According to her publicist, Natalie Cole, 58,
has been
diagnosed with Hepatitis C and probably contracted the liver disease
from her drug use over 30 years ago. Cole is reportedly
responding well to treatment but is suffering what doctors called
"significant side effects" including fatigue, muscle aches and
dehydration. Otherwise, her response to her medication has
been terrific and she is now virus negative.
According to E! News, Run-DMC's Darryl McDaniels has been admitted to a
New Jersey hospital to undergo surgery to remove two major blood
clots. McDaniels had been experiencing pain and swelling in
his left arm that was intense enough for him to visit the hospital
where the clots were discovered.
Steven Adler was arrested early today for narcotics possession, being
under the influence and having an outstanding warrant. The
former Guns N' Roses drummer was jailed on $45,000 bail. He
had just finished filming of the second season of VH1's Celebrity Rehab
with Dr. Drew.
Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, 61, has entered rehab for his
"continued battle with alcohol" according to his spokeswoman.
"His close family and friends say he is seeking help and look forward
to his recovery." It has also been reported that Wood's wife
Jo Wood no longer wants to be with him after allegations of an affair
with 19 year-old Russian Ekaterina Ivanova surfaced.
Blaze Bayley's wife/manager Debbie is in critical condition following a
dual brain haemorrhage last week and remains unconscious.
Bayley will be postponing dates of his tour to be with her at this
time. Bayley released his new studio album, The Man Who Would
Not Die, last week which features the new single, "Robot."
Bono and the Edge's 4-year legal battle to gut and drastically expand
their old-fashioned Dublin hotel, the Clarence, has ended in their
favor. The work on the new futuristic landmark will cost $235
million and triple the number of rooms to 166.
A recent Christie's auction of 350-odd items from James Brown's South
Carolina home pulled in $800,000. The auction was projecting
$2 million in bidding with the money planned to assist in paying
Brown's outstanding tax bills.
Bjork's 'outburst' in support of freedom in Tibet at her concert in
Beijing, China, earlier this year has resulted in a lockdown.
The Chinese government has announced that they will ban all
entertainers from overseas, Hong Kong and Taiwan who have ever attended
activities that "threaten national sovereignty."
The Americana Music Association has announced that Joan Baez will be
honored on Sept. 18th with the "Spirit Of Americana" Free Speech Award
at their 7th Annual Honors And Awards ceremony in Nashville.
Lifetime Achievement Awards will also be given to John Hiatt and Jason
And The Scorchers.
Journey's Revelation dropped a spot to #19 on the Billboard 200 albums
chart. Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis' Two Men With The
Blues debuted at #20. Motley Crue's Saints Of Los Angeles
fell 7 places to #23. Alan Jackson's Good Time climbed 4
spots to #37.
New Kids On The Block's "Summertime" dropped a place to #37 on the
Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Alan Jackson's "Good Time"
climbed 5 spots to #40.
A new Guns N' Roses song, "Shackler's Revenge," slated to appear on
their long-awaited album, Chinese Democracy, will debut on the video
game Rock Band 2 due out for the Xbox 360 in September.
Frontiers Records has announced that Night Ranger's double-live album,
Rockin' Shibuya 2007, will be released in Europe on Sept. 19th.
Lindsey Buckingham will release his new solo studio album, Gift Of
Screws, via Reprise on Sept. 16th. Several tracks on the disc
feature bandmates Mick Fleetwood and John McVie.
Velvet Revolver's Matt Sorum is expected to reunite in the studio with
guitarist Billy Duffy of The Cult. The reason? To
record a song with Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony for Hagar's upcoming
solo album.
Zebra's Randy Jackson will be taping a live performance on July 25th in
New York for his first cable TV special (expected to air later this
year.) Some of the footage will also be used for a
limited-edition acoustic DVD in the works. Fans wishing to be
part of the live audience can find more information online
(at http://www.myspace.com/powerofmusicproductions).
Dolly Parton wrote a new song, "Do You Know?," especially for Jessica
Simpson's upcoming album of the same title due out Sept. 9th.
According to Nielsen SoundScan, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' Raising
Sand has sold over 1.03 million copies in the U.S. The pair
have announced they will extend their tour dates until Oct. 5th.
The Police filmed and recorded their Dec. 1st and 2nd shows in Buenos
Aires, Argentina, during their reunion tour for a live CD and DVD due
out later this year. The DVD will include a tour documentary
entitled Better Than Therapy which was directed by Stewart Copeland's
son, Jordan. The band's final performance of the tour is on
Aug. 7th.
Rick Springfield has television appearances planned for Good Morning
America (July 28th), Regis & Kelly (July 29th), Fox &
Friends (July 30th) and the CBS Morning Show (July 31st). He
also plans to appear on XM Radio on July 31st. All these
appearances are to promote his new album, Venus In Overdrive, which can
be previewed exclusively at Amazon starting July 21st (at http://www.
amazon.com/gp/product/B000V2KQPQ/ref=pe_11480_9004200_emwa_email_img_1).
Those who had a wager that another season of Rock of Love with Bret
Michaels would be coming to VH1, may be partially right. A
representative for the network confirmed: [Bret] and Ambre Lake really
tried to make it work and although they still remain close friends,
between his tour line-up and her work schedule there's no time for a
relationship." VH1 will call the next season of the show,
Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels.
Vince Gill, Roseanne Cash and Ricky Skaggs have recorded guest spots on
Charlie Haden's upcoming album, Oceans Of Diamond, due out Sept. 23rd
via Decca.
Rhino will release expanded reissues of the Replacements albums for
Sire Records (1985's Tim, 1987's Pleased To Meet Me, 1989's Don't Tell
A Soul and 1990's All Shook Down) on Sept. 23rd. In April,
the label reissued the band's first three albums and an EP.
Meanwhile, Paul Westerberg will start selling his new music via his
official Web site (www.paulwesterberg.com) for 49 cents starting July
19th.
The first single from AC/DC's new studio album will be "Runaway
Train." Tentatively-titled Black Ice, the disc is due out on
Oct. 28th in North America via an exclusive deal with Wal-Mart.
Former Split Enz/Crowded House member Tim Finn will release an 8-track
compilation, Rarities/Demos/Live Performances Vol. 1, via his MySpace
page (www.myspace.com/timfinnmusic) on July 25th. He will
also release his new studio album, The Conversation, in Australia in
October. A release date for the album in the U.S. in 2009 is
in the works.
Los Lobos have been working on a children's album that will contain
covers of Disney classics when released in November.
Ray Davies of the Kinks has reportedly written a musical based on,
their biggest U.S. hit, 1983's "Come Dancing." The musical
will begin its 6-week run at London's Theatre Royal Stratford East on
Sept. 13th. Davies is rumored to serve as narrator for the
initial run.
Former Bow Wow Wow vocalist Annabella Lwin recently entered the
recording studio with Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock, original
Blondie guitarist Frankie Infante and drummer Randy Cook to record an
EP with all proceeds going to benefit the people of Burma.
Lwin also recently released a new solo single entitled "L.O.V.E."
Vermont ice cream vendor Ben & Jerry's will unleash Goodbye
Yellow Brickle Road dedicated to Elton John to celebrate John's first
performance in the state. All proceeds will benefit the Elton
John AIDS Foundation. The limited-edition flavor will only be
available in Ben & Jerry's Vermont Scoop Shops from July 18th
to 25th.
LL Cool J has been enlisted as a guest judge for an episode this
season of Bravo's Project Runway. Speaking of judges, Kiss'
Gene Simmons has been tapped by CBS to judge the reality show
Jingles. Slated to premiere later this year, contestants will
write and perform jingles for a variety of subjects with the winner
taking home $100,000 and an advertising contract.
Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali has launched a new rock act called
Freakshow with Cinderella's Jeff La Bar and Markus Allen Christopher of
M!ss Crazy with plans to start recording their debut album later this
month.
Earth, Wind & Fire frontman Philip Bailey recently told
Billboard.com that the band are planning a 3-disc package similar to
Journey's Revelation (CD of original material, live CD and concert
DVD.) Azoff Music Management, who handles the band, has made
lucrative exclusive deals for the Eagles and Journey with Wal-Mart.
Elvis Costello has recorded a guest vocal on "Carpetbaggers" which will
appear on Jenny Lewis' second solo album, Acid Tongue, due out in
September via Warner Bros.
Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine has contributed guitar
performances on two songs that will appear on Gemma Hayes' upcoming
album, The Hollow Of Morning, due out Sept. 30th.
It seems that David Lee Roth was right that he wasn't the one rescued
by police after being pulled over for speeding and suffering from an
allergic reaction to cashews. Identified as David Kuntz by
police, he had been masquerading around Canada pretending to be the
singer. According to a police spokesperson, Kuntz has
"scammed a lot of people" and could be charged with obstruction of
justice for giving a false name to cops.
Rhino plans to release a Golden Smog retrospective entitled Stay Golden
on Sept. 23rd. The collection will include a
previously-unreleased cover of Brian Wilson's "Love And Mercy."
Glen Phillips has recorded a Loft session for XM Satellite Radio
channel 50, the Loft, that debuts on July 21st and re-airs, on 7/24,
7/25, 7/26, 7/27 and 8/4.
"Time Turns Elastic," the orchestral work penned by Phish frontman Trey
Anastasio and composer Don Hart, premieres on Sept. 27th at Nashville's
Ryman Auditorium. Anastasio has been working on the project
for the last year and a half.
Crosby, Stills & Nash plan to record their first studio album
since 1994's After The Storm. They will be entering the
studio with Rick Rubin in early 2009 to record a covers album for
Columbia Records due out later that year.
PerezHilton.com recently posted a nude photo allegedly taken and leaked
by the former lover of B-52s vocalist Kate Pierson. There has
been no comment made about the photo by the band at this time.
The Meat Puppets have headed into the recording studio in their
hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, to work on a new album.
A spokesman for UB40 has clarified that "Maxi [Priest] is collaborating
with the band to record material but he won't be the new leadsinger,
that will be Duncan Campbell, the brother of Ali and Robin
Campbell. He will only be appearing with them for this
recording." Priest has also been accompanying the group on
tour dates.
Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin has released his new
10-track solo album, Concrete, to iTunes. Former bandmate
Duff McKagan appears on the title track.
David Byrne and Brian Eno have reportedly finished mixing their new
studio album that they plan to self-release later this year.