My News Booth

Glastonbury festival organizer Michael Eavis announced that Muse and Stevie Wonder will be joining U2 as headliners of the greatly anticipated UK summer concert. Muse is rumored to play on Saturday night but festival bosses have yet to officially confirm Stevie. The organizers said “It is very much a possibility but he’s still only on Michael Eavis’ wish list – so not 100% confirmed, it’s pending.” The music fest, which is set to take place on June 23-27 on Worthy Farm, is already sold out. Other acts confirmed to be performing include the bands Hot Chip, Vampire Weekend and Dizzee Rascal.

This is a heads up to everyone who donated money to Haiti via Wyclef Jean’s charity as past tax returns show that the former Fugees singer has used donation money in the past for personal reasons. There are a couple of sketchy withdrawals taken from The Wyclef Jean Foundation including $31,200 in rent to New York City recording studio Platinum Sound which is owned by Foundation board members, $100,000 to the said studio for “musical performance services of Wyclef Jean at a benefit concert” and $250,000 to Haitian based Telemax for “pre-purchased TV airtime and production services”. This such a douche bag move. Let’s hope he doesn’t dip into the money for the earthquake victims or he has hell to pay.

Well, well… it looks like the lip-synching business is going pretty well… even in Australia. Despite the rumors of that new law of theirs and the fact that they supposedly don’t like it when there is lip-synching involved at concerts, the dwellers from Sydney sure made Britney Spears’ trip there worthwhile. Over the span of four nights, Britney Spears’ show sold 66,247 tickets. Now that’s what you might call a lucrative business… and all of it just for moving her lips to a song. Britney Spears definitely has the ideal profession, doesn’t she? Makes you wonder if that law against lip-synching is ever going to pass with so much economic goodness coming out of the thing.

After getting it all out with regards to the assault and how she felt about it, writing a song and so forth, it looks like Rihanna is finally able to move on… and have an all night show! Rihanna will be making her comeback in London of all places where she will have her first full concert since being assaulted in February by Chris Brown. One of the concert guests said the following about the event: “She may have been away for nine months, but she has certainly not lost anything when it comes to her voice. She sounded incredible, hit every note and completely owned the stage.” Looks like Rihanna is still in shape… too bad it’s not Australia she’ll be hitting and thus she’ll probably lip-synch a bit too. After all, what would a pop artist be without their most trusted instrument: the recorder?

It seems the singer who is also in Australia promoting his new material has criticized those who have asked for a refund for Britney Spears’ concert in Perth. John Mayer wrote the following on his twitter: “If you’re shocked that Britney was lip-syncing at her concert and want your money back, life may continue to be hard for you.” So, he’s still a twitter whore, isn’t he? And what’s he trying to say anyway? Is John Mayer also going to be walking down the path of lip-synching in order to further his support of Britney Spears? Let’s see if he can handle it!

Beyonce’s show has been branded an “insolent sex party” by Islamic conservatives in Egypt.

The sexy singer is due to perform a concert in a resort south of Cairo on Friday evening and giant posters of the star have been plastered across the city.

Beyonce sports a revealing, flame-covered outfit and grips a set of motorcycle handlebars extending from her hips – a sharp contrast to Cairo streets, where most women wear the traditional Muslim headscarves.

TV ads promoting the show, part of Beyonce’s I Am … world tour, have also been running on Egyptian and Arab satellite stations.

But now Islamic conservatives are up in arms, claming the pop star is threatening the Muslim nation’s “social peace and stability”.

“Why are you encouraging this insolent sex party?” lawmaker Hamdi Hassan from the opposition Muslim Brotherhood wrote in a letter to the government.

But conservatives have not derailed the concert, scheduled to take place in the luxury Red Sea resort of Port Ghalib.

Beyonce cancelled her stop in Malaysia last month following opposition from a conservative Islamic party.

Malaysia requires female artists to cover up from the shoulders to the knees and bans any showing of cleavage.

Morrissey, the former lead singer of The Smiths, was rushed to the hospital this past weekend after collapsing on stage during a concert. The 50-year old was performing at the Oasis Leisure Center in Swindon, UK when he complained of having difficulties regarding his breathing. The singer was rushed to the Great Western Hospital where he remained in stable condition. A rep for the hospital said that his condition is not thought to be life threatening. He has since been released with another source saying that he was much improved from when he came in. I wonder what caused the problems in the first place.

U2 have confirmed via video blog that their sold-out concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl in California, Sunday 25th October 2009 will be streamed free, in full and live on YouTube. It’s the first time a show of this size will be streamed live.

The Rose Bowl show is the penultimate U2 show this year – with more to come in 2010 – and already is set to host the venue’s biggest ever audience of over 96, 000 fans. The 360˚ Tour, which has been critically acclaimed and “re-invents rock’n’roll”*, will now boast unique access for fans worldwide – as fans in territories yet to be visited by the tour, or not at all, will be able to enjoy the whole show online. Managed in partnership with Live Nation, this sell-out tour has broken attendance records in most venues it has visited – its success due in part to increased capacity coupled with a lower ticket price and great sight lines afforded by the stunning in-the-round stage set. Visit U2.com or youtube.com/u2official for details of how to join in this ground-breaking on-line event.

U2 manager Paul McGuinness said – “The band has wanted to do something like this for a long time. As we’re filming the LA show, it’s the perfect opportunity to extend the party beyond the stadium. Fans often travel long distances to come to see U2 – this time U2 can go to them, globally.”

YouTube will be streaming live across five continents. The show will be available in the usual You Tube way, as video-on-demand, following two full replays – after the live stream – on both U2.com and You Tube.

“YouTube is thrilled to be able to provide our global audience with a live streaming performance from one of the world’s greatest bands” – Chris Maxcy, Director of YouTube Partner Development. “We are always looking for new ways to connect fans around the world with their favourite artists, and this is the perfect opportunity to do just that.”

Breaking Benjamin lead singer Ben Burnley is going to be part of Xbox Live’s “Game With Fame” series tonight (10/15)! Ben will be playing “Call of Duty 4″ with the gamertag “BreakBen GwF” (make sure you put the space between BreakBen and GwF!) between the hours of 7pm-9pm EST. Anyone can play so all you need to do is log into XBox live and play “Call of Duty 4″. Make sure to bring your “A” game!

Breaking Benjamin have also just released their new album Dear Agony on September 29th. The album made a big splash at iTunes, debuting at Number 1 on the album chart.

Breaking Benjamin are also about to embark on a fall tour with Rev Theory, Sick Puppies (select dates), The Veer Union (select dates), and Adelitas Way.

Tour dates are as follows:

11/29/09 Sunken Garden Amphitheatre, San Antonio, TX

12/2/09 The Pavilion, Lubbock, TX

12/5/09 The Cotillion, Wichita, KS

12/6/09 Shrine Mosque, Springfield, MO

12/8/09 Val Air Ballroom, West Des Moines, IA

12/9/09 Sioux Falls Convention Center, Sioux Falls, SD

12/14/09 Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO

12/16/09 The Egyptian Room at Murat Centre, Indianapolis, IN

“I Will Not Bow” video:
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=62208288

Between school, recording sessions, and her recent visit to Canada, singer/songwriter/actress Kate Voegele has certainly been busy lately! In a new video blog posted on her Myspace page, Kate updates fans on what’s been going on in her life and fills everyone in on her upcoming tour dates. Check it out here. She will be touring across the United States beginning October 7th, and will head to Germany, France, the UK and Ireland at the end of November. Visit her Myspace for the full list of tour dates and ticket details.

KATE VOEGELE U.S. TOUR DATES

10/7 Cleveland, OH – House of Blues

10/8 Norfolk, VA – The Norva

10/9 Asbury Park, NJ – The Wonderbar

10/10 LancasterPark, PA – Chameleon

10/11 Hartford, CT – Webster Theater

10/13 Albany, NY – Revolution Hall

10/14 Boston, MA – Paradise

10/16 Washington, DC – Rock N Roll Hotel

10/18 Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall

10/20 Memphis, TN – Hi Tone Cafe

10/21 Little Rock, AR – Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom

10/22 Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom

10/23 San Antonio, TX – White Rabbit

10/24 McAllen, TX – Buddha Mansion

10/26 Austin, TX – Stubb’s Bar-B-Q

10/28 El Paso, TX – Take 2

10/29 Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad

10/30 Mesa, AZ – Mesa Arts Center

11/1 Tucson, AZ – Club Congress

11/3 Bakersfield, CA – Narducci’s Cafe

11/6 Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Resort

11/7 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court

11/8 Fort Collins, CO – Hodies’s Half Note

11/9 Boulder, CO – Fox Theater

11/11 Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater

11/12 St. Louis, MO – Fubar

11/13 Dekalb, IL – The House Cafe

11/14 Des Moines, IA – People’s Court

11/15 Chicago, IL – Park West

Video Blog
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=63715733

U2 Announces European Tour Dates for 2010
In the midst of the North American leg of their 360° Tour, U2 has announced their fall 2010 European Tour dates. The 12-stop tour will hit Germany, Denmark, Finland, Russia, Austria, Greece, Turkey, France, Spain, and Portugal. Tickets for many of the shows went on sale as early as this week, with more presales scheduled for October 5th-7th. Visit U2.com for all the information.

Also new on the U2 website are some pictures from the band’s most recent tour stops. Check out the photo gallery here.

U2’s twelfth studio album No Line on the Horizon, as well as their I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight Remix EP are available now on iTunes.

Photo Gallery Link:

EUROPEAN TOUR DATES

8/10/2010 Frankfurt, DE – Commerzbank Arena

8/12/2010 Hannover, DE – AWD Stadium

8/15/2010 Horsens, DK – Casa Arena

8/20/2010 Helsinki, FI – Olympic Stadium

8/25/2010 Moscow, RU – Luzhniki

8/30/2010 Vienna, AT – Ernst Happel Stadium

9/03/2010 Athens, GR – Olympic Stadium

9/06/2010 Istanbul, TR – Ataturk Olympic Stadium

9/15/2010 Munich, DE – Olympic Stadium

9/18/2010 Paris, FR – Stade De France

9/29/2010 Seville, ES – Olympic Stadium

10/02/2010 Coimbra, PT – Stadium

Pop-rockers Honor Society debuted at #18 on the Billboard Top 200 this week, moving over 22,000 units of their debut album, Fashionably Late. The band kicked off their second headlining tour on Monday, September 21 in Minneapolis, MN and will continue a run of nearly 40 dates with shows across the United States and Canada including an appearance on The Today Show on Friday, September 25.

The release of Fashionably Late caps off a busy summer for Honor Society as they joined the Jonas Brothers on their World Tour 2009 performing to nearly 1 million fans throughout North America. Honor Society simultaneously headlined their own club tour called The Full Moon Crazy Tour where they brought their high-energy live shows to sold out venues including the Blender Theater in New York City and over 1,500 fans at Club Nokia in Los Angeles.

See below for what the press is saying about Honor Society and Fashionably Late and visit HonorSocietyMusic.com for more info and a full list of tour dates.

Rolling Stone

“Over You” (3 stars) — delivers “shiny heartbreak that splits the difference between *NSYNC and Maroon 5 – all riffing synths… and tunefulness.”

Entertainment Weekly

Honor Society are “crafty pop rock dudes” with songs that “shimmer with freeze-dried funk licks…”

People Magazine

“…fans will likely swoon over …” whose “strongest tracks include the power ballads ‘Where Are You Now’ and ‘Goodnight My Love’ both showcasing Bruno’s emotive tenor. ‘My Own Way’ is an infectious pop-rocker.”

Dallas Morning News

Honor Society are “purveyors of that frenetic catchy-crunchy pop sound of the day…”

U2 Releases New Video Clips from 360° Tour

U2 kicked off the North American leg of their 360° Tour on September 13th, and cameras have been rolling during the shows and behind the scenes. Visit the official U2 YouTube channel to see video clips of songs from the concert, including “Your Blue Room” and “Vertigo” from the Chicago shows, a radio interview in Toronto, and an advance screening of an exclusive U2.com chat with the Edge.

Can’t get enough live U2? Download the new Blackberry app that lets you get inside the new album No Line On The Horizon. The app features song previews, news, tour updates, exclusive images of the band in the recording studio and on the road, and more! Find out the specifics on the Blackberry website.

No Line On The Horizon is U2’s twelfth studio album and is available now, in stores or through iTunes.

Vertigo Link and Embed Code:

Your Blue Room Link and Embed Code:

Toronto Radio Interview Link and Embed Code:

CRASH LOVE will be released September 29 on DGC/Interscope. First single “Medicate,” for which the band is currently shooting a video, is already available on iTunes both as a single download and as part of an 18-song CRASH LOVE deluxe edition featuring multiple bonus tracks both from the CRASH LOVE sessions and the AFI vaults.

AFI recently added another leg of dates to its first series of live shows in the U.S. since its July 7, 2007 Live Earth appearance. The tour commences October 2 in Minneapolis with additional dates running up through a November 22 appearance at Stubbs Amphitheater in Austin, TX.

Produced by Joe McGrath and Jacknife Lee, CRASH LOVE is AFI’s eighth album and arguably the band’s most focused, direct and ambitious effort to date. CRASH LOVE follows up two consecutive platinum AFI albums, 2006’s DECEMBERUNDERGROUND which entered the U.S. chart at #1 and 2003’s SING THE SORROW. AFI’s discography also includes the full lengths THE ART OF DROWNING (2000), BLACK SAILS IN THE SUNSET (1999), SHUT YOUR MOUTH & OPEN YOUR EYES (1997), VERY PROUD OF YA (1996) and ANSWER THAT AND STAY FASHIONABLE (1995).

AFI FALL 2009 U.S. DATES:

10/02/09 – Minneapolis, MN – Epic

10/04/09 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall

10/05/09 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s

10/07/09 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom

10/08/09 – Clifton Park, NY – Northern Lights

10/10/09 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom

10/11/09 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Zoo

10/13/09 – Hartford, CT – The Webster

10/14/09 – Providence, RI – Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel

10/16/09 – Rochester, NY – Water Street Music Hall

10/17/09 – Hampton Beach, NH – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom

10/19/09 – Richmond, VA – The National

10/21/09 – Scranton, PA – Scranton Cultural Center

10/23/09 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion

10/25/09 – Boston, MA – House of Blues

11/03/09 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom

11/04/09 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant

11/06/09 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater

11/07/09 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theater

11/09/09 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit

11/10/09 – Toronto, Canada – The Sound Academy

11/12/09 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory

11/13/09 – New York, NY – Roseland Ballroom

11/15/09 – North Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues

11/16/09 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle

11/18/09 – West Palm Beach, FL – Pompano Beach Amphitheater

11/19/09 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues

11/21/09 – Houston, TX – Verizon Wireless Theater

11/22/09 – Austin, TX – Stubbs Amphitheater

Sophomore Release Due Out November 17th

OneRepublic have unveiled the cover to their highly anticipated sophomore album Waking Up. The follow-up to their Dreaming Out Loud debut is due out on November 17th, and it features the powerful new single “All The Right Moves.” OneRepublic broke records with their mega-hit “Apologize” which became the most legally downloaded song in US digital history.

In anticipation of the album’s release, the Colorado-based quintet is heading out on tour with Rob Thomas. Visit Myspace.com/OneRepublic

to listen to “All The Right Moves” in full and view the upcoming tour schedule.

Full press release below:

In 2007, after seven years together as a band, OneRepublic took the world by storm with their debut release Dreaming Out Loud. The album included the smash first single “Apologize” which shattered digital sales and airplay records worldwide, and along with second single “Stop And Stare” propelled the album to platinum plus sales. Now the boys from Denver are back with a new set and a fall tour! Waking Up will be released November 17th on Mosley/Interscope Records. First single “All The Right Moves” will go for adds at radio September 22nd.

In support of their new release OneRepublic will join Rob Thomas on tour beginning September 23rd at the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, FL.

OneRepublic recorded Waking Up in their home town of Denver, CO. Tedder, an accomplished producer in his own right, and one of the most sought after songwriters of today, has penned and produced hit singles for the likes of Leona Lewis, Beyonce, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Lopez and Natasha Bedingfield and is currently working with Carrie Underwood, Rihanna, Adam Lambert and Rascal Flatts. Naturally he was up for producing duties on his band’s new album.

OneRepublic is Ryan Tedder (songwriter/vocals/keyboard), Zach Filkins (guitar), Drew Brown (guitar), Brent Kutzle (bass, cello), and Eddie Fisher (drums). In addition to their success here in the states, OneRepublic also has tremendous international success achieving gold record status in 12 countries. They have shared the stage with acts such as Lenny Kravitz, The Verve, and Muse at various music festivals around the world.

British singer Elton John has dedicated one of his classic songs to Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon.

Sir Elton made dedicated the song, Tiny Dancer, during his 1 August concert at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Witherspoon, her two children and boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal were attending the show when Elton made his surprise dedication.

The group were all on their feet through much of the outdoor show and were even shown on the big screen, much to the approval of the rest of the music legend’s fans.

The actress is in Philadelphia shooting her latest movie, an as-yet untitled project with director James L Brooks, which also co-stars Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson.

Source: Splash News

Britney Spears seems to be having some trouble unloading as hundreds of VIP tickets were seriously reduced in price to fill the O2 Arena for the recovered pop star’s concert in London last weekend. The promoters were scared that the empty seats would not reflect well on the singer’s image. The tickets which were originally priced at £100 were reduced to a measly £2. That’s a big discount! All the tickets were sold but the huge loss did not make a lot of people happy. It sucks for them but the people that got a good deal were seriously lucky!

The Veronicas just kicked off a cross-country tour in support of their album Hook Me Up. The Australian twin sisters are joined by Taylor Momsen’s (Gossip Girl) new band Pretty Reckless and blues rock group Carney. Check out dates below to see if Lisa and Jess are coming to a city near you.
Get a taste of The Veronicas’ electro-pop sound with the video for their single “Take Me On The Floor.” Visit TheVeronicas.com for more info.
The Veronicas Summer 2009 Tour Dates

Jun 4 2009 Lupos Providence, Rhode Island
Jun 6 2009 Kirby Center Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
Jun 7 2009 Duchess Stadium Poughkeepsie, New York
Jun 9 2009 The Norva Virginia Beach, Virginia
Jun 10 2009 Handlebar Greenville, South Carolina
Jun 12 2009 House Of Blues New Orleans, Louisiana
Jun 13 2009 Varsity Theatre Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Jun 14 2009 Hi-Tone Memphis, Tennessee
Jun 17 2009 House of Blues Dallas Dallas, Texas
Jun 18 2009 The Meridian Houston, Texas
Jun 20 2009 Capitol Fed Park Kansas City, Missouri
Jun 21 2009 Golden Gate Park San Francisco, California
Jun 23 2009 Henry Fonda Theater Los Angeles, California
Jun 24 2009 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom San Francisco, California
Jun 26 2009 Hawthorne Theatre Portland, Oregon
Jun 27 2009 Vancouver, British Columbia
Jun 28 2009 Neumos Seattle, Washington
Jun 30 2009 Club Sound Salt Lake City, Utah
Jul 3 2009 Alabama Adventure Theme Park Bessemer, Alabama
Jul 4 2009 Comerica City Fest Detroit, Michigan
Jul 5 2009 Summerfest 2009 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Jul 7 2009 Pops St Louis, Missouri
Jul 8 2009 Peoples Court Des Moines, Iowa
Jul 10 2009 Station 4 Minneapolis, Minnesota
Jul 11 2009 Metro Chicago, Illinois
Jul 12 2009 The Intersection Grand Rapids, Michigan
Jul 14 2009 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Jul 17 2009 Fillmore at TLA Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jul 18 2009 PARC-Elitch Gardens – PARC-Elitch Gardens Denver, Colorado
Jul 21 2009 Six Flags – Six Flags Jackson, New Jersey
Jul 21 2009 Six Flags Jackson, New Jersey
Jul 23 2009 Jones Beach Bay Stage – MTVu Sunblock Music Festival New York, New York
Jul 24 2009 Suffolk Downs Boston, Massachusetts
Jul 25 2009 US Cellular Pavilion – MTVu Sunblock Music Festival Meadowbrook, New Hampshire
Jul 27 2009 The Pier 6 Concert Pavilion – MTVu Sunblock Music Festival Baltimore, Maryland
Jul 29 2009 Six Flags Louisville, Kentucky
Jul 30 2009 Six Flags St. Louis, Missouri
Jul 31 2009 Six Flags Chicago, Illinois

“Take Me On The Floor” video:
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=58460771

The musical legend apparently has more talents besides just being able to sing really, really loud. It seems that Michael Jackson’s skin has the not too common property of glowing in the dark. One of the backing dancers who participated at the tryouts for Michael Jackson’s show, Maya McClean, said the following about meeting the singer: “It was really dark in the auditorium, but his skin was definitely glowing in the dark.” Now that’s an interesting piece of information. Maybe given current circumstance, it’s safe to say about Michael Jackson what was said about Elvis Presley in some circles: he just wants to go home.

Something dramatic happened at Britney Spears’ concert in Los Angeles last week and it had nothing to do with her performance. Right before the show started, some guy got up on stage and popped the question! In front of a huge crowd, the brave man called out his girlfriend to come up on stage and then proposed. Luckily for him, his lady love said yes. As far as the show is concerned, there’s not much craziness or drama to report. It was just another day at work for everyone else. Congratulations to whoever the guy was and his new fiancé.