FASHION, LIFESTYLE, MUSIC TOURS ARCHIVE [page 1]
 
FRANK BEATLES INTERVIEW UNEARTHED [BBC, 11/23/08]
Details of a revealing interview with Beatles guitarist George Harrison have come to light after 40 years. The reel-to-reel tapes have been stored by former journalist Miranda Ward since she talked to Harrison in 1967. Film director David Lambert, who has heard the recordings, said: "It was really the meaning of life according to George Harrison in 1967." He discussed subjects including Eastern mysticism, politics, Britain's drink culture and drug use, Mr Lambert said.  He heard the tapes while making a documentary about the Magical Mystery Tour film. He said: "It was only a brief chat about that, but he went on and discussed all aspects of life and the way he viewed it at the time." Harrison is often referred to as the "quiet" Beatle and Miranda Ward was a friend of the group at the time. Mr. Lambert said: "He covers all aspects of things, the Eastern mysticism, he was very involved at the time with the Maharishi [Mahesh Yogi]. "Then he goes on to talk about the drink culture of Great Britain which in 1967, from how he describes it, seems exactly as it is today. "He talks about use of drugs and how certain politicians tend to rule the world and rule our lives." Mr Lambert only used a small section of the interview in his film, The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour Memories, and said the rest of was "pretty controversial". But he added: "I think you'll actually look at George and think, 'The guy really is talking a lot of sense and people should have listened possibly at the time'. "He wasn't one to talk about these things. If you listened to it, you would fully expect someone like John [Lennon] to be doing the interview." Mr Lambert believes the full interview will see the light of day and could fetch "hundreds of thousands of pounds" at auction. "At the moment there's a lot of interest in that," he said. "I believe Martin Scorsese, who did the Rolling Stones film is looking to do a 90-minute film on George Harrison. "So, there is interest from the Scorsese camp for this interview."
 
P.S. I LOVE YOU: VATICAN NEWSPAPER TO BEATLES [CBC, 11/23/08]
The Vatican's newspaper, Osservatore Romano, has come out lauding the Beatles while forgiving a remark by John Lennon declaring the Fab Four more famous than Jesus Christ. The article, published this weekend, commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' White Album. It also references a major controversy that blew up in the Beatles' faces. Back in 1966, the Evening Standard in England published an interview with Lennon in which he was quoted as saying: "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that. I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now. I don't know which will go first — rock 'n' roll or Christianity." Five months later, an American teen magazine called Datebook reprinted part of the quote on its front cover, sparking widespread protests in the American South and public burnings of Beatles records. Lennon, who was killed in 1980, was shaken by the reaction and addressed the controversy in a news conference in Chicago on Aug. 11, 1966: "I'm sorry I said it, really. I never meant it to be a lousy anti-religious thing. I apologize if that will make you happy. I still do not know quite what I've done." The Vatican accepted the apology. In the Osservatore article, the writer says Lennon's comment now "sounds only like a 'boast' by a young working-class Englishman faced with unexpected success after growing up in the legend of Elvis and rock and roll." The article goes on to hail the group as a force in musical history. "The fact remains that 38 years after breaking up, the songs of the Lennon-McCartney brand have shown an extraordinary resistance to the passage of time, becoming a source of inspiration for more than one generation of pop musicians."
 
SUTHERLAND DENIES "24" HELPED OBAMA [BBC, 11/22/08]
Kiefer Sutherland, star of 24, has rubbished claims that the series' depiction of a black president paved the way for the election of Barack Obama. Actor Dennis Haysbert, who played President David Palmer in five seasons of 24, had previously claimed that his character did contribute to Obama's success. But Kiefer Sutherland doesn't agree. "You don't honestly believe that our show helped get the first African- American into the White House do you?" he asked Newsbeat. "All we simply did is look to the future." In an interview with TV Guide magazine in January 2008, Dennis Haysbert said: "As far as the public is concerned, it did open up their minds and their hearts a little bit to the notion that if the right man came along that a black man could be president of the United States." However, his co-star Sutherland believes it is something that would have happened anyway. "You have a huge African- American population and it was just a matter of time before they were represented politically by a president." He added: "We have a female president in season seven. You have a 52% population of women and we can clearly see it is just a matter of time before we have a female president." Kiefer Sutherland was speaking at the launch of 24: Redemption, a feature-length episode of the show which bridges the gap between season six and the forthcoming season seven. Set in a fictional African country, it finds Sutherland's character Jack Bauer caught up in a military coup. On the run from the US government, Bauer teams up with old friend Carl Benton, played by Robert Carlyle. The pair try to save a group of school pupils from being recruited as child soldiers. Another plotline causing a stir among fans is the return of Jack Bauer's former colleague Tony Almeida, played by Carlos Bernard. Series favourite Almeida was thought to have died during season five. 24: Redemption is released on DVD on 1 December 2008.
 
KISS UNHAPPY ABOUT ROCK HALL OF FAME EXCLUSION [Reuters/Billboard, 11/22/08]
They've sold millions of records, and influenced several generations of fans and musicians. So why isn't Kiss in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? That's what Gene Simmons would like to know. "There are disco bands, rap bands, Yiddish folk song bands in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but not Kiss," the band's outspoken frontman said during a speech at the Billboard Touring Conference on Thursday, November 20. "I believe we have more gold records in America than any other group, but it's OK." Having released their first album in 1974, Kiss easily fulfill the requirement that an eligible act must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. But the band is not among the nine acts on this year's shortlist, which includes metal icons Metallica, rock guitarist Jeff Beck, and soul singer Bobby Womack. The final five, determined by a ballot of more than 500 industry voters, will be announced in January, ahead of the 24th annual induction ceremony in Cleveland on April 4. Simmons also took a dig at the top officials at the hall of fame's foundation, which is chaired by Rolling Stone magazine publisher Jann Wenner. "A lot of those guys on the board can go and get my sandwich when I want, and I mean that in the nicest way," he said. The speech was filmed for an episode of his reality show "Gene Simmons Family Jewels," currently in its third season on the A&E cable channel.
 
STARS BACK BRITISH MUSIC MUSEUM [BBC, 11/22/08]
The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Amy Winehouse are among the stars who have loaned memorabilia to a new exhibition charting the history of British pop. The British Music Experience will open at the O2 in London in March, 2009, and is intended to be a major new attraction. It will mix costumes and instruments used by top artists, with cutting edge displays designed to bring the last 60 years of British music to life. Other acts behind the idea include The Who, Oasis, Blur and Paul Weller. The Who singer Roger Daltrey has loaned the tassled outfit he wore on stage at Woodstock, while Sir Mick Jagger has given an Ossie Clark-designed 1970s jumpsuit. David Bowie has handed over his Ashes To Ashes clown suit and a classic Ziggy Stardust costume. A vintage dress worn by Amy Winehouse in her Tears Dry On Her Own video and a live DVD will also be seen. Noel Gallagher's iconic Union Jack guitar will be on show, along with guitars played by Paul Weller, Marc Bolan and Blur. As well as the memorabilia, curators are promising a fully interactive experience.
 
BRUCE WILLIS WANTS CASH BACK FROM MALAYSIA COMPANY [AP, 11/22/08]
A Malaysian technology conglomerate pledged Friday, November 21 to repay $900,000 to Hollywood star Bruce Willis, but denied any wrongdoing after he took legal action to demand a refund of his investment. The Kuala Lumpur-based Petra Group environmental technology company said Willis invested $2 million in its subsidiary, Green Rubber, a developer of technology that can recycle rubber in old tires, in 2007. Petra returned $1.1 million to Willis earlier this year when he decided to pull out his investment. U.S. news reports said the star of the "Die Hard" action films filed a court complaint in Los Angeles this week to recoup the remaining $900,000. The company said in an e-mailed statement to The Associated Press that it intends to pay Willis the balance "within the next few weeks" and that the actor need not have filed the court complaint. Petra Group is "very surprised by Mr. Willis' actions and refute in the strongest possible terms any allegations of impropriety," it said. Green Rubber had been seeking an initial public offering in London when Willis made the investment last year, but the Petra Group's chief executive agreed to buy back the star's shares at any point "as a gesture of goodwill," the statement said. "Unfortunately, the market then took an unforeseeable severe downturn, caused by the global credit crunch, and flotation plans had to be put on hold," the statement added. "Mr. Willis asked to sell his shares back ... despite the company's exceptional underlying operating performance."
 
FCC APPEALS JANET JACKSON CASE TO SUPREME COURT [AP, 11/22/08]
The Federal Communications Commission has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the indecency case over Janet Jackson's breast-baring performance at the 2004 Super Bowl. The FCC this week appealed a ruling by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, saying that court was wrong to throw out the case and a $550,000 fine against CBS Corp. in July. The appellate court cited the FCC practice of not considering objectionable images indecent if they are "fleeting." In Jackson's halftime show at the 2004 Super Bowl, which spawned the case, she briefly flashed a breast as she performed with Justin Timberlake. The FCC said the court incorrectly applied a rule — since changed — regarding expletives that required a profanity be repeated before it is deemed indecent. The FCC contends the rule didn't apply to images. Reaction to the appeal was swift from the Media Access Project, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the appellate court on behalf of a group of TV writers, directors and producers. "The impact of the FCC's decision on the creative process is very profound," said the group's chief executive, Andrew Jay Schwartzman. "The FCC's decisions in this area have made it very difficult for creative artists to exercise their craft." At the time, broadcasters did not employ a video delay for live events, a practice that changed within a week of the game. The FCC also has an appeal pending before the U.S. Supreme Court in a New York case involving profanity uttered by Cher during a December 2002 music awards show and by Nicole Richie during a December 2003 awards show, both carried on Fox stations. The agency has asked the court to rule in that earlier case before taking on the Jackson incident.
 
SURPRISE! VIOLINIST SHAHAM GETS AVERY FISHER PRIZE [AP, 11/21/08]
The last time they shared a Lincoln Center stage, violinist Gil Shaham wielded the big smiles as Gustavo Dudamel made his conducting debut with the New York Philharmonic. Thursday night, November 20 it was Dudamel's turn. At the end of Shaham's nationally televised performance on PBS's "Live From Lincoln Center," Dudamel suddenly appeared in the audience and greeted Shaham as the violinist walked toward an exit. "Stop!" Dudamel called out. "My friend. Nice to see you. I have the honor to tell you that you have won the Avery Fisher Prize for 2008." The 37-year-old Shaham took two steps back to catch his breath. The prize, named for the man who invented the transistorized amplifier and helped fund the landmark West Side arts complex, is worth $75,000. It was established in 1974 and has been awarded to 19 other musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma, Midori, Emanuel Ax and most recently Joshua Bell. "The prize is for people who have really reached the pinnacle of their career," Nathan Leventhal, chairman of the Avery Fisher Artist Program, told the 150-member audience after the TV cameras went off the air. "Oh my God," Shaham said. The violinist had just finished performing works by the Spanish composer Pablo de Sarasate, who died 100 years ago this fall, when the 27-year-old Dudamel made the surprise announcement at Lincoln Center's Kaplan Penthouse. During the Venezuelan conductor's debut last November with the New York Philharmonic, Shaham maintained a huge grin while playing the Dvorak Violin Concerto as his friend led the musicians through a triumphant performance. Shaham was born in Champaign-Urbana, Ill., to Israeli parents. When he was 7, he and his family moved to Israel, where he studied violin. Three years later, he began studying at The Juilliard School and at the Aspen Music School in Colorado. His career got a big boost in 1989, when as a late substitute soloist for an indisposed Itzhak Perlman, the then-high school junior turned in highly praised performances with the London Symphony Orchestra and conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. The following year, Shaham won an Avery Fisher Career Grant, an award to help young musicians start their careers. "My father loved surprises," Nancy Fisher said. "He loved calling musicians to tell them they had won." "Twenty years ago he called me," Shaham said. "I'm just dumbfounded."
 
BEYONCE KNOWLES AND JAY-Z TOP FORBES' TOP EARNING COUPLES LIST [Aceshowbiz, 11/21/08]
Celebrity couple Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z top the annual list of Hollywood's 20 Top-Earning Couples, compiled by Forbes magazine. They earn a total of $162 million fortune between June 1, 2007 and June 1, 2008, Forbes reports in a post on its site. The 2nd Top-Earning Celebrity Couple is Will Smith and his actress wife Jada Pinkett Smith, both of whom bank $85 million, with Will doing most of the earning, taking in $80 million from the success of his movies "I Am Legend," "The Pursuit of Happyness" and "Hancock." David Beckham and his wife Victoria Adams are ranked 3rd on the list with collective earnings of $58 million. Country music couple, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, secures the 4th spot, taking in an estimated $35 million between June 1, 2007 and June 1, 2008. Behind them there is Hollywood power couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The movie stars and parents of six children bank $34 million together. Film producer and director Judd Apatow and his actress wife Leslie Mann also make the list at No. 6 with a total income of $30 million. Next is singer Gwen Stefani, who alongside his husband Gavin Rossdale earn a total of $28 million. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are at No. 8, with $3 million less, followed thereafter by Eva Longoria and Tony Parker, both of whom earn $22.5 million. Finishing the Top 10 list are Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart, who make $22 million. Teaming up with E! Entertainment, Forbes thus will have its Hollywood's 20 Top-Earning Couples list premiered in a one-hour special on E! next Friday, November 28 at 8 P.M. ET.
 
COMIC RUSSELL PETERS TAPPED FOR SECOND JUNOS HOSTING GIG [CBC, 11/20/08]
Although he once joked that he'd never watched the Juno Awards before being named host of the prominent Canadian music prize broadcast, Russell Peters has snagged the gig for a second time. The popular comedian has agreed to host the 2009 Juno Awards broadcast on March 29 in Vancouver, organizers announced Tuesday, November 18 evening. "I had a great time hosting the 2008 show," Peters said in a statement. "Let this love affair continue." Before this year's Juno Awards, the hit comedian quipped to reporters that he'd never seen the annual musical broadcast and said he wasn't incredibly familiar with Canadian music. Peters, known for his ethnically inspired comedy, also joked: "This is the first time they've let a non-white host the Junos.... I hope to make it different. Like entertaining." Nevertheless, his turn at the microphone in Calgary in April was a success: last month, he picked up a Gemini Award for the hosting gig. Peters, originally from Brampton, Ont., has travelled around the globe for his standup comedy career, selling out New York's Madison Square Garden as well as venues across Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Australia and in Asia. In 2009, he will mark his 20th anniversary in the business with a new tour.
 
USHER'S MOTHER UNDER POLICE INVESTIGATION [Vibes, 11/20/08]
Police have launched an investigation looking into whether or not Usher’s mother and former manager, Jonnetta Patton, scammed a limo driver during the recent BET Awards. A freelance limo driver says that Patton used his services for her Atlanta-based transportation company, but never paid him his $1,668 for services. He has since filed a complaint. According to TMZ, Patton’s camp is currently mum regarding the complaint and investigation. Dekalb County detectives are actively looking into the case.
 
MARC JACOBS SETTLES WITH NY OVER IMPROPER PAYMENTS [Reuters, 11/20/08]
Top fashion designer Marc Jacobs' company agreed to pay New York state $1 million for improper payments made to secure a venue to hold fashion shows, the New York attorney general's office said on Wednesday, November 19. The agreement stems from payments made from 2000 to 2007 by Marc Jacobs International, through an agent, to the former superintendent of the 69th Regiment Armory in exchange for use of the armory's drill hall. James Jackson, 57, who ran the armory for over eight years, has pleaded guilty to grand larceny for demanding payments from armory exhibitors over an eight-year period, including about $35,000 in cash and goods from Marc Jacobs. "New York City is a global epicenter for fashion and cultural events, and we will not allow corruption and greed to tarnish one of our most lucrative industries," Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. "We are pleased that this matter has been resolved. We have already taken and will continue to take steps to avoid incidents of this nature in the future," a spokesperson for Marc Jacobs International said. Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced on December 15, and faces a maximum sentence of 15 years.
 
MEGAN FOX AND BARACK OBAMA MAKE GQ's MEN OF THE YEAR LIST [Aceshowbiz, 11/19/08]
GQ's annual Men of the Year have been unveiled and making the list among others are Megan Fox and newly elected U.S. president Barack Obama. As for this year, the list is comprised of men from different fields of work, ranging from actor to athlete to singer to chef. Fox, called "Obsession" by GQ, is the one and only female who makes the list. She is photographed by Terry Richardson in white-colored two-piece bikini. Becoming a scene stealer in "Transformers", being considered as a hit on the Internet, and having a sultry look are the three reasons cited by the publication on why she is included in the list. Meanwhile, Obama is dubbed by the monthly men's magazine as "Game Changer." "It takes a rare leader to impress the Lion of the Senate enough to endorse just one candidate from a group of qualified colleagues. Here, Senator Edward M. Kennedy explains why the junior senator from Illinois is the right man for the job," so read the tagline that accompanies Obama's pic. Gracing one of the covers of GQ's Men of the Year issue, Obama has his cover shoot taken by Mark Seliger. The notable photographer reportedly was given only 1 minute, 45 seconds for the entire shoot, taking place in Philadelphia back on October 3, 2008. In addition to Fox and Obama, GQ's Men of the Year list also names the likes of actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Jon Hamm, also swimmer Michael Phelps. The threesome, who has their own GQ covers, are all photographed by Mark Seliger too. GQ's Men of the Year issue will go on sale next Tuesday, November 25, 2008. To find out who else that make the list, people can visit the magazine's official site.
 
RIHANNA'S UNICEF GUCCI E-FILM HITS THE WEB [Aceshowbiz, 11/19/08]
A preview of the e-documentary about Rihanna's UNICEF Gucci campaign has hit the web on People Monday, November 17. The film showcases the Barbadian R 'n' B singer working together with Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini, discussing sketches and other design details. The one-minute-and-thirty-second documentary also follows Rihanna and Frida on the set of the UNICEF 2009 holiday ad campaign and Rihanna at the Gucci Winter Ready-to-Wear show in September, People writes on its site. The full version of the footage will be put on both Rihanna and Gucci's websites on December 9. Back in July, Rihanna was confirmed to be the spokesperson for Gucci's first ever United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) ad, dubbed "Tattoo Heart." Feeling honored by the recruitment, Rihanna commented, "We've come a long way from Miss Bisou to Gucci." Frida Giannini, who personally asked Rihanna to take part in the project after seeing her at a UNICEF fundraiser earlier this year commented, "When we decided to dedicate a full ad campaign, more than just creating products, to really come out and show our commitment to UNICEF, I felt a musician and a beautiful woman was the perfect icon for this campaign." Concerning her Gucci's spokesperson duty, Rihanna is slated to be on hand at New York's Grand Army Plaza for the annual snowflake lighting. She will be joined at the event by Frida.
 
MILEY CYRUS' BIG MOMENT [FWD, 11/19/08]
She's not quite sixteen yet, but Miley Cyrus is already at the top of the world. The singer and star of "Hannah Montana," the hugely popular Disney Channel TV show, hit the big time on Monday night, Nov. 17, as she walked the red carpet to celebrate her very first starring role in a feature film. The actress, who turns sixteen on Nov. 23, lends her voice to "Bolt," Disney's newest animated flick, a wonderfully funny tale of a little white dog named Bolt and his young owner Penny. Miley plays Penny, a role that isn't too much of a stretch for her, since the character is a child star of a popular television series. Stretching a bit more for his first venture into animation is John Travolta, who gives voice and life to Bolt. He, too, was at the El Capitan Theater on Hollywood Boulevard for the world premiere of the flick; and unlike Miley and her dad Billy Ray, mom Leticia, and sister Noah Lindsey who did not attend, Travolta joined the post-screening festivities held at the Palladium. Looking trim and handsome and sporting a goatee, Travolta admitted that his decision to make "Bolt" had as much to do with his now eight-year-old daughter Ella as it did with wanting to be a part of the Disney animation legacy. "My daughter was so impressed with me doing 'Bolt' with Miley Cyrus. It was a very big deal, and one way for me as a father to be very cool. She flew out to the west coast with me and met her, and Miley was wonderful with her. It was a dream come true for my daughter," he said. "I've always wanted to do an animated movie," Travolta continued. "But I wanted to do the right one. So when John Lassiter came up with this one, I knew it was the right one to do. When this one came up, I said, 'Okay, this is something that my friend Tom Hanks would say yes to,' so I jumped at the chance to be in what I knew was going to be an A-plus animated feature." Plus, Travolta and his family have three dogs of their own, so channeling Bolt came pretty easily to the veteran actor. Joining him in the film and at the premiere were Susie Essman, Mark Walton, and Diedrich Bader, who voice some of the other critters in the film, along with Disney fans Malcolm McDowell, James Lipton, Tom Everett Scott, Niecy Nash, Buzz Aldrin, and Mr. T.
 
JOLIE'S TEARS FOR HER LATE MOTHER [BBC, 11/19/08]
Angelina Jolie has paid a tearful tribute to her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand, and dedicated her performance in new film Changeling to her. Bertrand, who died in 2007, was the "softest, most gentle woman in the world," she said at a press conference. Jolie added that her mother "was very much" like her Changeling character, Christine Collins. The film tells the true story of a woman in 1920s Los Angeles who fights for the truth after her son disappears. The movie, released in the UK on Wednesday, 26 November and directed by Clint Eastwood, details how the corrupt Los Angeles Police Department reunited Collins with a boy who was not her son. Jolie, 33, fought back tears as she told journalists in London that her mother had also had "that elegance and strength for knowing what was right". "Her name was Marcheline but we used to call her Marshmallow, as a joke, because she was just the softest, most gentle woman in the world," she said. "She was really sweet and was never angry - she couldn't swear to save her life. "But when it came to her kids, she was really fierce and so this is very much her story." The mother of six, who brought her four-month-old twins to London, said she was looking forward to a "big family Christmas" with partner Brad Pitt and the rest of her family. She and Pitt were likely to expand their family in the future, she added.
 
ACTRESS THERON TO BECOME U.N. PEACE ENVOY [BBC, 11/16/08]
Actress Charlize Theron has been made a messenger of peace by the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. The South African-born actress, who won an Oscar for her role in the 2003 film Monster, will have a special focus on ending violence against women. Theron, who is now a U.S citizen, is the founder of a project aimed at promoting HIV/Aids education for children and their families in South Africa. The 33-year-old will be formally inducted in New York on Monday, November 17.  Mr. Ban said of the actress: "You have used your voice, compassion and special relationship with the public to create a better world." Theron, 33, won an Oscar for her portrayal of real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos, who came from a background of violence and abuse, and was executed in Florida in 2002. In the 2005 film North Country, she played a woman who tackles sexual harassment. Theron has also appeared in The Cider House Rules, and thrillers such as The Italian Job and the special-effects filled AEon Flux. She becomes the UN's 10th peace envoy, joining the likes of U.S actors George Clooney and Michael Douglas, British naturalist Jane Goodall, and Brazilian author Paulo Coelho.
 
ARTIST LEAVES HIS ART ON STREETS [BBC, 11/16/08]
Teams of helpers left 1,000 works by urban artist Adam Neate around London for people to pick up. They began their mission as soon as it went dark on Friday afternoon, November 14, starting in the outer boroughs and working their way towards the centre. A spokeswoman for the project said the teams, which worked in all 32 London boroughs and the City of London, would continue into the early hours. Each piece features a different combination of printing and stamping. Neate, whose pieces have fetched up to £43,000 at auction, told BBC News on Friday afternoon that he first left his paintings in the street "years ago, without telling anybody".
 
VICTORIA'S SECRET HAS FASHION SHOW IN MIAMI BEACH [AP, 11/16/08]
Victoria's Secret's angels have descended upon Miami Beach. Singer Usher kicked off the Victoria's Secret show Saturday, November 15, which featured 35 supermodels, some wearing angel wings. Models including Heidi Klum and Adriana Lima strutted down the runway at the newly renovated Fontainebleau Miami Beach during the show, which coincided with the opulent reopening of the hotel. "The theme of the show is a return to glamour," said company CEO Sharen Turney. "Victoria's Secret is about sexy and the new sexy is glamorous for this season." The catwalk glittered and two silver palm trees adorned the stage. Models showed 68 outfits, including the $5 million Black Diamond Fantasy Miracle Bra worn by Lima and designed by jeweler Martin Katz. It is decorated with white and black diamonds and rubies, and will be for sale in the company's catalog, Katz said. "You could wear it as an open top," he said. "It looks like a finished top." Lima said she was excited to be wearing it. "I always wanted to wear the Fantasy Bra. It's the first time that Victoria's Secret makes a black diamond bra," Lima said. "A woman could definitely buy it if they love it and men too." Meanwhile, celebrities spotted on the pink carpet included P. Diddy, Russell Simmons, Michelle Trachtenberg, John Stamos, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian and Martha Stewart. "We watch the show every year on TV, so it's really cool to see it in person," Kim Kardashian said. Debbie Harry said she likes the big production. "The show, it's based on lingerie, but it's about creating an event," she said. "It's just a big, wild extravaganza and I think that's what attracts me." Ed Razek, chief marketing officer and the show's executive producer, said each year's event has to top the one before. "It's the most watched fashion show in the world," Razek said. "You've got an obligation to do a better show every year." The show will air on CBS at Dec. 3, 2008 at 10 p.m.
 
CALVIN KLEIN LETS THE SUN SHINE IN [FWD, 11/15/08]
Warmer, happier days are here again - at least, that is the hope that most customers are harboring for next spring - to be mentally and physically uplifted after a rocky fall. That is the spirit that the Calvin Klein Spring 2009 collection designed by Calvin Klein and ck Calvin Klein creative director Kevin Carrigan hoped to evoke, which he presented at Calvin Klein headquarters in New York on Thursday, Nov. 13. Situating the models in a disco-looking gold reflective set piece, Carrigan championed this idea of warmth with sunny shades of fuchsia, coral and yellow applied to sassy little swing coats, knit tanks and silky sheath dresses. Slightly rumpled cream-colored sport coats and straight leg pants for the guys made for a carefree, let's-party-at-the-Delano-tonight-and-enjoy-our-tans vibe, while abstract geometric print dresses looked just right for an art school prom at Studio 54. On the denim front, the shape of things to come will be distressed jeans, some with faux rips and patches and a neither-wide-nor-skinny straight leg. Carrigan also presented some glen plaid trousers that would be a great transition for those needing an equally dressy alternative to winter's tweeds. What this branch of the Calvin Klein empire understands is the absolute necessity for spring and summer clothes to be unfussy and unpretentious, where a single idea, be it a bright color, a fresh print or a jazzy shoe, is enough to carry the ensemble's conversation.
 
MERYL STREEP TO STAR IN MOVIE ABOUT A CAT [CBC, 11/15/08]
Academy Award-winner Meryl Streep will star in a movie based on a true story about a stray cat that wandered into a library. Entertainment newspaper Variety reported Wednesday that Streep will star in the movie adaptation of the book by Vicky Myron, Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World. Dewey crawled through the after-hours book-return slot on a cold night and became the library's mascot. Streep will play Myron, who works at the library and observed the impact the cat had on the citizens of Spencer, Iowa. Pamela Gray will write the screenplay. 
 
FASHION DESIGNER CONVICTED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT [AP, 11/14/08]
An up-and-coming fashion designer who has worked with A-list celebrities was convicted Thursday, November 13 of sexually assaulting seven girls and women, some of them aspiring models lured to Los Angeles with promises of jobs and stays at luxury hotels. After nearly two weeks of deliberation, a jury found Anand Jon Alexander, once featured on "America's Next Top Model," guilty of 14 felonies, including forcible rape, and two misdemeanors. Authorities said his victims ranged in age from 14 to 21. The 34-year-old designer faces a mandatory life sentence because the jury found he had committed multiple forceful acts against multiple victims. He must serve 67 years before he is eligible for parole, meaning he will probably spend the rest of his life in prison. Several people in the courtroom gasped as the verdicts were read, but Alexander showed no emotion. The 34-year-old designer wore a light gray suit and yellow tie, his black hair pulled back in a ponytail. He nodded grimly toward supporters before he was led away by sheriff's deputies. He is under indictment in New York on similar charges involving nine women and is under investigation by authorities in Texas and Massachusetts. "The ones that we know of are probably the tip of the iceberg of what truly exists," prosecutor Frances Young said outside court after the verdicts were read. Alexander's attorneys maintained he was innocent, saying that there was a lack of physical evidence and that the women lied in court and sought revenge. Defense attorney Larry Levine said he would appeal. "This case is not over by a long shot," Levine told reporters outside court. "For now, we are disappointed." Levine said several victims were not credible because they remained in contact with Alexander after the alleged assaults, calling him on many occasions on his cell phone. Prosecutors said it was Alexander who kept in contact with the victims. He was convicted of forcible rape, multiple counts of committing a lewd act on a child, attempted forcible oral copulation, and attempted sexual assault. He was found not guilty of four felonies, including sexual penetration by a foreign object, oral copulation of a person under 18, and unlawful sexual intercourse. Jurors could not reach a verdict on three counts, and Superior Court Judge David Wesley declared a mistrial on those charges.
 
HUDSON THANKS FANS FOR SUPPORT; FEATURED IN NEW AD [AP, 11/15/08]
The Gap considered removing smiling portraits of Jennifer Hudson from its new holiday ads after her recent tragedy, but decided to keep the images after the grieving star said she wanted to go ahead with the campaign, a representative for the clothing chain said Friday, November 14. "We felt that it was really important first and foremost to respect what she wanted to do, so as long as she felt comfortable with her campaign being out there, we felt comfortable," said Olivia Doyne, director of engagement marketing and public relations for Gap. The company's new print, store and billboard ads were unveiled Thursday. Several celebrities are featured, including Mary-Louise Parker, Jason Bateman, Rainn Wilson, Ashanti and Seth Myers. Hudson's photos were taken in July in advance of what was expected to be a busy winter season for Hudson, who released her self-titled debut CD and was featured in the film "The Secret Life of Bees" in October. However, on Oct. 24, the bodies of her 57-year-old mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, 29-year-old Jason Hudson, were found in the family's Chicago home. The body of her 7-year-old nephew Julian King — the son of Hudson's sister Julia — was discovered three days later in a car on Chicago's West Side. William Balfour, the estranged husband of her sister Julia Hudson, has been questioned in connection with the killings. He has been held on a parole violation, but has not been charged. After the tragedy unfolded, the Gap considered pulling Hudson from the ad out of deference to the entertainer. "The minute we heard about the tragedy, we actually contacted her management team to ask if she wanted to participate or if she wanted us to pull her out of it," said Doyne. "They checked in with her and said that she still wanted to participate. It was definitely our first thought." Doyne said Gap Inc. wasn't concerned that Hudson's presence in the ads would register sadness instead of holiday cheer. Meanwhile, Hudson, in her first statement since burying her mother, brother and nephew last week, thanked her fans for their encouragement. "I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time," the 27-year-old Oscar-winning actress and singer said in a posting on her MySpace page Thursday evening. "My sister and I take great comfort and strength from your love and concern."
 
WORLD'S MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN HONORED BY GLAMOUR [FWD, 11/12/08]
For women, the night was bigger than the Oscars, the Emmys and the Grammys combined. If you combined all those awards with the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, then you might have a sense of what it felt like to attend the 19th Annual Glamour Women of the Year Awards, held Monday night, Nov. 10, at Carnegie Hall, one of New York's architectural splendors. The women honored represented not only a global cross-section of impressive achievements, but they were the preeminent examples of the world's most influential and accomplished people, man or woman: Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Jane Goodall, Nicole Kidman, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Tyra Banks, CEO Chanel Maureen Chiquet, Olympians Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, artist Kara Walker, children's human rights advocates Nujood Ali and Shada Nasser of Yemen and the six female Nobel laureates who make up the Nobel Women's Initiative. Opening with a piano-accompanied performance by multi-platinum and Grammy Award-winner Fergie, the whirlwind night reveled in a spirit of post-election optimism. "Tonight is the most electric night of the year," said Glamour Editor-In-Chief Cindi Leive as she kicked off the night's proceedings. "Okay, last Tuesday was a pretty close second." Actress Natalie Portman introduced the award for the Nobel Women's Initiative, the group of six of the seven living female Nobel Peace laureates: Kenyan environmental leader Wangari Maathai, Iranian human rights advocate Shinrin Ebadi, American anti-landmine activist Jody Williams; Irish peace activists Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Betty Williams and Guatemalan indigenous-rights worker Rigoberta Menchu Tum. The seventh laureate, Burma's Aug San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest. Together the women are working to fight violence and inequality, this year calling for an international ban on cluster bombs and meeting with female refugees in Darfur to plan for peace. "It's not about the work we do individually, but about the work we do with other people," said Jody Williams as she accepted the award with Menchu Tum and Ebadi on stage. "It's not the rainbow, it's not the dove" - she continued, citing the stereotypical feel-good peace signs - "It's hard work everyday. Feeling sad about an issue is not enough. Feeling bad about global warming is not enough. Getting up and doing something is what matters." But the highlight of the evening was the sight of Sen. Clinton gushing and gleeful at the sight of "American Idol" winner David Cook, who serenaded the woman who this year was in the running to become America's first female president.
 
GLENN CLOSE HONOURED FOR WORK IN HOLLYWOOD [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 11/11/08]
The Hollywood Reporter on Monday November 10 said it is honoring actress Glenn Close for her contributions to entertainment when the industry newspaper unveils its widely-watched list of powerful women in show business next month. Close, 61, will be given the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award on December 5 when The Hollywood Reporter's annual issue, "Power 100: Women in Entertainment" is revealed. "It's the amazing performances she's had of late on cable (TV), which has brought her back in the public consciousness, and the fact she's been active in community fund-raising and a real industry leader," Hollywood Reporter Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Guider said about Close's selection. In recent years, Close has won fans and earned an Emmy for playing a tough-as-nails attorney on cable TV show "Damages." She also earned an Emmy, U.S. television's top honor, for portraying a lesbian military officer in "Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story," which ran on cable in 1995. She gained a foothold on stardom in the late 1970s, and in the 1980s earned five Oscar nominations for work in a range of films including "The World According To Garp" and "The Big Chill." The actress also has long championed independent cinema and has worked with Robert Redford's Sundance Institute. The award is named after former Paramount Pictures chief Sherry Lansing, the first woman to run a major Hollywood studio. Past winners include Barbara Walters, Meryl Streep and Jodie Foster. The "Power 100: Women in Entertainment" list is closely followed as executives gauge whose stock is on the rise and whose is crashing fast. The list does not focus solely on actors, but looks at producers, attorneys, agents, managers and others who are making decisions that shape entertainment. Guider said that this year, The Hollywood Reporter's editors have tried to freshen their look at what power really means in the industry, who has it and who lacks it. "We tried to hone in on precisely who is in control of money and talent and who manages the businesses," she said.
 
CARLA BRUNI GLAD TO BE FRENCH AFTER BERLUSCONI QUIP [Reuters, 11/10/08]
French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy says she is glad not to be Italian any more after hearing Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi joke about U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's "suntan." Italian-born Bruni-Sarkozy, a top model turned pop singer who wed French President Nicolas Sarkozy in February after a whirlwind romance, became a French national and lost her Italian citizenship after her marriage. In an interview with French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche published on Sunday, she criticized Berlusconi for saying on Thursday, November 6 that Obama, who will be the first black U.S. president, was "handsome, young and also suntanned." "When I hear Silvio Berlusconi making light of the event (Obama's election) and joking about the fact that Obama is 'always tanned', it feels strange to me," Bruni-Sarkozy was quoted as saying. "Some people will no doubt put it down to humor, but often I find that I am pleased to have become French," she said. Italy's left-wing opposition parties accused Berlusconi of bringing discredit on the nation with the quip. He responded by calling them "imbeciles" with no sense of humor.
 
EAGLE & HAWK NAB 3 TROPHIES AT ABORIGINAL MUSIC AWARDS [CBC, 11/9/08]
New country artist Crystal Shawanda and rockers Eagle & Hawk were big winners Friday, November 7 at the annual Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards. Shawanda, born in Wikwemikong, Ont., captured single of the year for You Can Let Go, as well as the award for best new artist. Her debut album, Dawn of a New Day, was released in June and her hit song has been called the fastest-climbing single on the Canadian country singles charts, reaching the Top 10 in five weeks. The singer, who has both Canadian and U.S. citizenship, says she began writing songs at age nine. "To Native Americans, music is our everything," Shawanda told the award show's website. "It's our storytelling, our history and our dance. We use it to remember and to forget. It's how we celebrate life and mourn death." Meanwhile, veteran rockers Eagle & Hawk captured three trophies: for best group, best rock CD (Red Road Stories) and best songwriter for Sirensong. The Winnipeg band — comprising Jay Bodner, Vince Fontaine, Lawrence Mulhall, Gerald Atwell, Stephen Broadhurst, Coco Stevenson and Richard Moody — had five nominations going in. The awards, with 20 categories, are sponsored by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and winners are chosen through online voting. Both Canadian and American acts are eligible. Other winners at Friday night's gala in Winnipeg include:  • Best blues CD: J.C. Campbell, Lazy James • Best fiddle CD: Darren Lavallee, Le Metis • Best folk CD: Little Hawk, Home and Native Land • Best gospel CD: Yvonne St. Germaine, The Hand of Jesus • Best hand drum CD: Red Bull, Forever & Ever • Best instrumental CD: Dallas Arcand, Picking Sweetgrass • Best powwow CD, Contemporary: White Fish Bay Singers, oshke ye ii • Best powwow CD, Traditional: Northern Wind, November Winds • Best rap CD: Red Power Squad, Here to Stay.
 
QUINTUPLETS NIGHTMARE PORTRAIT WINS AWARD [BBC, 11/9/08]
A portrait inspired by a woman's nightmare of giving birth to quintuplets has won the National Portrait Gallery's photographic prize. Quints, by London-based artist Lottie Davies, 37, visualises her friend Caroline's memories. Davies' portrait was based on the classic image of the Madonna and child and was also influenced by paintings by masters like Caravaggio and Titian. Quints is part of a series on early childhood memories and nightmares. Davies was announced as the winner of the 2008 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize on Tuesday, November 4. In the photograph Davies tried to capture the "calm and the serenity of motherhood, as well as the feeling of imprisonment". Davies said she used a model for the picture rather than her friend to allow "more freedom to interpret the story". The model's 10-week-old niece also posed as the quintuplets. For the series Davies asked her friends to describe their fears and dreams to her. "Nightmares are similar to early memories in that they can be so intense that the recollection sometimes lasts all one's life. "I do not think there is space to play with and expand on the idea of representation of people and things," she said. The portrait was shot in a near derelict building in east London. The director of the National Portrait Gallery Sandy Nairne said Davies' artwork was a "brilliantly imaginative portrait image". Her work beat Dutchman Hendrik Kerstens, whose photograph, Bag, depicted a woman wearing a plastic bag on her head in the style of a 17th-century bonnet. The artist said the picture was taken as a comment on the number of plastic bags he noticed being given away in New York shops. A portrait of media mogul Rupert Murdoch by Tom Stoddart was also among the works in the running for the prize.
 
PAROLE HEARING SET FOR SUSPECT IN HUDSON DEATHS [CBC, 11/9/08]
The convicted felon suspected in the killings of the mother, brother and nephew of singer Jennifer Hudson has a parole hearing Monday and could be released if an administrative officer finds no reason to hold him. No one has been charged in the shootings, but authorities have called 27-year-old William Balfour a "person of interest." Balfour is in custody on a parole violation. He is the estranged husband of Julia Hudson, sister of the singer and actress. The chairman of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Jorge Montes (HOR'-hay MON'-tehs), says that if an administrative officer finds cause to continue holding Balfour, the case then would go to a review board for a hearing. However, Montes says "conceivably" Balfour could be released. Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said the investigation of the killings is continuing and is independent of the prisoner review board's decisions.
 
CANADIAN INDIE ACTS TOKYO-BOUND FOR ANNUAL MUSIC TRADE MISSION [CBC, 11/8/08]
Alex Cuba, Bedouin Soundclash and Patrick Watson are among the Canadian acts set to rock Tokyo next week as part of a fledgling annual musical showcase in Asia. For the second year, the Canadian Independent Record Production Association (CIRPA) is spearheading a "music trade mission" to Japan, with industry representatives from a host of Asian countries expected to take in performances by and meet with Canadian artists as well as a slate of record labels. "As our business becomes more dependent on export markets to survive, we have to get out there and do the best we can and find other channels to sell [our music]," CIRPA president and CEO Duncan McKie told CBC News. "We're trying to develop Canadian indie credibility abroad. I think it's working," he said. "We're trying to do it in a way that levers our international reputation as a country that produces good music and good musicians." CIRPA has already developed a presence at a host of international music industry conferences, promoting domestic indie artists through the brand Canadian Blast at South by Southwest in Austin, TX, Popcom in Berlin, CMJ in New York and other festivals. Since Asia doesn't have a similar event, CIRPA decided to create its own so as to feature homegrown acts. Japan was chosen because of its position as a large and robust musical market, where artists like Avril Lavigne, Daniel Powter and Sum 41 have had success, McKie explained. Last year, the initiative's inaugural year, there was only one musical showcase. This year, more artists are heading to Tokyo, including for "a rock show in downtown Tokyo," he added. On Nov. 12, Watson, Bedouin Soundclash, Saint Alvia and Woodhands will take the stage at the Duo Music Exchange, a premiere live music venue in the city's popular Shibuya entertainment district. Two days later, the Juno Award-winning Cuba will join Sofia de Medeiros, The Trews and The Russian Futurists on the bill for a showcase performance at the Canadian Embassy. Artistry aside, the annual trade mission has benefitted the Canadian music industry. "Last year, we logged about 90-plus deals or potential deals amounting to something like $1.4 million in new business," McKie said. "It's a good benchmark .… I don't know that we can do any better than that, but it's the kind of measure we're looking for."
 
CHARLOTTETOWN FESTIVAL GETS READY TO BOOGIE [CBC, 11/8/08]
A new disco-era music revue was announced Thursday, November 6 as a highlight of the 2009 Charlottetown Festival season. The revue follows successful runs of musical revues based on the music of the 1960s, The British Invasion and America Strikes Back. Disco Cirque will combine music from the disco era with choreography inspired by shows like Cirque de Soleil. "The music for that kind of show is always the driving force," said artistic director Annie Allen. "The incredible artists like Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor, as well as the Bee Gees, also gives us the golden opportunity to use our orchestra in a wonderful way. But I love the idea of combining dance with it, and as I say this theatrical cirque element as well." A popular show which debuted last year at the Mack Theatre based on the life of Stompin' Tom Connors will not return for a second season. Allen said the Ballad of Stompin' Tom was well-attended but too costly to mount. In its place will be the return of A Matter of Heart, a show based on the life of Stan Rogers that last played at the Festival in 2001. The show that made the Charlottetown Festival famous, Anne of Green Gables: The Musical, will return for its 45th season. It is Canada's longest running musical. Local comedy troupe Sketch-22 has been picked up by the festival. The group will perform at the Mack Theatre. The festival also announced that a new venue is being developed at the Confederation Centre, a studio theatre with about 100 seats. That will host a new Charlie Farquharson show next season featuring Don Harron, as well as a jazz retrospective paying tribute to the 30th anniversary of the Montreal Jazz Festival.
 
GUITAR HERO LES PAUL READY FOR ROCK HALL TRIBUTE [AP, 11/8/08]
When Les Paul's grandchildren are jamming on the video game "Guitar Hero," it's not lost on him that he made it all possible. Paul, known as the "Father of the Electric Guitar," will be honored at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's annual American Music Masters series, a weeklong event that starts Monday. Paul is a rock 'n' roll da Vinci, part artist, part inventor, and at age 93 still performs weekly at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City. "It's therapy," Paul said Thursday, November 6. Paul recalled that the first time he heard a guitar on his mother's radio he knew he had to have one. By age 13, he was performing semiprofessionally as a country-music guitarist. He built a solid-body electric guitar in 1941 — an invention born from his frustration that audiences were unable to hear him play. Paul remembers the moment when inspiration hit. He was playing at a barbecue stand somewhere between his hometown of Waukesha, Wis., and Milwaukee when a man told him his guitar wasn't loud enough. It took Paul 10 years to sell the Gibson guitar company on the concept. "They thought it was a crazy idea to make a guitar come through an amplifier," he said. In 1952, Gibson introduced the Les Paul model, which became the instrument of choice for musicians such as Duane Allman and Jimmy Page. Paul's other innovations include recording techniques like close miking, echo delay, overdubbing and multi-tracking. He also made his mark as a jazz-pop musician, recording hits like "How High the Moon" with his second wife, singer Mary Ford. Paul was inducted into the early influence category of the Rock Hall in 1988. Paul will perform at a tribute concert Nov. 15 that caps the American Music Masters series. He will be joined by a legion of guitar virtuosos, including Slash, Duane Eddy, Billy Gibbons and the Ventures. "I'm very grateful to the generation that came after me and picked up the instrument and carried on with it," Paul said. "If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be where I am."
 
ROGAN'S SOULFUL MINIMALISM [FWD 11/7/08]
Rogan Gregory, the designer behind eponymous men's and women's wear label Rogan, as well as Loomstate and Edun, is a man whose primary design goal is to strip things down to their most essential state while still creating something new - and most importantly, to add something raw and real to the process and the end result. Gregory calls this "soulful minimalism." "It's minimalism in the true sense of the word - stark and super simple," he said in his New York showroom on Wednesday, Nov. 5, during a presentation of his Spring 2009 collection. For Gregory, it's a version of minimalism that is scratched up and carefully imperfect - "some balance in its imbalancedness," he explained. Sculptor Richard Serra - his large-scale sculptures of enormous curved pieces of steel are at once aggressive monsters and gentle giants - have been one source of inspiration for Gregory. Serra's, like Gregory's, is a minimalism that's been left to rust, weather and age. The forms maybe be singular, but not antiseptic. Gregory pointed to the concrete floor inside his showroom to illustrate his point. "When they first poured it, they made it perfect and smooth. And I looked at it and thought, no...that's not right," he said. "It needed more texture, something a little bit more rough and messed up. A concrete floor it may be, but it still needed more soul." For Spring 2009, Gregory looked to one particular group known for their unadorned and functional attire: the Amish. A friend in the Midwest had found him an Amish jacket and pair of pants, used ("they smelled like a farm"), and he was taken with their elegant simplicity. "All of the design is done on the inside," he said, and explained that that it had only interior pockets - six of them - and hidden stitching. He took this detail and "riffed and expanded" on it, exploring everything from Amish quilting and its geometric forms. In the women's collection, this meant everything from softly worn A-line trompe l'oeil shift dresses with contrasting blocks of triangular shapes, and geometric "bat-wing" tops. In the men's version, he designed wide, higher-waisted men's pants, slightly bow-legged and with almost no topstitching. Jackets were boxy, and shorter, made from a light suiting wool and linen (here's where they differed from the Amish, who makes their out of durable, though less odor-forgiving, polyester).
 
NEW SPRINGSTEEN ALBUM RISING WITH OBAMA [E! Online, 11/7/08]
In case Barack Obama needs an Inauguration Day soundtrack, the Boss should have him covered. Bruce Springsteen is planning to release a new studio album with the E Street Band in January, right in time for Obama's ascendance to the White House. According to the fansite Backstreets.com, the yet-to-be-titled set will be a follow-up to 2007's multiplatinum Magic and may contain material left over from those recording sessions with producer Brendan O'Brien. The track list will also likely feature "Workin' on a Dream," a duet the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer debuted with wife Patti Scialfa last weekend at an Obama rally in Cleveland. No other details have emerged. A rep for Springsteen could not be reached for comment. The "Born to Run" rocker's music was in heavy rotation at Obama campaign stops, most notably "The Rising." Springsteen also made numerous appearances with and on behalf of Obama. Springsteen's next scheduled performance is Thursday night at New York's Town Hall as part of the Stand Up for Heroes benefit, where he will be joined by Whoopi Goldberg and Ricky Gervais.
 
HALL & OATES SUE IN NY OVER "MANEATER" RECORDING [AP, 11/7/08]
Daryl Hall and John Oates have filed a lawsuit saying their music publisher failed to protect their rights to their 1982 hit "Maneater." The pop duo's lawsuit, filed in Manhattan's state Supreme Court, says they learned in April 2007 that an unidentified singer-songwriter had used "Maneater" in a 2006 recording. "Money's the matter / If you're in it for love, you ain't gonna get too far," the song goes. "Oh, here she comes / Watch out, boy, she'll chew you up / Oh, here she comes / She's a maneater." The singers' court papers claim Warner/Chappell Music Inc. breached its publishing contract with them by refusing "in bad faith" to sue for copyright infringement. The singers seek unspecified money damages and want to terminate their agreement with Warner/Chappell. Warner/Chappell spokeswoman Amanda Collins said Thursday, November 6 the lawsuit was "completely without merit." "We will defend ourselves vigorously," she said. Hall and Oates started working together in the early 1970s and became the most successful duo in rock history, with more than 60 million albums sold, according to the hallandoates.com Web site. Their other hits include "Rich Girl," "Private Eyes," "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)," "Sara Smile" and "She's Gone.
 
MTV EUROPE MUSIC AWARDS SWEPT BY OBAMAMANIA [AP, 11/7/08]
Obamamania met Beatlemania Thursday, November 6 as Liverpool hosted an MTV Europe Music Awards show energized by the city's musical heritage and the U.S. presidential election. Pink and Kanye West took home prizes — Britney Spears won two — and stars on the stage included Beyonce, Kid Rock and former Beatle Paul McCartney. But the absent president-elect was given star status, too. Singer Katy Perry, who hosted the show and also was named best new act, appeared in a dress emblazoned with Obama's face and quipped that "maybe Europeans will love us again now." Her co-host, 30 Seconds to Mars singer Jared Leto, wore an Obama T-shirt and urged the 10,000-strong crowd at Liverpool's Echo Arena to yell "Congrats, Barack." Hometown pride was also on display in the Beatles' birthplace, with McCartney receiving an "ultimate legend" award from U2 singer Bono. Bono hailed the ex-Beatle as "St. Paul McCartney" and the "one person in this hall tonight whose work is immortal." McCartney's acceptance speech was more modest. "I want to thank my mum and dad," he said, going on to pay tribute to his bandmates in the Beatles, the people of Liverpool and Americans, "for voting in Senator Obama." Backstage, McCartney said he had a song he thought the new U.S. leader would like for his wife, Michelle Obama — the Beatles ballad "Michelle." Host Perry emerged at the start of the ceremony in a U.S. football uniform and straddling a giant tube of Chapstick — a reference to her song "I Kissed a Girl" that set the tone for a slick, lightly sassy show with plenty of star power. Beyonce, The Killers, Pink and Kanye West all performed, West alongside British singer Estelle on their hit "American Boy." It was West's second onstage appearance at the European awards — but the first time by invitation. The rapper stormed the stage at the 2006 show in Copenhagen after he failed to win the Best Video prize, telling the crowd that "if I don't win, the awards show loses credibility." This year West was a perfect gentleman, accepting his prize for "ultimate urban" act with a polite "this is for my fans." The winners of the awards, which are presented in a different European country each year, are selected by fans across the continent. They are broadcast on 21 channels in 40 European countries. Comeback kid Britney Spears was not on hand to collect her two awards — best act of 2008 and best album, for "Blackout." Pink's "So What" was named most addictive track, German band Tokio Hotel were named headliners of the year, and 30 Seconds to Mars took home two prizes — the "rock out" award and the trophy for best video. The "best act ever" prize went to '80s crooner Rick Astley, who is enjoying a career renaissance thanks to the "Rickrolling" phenomenon, in which seemingly unrelated Internet links lead to a video of Astley's 1987 hit "Never Gonna Give You Up." The ceremony was a source of pride for Liverpool, a gritty, historically rich port city that has been designated European Capital of Culture for 2008. The celebrity influx turned Liverpool into "Star City," the local Echo newspaper proclaimed on its front page Thursday. Throughout the day Liverpudlians gathered in the narrow bar-lined streets where the Fab Four once played for a bit of star-spotting. For all the American star power on hand, the crowd's biggest cheers were for grown-up 90s boy band Take That, who have enjoyed huge success since reforming a couple of years ago — and for McCartney, described by Bono as "this city's favorite son."
 
OBAMAS MAY BRING NEW FASHION SENSE TO WHITE HOUSE [AP, 11/6/08]
The Obamas' first official appearance as first family-elect will be long remembered for many weighty historic reasons, but it could also signal another new beginning: An entirely different fashion sense in the White House. The Obama family took the stage in Chicago Tuesday, night, November 4 in color-coordinated outfits, all with touches of red or black. For Michelle Obama, no stuffy suits or demure pastels here: Instead she wore a striking red-and-black dress designed by well-regarded, but not-so-mainstream, Narciso Rodriguez. President-elect Barack Obama wore the same style dark-navy suit custom-made by Hart Schaffner Marx that he wore at the Democratic Convention, the company says, accompanied with a deep red, striped necktie. Older daughter Malia wore a red bubble-hem dress, while the younger Sasha wore a black dress with an oversized bow on the front. Together, they made a pleasing picture of coordination and confidence, style-watchers say. "One of the things about Michelle and Barack is that they have classic American style," said Pamela Fiori, editor in chief of Town & Country. "I hope as they move into the White House, they'll continue that and dress in a lot of American designers — it certainly has been the case so far. She says on TV that she's wearing an outfit from J.Crew," she said. "You have to appreciate her honesty and sense of style." Michelle Obama also has worn some relatively new names on the fashion scene, including Thakoon Panichgul and Maria Pinto. She also wore an off-the-rack style by White House Black Market on "The View." "You know what I think is amazing? She likes fashion but she doesn't really let fashion wear her," observed Adam Glassman, creative director at Oprah magazine. (Longtime Obama supporter Oprah Winfrey, attending the Obama victory party in Grant Park, wore a long green Agnona tunic that ties at the waist.) "She (Michelle Obama) is incredibly democratic when it comes to fashion. She doesn't just do the old guard, she represents the new," he added. The straight-from-the-runway Rodriguez dress highlighted both her attractive figure and her savvy sense of style, Glassman said. He also said he thinks she — not a stylist — is calling the shots about her look. It's worth noting, especially amid all the comparisons to the Obamas and Kennedys that Rodriguez also designed the wedding dress that Caroline Bessette wore at her wedding to John F. Kennedy Jr. 
 
SPEARS, COLDPLAY, DUFFY VIE FOR MTV EUROPE AWARDS [Reuters, 11/6/08]
Liverpool hosts the MTV Europe Music Awards Thursday, November 6, and U.S. stars Beyonce and Kanye West will perform alongside British stalwarts Take That and Duffy. MTV invites fans to decide all but one of the categories -- Video Star -- and in 2007 nearly 80 million votes were cast ahead of the event, one of pop's biggest nights outside the United States. Although based in Europe, the awards tend to be dominated by big names in American music, and this year Beyonce and West are expected to be joined on stage by compatriots The Killers, Kid Rock and Pink. U.S. singer Katy Perry hosts the awards, and celebrity gossip columnist Perez Hilton will be causing mischief on the red carpet and backstage. Three of the four most nominated acts are from Europe, however -- Britain's Coldplay, Leona Lewis and Duffy are each nominated for three awards alongside American Britney Spears. And former Beatle Paul McCartney will be presented with a one-off Ultimate Legend honor in his home city, although he is not expected to perform at the 15th edition of the awards. Spears, 26, is seeking to get her troubled personal life back on track and plans to set the record straight about a public meltdown in a 90-minute documentary due to be aired on MTV on November 30, 2008. Spears has been nominated in the Act of 2008, Best Act Ever and Album of the Year categories. Her new record "Circus" is set for release on December 2, 2008. Several artists garnered two nominations apiece including Alicia Keys (Best Album, Ultimate Urban). Linkin Park and Metallica both appear in the Headliner and Rock Out categories, while troubled singer Amy Winehouse was nominated for the Act of 2008 award. Probably the most surprising nominee is 1980s crooner Rick Astley, whose 1987 single "Never Gonna Give You Up" topped the charts in 16 countries. In 2007, more than 30 million people watched the MTV Europe Music Awards, according to the music channel.
 
RAY DAVIES SAYS KINKS WRITING NEW MATERIAL [Reuters/Billboard, 11/6/08]
The Kinks are writing songs for a potential reunion album, frontman Ray Davies told BBC News, even though his estranged brother and bandmate seems to want no part of it. "We've started a little bit of this and that," Davies told the broadcaster in remarks posted Wednesday on its Web site. But it is too early to judge the quality, he said. "It depends if there's good music. We want good new music. I'd like to do it as a more collaborative thing than we used to do." The Kinks disbanded in 1996 after a 30-plus year reign as one of the most influential bands in rock history. Davies' brother/Kinks guitarist Dave Davies suffered a stroke in 2004 but has returned to music in recent years, opening the door for Kinks activity. The problem: Dave Davies seems to want no part of a reunion, having posted on his Web site earlier this year that "it would be like a poor remake of 'Night of the Livin (sic) Dead' " and declaring that Ray has been doing "Karaoke Kinks shows since 1996." Ray's response to Billboard at the time: "He's getting well enough to shout at me. That's a good sign." According to the BBC, Davies has several other projects on tap, including an album with a choir and another album he hopes will include collaborations with members of Snow Patrol, Razorlight and ... Chuck Berry. "I've never met the man but he was one of my heroes as a lyricist," he said. We'll see how it works out -- a mixture of Snow Patrol and Chuck Berry. It should be an interesting record."
 
SWEDISH POLICE RELEASE FAMED SYRIAN SINGER WASSOUF [AP, 11/5/08]
A Swedish court released Syrian singer George Wassouf from police custody Tuesday, November 4 pending the outcome of a drug investigation. The 47-year-old singer cried and raised his arms into the air in relief as the judge read out his decision. Wassouf and another man, Joseph Karabet, were arrested after police said they found cocaine Saturday at Wassouf's hotel room in central Stockholm. He has denied the charges, while Karabet has pleaded guilty. Prosecutors will now continue the investigation before deciding whether to file charges. Dozens of fans and reporters met the star as he left the court. He appeared shaken. "I was framed and now I have been released," he told reporters through a translator. "I'm going to wait for my trial to prove my innocence." Wassouf has released more than 30 albums and is a major star in the Arab world. He was scheduled to perform in the Stockholm suburb of Solna on Saturday, November 1, but the concert was canceled because of his arrest. It remains unclear if that show will be rescheduled.
 
SOCIAL DISTORTION, MOTORHEAD ANCHOR TATTOO [Reuters/Billboard, 11/5/08]
Punk veterans Social Distortion and metal legends Motorhead will headline a North American traveling festival created by popular tattoo artist and cable TV personality Kat Von D. An official itinerary is still in the works for the 25-city Musink Tattoo and Music Festival, but it begins January 30 in San Francisco and is expected to wrap March 15, 2009 in Los Angeles. Additional acts will be announced in the coming weeks. Along with live music, the festival will host a number of other tattoo artists from around the world, and showcase various extreme sports. Kat Von D will also sign copies of her new book "High Voltage Tattoo," due January 20. Staffers from festival sponsor Samsung will demonstrate new mobile phones. The Musink festival concept was first realized last February with a three-day music and tattoo event at the Orange County Fair and Exposition Center in Costa Mesa, Calif. In addition to more than 300 tattoo artists, the festival featured performances by the Used, Tiger Army and Metal Skool.
 
ACE AWARDS HONOURS GHESQUIERE, McCARTNEY AND CHOO [FWD, 11/5/08]
The influencers and tastemakers in the world of accessories came together in New York for the 12th annual ACE Awards on Monday, Nov. 3, to toast designers and brands including Nicolas Ghesquiére for Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, Cate Adair of "Desperate Housewives" and Banana Republic. Hosted by The Accessories Council, the aim of the organization is simple: Promote sales of accessories to consumers, which is precisely what each of the honorees received accolades for doing. "Designer of the Year" Nicolas Ghesquiére, whose critically acclaimed collections are consistently praised as among the most innovative in fashion today and whose accessories for Balenciaga, including the "Motorcycle" bag, have been top-sellers for years, said he had been very lucky with Balenciaga. "The house is so inspiring," he said. "It's my home base and my starting point." Ghesquiére credited his life and the people around him for giving him inspiration, and indicated he was ready to tackle the new challenges of a changing global economy. "It makes me question everything, and I think it's time to go back to the essential things," he said. "But it can be a time to experiment and go further with things. We have to think about clothes that may evolve through the weeks, the months, the seasons and also the years." Actress Chloe Sevigny, who has been frequently photographed in Balenciaga over the years, accompanied Ghesquiére to the awards and effusively praised the designer, who she counts among her good friends. "I love him as a person, I've known him a long time," said Sevigny. "He's just a magical little guy. I've done a lot of events with different designers, but he's someone I've always maintained a friendship with. He's my favorite - his is always the first show I look at online." Last year Sevigny launched her own fashion collection with downtown New York boutique Opening Ceremony, and said she will launch a menswear line with them next fall. Cate Adair, costume designer for "Desperate Housewives," took home the honors for "Influencer of the Year," said what keeps her going is "an excellent cast, a wonderful story line and the opportunity to create a world that is both familiar and contemporary, but with a twist." What makes her approach to the show so successful is that it is the same one that real women have in their own wardrobes - a mix of high, low and vintage. "Especially with the economy the way it is, we're going to be doing more and more of that," said Adair. "Maybe we can't go out and buy a new coat, but we can go out and buy accessories." "Innovator of the Year" Lorraine Schwartz, known for her over-the-top jewelry for stars like Beyonce, exuberantly discussed her latest designs - colorful stones like jade or rubies used in the place of the gold (stones set into stone) and a lot of rock crystal for her take on 1920s styles. "People want bold, beautiful things that can make them feel happy and empowered," she said. Plus, she added, the attitude of her clients "seems to be 'Well, I might as well have something in my pocket.'" Simon Kneen, creative director of Banana Republic accepted the "Retailer of the Year" award for the company, which has such an extensive array of accessories that Kneen was hard pressed to think of something he'd like to design for the company that hasn't already been done. "Crash helmets!" he decided. Model Coco Rocha, wearing towering platform wedges by Stella McCartney, who received the "Green Designer of the Year Award," said she hadn't noticed how high her shoes were. "I guess they're a model's flip-flops, aren't they?" Her professional tip for managing the current craze for extreme high heels? "Be confident and try not to be nervous." Victoria's Secret Model Selita Ebanks likewise showed footwear confidence, showing off her Gianfranco Ferré metallic platform shoes with a jewel-encrusted heel. "The more elaborate shoe, the better," she said. "Nothing in fashion scares me." She said she owns over 200 pairs of shoes, and only about 10 of those pairs are flats. Other award recipients this year included Tamara Mellon for Jimmy Choo, named "Brand of the Year," Sally Singer for the "Marylou Luther Award for Fashion Journalism," and Emilio Pucci for the "Hall of Fame" award.
 
JAMAICAN MUSICAL PIONEER BYRON LEE DIES [CBC, 11/5/08]
Bandleader Byron Lee, who helped popularize Jamaican musical genres like ska, calypso and soca both at home and with international audiences, has died at the age of 73. Lee died at the University Hospital of the West Indies on Tuesday, November 4, after battling cancer over the past few years, according to Jamaican Information and Culture Minister Olivia Grange. Until recently, Lee was being treated in Miami, but he was flown home to Jamaica late last month. On Oct. 26, some of the country's highest officials, including Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Gov. Gen. Kenneth Hall, were on hand at the hospital for a special ceremony conferring the Order of Jamaica — one of the country's highest honours — on the ailing bandleader for his outstanding service to the domestic music industry. Born of a Jamaican mother and Chinese father, Lee founded his pioneering band Byron Lee and the Dragonaires in 1956 at the age of 20. The band released its first album in 1960. Just two years later, the group received a boost when they were featured in a memorable scene and on the soundtrack of Dr. No, the filmed-in-Kingston debut of the James Bond film franchise. Later, Lee began dabbling in the business side of music as well, testing the waters as a concert booker and promoter as well as producing other acts. He would eventually buy the powerful West Indies Recording Limited label (which he renamed Dynamic Sounds) and make a key music world alliance: forming a professional relationship with Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun. All the while, Lee and the Dragonaires maintained a full recording and international performing schedule. The band continued to perform right up to recent years. Although Lee stepped back from performing in 2007, he continued to work behind the scenes managing the band and helping organize his namesake annual Carnival event in Jamaica.
 
BARACK OBAMA'S GRANDMOTHER DIES AT AGE 86 [Vibe, 11/4/08]
Madelyn Dunham, the grandmother of Senator Barack Obama, has died after a bout with cancer. She was 86. Obama and his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng released a statement.  ["It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer. She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances. She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring. Our debt to her is beyond measure. "Our family wants to thank all of those who sent flowers, cards, well-wishes, and prayers during this difficult time. It brought our grandmother and us great comfort. Our grandmother was a private woman, and we will respect her wish for a small private ceremony to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation to any worthy organization in search of a cure for cancer."]
 
JAY-Z HONOURED FOR GLASTONBURY DISS [Vibe, 11/4/08]
Rap star Jay-Z was honored on Thursday, October 30 with the “Most Memorable Moment” award at the U.K Festival Awards. According to WENN, Jay won for his headlining mocking performance at June’s Glastonbury festival. It was all in the intro: Jay-Z stepped out in dark shades on a dark stage lit up by a ray of red and blue. Instead of his one mic, he had a guitar slung across his chest. He leaned into the microphone with a sneer and bellowed, “Today is going to be the day that they’re going to throw it back to you!” The line was quite familiar…it was, ironically, the opening to Oasis’ hit song “Wonderwall.” It came right on the heels of Oasis songwriter Noel Gallagher, calling hip hop at Glastonbury “wrong.” "They say you don't want me here, Glastonbury," Jay-Z told the elated audience, "Now tell me, where is the love?"
 
YVES SAINT LAURENT SHOW A TRIBUTE TO PROLIFIC ICON [Reuters Life!, 11/4/08]
Pierre Berge didn't know the first thing about fashion when he sat down one day in 1958 to watch the first Christian Dior show under the atelier's new youthful designer, Yves Saint Laurent. Still, even with Berge's layman's eye, it was immediately apparent that the young designer had electrified the crowd. "Even though I knew nothing about fashion, I realized something was happening," recalled Berge, who enjoyed a 50-year collaboration with Saint Laurent that lasted until the designer's death in June. The first public showing of Saint Laurent's work since his death opened at San Francisco's DeYoung Museum this past weekend. The collection of 130 ensembles spans 40 years from the designer's trapeze dresses for Dior to the famous tuxedos, jumpsuits and safari jackets that revolutionized women's fashion and established the Yves Saint Laurent label as the icon of innovative couture. "Hailed as the last of an era, Saint Laurent was the bridge between the golden age of haute couture and the new modernity," according to the show notes. Fashionable women including French actress Catherine Deneuve, Princess Grace of Monaco and Bianca Jagger, who wore a white tuxedo suit to her marriage to Mick Jagger, were fans. Whereas Coco Chanel liberated women from the confines of corsetry, Yves Saint Laurent gave her "strength and power," Berge said. The "le smoking" tuxedo, made for French singer Francoise Hardy in 1966, turned the symbol of male power on its head. But just as deftly, Yves Saint Laurent embraced the feminine, whether a 1990 black lace one-shoulder gown held together at the side by two pink silk bows, or his famous wool crepe gown from 1970 whose black lace inlay exposes the back. "He liked women to be beautiful," said Baroness Helene de Ludinghausen, the long-time "directrice" of the studio whose job it was to bring in new clients. The exhibition displays looks from the Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation's collection of more than 5000 catalogued haute couture garments stored in Paris, which Berge called "absolutely unique" in its size. "Yves would have been very proud to see this collection," Berge said of the retrospective, which debuted in Montreal earlier this year. "After all, it's his life." From 1988, exhibit-goers see Yves Saint Laurent experimenting with sculpture and geometry. In a tribute to Georges Braque, the bodice of a salmon-colored silk crepe gown is adorned with the beak of a beaded dove, its outspread wings rising into a dramatic collar. More than 20 years earlier, the couturier's 1965 collection included his famous homage to Piet Mondrian, a dress of geometric blocks of color, a contrast to the curves of the female body. Saint Laurent found inspiration in world culture, whether it was in Russian peasant life, Spanish bullfights, or more exotic locales. In a 1967 African-inspired coat Sepia-colored raffia cascades in tiers; a black dress from the same year is a patchwork of intricate wood beads and metal plates, its conical breasts predate by more than 20 years French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier's cone bra for Madonna. "Everything he did was copied by the entire world," said de Ludinghausen.
 
JURY BEGINS DELIBERATIONS IN RAPE TRIAL OF INDIAN-BORN DESIGNER [AFP, 11/4/08]
Jurors has begun deliberations in the rape trial of celebrated Indian-born fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander, who faces a possible sentence of life in prison if convicted. The 34-year old designer is accused of having sexually abused numerous girls and young women between the ages of 14 to 21 between 2002-2007. Arrested on March 6, 2007, Alexander faces 27 separate felony counts, including including forcible rape, sexual battery by restraint and lewd acts upon a child. Nine of the alleged victims testified during trial. Prosecutors said Alexander set up a fashion design studio in Beverly Hills to lure models and sexually assault them. "These girls trusted the man seated at that table," said the prosecutor in the case, Deputy District Attorney Frances Young. "And he took advantage of them. He humiliated, degraded and took what he wanted from them. He was a predator who took advantage of the weak people around him. "He has no criminal sexual borders. If he didn't use force, he laced their drinks," Young told the jury of six men and six women. But Alexander's lawyers said the charges against him were brought by models he had turned down for jobs after having consensual sexual relations with them. Defense attorney Leonard Levine told the jury that, in short, his client was set up. "If the girls said it, it must be so -- that's what they want you to believe," Levine said. "Every bit of circumstantial evidence in this case points to one thing -- it didn't happen." Alexander reported to have dressed celebrities such as Hilton hotel heiresses Paris and Nicky Hilton, Mary J. Blige and Norah Jones. According to Alexander's website, he is the winner of various fashion awards including a 2002 People's Choice "Best New Designer" prize.
 
FOO FIGHTERS SCOOP TOP ROCK AWARD [BBC, 11/4/08]
Foo Fighters have been crowned band of the year at the Classic Rock awards with veterans Whitesnake picking up best album for Good To Be Bad. Singer Ozzy Osbourne was given the living legend awarded by ex-Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash. Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley was showman of the year while Australian rockers Airborne were named best new band. The central London ceremony also celebrated the 10th anniversary of Classic Rock magazine.  Editor-in-chief Scott Rowley said the rock scene was in rude health. "Ozzy's a household name and bands like AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Metallica and Guns N' Roses are getting more headlines and front covers than ever, breaking box office records and topping the charts," he added. "The Classic Rock Roll of Honour is a celebration of rock music as the most vital and vibrant genre of music." Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl accepted the band's award in a video-taped acceptance speech. Led Zeppelin won event of the year for their tribute gig to late Atlantic Records boss Ahmet Ertegun at the O2 in London last December. It was their first show for 19 years. AC/DC won DVD of the year for Plug Me In while Metallica won the award for reissue of the year, for the reissuing of their first three albums. Guitar hero Jeff Beck was presented with the outstanding contribution award by Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood while music promoter Harvey Goldsmith was presented with a special award by Osbourne's wife Sharon. Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett, who died in 2006, was posthumously honoured with the inspiration award. It was collected by his sister Rosemary. The awards, many of which were voted for by Classic Rock magazine readers, were announced at a gala ceremony at the Park Lane Hotel.
 
KELLY ROWLAND TO DROP UPCOMING LP IN MARCH [Aceshowbiz, 11/4/08]
Kelly Rowland will drop her not-yet-titled third major studio effort in March 2009, according to Kelly Rowland Web. The 27-year-old singer reportedly teams up with Nate "Danja" Hills to produce the follow-up of her 2007 LP, "Ms. Kelly". Previously, Rowland's second album experienced a not-quite-positive response from music fans. Released on June 20, 2007, the record could only reach at number 2 on Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart and at number 6 on Billboard Hot 200 Albums chart with first week sales of 82,500 copies. In the meantime, Rowland has entered the recording room with French pop/R&B singer Nadiya to work on Nadiya's single, "No Future in the Past". The song was penned by duo songwriters Gilles Luka and Laura Mayne and will appear on Nadiya's forthcoming record, "Electron Libre", which hasn't gotten any release date yet.
 
FORMER BANDMATE DEFENDS RELEASE OF EARLY JEFF HEALEY BAND COMPILATION
[CBC, 11/4/08]
The former drummer of the Jeff Healey Band is defending the release of a new music compilation — one objected to by the Canadian blues great's widow. Tom Stephen, who also served as co-manager of the defunct band, laid out his side of the story Monday, November 3, saying that "as owner of this catalogue of material," he has "a legal and moral right to license this project." In the statement, Stephen said he has never been in litigation with Healey, who succumbed to cancer in March. "To the contrary, I have always tried to be as respectful as possible of both the Healey family and estate," he said. According to Stephen, Healey and his other bandmates signed contracts and transferred the rights to material from the band's formative years to him in 2005. The group disbanded in 2002. Stephen also said he will continue with his original plan to set aside a portion of profits from the project — entitled Jeff Healey Band - Legacy, Volume 1 — for Healey's estate. "As a founding member, I am proud to have been a part of the Jeff Healey Band and believe this project is a respectful tribute to the Jeff Healey Band legacy," Stephen said. "I invite fans and others to judge the project by its merit and the music itself." Last week, Healey's widow Cristie said she was "deeply and sadly disappointed" to hear of the DVD and two-CD set slated for release by Winnipeg's Arbor Records. Through a publicist, she urged her late husband's fans to boycott the release. Her representative, Richard Flohill, also alleged that Stephen and Healey had been involved in a six-year dispute over money and music rights. Edmonton's Stony Plain Records, Healey's record label at the time of his death, released the album Mess of Blues after the acclaimed guitarist's death. The album scored the Jeff Healey Blues Band a leading seven nominations — including recording of the year — for the upcoming Maple Blues Awards in January.
 
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ROCKS 80,000 FOR OBAMA [AFP, 11/3/08]
Legendary U.S rocker Bruce Springsteen wowed a crowd of 80,000 with a rousing set at a rally for Democrat Barack Obama here Sunday, November 2 on the White House campaign's final stretch. Obama took the stage with his wife Michelle and two young daughters when Springsteen was done, and said there were "a handful of people who enter into your lives through their music and tell the American people's story." "Bruce Springsteen is one of those people," he said, before a heavy rainstorm erupted on the open-air crowd said by Cleveland's director of public safety to number 80,000. Springsteen led the sea of people in a full-throated singalong of Woody Guthrie's folk classic "This Land is Your Land." Many in the crowd were in tears as the musician wrapped it up with his song "The Rising," which refers to the September 11 attacks and is played just before Obama takes the stage at all his rallies. "So I don't know about you, but I want my country back, I want my dream back, I want my America back," Springsteen exclaimed to deafening cheers. He said that it was time to join with Obama, "roll up our sleeves and come on up for the rising." "Our social contract has been shredded. We're going to need all the angels we can get," he said, praising "Senator Obama's efforts to build a house big enough for all our dreams." Renowned for his gritty parables of American working-class life, Springsteen objected bitterly to Republican president Ronald Reagan's use of his anthem "Born in the USA" at 1980s campaign rallies. The song is actually an angry denunciation of society's treatment of returning Vietnam War veterans. Springsteen, and Obama, will be hoping that their Ohio gig portends a better outcome than befell the Democrats' 2004 nominee, John Kerry. Springsteen performed before monster crowds on the campaign trail four years ago, ending with an election-eve rally with Kerry in Cleveland. The Massachusetts senator, however, lost the election to President George W. Bush.
 
DUFFY SETS HAIR ON FIRE BACKSTAGE [BBC, 11/2/08]
Welsh soul singer Duffy told reporters how she saw her life "flash before my eyes" when she accidentally set her hair on fire while working in the U.S. The 24-year-old star was due to perform at a Coldplay concert in Ohio last month when the incident occurred. "I was in the dressing room and I had music on and candles alight." She blew out the candle when it began to melt. "I bent down, not realizing it was still lit. Then the entire left side of my hair went up in flames."  "At that moment, Chris was walking down the corridor to say, 'Hi'," said the Mercy singer, recalling her first meeting with Coldplay frontman, Chris Martin. "I hadn't met him before and the place stank of burning hair. "Somebody came in and said, 'Is someone cooking chicken?' "I had black crumbs of hair all down me so I had to give it a chop and pin it back. It was really bad and properly embarrassing. "Can you imagine if I had gone up in flames? Nightmare. I honestly saw my life flash before my eyes." Duffy rocketed to global success with her debut album Rockferry earlier this year. The album is well on the way to selling more than one million copies in the U.K, and the single Mercy was number one in the U.K for five weeks. In May, the album went straight into number four in the U.S charts. Her latest single, Rain On Your Parade, is released on 17 November 2008.
 
DEF JAM EXECUTIVE VP SHAKIR "SHAKE" STEWART DIED [Klassic Magazine, 11/2/08]
Def Jam Executive Vice President Shakir "Shake" Stewart has died on Saturday, November 1. According to reports he died of self-inflicted gunshot wound. Stewart was who succeeded Jay-Z at the helm of Def Jam in June after he resigned, consider the post "his dream job". A native of Oakland, California and a graduate of Atlanta's Morehouse College, he previously worked at Hitco Music Publishing, to which he signed Beyonce, according to Billboard.com. He recently signed Rocko and Karina Pasian to Def Jam. Authorities are investigating and no further details are available. Def Jam was founded in the mid-1980s by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin.
 
GEORGE STRAIT CROWNED COUNTRY ARTIST OF THE DECADE [CBC, 11/2/08]
George Strait has been named artist of the decade by the Academy of Country Music. The U.S. organization announced Thursday that Strait will receive the award during the academy's 44th annual award show, to be hosted by Reba McEntire on April 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Known as the "King of Country," Strait has sold 68 million albums since he released his first CD in 1981. Only Elvis Presley and the Beatles have had more albums certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Over his 27-year career, Strait has created hits like Amarillo By Morning, Ocean Front Property and I Saw God Today. He is credited with revitalizing honky tonk and western swing music in the 1980s country scene. Only four other acts have been named artist of the decade since the award's creation: Marty Robbins in 1969, Loretta Lynn in 1979, Alabama in 1988 and Garth Brooks in 1998. The Academy of Country Music will be producing a television special honouring Strait that is to be taped at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 6, 2009 and air at a later date.
 
MADONNA SUPERFAN ADDS VANCOUVER CONCERT TO GROWING TALLY [CBC, 11/1/08]
An estimated 55,000 Madonna fans — some decked out in wedding gowns, cowboy hats and bustiers — took in the pop star's concert at Vancouver's BC Place Stadium on Thursday night, October 30. But for one devoted fan, the city's first-ever Madonna concert was simply the latest leg of his own mini-tour following the Queen of Pop. Since becoming a fan of the performer in 1990, Manchester's Darren Hassall has structured his life around attending her concerts. "She's amazing. She's wonderful. She's the best at what she does," he raved to CBC News. For Madonna's current Sticky and Sweet tour, the British uberfan is planning to see 18 of the shows. By the time the tour ends in December, Hassall will have seen 68 of her concerts in total — with the various gigs having taken him around the globe. "On the Confessions tour two years ago, I did 22 shows. So I did America, Europe and Japan," recalled Hassall, who was dressed in a Sticky and Sweet jacket he purchased at the tour's kickoff in Cardiff, Wales in August. "The Reinvention tour, that was the USA and Europe," he added. "Before that it was just the Drowned World tour in Europe." Tickets for the 50-year-old singer's concerts have been highly coveted; fans reported flying in from Edmonton or driving up from Seattle to attend the Vancouver show, while other locations have been sold out. Madonna's Sticky and Sweet tour ends in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Dec. 21, 2008.
 
CRITICS CRY "FOUL" OVER ORCHESTRA REVIEWER LOSING BEAT [AP, 11/1/08]
The move of Donald Rosenberg off The Plain Dealer's orchestra beat doesn't trump talk about the Browns football team or basketball superstar LeBron James at the watercooler in Cleveland, but reviewers across the country noticed and yelled, "Foul!" Rosenberg was summoned into a conference room at Ohio's biggest newspaper in September and was told by Editor Susan Goldberg that he was off the beat that he had for 16 years. Rosenberg, who has written a book about the orchestra and covered 15 of its foreign tours, was reassigned to other arts and entertainment coverage.
 
NUMBER 1 FAN SEES CELINE DION CONCERT 150 TIMES [CBC, 11/1/08]
A fan of Celine Dion says the singer's show in Winnipeg Monday night, October 27 was one of her best — and Ramona Almirez would know: she's seen Dion perform 150 times. Almirez, 62, is from California, but has followed Dion to concerts around the world, including her latest one in Winnipeg on Monday. A scientist who has retired from Johnson and Johnson, Almirez says she's spending her nest egg to follow her passion for the Canadian songbird. "The very first song I heard from Celine was The Power of Love. That was in 1992. And from then on, I got hooked," she said. "It so happened I moved to the west coast from the east coast because of work, and then she started her show in Las Vegas, A New Day, which is just, you know, a hop for me from California to Las Vegas, and I have seen that show 119 times in Las Vegas. And enjoyed every single one of them." Almirez estimates she's seen another 30 of Dion's concerts around the world. Yet she was still impressed with Monday night's concert at Winnipeg's MTS Centre to a sold-out crowd of 16,000. "Last night's show, I would say, is one of the best in a long time," she said. Crowd participation was great," she said. "You could just feel the energy, which was good because Celine was a little under the weather last night, and so the energy the fans provided made it, you know, easier to go through the show." A highlight in Almirez's years of following Dion was the 100th show she saw in Las Vegas, where she had cake and champagne with Dion backstage. "She said, 'My No. 1 fan, Ramona, I love you, Celine.' And she put a kiss on the picture," Almirez said. Almirez even has a tattoo on her wrist: Dion's initials and a rose, symbolizing the 15 roses she's received from Dion at the end of her shows. Some might call the tour an obsession, but Almirez describes it as a passion. "How could you not love her? Look at that face," she said with a laugh. Dion has another concert in Winnipeg Tuesday night — and Almirez will again be in the crowd.
 
CELEBRATING BIG BROTHERS, BIG SISTERS AT THE BIG BASH! [FWD, 11/1/08]
Expectations ran high on Thursday night, Oct. 30, that superstar Tom Cruise would turn up at The Big Bash!, the annual Rising Stars Gala put on by the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, despite the fact that he's living in New York at the moment while his wife Katie Holmes stars in a Broadway show. But we all know that he has his own plane, and can fly off at a moment's notice, which is why he was expected, since Paula Wagner, his long-time friend and producing partner, was being honored with the organization's Sherry Lansing Award. But Tom didn't make the trip to honor Paula's mentoring skills; instead, his "Jerry Maguire" co-star and Oscar-winning buddy Cuba Gooding, Jr., did the honors. But first, earlier in the evening, that raucous actor jumped on stage with Joanne Worley and Fred Willard to help them run the live auction when bidding began to sputter. Cuba led the crowd that filled the Beverly Hilton Hotel in repeating his signature saying, "Show me the money!" Plenty of money was eventually raised for the BBBS organization, which also honored publicist Michael S. Sitrick with the Walt Disney Man of the Year Award and 12-year-old actress Abigail Breslin with the Young Heroes Award as stars Alan Arkin, Doris Roberts, Pam Dawber, Sarah Purcell, Jodie Sweetin, Jennifer Freeman and Larry King looked on. But the real "Rising Star" of the night was Charice Pempengco, the 16-year-old Filipino singing sensation. The tiny gal with the huge voice wowed the audience with her astonishing rendition of "I Will Always Love You," leading to wild cheers and a standing ovation.
 
BRAVO PICKS UP SIX BRAND NEW PROJECTS [FWD, 11/1/08]
Bravo's preparation regarding the departure of "Project Runway" to Lifetime continues. After announcing the production of "Runway" duplicate entitled "Fashion House", the cable television network owned by NBC Universal, has confirmed its 6 brand new projects to be developed for the network's upcoming shows. "The Fashion Show", "Celebrity Sew-Off", "Fashionality", "Double Exposure", "Polo", and "The Dubai Project" are going to be Bravo's additonal ammunition to fight back Weinstein Company for taking the hit show "Runway" into Lifetime. Bravo's new shows which most of them bring fashion style's themes, are still working in the title. "The Fashion Show" is described as a fashion-design competition series which differ from "Runway" in a way the contestants will compete with each other to have their designs sold in a retail store. Casting is about to begin in November in four big cities such as Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and New York. The big apple will be ready for November 16 casting at the Park in Chelsea. The details of hosts, production crews, and air date have not been announced yet. Frances Berwick, executive vice president and general manager of Bravo Media, says in a statement regarding Bravo's "The Fashion Show", "Bravo celebrates the very best in food, fashion, design, beauty and pop culture, and 'The Fashion Show' is the next step in expanding our fashion affinity group, and the perfect complement to our successful fashion series 'Tim Gunn's Guide to Style' and 'The Rachel Zoe Project'." Another fashion theme is brought by "Celebrity Sew-Off", featuring celebrities who will each be paired with a fashion design expert, to compete for determining who has the ability to launch their own clothing label. Meanwhile, "Fashionality" will be about four "eclectic New York tastemakers" who discuss topics related to pop culture and fashion via field pieces, round-table debates and interviews. "Double Exposure" revolves around an art and fashion photographer, Markus Klinko, as he takes picture of his famous subjects along with his partner and former girlfriend, Indrani. While "Double Exposure" gives a docu-style series of Klinko. "Polo" will feature a docu-series of top polo players' lives. The show is produced by Granada America. The other Bravo's docu-series is featuring a group of American and British who live in the United Arab Emirates city, entitled "The Dubai Project". It shows lavish lifestyles in one of the world's fastest-growing cities.
 
SARAH BRIGHTMAN "CRAZY" AHEAD OF NEW ALBUM, TOUR [Reuters/Billboard, 10/31/08]
Sarah Brightman says life is "completely crazy at the moment," and with a new holiday album, a tour and her debut film role, who's going to doubt her? The British singer kicks off a seven-week tour of Mexico, the United States and Canada on November 4 in Monterrey, Mexico. The repertoire will include "lots of new songs" from her January release "Symphony" and the holiday album "A Winter Symphony," which also comes out November 4 -- as well as "all the songs that I'm known for, so people will be getting all the old things that they love and all the new as well." More striking, however, is the technology Brightman will employ on the tour, which includes virtual and holographic stage elements depicting gardens, balloons, aquariums and other ethereal scenery. "We're basically creating moving 3-D worlds on stage, with me amongst them," Brightman explains. "It's an experiment for us because it's not really been done on this level before. There's been huge amounts of preparation, and, to tell you the truth, I don't know how it's going to be. At the end of the day music is beautiful, and I know that's really what the audience comes to see. I'm bringing them something new and hoping they get the best out of their evening, really. That's my job." Brightman is also looking forward to bringing "A Winter Symphony" to that audience. "I've always wanted to do a seasonal album for that time of year," she says, and the selection of songs -- including "Silent Night"; "Ave Maria"; John Lennon & Yoko Ono's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)"; Neil Diamond's "I've Been This Way Before"; Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "I Believe in Father Christmas"; and ABBA's "Arrival" -- is meant to evoke the season itself rather than the Christmas holiday. As for what she's doing making her film debut in "Saw" filmmaker Darren Lynn Bousman's gory science fiction thriller "Repo! The Genetic Opera" (opening November 7), Brightman -- who plays a singer named Blind Mag -- says, "That's the more left-field side of me, which is very enjoyable. It's just a very interesting piece. I had a really great moment when I was swimming in rather sickly looking gore at the end, but there's a reason for it. It's not just horror for the sake of horror. There is truly an emotional reason for why I do what I do at the end. I'm not gonna give the game away here, but it's a good moment."
 
ZAC BROWN BAND INK DEAL WITH ATLANTIC RECORDS [Aceshowbiz, 10/31/08]
Country music band Zac Brown Band have been signed by Atlantic Records, according to Billboard. "It was just a matter of getting the right deal for us and they stepped up to the plate with it," the band's singer and guitarist Zac Brown speaks of their new home. Previously, the five-piece group split with Live Nation Records after the former CEO of the recording company resigned. "When he left the company, I think they wanted to stick their normal business model," Brown says. "They treated us very well. They helped us out for a year and now we're free and happy and encouraged to sign with Atlantic." After the agreement was settled, the band plan to release their next project, "The Foundation", on November 18, 2008 in the U.S. Produced by Keith Stegall, the record will feature "Whatever It Is", a ballad about the bewildering power of love, and a re-recorded version of "Chicken Fried" off the band's 2005 effort "Home Grown".
 
THE HIVES FACING LEGAL ACTION OVER ALLEGED PLAGIARISM [Aceshowbiz, 10/31/08]
Swedish rock band The Hives will enter the court room against Jason Shapiro as he sues them for copyright infringement. The U.S. songwriter claims that the vocal melody and riff from the band's song "Tick Tick Boom" off their 2007 LP, "The Black and White Album", are taken from a song penned by him called "Why You?". Shapiro says that he first found the similarity between the two songs after listening "Tick Tick Boom" featured on the trailer of movie "Get Smart". Curious with the resemblance between the two singles, he then took both songs to a musicologist. "He (the musicologist) said the part in question - the main riff and vocal melody - was very similar and its uniqueness led him to believe it wasn't just a coincidence," Shapiro opens up about his meeting with the expert. "He also runs it through a background test seeing if any charts from previous songs are close and we were clear on that front." The Hives haven't reached out for a statement concerning the issue. Meanwhile, Shapiro reveals that the circumstance has put him in an unhappy situation. "I absolutely love The Hives and don't feel great about suing a band I love. But I also feel credit is due where it is due if you borrow a riff," he adds in a statement.
 
AC/DC 'OVERWHELMED' BY CD SUCCESS [BBC, 10/31/08]
AC/DC singer Brian Johnson has said he is 'overwhelmed' by the success of their new album Black Ice, which has entered at number one in the U.S chart. The album has become the second biggest debut of the year on the U.S chart with sales of more than 780,000 copies. "It's overwhelming, and quite hard to take in," said the Australian group's lead singer. "Even an old dog like me has a few more surprises in life, I guess," he added. The group beat the latest High School Musical release which reached the number two spot. AC/DC joined the likes of the Eagles and Journey, who have all had strong U.S success selling exclusively through retail giant Wal-Mart. The CD has topped the charts in 29 countries since its release. Lil Wayne has had the biggest selling debut in the US album chart so far this year, selling a million copies of Tha Carter III.
 
BEATLES MUSIC TO BE IN NEW VIDEO GAME [AP, 10/31/08]
The Beatles are coming to a game console near you. For the first time, the legendary group's music will be featured in the lucrative video game market in a deal with MTV Games and Harmonix, creators of the "Rock Band" series. The game is scheduled to make its debut sometime next year, according to a statement Thursday, October 30. "The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out," said Paul McCartney. Ringo Starr added: "The Beatles continue to evolve with the passing of time and how wonderful that The Beatles' legacy will find its natural progression into the 21st century through the computerized world we live in. Let the games commence." The video game has become a key and profitable market for musical acts to expose their music to fans; some bands have debuted their music via video games.
 
RANDY NEWMAN POSTPONES EUROPEAN TOUR [AP, 10/31/08]
Randy Newman is postponing his 18-date European tour. The 64-year-old "I Love L.A" and "I Love to See You Smile" singer-songwriter cited "physical limitations and severe pain caused by stenosis in the lower back and neck," a statement posted Thursday, October 30 on his Web site said. The European tour was scheduled to begin Saturday in Berlin. "I deeply regret not being able to come," the multiple Grammy and Oscar winner said. "I like it so much in Europe, and I've always been treated so well. I'll get there as soon as I can." The tour was in support of "Harps and Angels," Newman's first collection of new material in nine years. Details of rescheduled dates will be announced later.
 
FOO FIGHTERS ROCK FOR BLACKBERRY IN L.A. [Reuters/Billboard, 10/31/08]
The Foo Fighters brought their arena rock show to a much smaller stage Wednesday, October 29 at the 1,400-capacity Avalon in Los Angeles, during a private concert with Queens Of The Stone Age to help promote a new Blackberry. Despite the corporate promotional element behind the show, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl assured the crowd that the band was there to rock. "Ladies and gentlemen, don't be fooled," he shouted," we're having a rock concert." With sets from both acts limited to about one hour, Queens of the Stone Age tore through such songs as "Millionaire," "Mexicola," "Little Sister," "A Song for the Deaf" and "Sick, Sick, Sick," among others. It seemed like a sure bet, but Grohl, who in the past has filled in as drummer for the group, didn't join the group onstage during its set. The Foos' 12-song set included "All My Life," "Learn To Fly," "Stacked Actors," "My Hero," Everlong" and "The Pretender." The group is about to begin a lengthy hiatus in the wake of a busy 2008, which found it touring the world in support of last year's "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace." On November 18, RCA will release the Foo DVD "Live At Wembley Stadium," chronicling June 6-7 shows at the London venue. Blackberry allowed about 800 contest winners into the show, which marked the launch of its first touch-screen phone, the Storm. The event was first announced as a "secret show," where fans were prompted to text in a code for access.
 
MICHAEL 'TO TOUR WITH JACKSON 5' [BBC, 10/31/08]
Michael Jackson is to take part in a Jackson 5 reunion tour, his brother Jermaine has said. Jermaine told the Australian Associated Press it would be "a family affair", with sister Janet the opening act. "And of course, the original Jackson 5... Michael, Randy and the whole family... we're in the studio, we're planning on being out there next year." But Jermaine has said similar things before, in 2003 and again last year, and a tour has so far failed to happen. "This has been a long time coming for the Jackson family to get back together," Jermaine said. Rumours of a reunion have circulated for years. The last time the original members performed together was at a concert in 2001 to celebrate Michael Jackson's 30 years in music. But Michael has kept a low profile since being cleared of child abuse in 2005. He worked on a charity single for the victims of Hurricane Katrina later that year, but it never materialized. He was also working on a new album, with current U.S stars such as Akon, John Legend and will.i.am writing songs for him, but the status of that project is unknown. If a Jackson 5 tour did take place with Michael, it would be a major draw for fans, and a massive money-spinner for the brothers. The Jacksons - featuring Tito, Marlon, Jackie, Jermaine, Michael and Randy - found fame in the 1970s with hits such as I Want You Back, ABC and Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground). Michael's success eclipsed that of his brothers in the 1980s, while sister Janet also rose to prominence.
 
ALAN McGEE BACKS OUT OF MUSIC BUSINESS [BBC, 10/31/08]
Alan McGee, who signed Oasis, Primal Scream and The Jesus and Mary Chain, has said he is turning his back on the music industry after 25 years. McGee, who ran Creation Records, quit his last record company two years ago and has said labels have become pointless, "like dinosaurs or trams". He has managed The Charlatans, Dirty Pretty Things and The Libertines, but is now retiring from managing bands. He explained: "You get older and you want life a little bit easier." But he said he would remain interested in new music and would continue to put on events in clubs. Speaking to BBC 6 Music, McGee said: "I stopped doing the record company about a year or two ago because I think they're pointless things, like dinosaurs or trams or something. "But I'm still completely into new music and I'm still doing things with new bands, as in my clubs and stuff like that. I'm still gonna be kicking about. He said he was "a man of the times", comparing himself to late music mogul Tony Wilson. "We don't really have a place in the music industry any more because we actually like music," he said. "I think the pre-requisite for being in the music industry is not liking music and playing the corporate game, agreeing with your boss." The Creation mastermind signed the Manchester giants Oasis after seeing one of their early gigs in Glasgow. As for Oasis, who have recently proved their continuing success by selling over half a million tickets for their open-air stadium tour in one day, McGee says he could not have written that script. "It was obvious Oasis were going to become successful," he explained. "That they were going to sell 54 million albums and go out and do a 168 date tour around the world this year? "No, I couldn't have predicted that. I couldn't have predicted that in 2008 they were still going to be absolutely relevant and still mean a lot to a lot of people. They kind of defy gravity."
 
BEN FOGLE CATCHES A FLESH-EATING BUG [BBC, 10/31/08]
TV personality Ben Fogle has caught a potentially fatal flesh-eating disease while filming a BBC TV series. The star, 34, has a hole at least an inch wide on his right arm, following his return from the Peruvian jungles. He has had a biopsy to determine the strain of the infection, which is believed to be the potentially life-threatening leishmaniasis. "The infection can attack internal organs and can be fatal," said his spokeswoman. "The strain of infection will be determined in the next few days," she added. "It is important he has treatment quickly." "After 13 expeditions to remote parts of the world, I would consider myself lucky. This is the first time I'm ill," said Fogle, who will be treated at London's Hospital of Tropical Diseases. "I have every confidence in the specialists treating me," he added. The mystery illness left him bedridden for three weeks after returning from Peru, where he was filming a new BBC adventure series Extreme Dreams. The adventurer was still planning to take part in the inaugural South Pole Race in December with Olympic gold medal-winning rower James Cracknell, according to his spokeswoman. The race will follow the route taken by Robert Scott and Roald Amundsen over the frozen landscape almost 100 years ago. Fogle sprang to fame in 2000 after taking part in the BBC's reality show Castaway and has since appeared on Countryfile, Animal Park and Cash in the Attic, among other shows.
 
THEATRE DESIGNER ROCKWELL NABS OSCAR AWARDS GIG [AP, 10/31/08]
David Rockwell crafted the current home of the Academy Awards show. Now he gets to jump in on Hollywood's big night itself. Rockwell will be production designer for the Oscar show on Feb. 22, 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday, October 30. The 52-year-old architect, who has also handled the set design for "Hairspray," "Legally Blonde" and other Broadway productions, joins a team of fresh faces overseeing the 81st Oscar show, led by producer Laurence Mark and executive producer Bill Condon, filmmakers working on the ceremony for the first time. "David is an innovator who possesses the outstanding combination of truly firsthand knowledge of the Kodak Theatre and superb design work in a variety of realms, including film and theater," said Mark and Condon in a joint statement. "We're pleased to be collaborating with someone whose talents are so diverse." Also new to the telecast is producer Roger Goodman, vice president of special projects at ABC. Goodman, a multiple Emmy winner who will direct ABC's presidential inauguration coverage a month before the Oscars, has many major sporting events, news programs and awards shows to his credit, including the Academy Awards Countdown Show. The ceremony is in the early planning stages and nominations will not be announced until Jan. 22, but Rockwell had one early prediction about the show. "I think we'll see things never seen before at the Oscars," Rockwell said. "One of the things about the Oscars is there are such thrilling possibilities. It is one of the great kind of communal rituals of the entire world." His firm, New York City-based Rockwell Group, designed the 3,500-seat Kodak Theatre in the heart of Hollywood, the venue for the Oscar show since 2001. Other Rockwell Group projects include the W New York and W Union Square hotels; Nobu restaurants in New York, Melbourne, Australia, Hong Kong and elsewhere; and the Elinor Bunin-Munroe Film Center at Lincoln Center. Besides his sets for live theater, Rockwell worked on the design of the miniature world in "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone's "Team America: World Police," a comedy whose stars were 2-foot-tall puppets. Rockwell's mother was a dancer and choreographer and his family was heavily involved in live theater when he was growing up. An architect for 23 years, Rockwell began branching out into set design about 10 years ago. He describes designing the Oscar sets in appropriately artistic terms. "It's almost like the setting for a jewel, designing the set, the environment that allows this celebration to happen in," Rockwell said. The retro look of the Kodak Theatre, designed to resemble an ornate 1920s movie house, has been seen worldwide by the Oscar audience. Is Rockwell nervous at the prospect of his designs now taking center stage for Hollywood's most-visible event? "I find the way I gauge a project that's really going to engage me is, it exists right on the edge between thrill and terror," Rockwell said. "This fits right into that."
 
FULL NOMINEES LIST OF 11th BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS [Aceshowbiz, 10/30/08]
The nominees for the eleventh annual British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) have been announced. On Tuesday, October 28, at Soho House in London, it is unveiled that IRA prison drama "Hunger" and crime comedy "In Bruges" have dominated the list by collecting seven nominations each. Both of them will battle it out for the title of Best British Independent Film, contending also with "Slumdog Millionaire", "Man on Wire" and "Somers Town". They will also go head-to-head for Best Screenplay and Best Debut Director. The latter is also known as The Douglas Hickox Award. On the performers' category, past Variety Award recipient Keira Knightley has been nominated for Best Actress for her performance in "The Duchess". She will be facing Vera Farmiga, Samantha Morton, Kelly Reilly and Sally Hawkins. Moreover, "In Bruges" star Colin Farrell will be up against Michael Fassbender, Brendan Gleeson, Riz Ahmed and Thomas Turgoose for the Best Actor. Beside announcing the nominees, BIFA also listed their sixteen new jury which is led by producer Simon Relph and includes actresses Anne Marie Duff and Eva Birthistle, actors Mark Strong and Christopher Simpson and director Joe Wright. Meanwhile, the 2008 BIFAs will hold its award ceremony on Sunday, November 30 at the Old Billingsgate Market in London with host James Nesbitt. The complete list nominees of the 11th British Independent Film Awards are available online.
 
POSH AND BECKS: SUPERHEROES? [E! Online, 10/30/08]
David and Victoria Beckham are super, to be sure. But Marvel Comics kingpin Stan Lee, who created Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk with artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, says he wants to turn the couple into superheroes (without using gamma rays or radioactive spiders, we presume). "They're great looking, talented and colorful. Now, here's the exciting part, just imagine how cool they'd be in a humorous, good-natured show that depicts them as, you guessed it—superheroes," Lee told Access Hollywood.
 
JEFF HEALEY'S WIDOW OBJECTS TO CD OF HIS MUSIC [CBC, 10/30/08]
The widow of Canadian musician Jeff Healey says a new album of the Jeff Healey Band being issued by a Winnipeg label was not authorized by either the late singer or his family. Cristie Healey issued a statement saying she is "deeply and sadly disappointed" about the release of the album, Legacy Volume One, by Arbor Records. "Cristie has basically asked that Jeff's fans ignore it. And from what we've heard of it, the quality is not such that Jeff would have approved of it," Richard Flohill, the late guitarist's publicist, told CBC News. "She was notified that the record was coming out, but it was pretty well fait accompli and there was nothing she could do without a great deal of legal expense to create an injunction against it," Flohill said. Steve McCauley of Arbor Records said his company has the legal right to release the material. "We did license it — we got the correct clearances,” he said in an interview Tuesday. "It's not about permission and what I want to say, it's not about just Jeff Healey — it's about three musicians in a band. The estate is certainly aware of what was going on." The recording is a compilation of hits and old works by the Jeff Healey Band, which broke up in 2002. Flohill said the project was pushed through by Tom Stephen, a drummer who parted ways with Healey in 2002. Flohill said Healey and Stephen had a six-year dispute over both money and the rights to music by the Jeff Healey Band. Toronto-based jazz and blues musician Healey, who died March 2 of cancer, would not have approved of the CD, Flohill said. But Flohill admitted he does not know if the team handling Healey's estate approved the disc, as McCauley says. "What I do know is when a band involves three musicians and one of the musicians does not give his permission to have this released, there is it seems to me if nothing else a moral obligation not to proceed with it," Flohill said. He said Cristie Healey is not contemplating legal action over the release. Healey had an existing contract with Stony Plain Records of Edmonton at the time of his death. The label released the recording Mess of Blues, and plans a second posthumous release in 2009.
 
COURT CLEARS SARKOZY VOODOO DOLLS FOR SALE [CBC, 10/30/08]
A Paris court on Wednesday, October 29 ruled in favour of a publishing house that produced a voodoo doll featuring the likeness of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy had aimed to halt sales of the dolls, arguing he owned the rights to his own image. The French court ruled the doll fell within the limitations of freedom of expression. The voodoo dolls, which are typically used for witchcraft, were produced by the publishing company K&B. About 20,000 dolls were produced. The dolls are stamped with Sarkozy quotes including "caisse-toi, pauvre con", which was uttered by Sarkozy to a man who refused to shake his hand at the Salon de l'Agriculture earlier this year. The statement roughly translates to "get lost, jerk." A lawyer for Sarkozy said he planned to file an appeal. K&B also produced dolls of Ségolène Royal who represented the Socialist party in the 2007 presidential elections. She did not pursue a lawsuit against K&B.
 
DESIGNER'S SEXUAL ASSAULT TRIAL NEARS ITS END [AP, 10/30/08]
Fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander sexually assaulted aspiring models after luring them to Los Angeles with promises of glamorous photo shoots and stays in a luxury hotel, a prosecutor said Wednesday, October 29 in closing arguments of his trial. Deputy District Attorney Mara McIlvain told jurors that he had a "common plan" that started with finding the women on the Internet and ended with him fondling or raping them in his apartment. In one instance, he is accused of videotaping a 17-year-old girl as she disrobed at his urging and then touching her inappropriately as she bent over. McIlvain suggested Alexander wanted to keep the tape as a souvenir. "It's for his personal sexual stimulation," she said. Alexander, 34, faces 25 counts including forcible rape and committing lewd acts on a child. The nine alleged victims were ages 14 to 21, and the alleged crimes occurred between 2001 and 2007. Once considered an up-and-coming designer, Alexander appeared on TV's "America's Next Top Model" in 2003 and was profiled by Newsweek. He has worked with celebrities including Paris Hilton and Mary J. Blige. Most of the prosecution's case relies on testimony from women who made the accusations against Alexander. If his accusers are to be believed, Alexander was shuttling girls and women in and out of his apartment on a frequent basis. For instance, during the first week of March 2007, three of his accusers claim they were violated by Alexander, who was arrested later that month after one of the girls went to Beverly Hills police. Defense attorney Donald Marks questioned the victims' credibility and said the prosecution's case relies heavily on their testimony. "Three words come to mind ... 'she told you,'" Marks said to jurors. "So when you are looking at weighing all the evidence ... it comes down to basically what she told you." Marks and two of Alexander's other attorneys will continue their closing arguments Thursday. Alexanderis under indictment in New York on similar charges involving nine women. He is under investigation by authorities in Texas and Massachusetts. The fashion designer, born in India, graduated from the Parsons School of Design in New York and launched a fashion line in 1999.
 
BRAND AND ROSS SUSPENDED BY BBC [BBC, 10/30/08]
Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand are to be suspended and all their shows taken off air until the BBC has investigated their prank calls made on Radio 2. The news was announced in a statement by director general Mark Thompson. Meanwhile, Georgina Baillie has told the Sun that Ross and Brand should be sacked over the calls made to her grandfather, actor Andrew Sachs. The Prime Minister had also criticized the pair for "inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour".  Gordon Brown is expected to face questions from MPs over the affair in prime minister's questions. Brand and Ross made a series of prank calls to Sachs, 78, famous for his part in Fawlty Towers. The calls were broadcast on Radio 2 as part of Russell Brand's pre-recorded Saturday night show on 18 October 2008. During the calls, Ross swore and said Brand had slept with Sachs' granddaughter. More than 18,000 people have complained to the BBC. Mr. Thompson said he would be returning from a holiday and would "in the coming days, announce what action we will take". "Since Sunday, I have been in regular contact with the senior executives I tasked with handling this issue," he said. "In the meantime, I have decided that it is not appropriate for either Russell Brand or Jonathan Ross to continue broadcasting on the BBC until I have seen the full report of the actions of all concerned. "This gross lapse of taste by the performers and the production team has angered licence payers." He added his "own personal and unreserved apology to Andrew Sachs, his family and to licence fee payers for the completely unacceptable broadcast". Meanwhile, Ms Baillie, 23, told the Sun the pair should "pay for what they've done with their jobs".
 
ZEP WARNED OFF 'POINTLESS' TOUR [BBC, 10/30/08]
Led Zeppelin should not hit the road for a major tour with a new singer, promoter Harvey Goldsmith has said. Members of the legendary rock group have auditioned vocalists to take the place of frontman Robert Plant. "I certainly don't think they should do a big tour because I can't see the point of it," Goldsmith said. Goldsmith, who promoted the band in the 1970s and '80s, as well as their one-off reunion last year, added there may be "some opportunities" for a reunion. He added that, should guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones and drummer Jason Bonham recruit a new singer, they would be likely to tour under a different name. "I doubt it will be called Led Zeppelin," Goldsmith told BBC News. But he said: "I just think it's a lot of talk, I think it's wishful thinking. Whether they all come together and do something in the future, they may. "I think some of the band really want to go out and do it and other parts of the band need to understand why they're doing it, and if there's no compelling reason to do it, then they shouldn't do it. "I think that there is an opportunity for them to go out and present themselves. I don't think a long rambling tour is the answer as Led Zeppelin." "It's a question of whether they want to do it, and you've got to want to do it," he went on. "Otherwise it's done for the wrong reasons, and when things are done for the wrong reasons, they don't work." Speaking at the MusExpo music conference in London, Goldsmith said he would "hopefully" be involved in any comeback. Any potential gigs could be "cause related", he said, or "opportunities to view them in a different way". The band, including Plant, performed at a tribute gig to late Atlantic Records boss Ahmet Ertegun at the O2 in London last December. That was their first show for 19 years.
 
CONFIRMED, LED ZEPPELIN TO TOUR WITHOUT PLANT [Aceshowbiz, 10/29/08]
Following Robert Plant's confirmation saying that he has "no intention whatsoever of touring with anyone for at least the next two years," Led Zeppelin's bassist, John Paul Jones, tells BBC Radio that the band are in the process of looking for a new singer to replace Plant. "We are trying out a couple of singers," he says. "We want to do it. It's sounding great and we want to get on and get out there." Jones emphasizes that he, Jimmy Page, and Jason Bonham don't want a replica of Plant stating, "It's got to be right. There's no point in just finding another Robert. You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band." Jones also reveals that "there would be a record and a tour. But everyone has to be on board." Previously, several musicians have been rumored to stand in for Plant's position, including Alter Bridge's singer Myles R. Kennedy and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler.
 
OSMOND DUO'S VEGAS SHOW EXTENDED TO 2010 [BBC, 10/29/08]
Donny and Marie Osmond's Las Vegas greatest hits show is being extended until October 2010, organizers say. The decision was taken because of the popularity of their 90-minute spectacle, which opened last month. The siblings were booked for the Flamingo Showroom to replace singer Toni Braxton, who ended her show in April due to ill health. The musical pair hosted their own popular program on US television during the 1970s. "Donny and Marie are timeless entertainers and cultural icons," Flamingo president Don Marrandino said when their residency was announced earlier this year. The pair were originally booked to perform from Tuesday through to Saturday for 26 weeks spread out over eight months. The Osmonds - made up of five brothers with Donny as lead singer - were one of the biggest pop acts of the 1970s. From 1976 to 1979 Donny and sister Marie Osmond branched out to host the TV program the Donny and Marie show, which their older brothers helped produce. The pair also hosted a talk show in the US with the same title from 1998 to 2000. Marie Osmond was a recent contestant on Dancing With The Stars.
 
THAI PRINCESS OPENS RUSSIA FASHION WEEK WITH LINE [Reuters Life!, 10/29/08]
Thai Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana sashayed along a red carpet on Tuesday, October 28 before launching her new clothes collection and kick-starting Russian Fashion Week with the snip of a ribbon. Clad in a black satin dress, stiletto heels and wearing bright red lipstick, the princess unveiled heavily bejeweled, brightly colored dresses which fell off mannequins' shoulders in an exhibit hall just outside the center of Moscow. "It's avant garde, and draws on passion from the 1980s, it's a blend of old and new. I think Russians will like it," said Henri Young, sales director of Thai property developers Raimon Land, who are sponsoring the event. The 21-year old, U.S.-educated princess shot a bewitchingsmile at photographers but refused to talk or give interviews. "It'swearable, that's why we like her. She's the most fashionable young princess, the most fashionable of the royal family," Bangkok-born actress Angie Hastings, who flew over to support the princess, told Reuters. The princess posed in front of her new pret-a-porter collection, called 'Ethnic Rock' and composed of a series of short, shiny nightwear dresses, to blaring Black Sabbath and Guns 'n' Roses music, which the DJ said had been ordered by the Thai organizers of her exhibit. Though at the beginning of her fashion career, the granddaughter of revered Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej was spotted last summer at Giorgio Armani's exclusive show in Milan and recently presented her collection in Paris. "Basically, she's a state civil servant, and she brings that extra cultural edge," said Alexander Shumsky, general producer of Russian Fashion Week (RFW). "Every season we want to do a special exhibit... It's a beautiful collection and it worked out wonderfully, I'm glad her first time in Russia was for us," he said. RFW invites several foreigners every year, making it different from its sister Moscow Fashion Week, which ends on Tuesday with much-celebrated Russian designer Igor Chapurin's spring-summer collection for next year.
 
PRO-SARKOZY RAPPER STUNG FOR TAX FRAUD [AFP, 10/28/08]
A French rapper who backed President Nicolas Sarkozy for election last year was Monday, October 27 handed a 10-month suspended jail term for tax fraud worth almost half a million dollars. The rapper, Doc Gyneco, who wrote a book entitled "Great Minds Meet: Sarkozy and Me", will release a new album next month that was produced by the president's eldest son, 22-year-old Pierre Sarkozy. He made no comment following the trial in Versailles over his failure to pay more than 356,000 euros (444,000 dollars) of tax between 1999 and 2000. The singer had told the court he was "badly informed" about tax rules. He has since reimbursed the sum in full, plus a more than 100-percent penalty. The rapper's support for the right-wing candidate -- deeply unpopular among much of his young audience -- saw him booed off stage in the months after the presidential election. Another of Sarkozy's showbiz allies, rocker Johnny Hallyday, turned into a political liability last year when he announced his controversial decision to go into tax exile in Switzerland.
 
LL COOL J QUITS JANET JACKSON'S "ROCK WITCHU" TOUR  [Aceshowbiz, 10/28/08]
Cool J will no longer support Janet Jackson's "Rock Witchu" roadshow, confirmed his spokesperson to The Associated Press. Unnamed scheduling conflicts are revealed as the trigger of LL Cool J's pull-off. No statement has been made by Jackson's camp regarding the news. Meanwhile, for her next stops for "Rock Witchu", the "Feedback" singer still has two more dates left, on October 28 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan and on November 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York. She is also expected to announce more dates for her postponed gigs due to a rare form of migraine. Previously, Jackson blogged a video message thanking her fans for their support during her ailment. "I'm getting ready to start the show and I just want to say hey to all Jermaine's 'Living the Life' YouTubers. I want to thank you for all your messages and all your love and support when I wasn't feeling very well," she said.
 
STARS MOURN FOUR TOPS STAR STUBBS [BBC, 10/28/08]
Hundreds of mourners are gathering in Detroit for the funeral of Four Tops singer Levi Stubbs, who died earlier this month at the age of 72. Stars of Motown are paying their last respects to the musician, including Martha Reeves and former Temptations singer Dennis Edwards. Reeves, who was the lead singer of Martha and The Vandellas, has called Stubbs "my Pavarotti". Stubbs sang on Four Tops hits including Reach Out (I'll Be There).  He gained fame for his deep, rich voice and was called "the greatest lead singer ever" by Edwards. Audley Smith, of the Motown Historical Museum, said that Levi Stubbs had a voice as unique as Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson or Stevie Wonder. "[He] fits right up there with all the icons of Motown," he added. Levi Stubbs was born in 1936 in Detroit and met Abdul "Duke" Fakir at High School. They met Lawrence Payton and Obie Benson while singing at a mutual friend's birthday party. In 1953, they formed a group called The Four Aims and signed a deal with Chess Records. Later they changed their names to the Four Tops to avoid being confused with the Ames Brothers. The group signed with Motown Records in 1963 and produced 20 top 40 hits over the following 10 years, making music history with other acts in Berry Gordy's Motown stable. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and have sold 50 million records worldwide. Stubbs suffered from ill health towards the end of his life, while Payton and Benson died in 1997 and 2005 respectively. Fakir is the only surviving member of the original quartet.
 
DR PEPPER'S GUNS N' ROSES PROMISE WON'T GO FLAT [E! Online, 10/27/08]
Rock rock? Fizz fizz. Dr Pepper is bringing out the big Guns, confirming yesterday, October 26 they will uphold their grandiose and somewhat opportunistic pledge to provide each and every American citizen with a can of the soft drink should Guns N' Roses deliver their long-awaited Chinese Democracy album before the end of 2008. Though the announcement was made back in March, when such a promise seemed like a stellar publicity ploy that would not necessarily require follow-through, Axl Rose & Co. recently confirmed the perpetually delayed album, their first in 15 years, would be released Nov. 23, 2008. In terms of their deal, the Dr is still in. "We never thought this day would come," the brand's VP of marketing, Tony Jacobs, said. "But now that it's here all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us." That is, if you're quick. Fans who want to cash in on the libation donation will have a short window of opportunity. Would-be freeloaders must visit DrPepper.com Nov. 23, the day of the album's release, and register for a coupon redeemable for a 20-ounce bottle.
 
JAGGER TO FORM SUPERGROUP WITH ELTON JOHN [Aceshowbiz, 10/27/08]
The Rolling Stones have reportedly been booked out to perform at the opening ceremony of 2012 Olympics games and the band's singer Mick Jagger wants to be joined on stage by David Bowie and Elton John, according to OK! Magazine. "Mick feels the Olympics coming to London is a huge honor - and wants to make his own gesture with the band," a source tells the publication. Other big musicians who may perform at the upcoming event include Phil Collins, Sting, Van Morrison, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, and Led Zeppelin's guitarist Jimmy Page. The source explains, "It's early stages but Page, Bowie, and Morrison are already involved, although no one is quite sure yet how the show will play out in its entirety." In a further statement, the source reveals that the singers may "take over the field on a giant stage." "The Olympics people hope to use the template of the American football Super Bowl half-time show," the source states. "Having the Stones on side for a project like this is a huge deal."
 
FABULOUS FASHIONS AT THE CAROUSEL OF HOPE [FWD, 10/27/08]
At socialite Barbara Davis' charity extravaganza called the Carousel of Hope, it is supposed to be all about the fight to eradicate childhood diabetes, with millions raised in support of the Children's Diabetes Foundation. And it truly is, with the focus of the party on spotlighting that insidious disease. But as any woman who has ever attended the spectacular biennial event knows, the night is truly all about the clothes. That was especially true on Saturday evening, Oct. 25, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where gorgeous women in glamorous gowns sashayed through the massive silent auction, then swept into the filled-to-the-rafters ballroom for the main event. Sure, there were some extremely handsome and dapper men in the celebrity-filled crowd, including honoree Denzel Washington, presenter Sidney Poitier, teen heartthrobs Nick, Kevin, and Joe Jonas, sports legend Magic Johnson, actors Harry Hamlin, George Hamilton, and especially Henry Simmons, whose custom-made Woody Wilson tux fit him to perfection, but it really was all about the women. Ballgowns were de rigueur, although some went short, like Geena Davis, who paired a black Marc Jacobs minidress with Bulgari diamond drop earrings and Christian Louboutin thigh-high black boots that lent a bit of the dominatrix feel to the look, prompting her husband, Dr. Reza Jarrahy, to quip, "That's the way I like it in our house!" Nicky Hilton and Bo Derek went with short and black, too, as did Sharon Lawrence, whose Carmen Marc Valvo dress featured a lace bodice and a full skirt. But the gaspingly beautiful looks of the evening were reserved for the gowns. Holly Robinson Peete glowed in a peach satin Kevan Hall sheath, and commented that "I don't know why anyone wears anything but his gowns, he is the best," while Jane Seymour looked the same age as her daughter Katie Flynn in a vampy red Tadashi dress. They both sported Seymour's new line of "Open Hearts" jewelry that she's designing for Kay Jewelers. Shari Belafonte showed off her new jewelry creations, too, stunning black Tahitian pearls stacked six rows high on her neck, with matching chandelier earrings and bracelet. She wore a strapless cream satin dress of her own design, as well as her own black-and-cream wrap, paneled with varying fabrics and hiding a zippered pocket that substituted for an evening bag. "I've always designed my own clothes and jewelry," Belafonte revealed. "I'm just finally going to start my own line next year."
 
GIRLS ALOUD CROWN SINGLES CHART [BBC, 10/27/08]
Girls Aloud have claimed the number one spot in the UK charts with The Promise, the group's first in four years. The former talent show winners displaced U.S star Pink, who sneaked ahead of the Guru Josh Project, new at three with Infinity 2008. In the album charts, veteran rockers AC/DC went straight in at number one, ahead of the Kaiser Chiefs and X Factor winner Leon Jackson at two and four. Girls Aloud have had two other number ones, including their 2002 debut. The Sound of The Underground was the fivesome's first release after they triumphed in TV competition Popstars: The Rivals. Their Children In Need charity song, I'll Stand By You, was their other chart-topping song in 2004. All of the group's 18 singles to date have made the UK top 10. Elsewhere in the rundown, Razorlight and Katy Perry made big strides with their latest songs to make the top 10, while Kanye West also climbed into the top flight with Love Lockdown. In the album charts, Welsh soprano Katherine Jenkins scored a new entry at five with Sacred Arias, while female trio the Sugababes made number eight with their latest record Catfights and Spotlights. Their last two albums of new material topped the chart. AC/DC's chart-topper Black Ice is their first number album in the UK since 1980. German DJ Sash! made number 10 with his greatest hits collections, while his single Raindrops (Encore Une Fois) held steady at nine.
 
BEYONCE KNOWLES REVEALS CONCEPT OF "I AM ... SASHA FIERCE" [Aceshowbiz, 10/26/08]
In anticipation for her November-18 release, "I Am...Sasha Fierce", Beyonce Knowles opens up about the concept of the forthcoming effort. Admitting to have a "very extremely sensitive" feeling, she says that she wants to show that side of her on the album. In a further statement, Beyonce explains about her new single, "If I Were a Boy". She states, "The song 'If I Were a Boy' is not the typical break-up song or he-cheated-on-me song ... it's more about what some boy do in a relationship."  "I Am...Sasha Fierce" is Beyonce's third solo studio effort, which will be released as a 2-disc package album, and aimed to give encouragement to young women whenever they are "going through tough time." Speaking of her next installment, she states, "Sasha Fierce is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken and more glamorous side that comes out when I'm working and when I'm on the stage."  In related news, Beyonce will reportedly bring her sister Solange Knowles on "I Am...Sasha Fierce" tour which is expected to hit America, Europe, Japan, Africa, Canada, Australia, and Mexico. "Discussions are underway for Solange to join Beyonce on her tour," a source says. "People who buy tickets for Beyonce's show can then go and see Solange perform at an official after-party."
 
JERRY LEE LEWIS EYES STONES FOR ALBUM [BBC, 10/26/08]
Rocker Jerry Lee Lewis has said he hopes to get Mick Jagger and Keith Richards to play on his new album. The 73-year-old Great Balls Of Fire singer said he would "probably have" the two Rolling Stones stars as guests on his latest record. "I have known them back when they were kids. Ain't that something? They ain't kids no more," said Lewis. He described his new work as "far out stuff" as he gave a press conference ahead of a London gig next week. Lewis is headlining the Rock 'n' Roll Festival on Tuesday. The performance will kickstart his European tour. Lewis was asked if he was still "The Killer", as he was nicknamed. "Yes sir. I'm a mean old man," he said. "That's the name of a song we've just recorded. "I enjoy music and I enjoy playing the crowds. If they ever stop coming I'll just quit playing." And he said rock 'n' roll audiences today are "just as wild as they always were".
 
FORMER GRATEFUL DEAD KEYBOARDIST SAUNDERS DIES [AP, 10/26/08]
Merl Saunders, a jazz and rock keyboardist who collaborated with iconic acts including Miles Davis and the Grateful Dead, has died. He was 74. Saunders died Friday, October 24 at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Francisco of complications due to a stroke, said his son, Merl Saunders Jr. "We loved him very much — and we know that you, his fans, did too," his family said in a statement posted on Saunders' Web site. "He was a special man, a beautiful companion, father, grandfather, and family patriarch, and the proof of that spirit is in the way you've reached out to us at his passing." Born in San Mateo, Calif., Saunders attended high school with Johnny Mathis in San Francisco. One of Saunders' very first performances was a high school event with Mathis, Saunders Jr. said. Some of Saunders' most famous music was made in the 1960s and 1970s when he teamed up with the Grateful Dead's lead guitarist and singer, Jerry Garcia. The Saunders-Garcia Band recorded two records in the 1970s and the two would play together on an array of projects until Garcia's death in 1995. In 1990 Saunders and Garcia released the album "Blues from the Rainforest" that achieved success on the new age music charts. Saunders is survived by his longtime companion, his two sons and a daughter.
 
JENNIFER LOPEZ, PRINCE SALUTE DONATELLA VERSACE [FWD, 10/25/08]
Prince didn't say a word - nor did he sing - at Fashion Group International's annual Night of Stars on Thursday, Oct. 23, but he did function as arm candy for Jennifer Lopez on stage as she introduced the evening's big honoree, Donatella Versace, who took home the "Superstar" award. Lopez may have done all the talking, but when Versace came out to accept her award (a few seconds too early - the Prince song that was supposed to play as she made her entrance started late), she made sure to thank Prince for "being a superstar." But Versace's timing gaffe wasn't an isolated incident - after a lengthy back and forth between friends Philippe Starck and Christian Louboutin, who both picked up awards (Starck for architecture and Louboutin as a "Star Honoree") - the announcer accidentally introduced presenter Ashley Olsen (there to salute Francisco Costa) in the midst of Louboutin's acceptance speech. Call it "Night of False Starts." Hosted by Barneys New York's Simon Doonan, he opened the night by humorously urging honorees and presenters to keep the speeches short. Karl Lagerfeld eschewed the unofficial time limit rule with his introduction of Harold Koda, the curator of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and recipient of the "Fashion Oracle" award, with a speech that elaborated on fashion's relevance to the history books. "He is the future of fashion," said Lagerfeld about Koda. "He will decide what will be remembered from today," to which Koda responded, "I feel I should be handing Karl the award." Night of Stars also honored fashion designers Francisco Costa of Calvin Klein and Christopher Bailey of Burberry, Italian Vogue's Franca Sozzani and her sister Carla Sozzani, Net-a-Porter's Natalie Massenet and Harvey Weinstein. John Paul Dejoria of Paul Mitchell was given the "Sustainability" award and Bill McComb of the Liz Clairborne Foundation received the "Humanitarian" honors. FGI's theme this year was "The Alchemists." Alchemists, of course, were historically concerned with turning ordinary substances into precious metals like gold and silver. The evening's proceedings took place at Cipriani on Wall Street, just doors down from the New York Stock Exchange where retail stocks have steadily plummeted for the past few days. 
 
GIBB 'HAS NEVER SEEN FEVER FILM' [BBC, 10/25/08]
Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees has said he has never seen Saturday Night Fever all the way through, despite writing the film's seminal soundtrack. "It's not that I can't watch it," he told BBC Radio 4's Front Row programme. "It's just that I'm restless." The star even admitted he had walked out of the film's U.S premiere in 1977 after just 30 minutes. Gibb will perform songs from the movie with Ronan Keating and Sharleen Spiteri at the Electric Proms this weekend. The concert is being held to mark the 30th anniversary of the soundtrack reaching number one. It will also feature Sam Sparro, Gabriella Cilmi and the BBC Concert Orchestra. The record featured Bee Gees hits Stayin' Alive and How Deep Is Your Love alongside disco classics by the Trammps and Kool and the Gang. But Gibb revealed that he and his brothers did not get to see any footage from the film before penning their contributions to the soundtrack. "We didn't see the film until the premiere," he said, adding that he had only "lasted half an hour" in the cinema. "That actually is par for the course, because a lot of actors will go into a premiere and then go out the exit." The soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever" is one of the biggest-selling albums of all-time, with more than 40 million copies bought around the world. It helped to usher in a second phase in the Bee Gees' career, where high falsetto disco grooves replaced the close-harmony pop of early hits such as Massachusetts and To Love Somebody. The band have been inactive since the death of Maurice Gibb in 2003, but Robin hinted that he may reunite on stage with third brother Barry next year, when a musical based on their career launches. "We are closer to that than we've ever been," he said. "It's definitely maybe."
 
TRIBUTE TO DJ PEEL ON RIGHT TRACK [BBC, 10/25/08]
DJ John Peel would have been "very emotional" and "honoured" that a train had been named after him in Liverpool, his widow said. Sheila Ravenscroft took a trip on the Merseytravel engine from the city's South Parkway interchange. The 59-year-old said: "To have an engine named after you in Liverpool, his favourite city, is just an honour beyond his dreams." Merseytravel said the tribute was "to a true broadcasting legend". Ian Prowse, from the band Amsterdam, performed the song Does This Train Stop On Merseyside? before Mrs Ravenscroft unveiled a plaque. "I'm actually really honoured to be asked to come here today because John would have been truly thrilled and very, very emotional," Mrs Ravencroft said. "He was born in Heswall. He worked in Liverpool when he left school. "Even when he was in the Army right down in Anglesey he used to get on his little motorbike and come up all the time for the matches. "He talked about it a lot." Councillor Mark Down, Merseytravel chairman, said: "This really is a very great occasion because we have come here to honour a very, very great man. "We are very proud of the man John was and his connection with Merseyside." Peel died in October 2004 aged 65 after suffering a heart attack while on holiday in Cuzco, Peru.
 
RADIO MAGNATE CHUCK McCOY TO ENTER HALL OF FAME [CBC, 10/25/08]
Radio industry figure Chuck McCoy will be inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame. McCoy will be also honoured at the annual Canadian Music Industry Awards with a lifetime achievement award for his work in the Canadian broadcasting industry. Both ceremonies will take place during Canadian Music Week in Toronto from March 11-14, 2009. "His proficient hand and visionary input have cemented his reputation of not only understanding what the public wants, but how to deliver it,” said Neill Dixon, president of Canadian Music Week. Beginning his career as an on-air announcer at CKY Winnipeg in 1965, McCoy was heard on various stations across Canada from 1960s and 1970s, including a six-year-stint at Toronto's 1050 CHUM. As a program director, McCoy, whose nickname is The Chucker, has been credited with turning around failing stations. He has worked at various outlets in Winnipeg, Toronto — including CHFI, 680 News and The Fan 590 — and in Vancouver at such operations as CKWX and 97 KISS FM. McCoy is currently the executive vice president of programming and marketing for all Rogers radio stations. He was a founding director of Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR), a government-subsidized program to support independent Canadian recordings.
 
USHER BOOKED FOR UPCOMING "VICTORIA'S SECRET FASHION SHOW" [Aceshowbiz, 10/24/08]
CBS announces that Usher will be the only musical guest to perform at "The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show". The holiday infused lingerie runway show will be taped at Fontainebleau Miami Beach and broadcast on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at 10:00 - 11:00 P.M ET/PT on CBS. Heidi Klum along with top models Alessandra Ambrosio, Selita Ebanks, Doutzen Kroes, Adriana Lima, Marisa Miller, Miranda Kerr and a bunch of other Victoria's Secret Angels are also expected to attend the fashion show. On top of that, the event will also present red-carpet interviews, model profiles, and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the world's most celebrated fashion show. In related news, Usher, who is also the youth chairman of the Service Nation Summit, has released a new song called "Hush" on Wednesday, October 22 in the U.S. The new single is aimed to encourage young people to vote and make a difference. "'Hush' is about my awakening over the past 10 years to the social issues in our country and realizing that I have a voice," he said. "Complaining isn't enough, you have to also take action."
 
NELLY PLOTTING SUPERGROUP WITH AKON [Aceshowbiz, 10/24/08]
Nelly reveals that he wants to create a supergroup with Akon, T-Pain, and Pharrell Williams. "Me, Akon, T-Pain and Pharrell are talking about doing a project. We got a host of things we're trying to do - possibly put together this new 2009 [Bell Biv DeVoe] type of thing," he tells MTV. When asked about their tight schedule with himself readying for "Brass Knuckles" release, Akon gearing up to drop "Freedom", and T-Pain rushing for "Thr33 Ringz" release, Nelly says that "it's more about the music than anything. It's about leaving something." He adds, "I think we're all OK as far as the money thing goes. I don't think anybody is hurting. You wanna do things you can be remembered by. Make a mark. I think that's something that's foremost on all our minds." However, Pharrell says that he is "kinda like the only one that adheres to the oath of secrecy." He explains further, "I don't wanna break that. Well, seeing as though I'm supposed to be upholding my end of the bargain of upholding my oath of secrecy, I'm not so sure of how to answer that question."
 
OLD-FASHIONED ROMANCE FOR MODERN BRIDES AT JLM COUTURE [FWD, 10/24/08]
Old-Fashioned Romance for Modern Brides at JLM Couture Renata Espinosa October 23rd, 2008 @ 10:22 AM - New York Bridal house JLM Couture showed the latest collections of gowns prospective brides and their bridesmaids will choose from next year on Wednesday, Oct. 22, with classic, romantic looks from their diverse array of labels: Jim Hjlem, Alvina Valenta, Lazaro and Tara Keely. Jim Hjlem, designed by Francesca Pitera, emphasized gowns that left a sensual impression, with low-cut sweetheart necklines, spaghetti straps and simple embellishments like feathered corsages, a tasteful array of crystal beading on the bodice, or a ribbon around the waist. She played with length, as well, with full gowns that stopped just above the ankle - all the better show off a killer pair of wedding shoes, or for late-night dancing. For the Alvina Valenta collection, a contemporary take on timeless bridal gowns designed by Victoria McMillan, the focus was on sweeping, soft ruffles and an exposed back and shoulders. Whether it was a dress that followed the natural curves of the body and then swept into a trumpet flare, or a full skirt with luxurious folds of fabric, these were dresses that you could imagine being passed down generation after generation. Bridesmaids dresses looked red-carpet ready with their chic column silhouette. Lazaro's gowns reflected his taste for the ultimate fairy tale gowns, with layers of tulle and ruffles, all-over beading and dramatic trains. Even when the cut is simple, as with a halter necked slip dress, delicate embroidery and beads turn Lazaro's dresses into jewels. His bridesmaid dresses followed runway trends, as with an embellished halter neck goddess gown, or they were simply great "little black dresses." Like Jim Hjlem, the gowns by Tara Keely, designed by Edric Woo, went straight for the cleavage with plunging V-necks and halters and strapless sweetheart necklines. Here, Woo stuck to classic bridal silhouettes like the trumpet gown in silk satin, with some softer versions featuring tiered organza ruffles, another big trend this sea son.
 
UAE RADIO FIRES 'VOICE OF GOD' DJ [BBC, 10/24/08]
A radio host has been sacked in Dubai after he angered listeners by impersonating God in a comedy skit about a phone call with the Almighty. Virgin Radio host Revin John was satirising a story from the U.S in which God was subject to legal proceedings. The spoof prompted complaints from listeners of "diverse faiths and nationalities", the station said. Any portrayal of God or the Prophet Muhammad, is strictly forbidden in the Islamic faith, including on the radio. The former morning show host was allowed back on air to apologize for the offence caused, before he left the station. In June, John told the Gulf News before arriving Virgin Radio Dubai that he had studied the Middle Eastern market thoroughly. "The adage 'know your audience' was my starting point," he had said. The Dubai branch of Sir Richard Branson's radio brand was launched earlier in 2008 and is run by the Arabian Radio Network. Arabian Radio Network chief operating officer, Steve Smith, told Associated Press news agency: "He intended to be funny, not to offend anybody. "However, what he did was highly offensive to the Muslim and Christian community in the United Arab Emirates." Mahmoud al-Rasheed, general manager of Arab Radio Network, told Arabian Business.com it was a company "that respects the cultures and traditions of all religions". Mr Rasheed said this was a "mistake by one of our employees", adding: "In line with our commitment to respect our listenership, we saw fit to let go of the presenter." In the U.S case, Nebraska state senator Ernie Chambers sought a permanent injunction against God to prevent "death, destruction and terrorization". A judge threw out the case, ruling that because the defendant had no address, legal papers could not be served.
 
BEYONCE WOULD LIKE TO BE KNOWN AS "SASHA FIERCE" [Reuters Life!, 10/23/08]
Just like the "Seinfeld" episode where George wanted everyone to call him "T-Bone," Beyonce Knowles would like to be known by a bold new name. The R&B singer has christened herself "Sasha Fierce" for her new double album, "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," due in U.S. stores on November 18, 2008, and has released a lengthy justification for the comical moniker. "I have someone else that takes over when it's time for me to work and when I'm on stage, this alter ego that I've created that kind of protects me and who I really am," the former Destiny's Child frontwoman said in a statement. "Sasha Fierce is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side that comes out when I'm working and when I'm on the stage." Additionally, she has set up a cryptic MySpace page that gives a "lucky person" the opportunity to receive a personal message and a gift bag valued at $500. As George found out, nicknames usually do not work when they are self-bestowed. His colleagues thought he should be called Koko the monkey. In real life, rapper Eminem had better luck with his alter ego "Slim Shady," which he said came to him while he was on the toilet. Beyonce released her previous solo album, "B'Day," to coincide with her 25th birthday in September 2006. It debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. pop chart and yielded the No. 1 single "Irreplaceable." "I Am ... Sasha Fierce" will be distributed by Columbia Records, a unit of Sony Corp's Sony Music Entertainment.
 
SONG LYRICS MAKE JUMP TO FASHION WORLD [Aversion, 10/23/08]
As if ringtones weren't annoying enough, you may soon see the lyrics of your favorite song plastered all over T-shits. British-based retailer Sainsbury inked a deal with EMI Publishing to begin printing song lyrics on clothes on its Tu Clothing line, according to Billboard. The deal will kick off with shirts boasting lyrics yanked from songs by The Monkees, The Jackson Five, and The Troggs. The value of the licensing agreement wasn't revealed.
 
TAYLOR SWIFT PERFORM AT 2008 'GRAMMY NOMINATIONS CONCERT LIVE!!' [Aceshowbiz, 10/23/08]
Grammy-award nominated singer Taylor Swift has been announced as one of the performers at 2008 'Grammy Nominations Concert Live!!'. Taking place at Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, the event also lines up Celine Dion, Foo Fighters, B.B. King, and John Mayer as other artists making live appearances.  Scheduled to be held on Wednesday, December 3, the show will announce nominations in at least six categories for the 51st annual Grammy Awards which will be held on Sunday, February 8, 2009. Besides, the live event will celebrate the grand opening of the Grammy Museum. Additional performers and presenters for the AEG Ehrlich Ventures-produced show, to be broadcast live at 9:00-10:00 PM, ET/delayed PT as a one-hour special show on CBS television network, will be announced shortly. Tickets for the primetime event will go on sale starting from Monday, October 27, 2008.
 
TICKETMASTER TO BUY MAJORITY OF FRONT LINE MANAGEMENT [Reuters, 10/23/08]
Ticketmaster Inc agreed to acquire a majority interest in Front Line Management Inc and install its head Irving Azoff as chief executive of the combined company, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday, October 23. The combined entity called Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc would handle the affairs of some of the world's biggest singers and musicians, including Christina Aguilera, the Eagles, Jimmy Buffett and Neil Diamond, the paper said. Ticketmaster's current management, led by Chief Executive Sean Moriarty, is to report to Azoff, who is also to continue overseeing Front Line, the paper said. "Ticketmaster is obviously going to expand in the things that it does, in the areas that it provides services, and having it led by the force that is Irving Azoff gives Ticketmaster a really good chance to continue to be successful," Barry Diller, chief executive of IAC and chairman of Ticketmaster, told the paper in an interview. The company already owns a minority interest in Front Line, which it inherited from the spin off of former parent IAC/InterActiveCorp in August. To attain a majority in Front Line, Ticketmaster is to pay about $123 million to Warner Music Group Corp for the roughly 30 percent stake that Warner has owned since last year, the Journal said. Ticketmaster faces competition from its long-time client, concert promoter Live Nation, which is ending their partnership to enter the primary ticket sales market next year and is looking closely at the resale market as well. Ticketmaster did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
 
SCISSOR SISTERS HAVE 'PARTED WAYS' WITH DRUMMER [Aceshowbiz, 10/23/08]
An official statement saying that Scissor Sisters have split with their current drummer, Paddy Boom, has been posted by the band on their official website. "We would like our fans and friends to know that we have amicably parted ways with the original Scissor drummer Paddy Boom," they announced. "He will no longer be on stage with us but he will always be our sister," the Grammy Awards-nominated band explain further about the future of their relationship with Boom after the break-up. "Don't worry, we are hard at work on our new record and we can't wait to see you all soon," they add. In related news, the band will reportedly change their musical direction from disco, gleam rock, and pop to a reggae sound on their next project. The album doesn't have a title and release date yet but some new songs that are expected to be featured on the forthcoming record have been unveiled during an intimate gig at New York's Mercury Lounge earlier this week. The just-revealed singles include "Who's Your Money", "Major for You", and "Singularity
 
BANANA REPUBLIC PROPOSES AN EASY SPRING [FWD, 10/23/08]
The words "easy" and "breezy" are often overused when it comes to Spring collections, but in a current economic climate that is anything but, they're welcome descriptors. This was the type of light mood that Banana Republic's new creative director Simon Kneen embraced with his Spring 2009 collection, shown in New York on Tuesday, Oct. 21. "I think you need something positive and colorful when things are tough outside," said Kneen after the show. "The last thing we need is to add to the doom and gloom." While the collection did go for a minimalist, pared-down approach that many designers showed this spring, Kneen fully explored the many possibilities of a neutral monochromatic color palette of slate, khaki and white - silky, liquid-like colors of "swimming pool" blue and "oasis green" added a refreshing bite and languid, carefree touch. Harkening back to Banana Republic's sportswear heritage, Kneen updated classics like the trench, making it into a sleeveless maxi dress, or slim cardigans in the lightest cashmeres. Soft eco-fabrics like soy fiber made slouchy trousers look and feel effortless. For men, the cardigan still continued to have a strong showing as a more casual, hip alternative to a suit jacket, and paper-thin leather jackets looked sharp, and functional for transitional weather. And juicy colored pants in lobster red might be just the antidote to Wall Street's grey days.
 
ENVIRONMENTAL FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL PUTS FOCUS ON FOOD [CBC, 10/23/08]
The story of an Ontario farmer who took his fight for unpasteurized milk to court is to kick off a series of films about food policy at Toronto's Planet in Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival. At least 20 people across Canada have died from listeriosis contracted while eating luncheon meats and dairy products from China pulled off the shelves because they are tainted with melamine, food and food policy are hot topics. Ontario farmer Michael Schmidt is also in the headlines, after a judge on Monday, October 20, 2008 found him guilty of refusing to heed a court order to stop selling unpasteurized milk in York region. He faces further prosecution in 2009 on charges by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Grey-Bruce Region. On Thursday, the film festival screens Michael Schmidt: Organic Hero or Bioterrorist, a Norman Lofts film about the farmer selling unpasteurized milk from his Owen Sound-area organic farm. Schmidt says his milk is safe and its taste is superior to pasteurized milk. Lofts chronicles Schmidt's fight with the powerful milk lobby and tries to assess whether he is a threat to food safety in Ontario. The film is one of 15 on the topic of food and food policy being screened as part of the Planet in Focus festival. The Planet in Focus Festival features more than 100 films on environmental themes. Lofts' documentary, screening at the Royal Ontario Museum, will be followed by a panel discussion on food policy and food security in Ontario with Schmidt, organic champion Lawrence Andres, cheese maker Ruth Klahsen and others. Also part of the food series is the world premiere of Return to Nepal, a documentary by Robert Lang about Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn's recent trip to Nepal. Cockburn talks to an organic farmer, a woman milling flour and others involved in feeding people in the now Maoist regime in Nepal. Other films on the topic of food include: Eternal Mash, from the Netherlands, about the mysterious disappearance of master Dutch horticulturist Ruurd Walrecht who protected and preserved the seeds of rare vegetables on the brink of extinction; The Poet of Grappa, from Italy, about grappa master Romano Levi; Alchemy from Britain, which examines the art of baking; Crabs on the Road from Colombia, about dwindling crab populations in Colombia and Slow Food from Norway, about an artisan fisher and his fight with big trawlers. The festival opens Wednesday with Blue Gold: World Water Wars, U.S. filmmaker Sam Bozzo's documentary based on the Maude Barlow book Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World's Water. The opening gala will also feature a tribute to Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky, whose large format work has highlighted the environmental impact of industrial practices in China and other countries. Burtynsky will be named the 2008 Planet in Focus Industry/Media Eco-Hero. Other Eco-Hero awards will be given on Wednesday to slow food pioneer and Italian author Carlo Petrini and Canadian sustainable food policy advocate Wayne Roberts. The Planet in Focus Festival runs Oct. 22-26. 2008 in Toronto.
 
AEROSMITH PREPPING NEW ALBUM [E! Online, 10/23/08]
Aerosmith is finally getting back in the saddle, eight long years since the release of their last studio album. After being hobbled by various health problems, the Bad Boys of Boston are planning to return to the studio to finish up work on their first batch of original material since 2001's platinum-selling Just Push Play. "We're sitting on a bunch of music we've already recorded for a new album," guitarist Brad Whitford tells Billboard.com. "We haven't gone back into the studio to put the final touches on it and get it done, and still don't know when we're gonna do that. Hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later." Talk about a sweet emotion when they do. Aerosmith started laying down tracks as early as summer 2006, after singer Steven Tyler underwent throat surgery and prompted the band to scrap a tour earlier that spring. But work was postponed after bassist Tom Hamilton was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent successful radiation treatment, forcing him to sit out Aerosmith's Route of All Evil tour in the fall with Mötley Crüe. During that jaunt, the "Livin' on the Edge" rockers issued a greatest-hits set, Devil's Got a New Disguise—The Very Best of Aerosmith, which included two outtakes from previous studio sessions that were re-recorded for the compilation. Aerosmith returned to recording in 2007 but got sidetracked teaming up with the makers of Guitar Hero to develop Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, which hit stores last June. The new disc suffered further delays this year when ax man Joe Perry underwent a successful knee reconstruction operation in March and Tyler checked into rehab to help him deal with a dependency to pain killers and sleep medication prescribed to him after having foot surgery. "You'd think it was a football team or something," joked Whitford. "You have more than average concerns about it, I guess, but you can't do anything about it. Like a lot of other things in life, you don't get to call the shots on these things, do you? We're just...getting older."
 
DAVID COOK SPEAKS ON SHOOTING "LIGHT ON" MUSIC VIDEO [Aceshowbiz, 10/23/08]
On October 16 at 11 A.M., David Cook arrived at L.A. Valley College to shoot a music video for his new song "Light On". Accompanied by his newly assembled band, Cook pounded his way through the song for more than a dozen takes. "We did the first run-through, and I felt real timid because, obviously, I don't have any experience. It's not like I grew up shooting music videos," he told MTV about what he felt during the video shoot. "It's weird, man. Little things keep happening along the way that drive the point home that I'm doing something that's both insane and really fulfilling, and this is one of those things. To be able to shoot a music video is kind of rad - especially something on this scale. So, you know, I hope I don't blow it." The music video was directed by Wayne Isham, the man behind Britney Spears' "Piece of Me" music video. For the first three hours, Isham mainly shot Cook's solo performance at the college's field before his band joined in. Finally, by daylight at about 06:30 A.M., Cook left the area as Isham announced that the video was wrapped. "Light On" is a single, which is co-written by Chris Cornell of Audioslave and produced by Rob Cavallo. The new song is confirmed to appear on Cook's major-label debut album "David Cook", which will be available for purchase on November 18, 2008 in the U.S. In related news, on November 1, Cook is scheduled to appear as a musical guest on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" show, making his first public appearance with his new band. He is also set to perform at ABC's "Good Morning America" for November 17 appearance.
 
FULL NOMINEES LIST OF 2008 GOTHAM INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS ANNOUNCED
[Aceshowbiz, 10/22/08]
On Monday, October 20, IFP has announced the contenders for the 18th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards and Lance Hammer-directed drama "Ballast" has dominated the nomination list, taking in 4 separate nods. The movie, which has won the 2008 Sundance Film Festival's Dramatic Directing Award for Hammer, is nominated for Best Feature, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor and Best Ensemble Performance. In the category of Best Feature, "Ballast" will be up against Courtney Hunt's "Frozen River", Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York", Thomas McCarthy's "The Visitor" and Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler". Meanwhile, for the Best Ensemble Performance category, the film's cast that include Micheal J. Smith Sr. will be competing with "Rachel Getting Married" ensemble led by Anne Hathaway, "Synecdoche" cast led by Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" ensemble, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, and "Visitor" cast led by Richard Jenkins. Though garnering the most gongs for the 2008 Gotham Awards, "Ballast" is not the only film getting more than one nomination. Antonio Campos' "Afterschool", "Frozen", "Rachel", "Synecdoche", "Vicky" and "Visitor" each collect double counts for the awards that provides early critical recognition for worthy independent films. The award-presenting gala which has been renamed from Gotham Awards to Gotham Independent Film Awards will be held at New York City's Cipriani Wall Street on Tuesday, December 2. It has been previously announced that Cruz, president of HBO Documentary Films' Sheila Nevins, and filmmakers Gus Van Sant and Melvin Van Peebles will be honored with tribute awards on the scheduled date as well. The nominees list of the 18th Annual Gotham Independent Film Award is available at their website.
 
FASHION CLASHING AS INDIA PUTS ON THE GLITZ [Reuters, 10/21/08]
There may be a global financial crisis going on, but in India, one of the engine rooms of the world's pre-crash production boom, there is a clash of the flash fashion. Three high-profile fashion weeks vie for attention in October with no shortage of glitz and glamour to beguile local and oversees buyers. Two of India's premier fashion events clashed in New Delhi last week while a third, the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai, kicked off on Monday, October 20. International buyers said the country's designers were in sync with global trends in fashion, and their creations met international standards. "I think they lack in nothing," Jessica, a buyer from American retailer Anthropologie, told Reuters. And there was no sign of the global credit crunch at the earlier Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week and Delhi Fashion Week, where spring-summer collections for 2009 featured an eclectic mix of jumpsuits, high-waisted pants and short tunics with Indian motifs and geometric prints. Sumeet Nair, head of the Delhi Fashion Week, said it might be a good opportunity for Indian fashion designers to offer international buyers trendy clothes at low prices and make inroads abroad. Indian fashion, with its legacy of handicraft, color and durable motifs, has garnered growing global appreciation, and some designers at the fashion weeks showcased the best of fabric and craftsmanship from the country. The designer trio of Ashish, Viral and Vikrant espoused the cause of the kota fabric, a light, airy natural fabric that they say is perfect for summer. Newcomers like Urvashi Kaur used a lot of Indian fabrics without prints or embellishments -- a rarity in the country's fashion circles -- while designer duo Parvesh and Jai dipped into unfamiliar waters with a separate line of beachwear -- a rarity in India. "All that the Indian designers need now is better finishing of their clothes," said Sunil Sethi, president of the Fashion Design Council of India, which organized the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.
 
PROMINENT PAKISTANI FILM-MAKER KIDNAPPED [Reuters, 10/21/08]
A prominent Pakistani film-maker and distributor, Satish Anand, has been kidnapped in Pakistan's biggest city of Karachi, a top police official said Tuesday, October 21. Anand, 57, a member of Muslim-majority Pakistan's small Hindu community, runs a production house called Eveready Pictures, and is a relative of famous Indian actress Juhi Chawla, according to friends and associates in the film business. City police chief Waseem Ahmed said Anand was abducted on Monday, October 20 on his way to his home in Karachi's posh Clifton neighborhood. Police had no idea who had kidnapped him or why. "We are investigating from various angles. There has been no call for ransom or any other demands," Ahmed said. Crime, including kidnapping, has long been a problem in Karachi, Pakistan's commercial capital. Anand's driver told police two men stopped their car and one of them gave him an injection and he lost consciousness. The driver said when he awoke, Anand was missing, police said. Anand is a well-known figure in Pakistan's show business world and recently distributed the hit Indian film "Race," according to an official in the Karachi film industry who declined to be identified.
 
SPOTLIGHT ON OUTER SPACE AT INDIA'S FASHION WEEKS [Reuters, 10/21/08]
Aliens and astronauts loomed large over two of India's premier fashion shows just days before the country launches an unmanned mission to the moon. Designer Prashant Verma was excited that his futuristic space-age collection was showcased on Sunday, October 19 ahead of the Wednesday launch of Chandrayaan-1, a spacecraft built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). But he wasn't really worried that dresses made to resemble space suits and what looked like robotic arms might be difficult to carry off. "Wearability is in the eye of the beholder," Verma said after his spring and summer collection for 2009 featured at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in New Delhi. The young designer turned out his models in dresses with planet prints decorated with Swarovski crystals. Verma's models, many sporting electric wires and crystals on their hands, walked the ramp as a recorded speech of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy, champion of the U.S. space effort, played in the background. At the five-day Delhi Fashion Week, running concurrently a few km (miles) away, designer duo Hemant Sagar and Didier Lecoanet pulled off a Martian stunt. A boy covered in green body paint shuffled down the runway after models in eye masks had walked past in garments that seemed as if they had been stapled together. "We thought it best to have a look at something outside of what's going on in the world right now," Sagar told reporters. The collection featured a mix of fluorescent dresses with leggings and skirts in nylon and chiffon with belt-like straps. Both shows used a rocket launch countdown to propel the models onto the runway.
 
VERA WANG BRIDAL: FOREST FANTASIA [FWD, 10/20/08]
New York – An ethereal bridal collection from Vera Wang for Fall 2009 evoked wood sprites and forest creatures for "A Midsummer's Night Dream" wedding. Taking cues from Wang's ready-to-wear collections - barely-there, painterly color palette, layered hand-cut tulle and asymmetrical draping - challenging the notion that bridal couture needs to stick to a white duchess satin ball gown formula. "I like to think outside the box with these collections," said Wang after the show. One of the keys to Wang's re-imaging of bridal is to take the traditional silhouette, but soften or update it for a more modern, fashion-conscious customer. The "ball gown" turns into a cloud of softly folded tulle with a bodice like whipped frosting, accented with a simple lavender grosgrain sash. A "mermaid" gown softly flares into oversized layers of watercolor-like, earthy chestnut organza, while sequined straps suspend a slip dress from bare shoulders for a look that is as seductive as vintage lingerie. Here, the way Wang manipulates fabric takes a starring roll rather than the usual beaded embellishment. Instead of using beading or embroidery to detail her gowns, she will twist and pleat tulle into a dramatic train, or line a hem with hand-cut rosettes. Necklaces or bracelets of sequins and beads sewn to ribbon provided just enough sparkle. The show had editors buzzing for its creativity and advanced take on the bridal gown, but one editor was overheard asking a buyer whether the colorful gowns would be on their lists. "As long as they come in white!" remarked the buyer. Still, the collection inspired a bohemian, return-to-mother-nature narrative that will likely appeal to brides looking to avoid the conspicuousness of bling in favor of something soft and romantic.
 
TULPAN, LA MEMOIRE DES ANGES WIN AWARDS AT MONTREAL FESTIVAL [CBC, 10/20/08]
A film depicting the nomadic life of sheepherders on the Kazakh steppe has won the Louve d'Or, the biggest prize at Montreal's Festival du Nouveau Cinema. Tulpan, the story of a young man who returns to traditional life after a period in the military, is a first fictional feature by Sergey Dvortsevoy, a veteran documentary maker. Tulpan won the Un Certain Regard category at Cannes, and in early October grabbed the top jury prize at the Zurich Film Festival. The Montreal jury awarded its Grand Prize for Quebec cinema to La Mémoire des Anges, Luc Bourdon's hotly anticipated film which uses archival footage to tell the story of Montreal in the 1950s and 1960s. Bourdon, trained as a visual artist, culled footage for the film from National Film Board of Canada archives. He captures with equal fondness winning Canadiens hockey games, the playing of jazz great Oscar Peterson, Jean Drapeau's fiery speeches and Montreal architecture. Brett Gaylor's look at music mashups RIP: Remix Manifesto received a special mention from the jury. In the international competition, Snow, a first feature film by Bosnian director Aida Begic Zubcevic, earned a special mention. It is a drama about an extended family trying to rebuild their lives in 1997 in the war-ravaged region. Michael Fassbender, who stars in Steve McQueen's feature film Hunger, about the hunger strike in the Maze prison, was honoured for his acting in the role of Bobby Sands. He won the Louve D'Or Prix interprétation. Hunger garnered raves from reviewers at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the $10,000 Diesel Discovery Award, voted on by the festival's press corps. Other winners in the Festival du Nouveau Cinema: Innovation award: Waltz with Bashir; People's Choice award: All Together Now; Best short film award: Sentinela by Afonso Nunes of Brazil; Special mention, short films: Rosa Rosa by Félix Dufour-Laperrière of Quebec; Ottica Zero by Maja Borg of Scotland; Best short in Focus section: La Battue by Guy Édoin of Quebec; Special mention Focus: Welcome by Dan Gerson of Canada, Ha'aki by Iriz Paabo of Canada; Télé Grand Prize (chosen by the public) and Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley of the U.S. The prizes were awarded Saturday night, October 18, 2008 in Montreal.
 
LIZA MINELLI PLAYS BROADWAY'S PALACE IN DECEMBER [AP, 10/20/08]
Liza Minnelli will return to Broadway in December for the first time in nearly a decade in a two-week engagement of "Liza's at the Palace." Minnelli will play the legendary vaudeville house Dec. 3-14, 2008, producer John Scher announced Sunday, October 19. She will be accompanied by pianist-musical supervisor Billy Stritch, a 12-piece orchestra and four dancer-singers. The show will feature some of Minnelli's best-known songs, particularly numbers such as "Cabaret," "Maybe This Time" and "New York, New York," all written by John Kander and Fred Ebb. It will also celebrate Kay Thompson, Minnelli's godmother and an entertainer who appeared in such films as "Funny Face" and who was a vocal arranger and vocal coach at MGM during the Golden Age of movie musicals in the 1940s. Thompson also wrote the "Eloise" children's books about a little girl who lived in the Plaza hotel in New York. "Liza's at the Palace" will be directed and choreographed by Ron Lewis. Minnelli's last Broadway appearance was in December 1999 in another entertainment at the Palace, a show that honored her father, film director Vincente Minnelli. Her other Broadway appearances include "Flora, The Red Menace" (1965), "The Act" (1977) and "The Rink" (1984). Her films include "The Sterile Cuckoo" (1969), "Cabaret" (1972), "New York, New York" (1977) and "Arthur" (1981). Minnelli's mother, Judy Garland, also appeared several times at the Palace, most notably in 1951 in a one-woman show that ran for more than 200 performances.
 
SAG BOARD VOTES TO ALLOW MEMBERS TO VOTE ON STRIKE [AP, 10/20/08]
The Screen Actors Guild's national board of directors has voted to bring in a federal mediator to intercede in its contract dispute with studios. The board also agreed to ask its 120,000 union members if they want to authorize a strike. If 75 percent of members vote in favor of a labor action, it would then be left to the national negotiating committee to call a strike. SAG's chief negotiator Doug Allen says the union's number one goal remains securing a good contract without a strike.
 
SINGER JENKINS SIGNS $10 MILLION DEAL [BBC, 10/20/08]
Classical music star Katherine Jenkins has signed the biggest classical recording deal in history. The 28-year-old Welsh singer has put her name to a $10 million (£5.8m), five-album deal with Warner Music in a bid to crack the U.S. She will move to Los Angeles for a few months to record a new album. Jenkins told the BBC: "I'm very sad to be leaving Universal because that's where it all started... but I've been offered an opportunity I can't refuse."  The mezzo-soprano signed her first recording contract, a six-album deal with Universal worth £1 million, in 2000. Her final album under that deal, called Sacred Arias, is due to be released on Monday. Jenkins said: "I learned to sing in my local church choir, and I thought it would be nice to go full circle with this being the end of the deal, and make an album of all the things I loved to sing when I was first learning." Jenkins is one of the most successful UK female soloists in history, with her last album Rejoice selling 500,000 copies. Her albums feature a mix of arias, pop songs, traditional hymns and classical crossover music. She added: "My main aim is to try and take classical music to a wider audience."
 
ECO-FRIENDLY DESIGNS CLOSE OUT LA FASHION WEEK [FWD, 10/18/08]
It was a green ending to a packed week of fashion shows at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, as the Mercedes-Benz Los Angeles Fashion Week closed out on Thursday night, October 18 with the Green Initiative "Humanitarian Fashion Show." A consortium of eco-friendly designers put together by activist Mikey Koffman of The Gallery Los Angeles, the show consisted of five segments, with each designer showing a small collection. Emily Factor started things off, sending models down the leaf-strewn runway wearing brightly colored dresses with mismatched patterning and chopped-up swingy skirts, with the prettiest done in turquoise and electric blue. Next up was M the Movement, designer Simplicio Michael Luis' likable line of menswear constructed of soybean, bamboo, and charcoal materials. He showed well-cut jeans, jackets, and shirts, paired with silly chopped-short ties. Sandy Skinner's EcoSkin collection featured plain, solid-hued organic cotton jersey dresses, the oft-repeated look of the week. Her "Primrose" dress, a graphic patterned, boat-necked minidress was charming, but less so the live animals she subjected to the catwalk in the name of animal rights. The wolf, python, and monkey she sent out seemed scared of the bright lights, huge crowd, and loud music. The final LA Fashion Week show concluded with two fun lines. Lilikoi, Barbara Boswell's ethical and sustainable label, featured soft cotton dresses in pretty colors, with silk-screened designs creating a much more interesting look to the basic jersey. And the most fun of all came from Kathleen Plate, the creator of SmartGlass Recycled Jewelry. She fashions necklaces, earrings, belts, and bracelets from recycled glass bottles, creating circular motifs in varying sizes. Her jewelry graced all of the female models throughout the evening, then as a finale to the program she sent out three models wearing white bathing suits overlaid with swingy dresses made of her glass circles.
 
FOUR TOPS VOCALIST LEVI STUBBS DIES AT 72 [Reuters/Billboard, 10/18/08]
Arguably the most powerful voice in Motown's storied history has been silenced. Four Tops lead singer Levi Stubbs Jr. died Friday, October 19 at his home in Detroit after a long series of health problems, including cancer and a stroke, that forced him to stop performing in 2000. He was 72. Funeral arrangements were pending for Stubbs, who is survived by Clineice, his wife of 48 years, and five children. "He had one of the most prolific and identifiably voices in American history," the Motown Alumni Association's Billy J. Wilson told Billboard.com. "It's a deep loss, to the entire Motown family and to the world." Stubbs' death leaves Abdul "Duke" Fakir as the Tops' only living member from the original quartet, which formed in 1954 as the Four Aims and signed with Motown nine years later. Laurence Payton passed away in 1997, and Renaldo "Obie" Benson died in 2005. Fakir continues to lead a version of the Tops that includes Payton's son Roquel, former Temptations member Theo Peoples and Motown veteran Ronnie McNeir. Stubbs -- born Levi Stubbles in Detroit -- gave voice to enduring hits such as "Baby I Need Your Loving," "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)," "Reach Out I'll Be There" and "Brenadette." The Tops have sold more than 50 million records and racked up 45 chart hits for the Motown, ABC Dunhill, Arista and Casablanca labels, and the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Stubbs also provided the voice of Audrey II, the man-eating plant in the film version of the musical "Little Shop of Horrors" in 1986, and of Mother Brain in the 1989 animated TV series "Captain N: The Game Master." Stubbs' last public appearance with the group was at the group's 50th anniversary concert July 28, 2004, at Detroit's Music Hall Center.
 
KATY PERRY TAKES HILARIOUS TUMBLE AT MTV'S LATIN AMERICA AWARDS [Aceshowbiz, 10/18/08]
Intending to make a fun stunt during her on-stage performance at MTV's Latin America Awards in Guadalajara, Mexico on Thursday night, October 16, Katy Perry experienced an embarrassing moment when she took a hilarious tumble, slipping her icing-covered feet on the stage. And instead of getting bothered by the tumble, she tend to laugh it off. Katy had just finished performing her hit single "I Kissed A Girl" when she put her microphone on the floor and jumped on a giant orange-colored cake standing near her. Diving into the cake, she ruined the planned stunt as she took a tumble right after. She actually attempted to grab one of her bandmates, but it appeared that her slippery ballet shoes made her lose her balance. The bandmate, who was holding one guitar on his hand, also tried to grab her, but their attempt failed. Katy tumbled for several times on the stage before at last laughing it off as the audience laughed and clapped. Katy's tumble during the awards show was videotaped in a footage available for view online. In other Katy news, she has been billed to host this year's MTV European Music Awards, in which she scores two nominations; "Most Addictive Track" for her hit single "I Kissed A Girl" and "Best New Act". The awards is set to be held at the Liverpool Echo Arena on November 6, 2008.
 
UKRAINIAN FASHION WEEK OPENS WITH LILLA POUSTOVIT [FWD, 10/17/08]
KIEV - Turns out there is one perfectly good designer in the Ukraine, and she is Lilla Poustovit, a romantic figure whose collections already retail in some of Europe's best boutiques. Her dreamy, yet elegantly practical collection shown Wednesday night, October 15, opened Ukrainian fashion Week, a 41-show season staged in leafy and historic Kiev. Poustovit's spring summer 2009 collection had lots of virtues, from its crumpled chic silk dresses, forgivingly cut yet cunningly draped, great graphic print tops and some very charming polka dot sheaths, draped with aplomb and finished with sophisticated lace detailing. Though clearly influenced by her country's ethnic traditions, Poustovit is a smart enough designer to know its best to use small doses of tradition leavened in a contemporary silhouette and mood. "I had in mind an image of an Adriatic sunset when making this collection. So I wanted something romantic, yet clothes women could understand and wear easily," explained Poustovit backstage. Lilla also injected an architectural element into her cocktail dresses, with vertical pleats that evoked Grecian columns. Like all the shows here, Poustovit's collection was staged in a conference center in Pushkin Park, where TV hosts, actresses, Kievan rappers and local politicians all made the scene. Also impressing was a cool club girl collection called NB Karavay, a display of posh hippie duds for spring that had sass and humor. Ranging from natty multi-flap and pleated cocktails to street chic short sleeve coats, this collection showed that Ukrainians can make commercial collections that connect with young consumers. The opening day's two other shows were less happy affairs. Victoria Gres was a lackluster collection of predictable denims and formulaic jackets, where most of the models wore fedoras and carried pistols. The evening finished with an elaborate show called Gromova Design where the clothes, worn by blackened eyed models that recalled Victorian tarts, had a certain energy - layered silk dresses in garish hues of violet and imperial purple. But in the end this show was almost a cliché of Westerners views of eastern European fashion - a pastiche of over the top ideas.

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