glastonbury and is "hoping" that Paul McCartney will return in 2021 for the festival's 50th anniversary celebration, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. "Logistically, it's a little bit complicated, because we'd already planned quite a few acts for 2021. It was one of those unusual years where you're quite far ahead on the line-up. So we're trying to work out how much we can fit in to next year," Eavis told BBC 6 Music. The festival's edition 2020 edition was set to kick off on June 24 with McCartney among the confirmed headliners, but was cancelled as a direct result of coronavirus. - New Musical Express, 6/25/20...... Michael Jackson's daughter Paris Jackson has shared unseen footage of her father Michael, as well as debuting her own music for the first time. The new footage comes as part of a trailer for Paris's new reality series Unfiltered: Paris Jackson and Gabriel Glenn, which is set to debut via Facebook Watch on June 30. Alongside the trailer on 
Britain's Royal Mail has announced that Queen will appear on the face of 13 postage stamps featuring eight of their album covers beginning on July 9. In addition to the album covers -- 1974's Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack, 1975's A Night at the Opera, 1977's News of the World, 1980's The Game, 1981's Greatest Hits, 1984's The Works and 1991's Innuendo -- the stamps will feature four live group shots and a classic group photo. "It's hard to put into words what I feel when looking at these beautiful stamps, Queen guitarist Brian May said in a press release. "Since we four precocious boys started out on our quest 50 years ago, our lives have been devoted to making our impossible dream come true. Sometimes it's strange to wake up and realise the position in which we are now held -- we have become a national institution!" Queen drummer Roger Taylor echoed May's sentiments: "We must be really part of the furniture now! Thanks Royal Mail for stamping on us! In gratitude." The stamps are available to pre-order now through Royal Mail's website in a variety of different collections. "The Presentation Pack," which includes the entire set of 13, will cost £16. - New Musical Express, 6/23/20...... In related news, Aussie headbangers AC/DC have authorized for of their album covers -- 1976's High Voltage, 1981's For Those About to Rock, 1987's Blow Up Your Video and 1995's Ballbreaker -- for release as 500-piece jigsaw puzzles. The puzzles will be released on Sept. 4 via the company Zee Productions' "Rock Saw" series and can be ordered on the 
There may never be another Johnny Carson to dominate the late night talk show field, but as CNN's new 6-part series The Story of Late Night reminds us, there will always be a place for after-hours conversation and comedy. Airing over six Sundays beginning June 28 at 9:00 EDT (barring breaking news), the series traces a trajectory that began with Steve Allen and matured with the prickly intelligence of his successor, Jack Paar. Famous feuds (Jay Leno vs. David Letterman, Leno vs. Conan O'Brien) reveal how much drama lurks withing these lucrative laugh factories. Although today's practioners walk a more precarious tightrope of humor in these politically polarized times, going to bed without them is unthinkable. - TV Guide, 6/22/20...... Director Joel Schumacher, best known for helming such hits as St. Elmo's Fire, The Lost Boys and Falling Down as well as two Batman films, died on New York City on June 22 after a year-long battle with cancer. He was 80. The costume designer-turned-director brought his fashion background to directing a run of stylish films throughout the 1980s and 1990s that were not always critically acclaimed, but continue to be well-loved by audiences for capturing the feel of the era. Mr. Schumacher was handed the reins of the Batman franchise when Tim Burton exited Warner Bros.' Caped Crusader series after two enormously successful films. The first movie by Mr. Schumacher, Batman Forever, starring Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey and Nicole Kidman, grossed more than $300 million worldwide. - Variety.com, 6/23/20.
A new version of Aretha Franklin's "Never Gonna Break My Faith" was shared on Juneteenth holiday (June 19), which celebrates the day in 1865 that all enslaved black people in the United States learned they had been freed from bondage. Sony's RCA Records, RCA Inspiration and Legacy Recordings released the song to 
On June 19, Bob Dylan broke an 8-year-long drought of new material with the release of his latest album, 
Premium cable channel HBO announced on June 17 that it will present a filmed version of former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne's acclaimed Broadway show "American Utopia" which will be directed by Spike Lee. "David Byrne's American Utopia is a uniquely transformative experience and a perfect example of how entertainment can bring us together during these challenging times," said HBO Programming executive vp Nina Rosenstein said in a statement. "Spike's brilliant direction adds a level of intimacy to this powerful performance, and we're so thrilled to share this groundbreaking show with our audience." The show features Byrne and 11 musical artists from around the world performing songs from the 2018 album of the same title, as well as songs from the Talking Heads and Byrne's solo catalog. "American Utopia" ran from Oct. 2019 to Feb. 2020, earning rave reviews, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it "pure bliss." The filmed American Utopia is set to premiere sometime later in 2020, with a specific date to be announced. - The Hollywood Reporter, 6/17/20...... An "angel cloud" guitar used by Prince on his Purple Rain tour fetched over £450,000 ($563,000) at a Juliens auction on June 19. The custom electric blue instrument was one of four "cloud" guitars used between 1984 and 1985 in support of the "When Doves Cry" hitmaker's seminal sixth studio album. The guitar was thought to be lost when it disappeared in the '90s until it was found in 2019. The owner was given it by Prince but was not aware of its exact history. A vintage Yamaha DX7 synthesizer used by Prince on his Purple Rain album is also being auctioned on the RR Auction website. - New Musical Express, 6/20/20...... Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl and Arcade Fire will perform as part of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band live-stream on June 20 beginning at 8 pm EST (1am BST), taking their "Midnight Preserves" festival jam sessions online in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The group will host a live-stream from their respective homes and are set to be joined by a number of special guests. McCartney, Grohl and Arcade Fire appeared alongside Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews, Beck, My Morning Jacket's Jim James, Nathaniel Rateliff and more. Fans can tune in on YouTube, Twitch, or Facebook. Some performances will be pre-recorded. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band was founded in 1961 as a way to promote New Orleans jazz. They often hold their own 'Midnight Preserves' sessions at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which sees them joined by a host of special guests. - New Musical Express, 6/19/20...... Production on director Baz Lurhmann's Elvis Presley biopic, featuring Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker, is expected to restart in Australia soon after it halted when the star and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for COVID-19. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said in a press conference on June 18 she had met with Luhrmann to discuss the production's return, set to film at the Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast. "We want to ensure that this can happen as soon as possible while making sure that the cast and crew can operate safely," Palaszcuk said. Her comments refer to new guidelines in Australia, which require all film and television productions to draw up their own "COVID-Safe Risk Mitigation Program." The currently untitled biopic, with Austin Butler in the lead role, will chart Presley's rise to fame and examine his relationship with Parker. According to Warner Bros, the story will be set "against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and the loss of innocence in America." - NME, 6/18/20...... Fleetwood Mac announced on June 18 that it is reissuing its 1969 album 
A new biopic about late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister is reportedly in the works. Kilmister's early, pre-Motörhead life as a Jimi Hendrix roadie as well as his time in Hawkwind will be explored in a film called Lemmy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The project is set to be helmed by Greg Olliver, who directed a 2010 documentary of the same name. "We've been carefully developing this biopic since 2013, making sure to stay true to Lemmy, Motörhead band members Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee, and all the other folks that played important roles in Lemmy's life," Olliver said in a statement. Lemmy, whose real name was Ian Fraser Kilmister, passed away in Dec. 2015 at the age of 70. Meanwhile, the surviving members of Motrhead recently marked the 40th anniversary of their landmark album Ace Of Spades with a day of special celebrations. - NME, 6/16/20...... Judges at South Carolina's Supreme Court have ruled James Brown's final partner is not entitled to a share of his fortune because their marriage was not legally binding. Tomi Rae Hynie has been fighting for a cut of the Godfather of Soul's estate ever since his death on Christmas Day in 2006, even though it was his dying wish to leave nearly all of his assets to bosses at a children's education foundation to fund scholarships. Hynie, who had a son with Brown, maintained their 2001 nuptials were legal, even though she was still married to another man at the time. The South Carolina judge overseeing the estate battle previously decided she was the star's legal wife as her ex-husband had committed bigamy, therefore voiding the union and paving the way for her to lay claim to a chunk of the musician's riches, previously estimated to be around US $100 million. However, on June 17 Supreme Court justices issued a unanimous verdict, declaring Hynie has no right to the soul icon's money, because she failed to annul her previous marriage. "The ongoing litigation since Brown's passing has thwarted his expressed wish that his estate be used for educational purposes... a point we find both extraordinary and lamentable," the judges wrote in their ruling. The current value of Brown's estate is unknown, but finances are believed to have taken a huge hit as a result of the long-running legal drama. - WENN/Canoe.com, 6/18/20...... Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) is currently caring for his wife Nora Forster full-time as the 78-year-old battles Alzheimer's disease. Lydon, 64, married the German heiress in 1979, and first revealed she was suffering from dementia last year. In an intervew with Britain's Daily Mirror, Lydon said he is now caring for his wife full-time, as he feels love is the best way to care for her. "Nora has Alzheimer's... I am her full-time carer and I won't let anyone mess up with her head," the rocker explained. "For me the real person is still there. That person I love is still there every minute of every day and that is my life. It's unfortunate that she forgets things, well, don't we all?" Detailing her condition, he added: "I suppose her condition is one of like a permanent hangover for her. It gets worse and worse, bits of the brain store less and less memory and then suddenly some bits completely vanish." - WENN/Canoe.com, 6/8/20...... Actor Danny Masterson, best known for his role on 
British entertainment legend Dame Vera Lynn, who helped raise morale during the Second World War with such songs as "We'll Meet Again" and "The White Cliffs of Dover," has died at the age of 103, her family announced on June 18. "The family are deeply saddened to announce the passing of one of Britain's best-loved entertainers at the age of 103," they said in a statement. Dame Lynn earned the nickname "the Forces' Sweetheart" during the war for her regular visits to troops on the front line, while she also performed in countries such as India and Egypt as part of the Entertainments National Service Association. "We'll Meet Again" re-entered the UK charts in May as the song enjoyed a resurgence in popularity as part of the 75th anniversary celebrations of VE Day, while its enduring message of resilience also spoke to many people during the coronavirus lockdown. The singer, songwriter and actress also became the oldest singer to score a UK top 40 album last month when her greatest hits collection 100 re-entered the UK albums chart, beating the record she previously set back in 2017. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was among those to pay tribute to Lynn, saying her "charm and magical voice entranced and uplifted our country in some of our darkest hours." "Her voice will live on to lift the hearts of generations to come," he said. - New Musical Express, 6/18/20.