Motley Crue vocalist Vince Neil was injured during his performance on Thursday (Sept. 13th) at Seacrets in Ocean
City, Maryland. Neil accidentally hit his head on one of the PA speakers during the set resulting in a nasty cut
but continued to play. Reports claim that he was checked into a nearby hospital where he received 6 stitches.
Prince has announced plans to sue YouTube, eBay and Pirate Bay for unauthorized use of his music in an attempt
to "reclaim his art on the Internet." In a statement released on his behalf, "YouTube... are clearly
able (to) filter porn and pedophile material but appear to choose not to filter out the unauthorized music and
film content which is core to their business success." The action against Pirate Bay is for their alleged
involvement in music and film piracy and against eBay for the numerous lines of pirated items bearing his name
(clocks, socks, mugs and key rings) of which 300 have been removed (100 to 500 items are added daily.)
Johnny Cash has been pardoned 42 years after being arrested in Starkville, Mississippi, for picking flowers from
a resident's garden. The singer was inspired to write the song, "Starkville City Jail," after being released
from a night in the local prison. The town will honor the singer with the Johnny Cash Flower Pickin' Festival from
Nov. 2nd to 4th.
Michael Jackson's 1995 hit, "You Are Not Alone," has been a big topic in Belgium. The courts there have
ruled that two Belgians wrote the song and not R. Kelly who is credited with the songwriting. The duo are reportedly
now entitled to writing royalties earned over the last 12 years by Kelly for the track. The song was the first
single to ever debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Security guard Gary Armijo filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Aug. 29th claiming that Axl Rose "intentionally
kicked [him] in the head proximately causing severe physical injuries" during a concert at Los Angeles' Gibson
Amphitheater in December of 1996. Rose's attorney has called the allegations frivolous and an attempt to get money
from the singer. He also claims that there is video that contradicts the allegations.
CBS and the Federal Communications Commission have been in the third U.S. Circuit Court Of Appeals in Philadelphia
recently fighting over whether CBS should or should not be held financially responsible for Janet Jackson's "wardrobe
malfunction" over 3 and a half years ago. CBS argues that they should not be penalized for broadcasting "fleeting,
isolated, or unintended" images.
Bjork's "Earth Invaders" has been nominated for Best Video at the Q Awards 2007. U2 have also been nominated
for Best Act In The World Today.
Reba McEntire has been named as the first recipient of Billboard's Woman Of the Year award. The honor will be presented
to her on Oct. 5th in New York and coincides with the magazine's second annual Women In Music issue.
Boogie Down Productions principal KRS-One will be honored with the "I Am Hip Hop" Icon Award on Oct.
13th in Atlanta at the BET Hip-Hop Awards.
Brian Wilson and Diana Ross are among those to be honored by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
on Dec. 2nd. Meanwhile, Wilson hopes to record the new work, That Lucky Old Sun, he premiered at London's Royal
Festival Hall on Sept. 10th. Wilson is currently unsigned and has no specific timetable in mind for the recording.
Yoko Ono has announced plans to unveil the Imagine Peace Tower on Oct. 9th in Reykjavik, Iceland, in time to honor
what would have been John Lennon's 67th birthday. In 1967, Lennon reportedly made a wish for a conceptual light
tower. Ono hopes the sculpture will "give light to strong wishes of world peace."
Led Zeppelin have announced that they will reform for one night only to perform at London's 22,000-seat O2 arena
on Nov. 26th. One reason for the show will be to pay tribute to Atlantic Records co-founder and chairman emeritus
Ahmet Ertegun, who died last December. Led Zeppelin released all their albums through Atlantic. Tickets will be
allocated via a lottery through Ahmettribute.com with registration ending midday Sept. 19th and the tickets expected
to cost around $250.
Toto's David Paich is currently in China preparing to compose a theme song for the 2008 Olympic Games.
Koch Records has scheduled the release of the Smithereens new holiday album, Christmas With The Smithereens, for
Oct. 9th. Frontman Pat DiNizio is expected to release a self-titled solo album on Sept. 25th via East West Records.
Alison Moyet will be a featured interview in the November edition of The Word magazine as she talks about her new
studio effort, The Turn. The magazine heads to stores on Oct. 11th.
A brand new animated video for They Might Be Giants' "The Shadow Government" has been released at: http://www.spinner.com/2007/09/12/video-premiere-they-might-be-giants-the-shadow-government/
Another song, "I'm Impressed," has a new video up at: http://www.spin.com/video/2007/09/070914_theymightbegiants/
Both songs come from their recently released album, The Else.
A new book, Sometimes! - A Life Of Love, Loss & Erasure, by Paul Hickey is due out soon. Hits! The Very Best
Of Erasure will be re-released on Oct. 29th as a 3-disc package (2-CDs with 20 classic singles and 18 mixes and
a DVD containing their first 35 videos.)
According to recent reports, the Cult's new studio album, Born Into This, was recorded in 36 days. This is much
quicker than the nearly 18 months Beyond Good And Evil took but was a decision by the band to re-embrace their
punk-rooted past. Joining Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy on the album are bassist Chris Wyse and former
Anthrax drummer John Tempesta who both appeared on Beyond Good And Evil. Born Into This is due out on Oct. 2nd
via New Wilderness/Roadrunner.
Coinciding with the band's 30th anniversary, London's Movie Poster Art Gallery will hold a Private View for "The
Jam Unseen" on Oct. 3rd. The photographic exhibition features rare and never-before-seen photographs taken
by "Twink", the band's official photographer from 1981-1982, running from Oct. 6th to Oct. 20th.
Tommy Lee announced that he was quitting Motley Crue last week but has issued a new statement. "I am a founding
member of Motley Crue. I have tried to meet with my bandmates repeatedly without success but have informed them
that I'm not walking away from my band of twenty-five years." "It troubles me that the current legal
issues which were filed by the corporations against my personal manager are separating us and causing more dysfunction.
I hope we can work this out amongst ourselves." News that Lee wasn't with the band anymore surfaced in an
amended lawsuit by the band against Lee's former manager Carl Stubner which said that the drummer had informed
Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars and share-holders of Motley Crue, Inc., that he was resigning from the band and his resignation
was accepted. He has also posted his account of what happened at the MTV Video Music Awards at his TommyLee.tv
homepage. Lee reportedly purchased a $6 million 9,000 sq. ft. home in Calabasas, California.
Howard Jones has been busy in the studio working on his next album. Jones also has his own podcast, The Howard
Jones Podcast, where he recently (episode 3 which can be found at howardjones.com) aired a few snippets from his
new studio work.
The new 4-hour Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers documentary, Runnin' Down A Dream, by director Peter Bogdanovich
will premiere at the New York Film Festival on Oct. 14th and on the Sundance Channel on Oct. 29th. The DVD is expected
out in October and a coffee table book of the same name heads to stores on Nov. 1st.
Aretha Franklin has a new duets collection, Jewels In The Crown: All-Star Duets With The Queen, due out Nov. 13th.
The collection includes previously-released duets with Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Annie Lennox, Frank Sinatra,
George Michael, Bonnie Raitt, Keith Richards, Mariah Carey, John Legend and Fantasia. Her duet with Fantasia, "Put
You Up On Game," will be released as a single on Oct. 1st.
Willie Nelson is reportedly part of the cast of the upcoming political comedy film, Swing Vote, which is being
produced by Kevin Costner's Treehouse production company. Costner, Dennis Hopper, Kelsey Grammer and George Lopez
are also among the cast. Nelson recently called off several concerts due to a reported bout of exhaustion.
Amy Grant's first-ever career retrospective, Greatest Hits, will be released on Oct. 2nd via Sparrow/EMI America
Records. The 19-track disc will also be released as a special edition CD/DVD package as well as digitally.
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails has given his blessing to fans attending his concert in Sydney to steal his music
by either five-finger discount or illegal downloading. Reznor has been fighting with his record label over the
excessive price of his Year Zero CDs in Australia.
Celine Dion will release her new English-language album, Taking Chances, on Nov. 13th via Columbia. The first single
will be the title-track which was written by Eurythmics' Dave Stewart and Kara DioGuardi. Also confirmed for the
album is a cover of Heart's "Alone."
Exodus will release their new studio album, The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A, on Oct. 23rd in the U.S. (Oct.
26th in Europe.) A new song, "Children Of A Worthless God," from the album will be among the tracks on
a free CD in the new Terrorizer magazine.
Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds has produced 4 songs for the next studio album by Island Records act The 88.
Whitesnake will release their new 14-track studio album, Good To Be Bad, via SPV on May 13th.
Legendary punk act Operation Ivy will see their 1991 self-titled compilation re-released in a remastered version
on Nov. 6th via Hellcat Records. The band split-up in 1989 with two members (Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman) leaving
to form Rancid.
Queen Latifah, who releases her second vocal album Trav'lin Light, on Sept. 25th via Verve, has already started
work on some music for her next rap album.
Stevie Wonder expects to release his new album, The Gospel Inspired By Lula, as early as Jan. 11th. The date is
a special one as the album dedicated to his late mother Lula Mae Hardaway could be out on what would have been
her 77th birthday.
Madonna recently met and exchanged gifts with Israeli President Shimon Peres during her visit to the country for
the Kabbalah conference, jokingly declaring herself an "ambassador for Judaism." This has angered some
who object to her not converting to Judaism but receiving lessons in Kabbalah, which is often restricted to those
who have thoroughly reviewed the entire Talmud. Meanwhile, threats to Madonna and Britney Spears recently became
known. Palastinian terror group the Popular Resistance Committees spokesperson and senior leader Muhammad Abdel-Al
was quoted in the new book Schmoozing With Terrorists: From Hollywood To The Holy Land Jihadists Reveal Their Global
Plans--To A Jew! "If I meet these whores I will have the honor--I repeat, I will have the honor-- to be the
first one to cut the heads off Madonna and Britney Spears if they keep spreading their Satanic culture against
Islam."
Lou Gramm has signed a deal with Sepectra records to release his new album that is in its final stages. A new Gramm
compilation will be released by Rhino Records as part of their Flashback series.
Go West's new live DVD, Twenty One, heads to stores on Sept. 24th. The Lost World Trek (starring Go West's Richard
Drummie, ABC's Martin Fry and former Spandau Ballet vocalist Tony Hadley) will be released the same day.
Ricky Skaggs has recorded an album with his wife Sharon, sister-in-law Cheryl and father-in-law Buck (and his backing
band Kentucky Thunder) entitled Salt Of The Earth due out Sept. 25th. The disc is credited to Ricky Skaggs And
The Whites and will be released on Skaggs Family Records.
Loverboy's new studio album, Just Getting Started, will be released via Rock Star Music exclusively at Wal-Mart
on Nov. 7th.
Former Black Flag and Circle Jerks vocalist Keith Morris and Fear vocalist/guitarist Lee Ving will have cameo roles
in Lighthouse Entertainment's upcoming teen comedy, Endless Bummer, currently in production.
Bootsy Collins will see reissues of his 1980 album Ultra Wave and 1982's The One Giveth, The Count Taketh Away
on Oct. 16th via Collectors' Choice. The label (through their new label Noble Rot) is also planning to reissue
albums by the Surf Punks, Cicadas and Beatnik Beatch.
Ministry's Al Jourgensen has signed on to score, music supervise and create the soundtrack to the upcoming horror
feature film, Wicked Lake. He is also expected to play a small role in the film which is due to be released in
the spring.
A Tribe Called Quest's former MC Q-Tip will release his latest solo album, The Renaissance, early next year. The
first single from the disc will be "Work It Out."
The Underworld will release their new 11-track studio album, Oblivion With Bells, on Oct. 16th via Side One Recordings.
Southern rock pioneer guitarist/vocalist Hughie Thomasson, 55, of The Outlaws (and later Lynyrd Skynyrd) passed
away in his Brooksville, Florida, home on Sunday night (Sept. 9th.) According to CMT, "He went out to dinner
with his wife Mary on Sunday, went home, got comfortable in his favorite chair to watch football and then passed
away from a heart attack during a nap."
Jazz keyboardist Joe Zawinul, 75, died of a rare form of skin cancer on Sept. 11th in his native city of Vienna.
The highly-regarded Zawinul had been voted best keyboardist 30 times by music magazine Down Beat's critics' poll
(including this year.) Zawinul turned down an offer of employment from Miles Davis until joining him in 1969 just
before their work on the classic Bitches Brew album. In 1970 he started Weather Report with saxophonist Wayne Shorter
and continued to record 17 albums with them until they broke up in 1985. Original and cover versions of their 1977
song "Birdland" would win Grammy awards in three decades (the original, a cover by Quincy Jones and a
cover by Manhattan Transfer.)
Cuban trombone-playing legend Generoso Jimenez, 90, died from renal failure in Miami on Saturday (Sept. 15th.)
Jimenez had a prolific career as an original member of Orquesta Aragon, Chico O'Farrill's band and with vocalist
Beny More. Jimenez' did release a solo album in 2002, Generoso, Que Bueno Toca Usted, which was nominated for a
Latin Grammy. He left Cuba for Miami the following year and most recently can be heard as a featured guest on Gloria
Estefan's new album, 90 Millas.