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NEWS....
Modern Family star Sarah Hyland reveals that she recently had a kidney transplant.
The 21-year-old, who has had a lifelong battle with kidney dysplasia, got the organ from her father. In an interview with Seventeen magazine, she says, "You know that family is always going to be there for you -- no matter what. My dad gave me a freakin' kidney! But it's also the families that you create outside of your family. And you really find out what kind of people you're friends with."
John Travolta could be heading to court to defend himself against allegations of sexual battery.
The plaintiff's lawyer, Okorie Okorocha, tells E! News the case won't go to settlement court. "Mediation means settlement. There will never be a settlement because [Travolta attorney Marty] Singer [is] asking for a trial and wants to sue me."
Songwriting legend Carole King was honored with the BMI Icon Award last night at the performance rights organization's 60th annual Pop Music Awards in Beverly Hills. In her acceptance speech, the 70-year-old King talked about the "community of songwriters" and acknowledged the help of such peers as James Taylor, her longtime producer Lou Adler and her songwring partner and ex-husband Gerry Goffin in her emergence as a solo performer. But she noted that she began as a songwriter and is "truly first, last and always a songwriter."
King was entertained by performances spanning her music's six decades. Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits did the 1964 Goffin-King chart-topper that kickstarted his career, "I'm Into Something Good," while last year's American Idol runner-up, Haley Rinehart, chose "Beautiful," from King's most successful solo album, Tapestry. Colbie Caillat sang "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," which became a hit for The Shirelles and King.
The first masseur to sue John Travolta for sexual battery has dropped his federal complaint.
The masseur, identified in court documents as John Doe Number-One, had claimed the actor groped him in the Beverly Hills Hotel on January 16, but then learned that Travolta was in New York at the time. Doe filed for a dismissal yesterday after his lawyer asked him to find new representation.
Travolta's attorney, Marty Singer, tells TMZ, "My client is completely vindicated by Doe Number-One dropping his claims and dismissing his lawsuit. We fully expect that my client will similarly be vindicated with respect to Doe Number-Two, as well as with respect to any other person who makes meritless claims against John Travolta."
But John Doe Number-Two's lawyer, Okorie Okorocha, tells the New York Daily News the second masseur, an African-American from Atlanta, has no plans to back down. "Believe me, he's not going anywhere. He was really traumatized by this. He went to the doctor for anxiety. This is somebody in the South, not Beverly Hills. When a brother is going to the doctor for anxiety, it has to be pretty bad."
Mick Jagger won't be performing with his Rolling Stones bandmates when he hosts Saturday Night Live this week -- he's picked three acts to play with that could be musical guests in their own right. Foo Fighters and Arcade Fire -- both veteran performers of the NBC late-night show -- and Jeff Beck will back up Jagger. There's no word yet on what songs Jagger will be doing on the show.
The estate of Michael Jackson has settled a lawsuit filed before the Gloved One's death three years ago. According to TMZ, actress-model Ola Ray, who co-starred in the groundbreaking "Thriller" video, sued Jackson for breach of contract in May 2009 (a month before his death), claiming she'd never been paid royalties for her work. There's no word what the payout was.
Carole King doesn't plan to tour again -- and hasn't written a new song in eight years. The legendary tunesmith, whose memoir A Natural Woman remains among the nation's best-selling books, tells the Associated Press her 2010 tour with James Taylor "was a good way to go out."
She's also put her days as a composer in the rear-view mirror, with the comment: "I can look back at my life and career as a songwriter and say I've done everything I really wanted to do." Having turned 70 back in February, she doesn't feel the connection to the current pop scene. But she does leave the door open, albeit slightly. "I suppose if I had a reason to, if someone said I want you to write a song for this movie, I could sit down and do that." What does intrigue King, besides retiring to her home in rural Idaho, is writing a follow-up book: "I have bits of wisdom I can offer to a younger generation. It's not 'This is the way it has to be,' but 'This is my experience, I hope this helps you'."
Stevie Wonder will receive the 2012 Billboard Icon Award. The honor is in recognition of his prolific career, which includes 49 Top 40 singles (with 32 number-ones), 25 Grammys, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. Add to that his humanitarian efforts and leadership in having the Martin Luther King holiday enacted.
The presentation and an all-star tribute to Wonder will be part of the Billboard Music Awards, which will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 20th on ABC.
The masseur suing John Travolta for sexual battery has changed his story.
The anonymous man claims he mixed up the timeframe and that the actor allegedly groped him before the January 16th date stated in his lawsuit. This comes after evidence surfaced proving Travolta was thousands of miles away from scene of the incident on that date.
Two unidentified masseurs are suing the actor for $2 million, claiming sexual battery.
A third alleged victim, Fabian Zanzi, has come forward alleging Travolta offered him $12,000 for sex. The star denies all the claims.
There's more evidence supporting John Travolta's claim he was nowhere near L.A. when he was alleged to have committed sexual battery on a masseur.
Flight records show that Travolta flew to New York the night before the alleged incident. The masseur's lawyer claims the actor met his client at the Beverly Hills Hotel at 10 a.m. on January 16th.
Travolta's people tell TMZ that he checked into the Greenwich Hotel in New York that morning for work on the movie Killing Season, and the movie's costume designer says he was with her at the hotel in a fitting session that afternoon. Denise Wingate says she took photos of Travolta that day in Manhattan. Plus, the New York Daily News confirms that Travolta dined that evening at Mr. Chow in Tribeca.
Aretha Franklin will perform at the Colosseum of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on July 15th.
Hollywood is remembering Maurice Sendak, the author and illustrator of the classic children's book Where the Wild Things Are.
In a statement to MTV News, Tom Hanks -- who co-produced the film adaptation of Sendak's popular book -- said, "Maurice Sendak was the fabulously cranky old man, the maker of the Wild Rumpus, who delighted in scaring the kids on the block -- and they loved him for it. I think a late supper is awaiting him and it is still hot."
Meanwhile, a few other celebs headed to Twitter to express their condolences. Elijah Wood tweeted, "Maurice Sendak has left us for the land of the wild things. May he carry on adventuring." Jon Favreau wrote, "Our childhoods slipped a little further away today. RIP Maurice Sendak."
The rumor mill is buzzing with reports that The Rolling Stones will be the musical guest when Mick Jagger hosts the season finale of Saturday Night Live on May 19th. A post on forum page on the Stones' European fan club site, It's Only Rock n' Roll [iorr.org], says that Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts have been rehearsing with tour keyboardist Chuck Leavell and producer Don Was on bass. The songs they've been working on are "Fool to Cry," "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Miss You."
Mila Kunis had another run-in with her alleged stalker. Stuart Dunn, who was arrested in January for breaking into the star's house, was detained by police Friday after he tracked her to a Hollywood gym for the third straight day. He could go to jail if it's determined he violated his three-year stay-away order.
Rod Stewart will release his first Christmas album this fall. He's yet to announce a title or release date, but we can tell you that David Foster is producing it and that it will be out on the Verve label. His last album was the fifth installment in his Great American Songbook series, 2010's Fly Me to the Moon.
Aerosmith shot a video for their single "Legendary Child" on Friday in Los Angeles. The song will be out in a few weeks, followed by the still-untitled album in the fall.
Shaquille O'Neal received his doctoral degree in Education from Barry University Saturday. The NBA legend said, "Everyone thinks this is honorary. But this is not honorary. I put in four-and-a-half hard years staying up late at night, studying, reading, rewriting papers Dr. Kopp marked up." Shaq is reportedly considered going to law school next.
Mike Jagger will host the season finale of Saturday Night Live on May 19th. He's performed on the show twice and taken part in sketches, but this will be his first time hosting. Jagger last appeared on SNL in 2001.
Daryl Hall and John Oates
are part of the all-star lineup on tonight's two-hour season finale of The Voice. The rock 'n' soul duo will perform their '70s chartbuster "Rich Girl" on an episode that also features contemporary stars Justin Bieber, Lady Antebellum and Flo Rida. Along with the guest stars, the NBC reality series will also crown its champion.
The new edition of People out today has the official wedding photo of Neil Diamond and his new bridge Katie McNeil. The April 21st ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel was attended by 225 guests: the couple was married by a rabbi and a priest; the singer-songwriter's 93-year-old mother Rose was in attendance, while his 34-year-old son Micah was best man. As for their first dance, it wasn't to any of Neil's songs. Instead, People reports it was the Grease soundtrack classic "You're the One That I Want."
George Lindsey, best known for playing Goober Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry RFD and Hee Haw, died yesterday after a short illness. He was 83.
The Moody Blues legendary song "Nights in White Satin" is the lead track on the Dark Shadows soundtrack album. The big-screen adaptation of the gothic soap, which opens next weekend, also features songs by Alice Cooper, T. Rex, Barry White, The Carpenters and Iggy Pop. And we hear there's also a Johnny Depp spoken-word take on Steve Miller's "The Joker." The CD (and its digital counterpart) get a three-day head start on the film -- they go on sale Tuesday.
Pepsi's deal with the estate of Michael Jackson starts later this month. It begins with special 16-ounce cans with a dancing Michael that enable fans to scan codes by smartphone to download remixed tracks from the album Bad. Besides the digital music, the beverage giant promises live events and "digital opportunities" to get merchandize tied to the album's 25th anniversary.
While Jackson famously appeared in Pepsi commercials, some marketing experts question the use of a dead artist as part of the soft drink's new campaign -- especially as it's titled, "Live for Now."
Demi Moore has finally dumped her Twitter name.
Yesterday the former @MrsKutcher tweeted, "So hard finding a name that was fun somewhat playful and available. So for now it will be @JustDemi. It could grow on me!"
George Harrison's widow Olivia has put together a digital version of George Harrison: Living in the Material World, the book she did about her late husband. Available now in the iBookstore, it includes audio and video material from Martin Scorsese's documentary of the same name on Harrison, along with personal photographs, letters and memorabilia never seen before. Olivia hopes this latest version of the book will fill in some of the gaps Scorsese left out of the movie, which also came out on DVD Tuesday.
Rick Springfield
is eager to do more acting. The pop rocker and one-time soap opera heartthrob has recently appeared on TV's Californiciation and Hot in Cleveland, as well as General Hospital where he found his greatest fame. But he tells the Canadian Press the one thing he doesn't intend to do is a reality show. "[I'll] never [do] Dancing With the Stars. My wife said she'd divorce me if I ever did that. They ask me every year." The offer makes sense -- Springfield still shows his stage moves in the 70 or so rock concerts he does every year. "Certainly the longevity of songs like 'Jessie's Girl' hasn't hurt" -- proof of that came when the song was recently covered on the TV's Glee.
Elton John's performance at the Breast Cancer Research Foundation's benefit Monday in Florida helped raise more than $5.5 million.
Bobby Brown claims he never got high on "narcotics" before meeting Whitney Houston.
In an interview that aired on the Today show yesterday, Bobby said, "I smoked weed and drank beer...but no, I wasn't the one that got Whitney on drugs... I'm not the reason she's gone."
He told Matt Lauer that Whitney's drug habit "was part of her life BEFORE we got together."
Bobby said he hasn't touched "narcotics" in seven years and was "hurt" to learn his ex-wife had been using again in her final days.
Heart's Nancy Wilson tied the knot for the second time on Saturday, saying "I do" to FOX music executive Geoff Bywater at Sammy Hagar's El Paseo restaurant in Mill Valley, California. She writes at Heart-Music.com, "Love rules." When Nancy announced their engagement in March, she said, "We are deeply in love, the same age and both devoted parents. There is so much happiness we share together and our blended families, too."
Nancy was married to director Cameron Crowe for 24 years until their divorce in 2010, and they have two sons, William and Curtis.
It was on this day in 1977 that Eric Clapton started recording "Wonderful Tonight," another love song to Pattie Boyd, the ex-wife of George Harrison, who he was dating at the time.
But as beautiful as the song is, Clapton was actually mad when he was inspired to write it. It came about on September 7th, 1976 as they were getting ready to attend Paul and Linda McCartney's annual Buddy Holly party in London and Pattie kept asking if she looked okay. On March 28th, 1979, the day after they married, Clapton brought Pattie on stage in Tucson, Arizona to sing the song to her. The song was released on his 1977 album, Slowhand. And Pattie titled her 2007 autobiography Wonderful Tonight.
Duran Duran won't be taking a summer vacation this year -- they'll be heading to our shores for some work. The band will kick off a month-long tour in Saratoga, California on August 8th and wind down in Highland Park, Illinois on August 29th. They'll head into the studio in September to begin work on the follow-up to their most recent offering, All You Need Is Now.
Yellow Submarine
is returning to theaters this spring. The digitally restored edition of the animated masterpiece based on The Beatles, will premiere Saturday night at New York's Ziegfield Theater. There will also be theatrical screenings around the country beginning five days later, including matinees geared at younger audiences. Restored frame-by-frame, the film will also be released on DVD June 5th, with its soundtrack album also going back on sale that day.
Animator Heinz Edelman says in a statement, "I thought from the very beginning that the film should be a series of interconnected shorts. The style should vary every five minutes or so to keep the interest going until the end." That included melding live-action photography with animation, three-dimensional sequences and kaleidoscopic "roto-scoping" where film is traced frame by frame into drawings. The entire process took nearly two years, 14 different scripts, 40 animators and 140 technical artists, ultimately producing a groundbreaking triumph of animation.
Robin Gibb could be out of the hospital by the end of the week. London's Daily Mirror reports that his "iron will" and "remarkable physical endurance" have astounded doctors since he came out of the coma he'd fallen into while battling pneumonia.
The tabloid quotes an unnamed "friend" who says the medical team "will not rush him but there is a very good possibility of him being discharged at the end of the week and arrangements are being made for him to have medical help at home." The source also admits that "Robin is still weak but getting better by the day. His recovery is nothing short of a miracle."
Bob Dylan will get America's highest civilian honor when he receives the Medal of Freedom from President Obama this spring. Also being honored are astronaut and former senator John Glenn, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison.
Obama says, "They've challenged us, they've inspired us and they've made the world a better place." Dylan, who Obama honored in 2010 with an arts and humanities award, had no comment on this latest commendation.
In case you missed it last Thursday, Paul McCartney made a cameo on a live episode of the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, which stars his friend Alec Baldwin. Macca is seen smacking Baldwin's face after shaking hands with him. Afterwards, Baldwin Tweeted, "To be slapped on live TV by Sir Paul... File that in my diary under perfect."
This wasn't the first time McCartney has made an unannounced appearance with Baldwin on live TV. He had a walk-on role in 2006 when Baldwin hosted Saturday Night Live.
The Fab Four will hit theaters next month with the limited theatrical release of The Beatles: The Lost Concert, a new documentary that includes all of the band's first-ever full U.S. concert performance on February 11th, 1964 at D.C.'s Washington Coliseum. That footage hasn't been seen in theaters since March of '64, when it was broadcast into theaters via closed-circuit.
The Beach Boys have completed work on their reunion album, and it will hit stores just in time for summer. That's Why God Made the Radio, which is set for release on June 5th, will be the first album in decades to feature Brian Wilson and David Marks alongside Al Jardine and Mike Love. The title track and first single is available now.
The Beach Boys will make an hour-long QVC appearance, complete with performance, on May 16th, to promote a special package that includes the new album and a greatest-hits disc.
Although the members of Journey like new singer Arnel Pineda, guitarist and founding member Neal Schon is open to having Steve Perry re-join. He says, "We could definitely do An Evening With and make it a long show." But he insists that Arnel would still be part of the band. "I think it would be at the point where it's a farewell tour...and we're done. That's the only appropriate way to go about it."
Pineda says he'd love to sing with Perry. "If he would welcome that, that would be awesome. I think, especially the hardcore fans, they would love it." Journey, with Arnel Pineda and not Steve Perry, will kick off a tour with Pat Benatar and Loverboy on July 21st in San Bernardino, California.
Heart will pay tribute to one of their favorite bands when they release their career-spanning box set on June 5th. Strange Euphoria will contain 56 tracks spread over four CDs, plus a DVD of their 1976 Dreamboat Annie television performance. The fourth disc is called Heart Zeppish, and -- you guessed it -- it will contain covers of five Led Zeppelin songs -- "Going to California," "Battle of Evermore," "What Is and What Should Never Be," "Immigrant Song" and "Misty Mountain Hop." Noticeably absent is their version of "Rock and Roll," which they included on 1980's Greatest Hits: Live.
Beyonce has been named People magazine's Most Beautiful Woman.
It was "Good Vibrations" in Tucson last night as The Beach Boys kicked off their 50th anniversary tour before a full house at Casino Del Sol's Ava Amphitheater. The city where the band played one of its first gigs -- we hear it was at a local frat house -- hosted the five surviving members: Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks. A video screen allowed the guys to be joined by the late Carl and Dennis Wilson. The Beach Boys sang with Dennis on "Forever" and joined Carl Wilson for "God Only Knows."
The notoriously stage-shy Brian, working behind a white grand piano, performed well, though it took until the second half of the show for him to make eye contact with the audience. To the right were Al, Mike, David and Bruce -- who stood with an electric piano.
The first 45-minute set opened with "Do It Again" and soon swung into some covers that were more familiar to European fans, such as "Then He Kissed Me," and "Cotton Fields." Then came some favorite album tracks, including Johnston's "Disney Girls" and "Sail on Sailor," with Brian on lead.
To no one's surprise there were plenty of hits, plenty of car songs and the debut of "Thank God for the Radio," whose promo clip was released yesterday. After the second 45-minute set, the night ended with "Kokomo" and "Good Vibrations" as the encore.
Outside of a few one-off shows, this is pretty much an off-year for the Eagles as they work on solo projects. But, they do have one group project in the works -- The History of the Eagles, a documentary on their 40 years. Glenn Frey says they've hired Academy Award-winning documentarian Alex Gibney to put it together, and Frey adds that they hope to release it at the end of the year.
Joe Walsh will lend his support to actor, equestrian and philanthropist William Shatner by performing at the Priceline.com Hollywood Charity Horse Show on Saturday at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank. Proceeds will benefit special-needs children's charities across L.A., including AHEAD With Horses, the Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the Starlight Children's Foundation and the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Carole King's memoir, A Natural Woman, will debut at number-six on this Sunday's New York Times Bestseller List.
The Beatles have launched an official Yellow Submarine website in conjunction with the film's re-release on DVD on May 29th -- YellowSubmarineTheMovie.com.
The Ashton Kutcher - Mila Kunis romance rumors won't go away.
The former That '70s Show co-stars deny they're a couple, but their recent three-day getaway to the coastal town of Carpinteria, California seems to indicate they're more than just friends.
The two reportedly had a sushi lunch date and were spotted buying sunflowers and blueberries from a roadside fruit stand.
Robin Gibb may have emerged from his coma, but the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer still has faces a long and difficult road. His physician says that Gibb has advanced colorectal cancer -- and remains under treatment. While he's able to speak with family members, he still needs oxygen and is nowhere near well enough to leave the hospital. His family is accentuating the positive: his son, Robin-John Gibb, tells Britain's ITV News "they gave him an under- 10 percent survival chance and he has beaten the odds ... he really is something else."
The second of Carole King's April releases goes on sale today: The Legendary Demos, a baker's dozen of classic tunes later made famous by others. A who's-who ranging from The Monkees ("Pleasant Valley Sunday") and Righteous Brothers ("Just Once in My Life") to Bobby Vee ("Take Good Care of My Baby") and Aretha Franklin ("A Natural Woman") charted with these songs -- so did Carole, who included her earliest attempts at "It's Too Late" and "You've Got a Friend" long before their finished form on Tapestry.
The rumors of a Michael Jackson hologram being used on his brothers' upcoming tour are heating up. Jackie Jackson tells the London tabloid The Sun, "Wouldn't that be wonderful?" He adds, "As a matter of fact, we had that idea two years ago for Michael's Cirque du Soleil show." Once a hologram of the late Tupac Shakur was used in a recent show by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg , speculation arose over whose image might next be inserted into a pop show. The $160,000 cost is high -- but Jackson thinks the investment could turn Unity into "the most lucrative world tour of all time."
Of course, before Michael "appears," the lawyers will have to be called in. Jackie explains, "As always with Michael's estate and creating new art with his image, there will be a lot of politics to navigate. But we've all seen how well it can be done now."
On this night in 1976, Paul McCartney visited John Lennon at his apartment at the Dakota in New York. The three watched Saturday Night Live -- ironically the episode on which producer Lorne Michaels offered $3000 for The Beatles to reunite on the show. Lennon later told an interviewer that he and McCartney actually considered going to the NBC studios during the broadcast -- but were too tired
The Solitary Man is again a married man. People magazine reports exclusively that Neil Diamond tied the knot with his manager Katie O'Neal Saturday in a small, private ceremony in L.A. The couple announced their engagement last September.
Just family and close friends were on hand for the nuptials. There's no word on honeymoon plans -- Diamond kicks off an extensive tour on June 1st. By the way, he's 71, she's 42.
We have learned exclusively that a public viewing and memorial service will be held for Levon Helm Thursday in his hometown of Woodstock, New York. This will be followed on Friday by a New Orleans-style funeral procession through the town and burial in the Woodstock Cemetery next to Rick Danko, the singer and bassist in The Band who died in 1999 from heart failure. Levon was born in Arkansas, but had lived primarily in Woodstock since relocating there in the late '60s with The Band. He staged his Midnight Ramble shows at his home studio there on most Saturday nights.
Levon died from cancer last Thursday afternoon at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He was 71 and leaves behind his wife Sandy and daughter Amy from his first marriage to Libby Titus. Libby is now married to Donald Fagen of Steely Dan.
Levon is the third member of The Band to pass away following Richard Manuel, who hanged himself in 1986 in Florida while on tour with The Band, and Rick Danko in 1999. The two surviving members are Garth Hudson, who also lives in Woodstock, and Robbie Robertson, who resides in Los Angeles.
Roberta Flack will appear on Access Hollywood April 30th. Her collection of Beatles covers, Let It Be Roberta, has her back on the album chart for the first time in 13 years.
Levon Helm, the singer and drummer with The Band, is dead of cancer at age 71. The end came yesterday (Thursday) at 1:30 p.m. at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City surrounded by family and friends. Larry Campbell, his bandleader and guitarist, says, "All his friends were there, and it seemed like Levon was waiting for them. 10 minutes after they left we sat there and he just faded away. He did it with dignity. It was even two days ago they thought it would happen within hours, but he held on. It seems like he was Levon up to the end, doing it the way he wanted to do it. He loved us, we loved him."
Paul McCartney is gearing up for the May 22nd reissue of his second album, 1971's Ram. It's the fourth release in Concord Music Group's deluxe reissue campaign, following McCartney, McCartney Two and Band on the Run.
The deluxe version of Ram, the only album credited to Paul and Linda McCartney, will contain four CDs, and he has posted the track listing on his website, PaulMcCartney.com. He has also posted a snippet of a video from the deluxe version on the recording of the album.
Macca is on tour in South America with a show in Recife, Brazil on Saturday.
Jonathan Frid, who played Barnabas Collins in the original Dark Shadows TV series, died Friday (the 13th). He was 87.
Johnny Depp, who plays Barnabas in the Tim Burton version of Dark Shadows due out next month, has released a statement remembering the actor. He says, "Jonathan Frid was the reason I used to run home from school to watch Dark Shadows. His elegance and grace was an inspiration then and will continue to remain one forever more."
Dick Clark, "America's oldest teenager," died Tuesday morning at age 82 from a heart attack. Aside from his annual New Year's Eve appearance, he'd stayed out of the public eye since a 2004 stroke impaired his ability to speak.
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Clark took American Bandstand national in 1957. The show moved from Philadelphia to L.A. in 1964 and stayed on the air for another quarter century.
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He hosted several game shows, most notably $10,000 Pyramid --which eventually grew to $100,000.
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Clark began an American tradition when his New Year's Rockin' Eve rang in 1973. After his stroke, he began co-hosting the program every year with Ryan Seacrest.
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He created the American Music Awards to compete with the Grammys, and Dick Clark Productions also produces the Golden Globes, the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Family Television Awards.
Though most media outlets are concentrating on Eddie Van Halen's statement that his father started him on the road to alcoholism, arguably the bigger news in his Esquire interview is that he had two cancer relapses last year. He was first diagnosed in 2000 and doctors removed a portion of his tongue. Last spring, doctors found and removed cancer cells in his throat, and then in the fall they had to remove another piece of his tongue.
In 2008, following the Van Halen reunion tour with David Lee Roth the year before, Eddie became addicted to Klonopin, which was prescribed to help him stop drinking. He says, "All I wanted to do was stop drinking, but instead I literally could not communicate... I don't know what dimension I went to, but I was not here. It was such a long process to come out of this. Just to be able to communicate, to talk, was a feat in itself." As with drinking and illegal drugs, Eddie kicked that habit and has been sober ever since.
Van Halen plays in Atlanta tonight.
Lionel Richie is on track to top the Billboard album chart for the first time in more than 25 years! Yesterday, the magazine reported the numbers out this morning are expected to show his album of country duets Tuskegee has edged aside Adele's 21 as the nation's number-one album. Credit should go to Richie's CBS special that aired Friday night, which led to an immediate jump in sales.
Van Halen has extended their tour in support of their new album, A Different Kind of Truth, into the summer. The first leg of dates announced runs through June 26th in New Orleans, but they've just tacked on 18 more from July 7th in Connecticut through August 12th in Ohio. Up next for Van Halen is Atlanta tomorrow night
The Bachelor and The Bachelorette
are facing a class-action suit after two Nashville men accused the shows of racial bias.
Nathaniel Claybrooks and Christopher Johnson, both African-American, claim they showed up to an open casting call for The Bachelor, but were ignored.
Representatives for the men contend that both shows over the last 10 years have never featured a person of color as the Bachelor or Bachelorette. They plan to file class-action complaints in federal court today
Supermodel Bar Refaeli says a female airport security worker got a bit too frisky yesterday in London.
Bar complained on Twitter, "I got a security 'patdown' by a woman at the airport that made me feel very uncomfortable and left no doubt about her sexual preferences."
Aretha Franklin says she's "raring to sing." When we spoke to her along the Red Carpet at the taping of the TV Land Awards, the Queen of Soul said that Sony Music chief Clive Davis is "talking to all of the best producers" and that the two would soon be listening to a lot of music. Asked to name names, Franklin offered contemporary artist Ne-Yo and veteran R&B producer Kenny "Babyface" Edmunds. Separately, Aretha will be producing some new music for her son Eddie. She promises it'll be a "tremendous album."
Alec Baldwin will return to 30 Rock -- despite threatening to leave the show last week in a Twitter rant.
According to the AP, the actor insisted yesterday that he's still a fan of NBC, even though he was angry with the Today show for camping outside his apartment to cover a story about his stalker.
Alec added that the next season of 30 Rock will be its last.
An upcoming British Star Trek convention will go where no such event has ever gone before. Set for October, Destination Star Trek London will be the first time all that five actors who have captained the various editions of the series will appear together.
William Shatner (Captain Kirk), Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard), Avery Brooks (Commander Sisko), Kate Mulgrew (Captain Janeway) and Scott Bakula (Captain Archer) are all on board for the fanfest running October 19th through the 21st at London's Excel Exhibition Centre. In addition to the cast, original sets used during filming will be on display.
An estimated 15,000 fans from all corners of the globe are expected to attend. The website for the event has gone live -- tickets will go on sale April 30th.
Robin Gibb's health has deteriorated in the last few days. A statement on his website says the singer-songwriter has contracted pneumonia and has fallen into a coma. His family is "hoping and praying that he will pull through."
Yesterday, London's Daily Mail quoted son Robin Jon Gibb: "My dad has had a hard recovery from cancer. When you get rid of the cancer a lot of periphery problems can occur. This is so sad."
As expected, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are moving up to stadiums when the Wrecking Ball tour returns to North America this summer. The trek kicks off August 18th at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. After two dates in Canada, the U.S leg resumes August 29th in Vernon, New York at Vernon Raceway. It moves on to Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park on September 2nd, Chicago's Wrigley Field on September 7th and Nationals Park in Washington, DC on September 14th. The run closes with three nights at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, September 19th, 21st and 22nd.
Tickets for most of the shows go on sale this weekend.
Lionel Richie had better hope his album of countrified duets keeps selling -- the I.R.S. says he owes $1.1 million in back taxes. According to documents obtained by the cable channel E!, the Commodores co-founder has been slapped with a lien, meaning Uncle Sam may soon begin seizing some of his assets if he doesn't start paying off the debt.
Richie's tax problems could be the reason he's shifted his career into a higher gear of late, with the release of Tuskegee, appearances on The Voice and a judge's position on the new reality show Duets, which premieres on ABC in late May.
The Eagles will wrap up their brief overseas tour tonight with their first-ever show in Dubai. Don Henley says "going to places" they've never been has "been a wonderful experience." Tonight's show in Dubai follows their first-ever shows in South Africa. Up next will be Las Vegas on April 21st and Atlanta on May 2nd and 4th.
Like Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh, Eagles bassist Timothy B. Schmit has announced another solo tour. It starts on May 19th in Texas and winds up in New Jersey on June 9th.
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5/19 - Cherokee, TX - Music Festival
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5/20 - Corpus Christi, TX - Brewster Street Ice House
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5/22 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
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5/24 - Clearwater, FL - Capitol Theatre
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5/28 -- Washington, D.C. - The Hamilton
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5/29 - New York, NY - B.B. Kings
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5/31 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre
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6/2 - Ridgefield, CT - Playhouse
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6/4 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head
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6/6 - Pittsburgh, PA - Three Rivers Arts Festival
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6/8 - Huntington, NY - Paramount
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6/9 - Newton, NJ - Newton Theatre
Don't hold your breath on any new Hall and Oates music. Daryl Hall tells the Boston Herald, "I'm so busy with my life, John [Oates] is busy with his life, it's just not something we're interested in doing now." Hall's focus is Live From Daryl's House, his Internet show, which has now expanded into a TV series and, beginning this week, a concert tour featuring his proteges Allen Stone and Sharon Jones. "These are people I have been blown away by. I had so many guests to choose from while thinking about putting this tour together. But these are two that I knew would work."
The Live From Daryl's House tour plays the House of Blues in Boston tonight. There is one Hall and Oates show on the books -- May 19th at the Tower Theater in their native Philadelphia.
James Taylor's
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