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80's Nuts News Archive
12/31/99
Someone's got their mind set on assault. George Harrison is in stable condition after he and his wife were attacked
at their home on Wednesday. Harrison was stabbed in the chest several times, with one wound penetrating his chest
wall. He was treated at Royal Berkshire Hospital in nearby Reading. According to doctors, the 56-year-old's injuries
were not life-threatening yet an inch-deep stab wound that partially collapsed his right lung just missed a major
chest artery. His wife, Olivia, received a minor head injury in the brawl but so did the assailant when she hit
his head with a lamp. Amazingly, the Harrison's fought off the 33 year-old intruder and were able to restrain him
until the police arrived. Police said George told hospital authorities that his attacker "wasn't a burglar
and he certainly wasn't auditioning for the Traveling Wilburys." Just last year Harrison announced that he
was battling throat cancer.
Phil Solem and Danny Wilde have been a part of many great projects during the last two decades. From Great Buildings
in the 80's to The Rembrandts in the 90's. And after Solem departed to spend more time with his family, Wilde trudged
on with the album Spin This by Danny Wilde & The Rembrandts. Word is out that Phil has returned and The Rembrandts
are on their way back to the canvas.
Eddie Money is in the studio. He has two new songs that may become sports themes. "Through The Eyes Of A Child"
is in the running to be used for Major League Baseball while "We Love It All" has been commissioned as
the Arena Football League theme. Both songs will be included in a new 'greatest hits' due out next year where he
is re-recording his hits. Essentially, he's taking the road Prince did. According to Money, Columbia is making
all the cash on his Greatest Hits. By redoing them he'll have the CD and actually make money on it.
Associated Press reports that Ice-T testifed in the murder trial of old friend, Tony Jake. He said that he had
sent Jake thousands of dollars while he was in prison at Pennsylvania's Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary. Jake was
charged with a fatal 1991 prison stabbing and was also accused of paying another inmate to take the fall for the
crime, asking a woman to lie to a grand jury. The stabbing allegedly took place over a crack deal gone bad. Jake
was eventually acquitted of the slaying but was found guilty of obstruction of justice in connection with the investigation.
Don Johnson is a daddy for the third time. His wife, Kelley, gave birth on the 28th to the couple's first child
Atherton Grace. "Mother and baby are doing extraordinary," Elliot Mintz, the actor's publicist, announced.
Named after Kelley Johnson's late father, Atherton Macondray Phleger, a lawyer and Wells Fargo Bank board member,
she weighed in at 7 pounds, 15 ounces. The Johnsons will be calling her "Grace" or "Gracie,"
according the Don's publicist. Johnson, 50, and the former Kelley Phleger, a 30-year-old nursery school teacher,
married last year.
Another baby girl was born last week but this one is named Zola Ivy Murphy. The baby came to Eddie Murphy and his
wife Nicole as a form of Christmas Eve present. The Murphy family released a statement. "We are ecstatic and
very happy about the fourth addition to our family."
Willie Nelson announced the Farm Aid organization's grand totals for 1999 at $718,000. Family groups across the
nation will receive $611,000 of that total. The organization was founded in 1985 by Nelson, Neil Young and John
Mellencamp which funds a variety of programs for farmers in the U.S., including grants for drought and flood relief
as well as legal and financial counseling. Since Farm Aid began it has donated over $15 million to help farm organizations
and agencies across the country.
The sequel to 1996's Mission: Impossible might be getting a harder edge. Metallica is currently working on a song
for the move for the soundtrack. The song is written but now it's figuring out the production. As they work on
the song they will continue with the mini-tour they started Tuesday in Miami.
Since 1942, Billboard has had a chart for R&B whether whether they were the Black charts or Soul. And entering
into the new millenium they tack on the term Hip-Hop. For the last 5 years 4 hip-hop titles held the year's top
R&B album spot. Many radio stations have been starting to promote themselves as "hip-hop and R&B"
stations to note the difference. Whether further labeling changes will happen in the future... who knows. Things
seemed so much easier when we just looked at Pop charts.
KC is going into the studio with the Sunshine Band. Not the original band but this marks a first for KC (Harry
Wayne Casey) who has released several best of collections since going back to performing but not new material.
Many rumours are out over who he may be collaborating with for the songwriting. KC's last hit was as a solo act
in 1984 with "Give It Up".
Danzig will be re-releasing 3 of their albums through emaginemusic.com next year. 1996's Blackaciddevil, 1993's
Black Aria and the EP Sacrifice will be available as downloads and as regular CDs through the label's site. The
site does not specify the format of the downloads. Black Aria has been out of print for 3 years and the new version
of Blackaciddevil will include three new tracks.
David Bowie has issued a consumer warning to autograph-seeking fans who visit eBay. "I would like to mention,
by the way, just to save you folks some money, that 98 percent of the autographed items on eBay are fakes. So please
be careful," Bowie warned during a recent online chat. "The major clue is that I rarely sign my name
'Travis.' But seriously, folks, I have only seen a couple of real autographed items on eBay, and I see some of
you paying really good money for the fakes... and, NO, I'm NOT refunding!" Bowie also plans to go back into
the studio in February to record a new album for next year and possible world tour in about a year and a half.
After a long wait to get their latest album Red released in the U.S., T'Pau are already writing new tracks for
their next studio album. Vocalist and chief songwriter Carol Decker is also taking guitar lessons. What that may
do to the sound of the band after basing most of the songs around a keyboard - who knows? They will also be recording
some of their upcoming gigs for a possible live album.
Speaking of hoaxes, don't start pasting pictures of David Coverdale's face on Van Halen posters just yet. Coverdale's
tour manager Michael McIntyre told MTV News that the singer has had no contact with Van Halen, contradicting an
"interview" widely posted at whitesnake.santcugat.com. So we'll have to see what happens from here.
Billy Joel will participate in an online chat on New Year's Eve at ABCNEWS.com starting at 2:30pm PT, just before
his show at New York's Madison Square Garden. Joel's millennium concert will also be featured on ABC-TV's live
"Millennium 2000" coverage.
Big Audio Dynamite have finally released their 1996 album Entering The New Ride to their own website. Joining BAD
for the album was The (English) Beat/General Public's Ranking Roger. No word on the album ever seeing store shelves
though. It seems they are releasing the tracks one at a time. Currently "Sunday Best Christmas ('99 Mix)"
is available at www.bad.co.uk
Maybe it's just the time of year that people want to go back into the studio. Huey Lewis And The News are in there
working on tracks for a possible new release.
Shriekback's follow-up to 1992's Sacred City had been in limbo since it's recording in 1995 but will finally see
the light of day. The album titled Naked Apes And Pond Life will be released in Australia, New Zealand and distributed
to the U.K. No U.S. deal has been signed yet.
Gloria Loring is back after an 8 year hiatus with a new release Turn The Page. She has spent time doing stage work
and continued her role as a spokesperson for biomedical research. She is best remembered for a 1986 duet, the #2
hit "Friends And Lovers" with Carl Anderson, as well as her 6 1/2 year role as Liz Chandler on Days Of
Our Lives.
Dennis DeYoung will be back on stage next year. He will be performing February 12th at the Rosemont Theater in
Chicago. Accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra, he will be performing some Styx tunes, solo material and songs from
his musical "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame." When you've had time to recover from photosensitivity, you'll
wind up pretty productive indoors. DeYoung took the time to rerecord "Mr. Roboto" for the Volkswagen
commercial we've all seen, release a solo compilation titled Dennis DeYoung - The Ultimate Collection and done
a remake of "Grand Illusion" for Siegfried and Roy for their IMAX movie. He also has a duet on the upcoming
album by Jim Peterik entitled "To Miss Somebody."
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