Lloyd Bishop/NBCAretha Franklin is scolding the media for reports alleging that she was removed from the guest list of goddaughter Whitney Houston's funeral after comments she made to NBC's Today supposedly angered Whitney's mother, Cissy Houston.
The Queen of Soul was a no-show at the funeral, explaining that leg spasms kept her from attending the service. But several media reports speculated that she had been "uninvited" after the Today interview.
"Extra TV, the New York Post and Newsday (New York) should stop the BS," Aretha says in a statement. "I have four invitations and parking passes that were sent to me for the funeral."
Shaking a finger at news organizations that are "more interested in sensationalism and negative speculations than the truth," Aretha goes on to say, "The intelligent and the thoughtful thing to do would be to respect and have some sensitivity to the moment." Speaking of her friend of almost 50 years, Aretha says, "Cissy does not need ridiculous speculation and neither do I -- particularly at this time."
Ms. Franklin closes her message with a note about her Today interview, in which she said, "Parents really have to talk to their children before they leave home. They have to make sure when they leave home, they have all the right things. She left home with all the right things, but she just kind of lost her way along the way." Some people saw the comment as a criticism of Whitney and her family, but Aretha says it wasn't. She explains, "... my entire statement was pretaped. However, the Today Show did not air the part of my statement, which said, 'This is no reflection on Cissy or Nippy's upbringing.' Knowing Cissy as well as I do, I know Whitney left home right and properly. I was generalizing and it was a well-intended statement for any young adult coming into the music industry. I was not speaking of anyone specifically."
DeenCastronovo.netJourney drummer Deen Castronovo agreed to a plea deal on Thursday in connection with his arrest last month in Oregon following an apparently violent dispute with his former girlfriend. According to StatesmanJournal.com, the agreement calls for the rocker to attend anger-management classes and do 80 hours of community service.
Castronovo was arrested on January 20 at a home in West Salem after a local resident reported to police that a man and woman were fighting across the street. The drummer was charged with four misdemeanor counts -- harassment, criminal mischief, recklessly endangering another person and interfering with making a police report. Castonovo initially pleaded not guilty to the charges in an Oregon circuit court on January 31.
Photo: Ash NewellA trio of rock luminaries from Middle America, Styx, REO Speedwagon and Ted Nugent, will team up for a major U.S. tour in the coming months. The trek, aptly dubbed the Midwest Rock 'n Roll Express, is scheduled to make 30 stops across the country during the late spring and early summer. The tour will get under way on May 1 in Hidalgo, Texas, and currently is mapped out through a July 7 concert in Gilford, New Hampshire.
"Forget all those TV shows with glee clubs singing rock songs," Styx guitarist James "JY" Young said in a statement. "It's time for mega-platinum Illinois bands Styx and REO Speedwagon in a battle to the end of the Mayan calendar with the Motor City Madman!"
Added REO Speedwagon frontman Kevin Cronin, "In the Midwest we work hard, play hard and rock hard. I am proud to join my brothers in Styx and Ted Nugent to celebrate Midwest rock 'n roll and represent the greatest rock fans in the world."
Not surprisingly, Nugent also had something to say about the trek, declaring, "The heart and soul of American R&B&R&R has always gushed forth from the heartland of America. REO, Styx and the Nuge have always celebrated the power of our special music and on the mighty Midwest Rock 'n Roll Express, the energy, attitude and spirit is more intense than ever. This is the soundtrack for the hardcore."
Here are the confirmed dates for the Midwest Rock 'n Roll Express tour (*denotes that Ted Nugent will not appear):
5/1 -- Hidalgo, TX, State Farm Arena 5/3 -- Albuquerque, NM, Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque Presents The Pavilion *5/4 -- Tucson, AZ, Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre (no Ted Nugent) 5/5 -- Las Vegas, NV, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino 5/6 -- Los Angeles, CA, Greek Theatre 5/8 -- Denver, CO, Red Rocks Amphitheatre 5/10 -- Council Bluffs, IA, Mid America Arena 5/11 -- Oklahoma City, OK, Zoo Amphitheatre *5/12 -- Houston, TX, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (no Ted Nugent) 5/13 -- Corpus Christi, TX, Concrete Street Amphitheatre 5/17 -- Charlotte, NC, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre 5/19 -- Virginia Beach, VA, Farm Bureau Live Amphitheatre 5/20 -- Alpharetta, GA, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre 6/21 -- Kansas City, MO, Starlight Amphitheatre 6/22 -- St. Louis, MO, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre 6/23 -- Ft. Knox, KY, Godman Army Airfield 6/24 -- Chicago, IL, Charter One Pavilion 6/26 -- Cincinnati, OH, Riverbend Music Center 6/28 -- Detroit, MI, DTE Energy Music Theatre 6/29 -- Scranton, PA, Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain 6/30 -- Cleveland, OH, Blossom Music Center 7/1 -- Atlantic City, NJ, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa Event Center 7/3 -- Verona, NY, Turning Stone Resort Casino 7/5 -- Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun Arena 7/6 -- Big Flats, NY, Summer Stage 7/7 -- Gilford, NH, Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion
CarnegieStones.comMore stars have been added to the impressive lineup of musicians who will perform at the Rolling Stones tribute concert scheduled for March 13 at New York City's famed Carnegie Hall. Jackson Browne, Ian Hunter, John Sebastian of Lovin' Spoonful fame and New York Dolls singer David Johansen are the latest luminaries to join the event's bill. Among the previously announced artists who will appear at the show are Art Garfunkel, Ronnie Spector, Marianne Faithfull, Rickie Lee Jones, Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson, Taj Mahal and Rosanne Cash.
The concert will commemorate the 40th anniversary of The Stones' Hot Rocks 1964-1971 album, and will feature 21 acts performing the 21 tunes featured on the compilation.
The event is the latest in a series of all-star tribute shows organized by entrepreneur Michael Dorf that have been held at Carnegie Hall in recent years. Proceeds raised by the concert will be distributed between eight charities that provide music education to underprivileged youths.
Photo: LeAnn MuellerChickenfoot is getting ready to hit the road this spring for the Different Devil Tour 2012, which will take the supergroup across North America during May and June. As frontman Sammy Hagar revealed recently to ABC News Radio, the trek will kick off on May 4 and 5 with a two-night stand at Harrah's Hotel & Casino in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
Hard-rockers Black Stone Cherry will open for the 'Foot at its upcoming shows, which are scheduled through a June 10 concert at Los Angeles' Greek Theater. The outing will include a previously announced May 27 set at the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma. Pre-sale tickets for the shows will be available starting next week.
Here are all of Chickenfoot's confirmed North American dates:
5/4 -- Lake Tahoe, NV, Harrah's Hotel & Casino 5/5 -- Lake Tahoe, NV, Harrah's Hotel & Casino 5/9 -- Denver, CO, The Fillmore Auditorium 5/11 -- Minneapolis, MN, The Brick 5/12 -- Chicago, IL, Chicago Theater 5/14 -- Detroit, MI, The Fillmore 5/16 -- Boston, MA, Orpheum Theater 5/18 -- Atlantic City, NJ, House of Blues 5/19 -- Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun 5/21 -- New York, NY, Beacon Theater 5/23 -- St. Louis, MO, Fox Theater 5/25 -- Thackerville, OK, Winstar Casino 5/27 -- Pryor, OK, Catch the Fever Festival (Rocklahoma) 5/29 -- Houston, TX, Bayou Music Center 5/31 -- Tucson, AZ, Anselmo Valencia Amphitheater 6/1 -- Las Vegas, NV, The Joint 6/3 -- Portland, OR, Schnitzer Hall 6/5 -- Vancouver, Canada, Queen Elizabeth Theater 6/6 -- Seattle, WA, WaMu Theater 6/10 -- Los Angeles, CA, Greek Theater
EMI MusicJudging by comments guitarist Ronnie Wood made recently, The Rolling Stones may be close to finalizing plans for a 2012 tour to celebrate their 50th anniversary as a band. In a new interview with Radio Times, Wood revealed that he and his band mates are "all ready to go" on the much-speculated-about outing.
"[It's just] a matter of tying up loose ends," the rocker told the magazine.
Wood also confirmed that The Stones got together to jam in London in December. "It was great," he declared. "Keeping our chops together, that's what we love. Basically, get the boys feeling comfortable with each other. We're all happy -- we were happy before Christmas. It's getting better each time."
Wood did point out, however, that the trek still isn't set in stone, noting that "each week brings a new development."
MickJagger.comMick Jagger, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks joined other notable musicians Tuesday night at the White House for a celebration of the blues. President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama hosted the concert in the East Room in recognition of Black History Month.
Obama joked at the start of the event that as president, he can't take a walk or go for a drive. However, he continued, "There are other nights where B.B. King and Mick Jagger come over to your house to play for a concert. So I guess things even out a little bit."
Obama said blues music was the forerunner to the rock and roll, R&B and hip-hop genres. He said the blues had "humble beginnings -- roots in slavery and segregation, a society that rarely treated black Americans with the dignity and respect that they deserved. The blues bore witness to these hard times and like so many of the men and women who sang them, the blues refused to be limited by the circumstances of their birth."
B.B. King got the music portion of the concert started with renditions of "Let the Good Times Roll" and “The Thrill Is Gone.” Jagger performed “I Can’t Turn You Loose” and “Miss You.”
Obama, fresh off his performance of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" at a New York fundraiser a few weeks ago, demonstrated his vocal chops again Tuesday night, joining the other musicians for a performance of "Sweet Home Chicago" in a nod to his hometown.
The concert will air Monday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time on PBS as part of the PBS' In Performance at the White House series.
TeenageCancerTrust.orgPaul McCartney will headline the second night of the 2012 Teenage Cancer Trust benefit concerts, which will take place from March 28 through April 3 at London's Royal Albert Hall. To kick off this year's edition of the annual fundraising series, The Who's Roger Daltrey will perform on a bill that also will feature former Jam frontman Paul Weller and Stereophonics singer Kelly Jones.
The concerts raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust, a UK charity that helps support medical facilities and programs for young people suffering from cancer. McCartney is expected to perform selections from his new standards album, Kisses on the Bottom, at the March 29 gig.
Daltrey, a longtime Teenage Cancer Trust patron and one of the organizers of the events, said in a statement, "Every year my team and I work really hard to make these concerts…something special. This year is no exception and the lineup of artists donating their time and talent is incredible."
Columbia RecordsAs the March 7 release of Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball approaches, the Boss has begun treating fans to a preview of his upcoming album a little bit at a time. Springsteen is allowing one song from the record to be streamed on a different website each weekday for 24 hours from midnight to midnight ET through March 2.
The preview began on Monday, with the tune "Easy Money" being made available at the Backstreets.com fan site. On Tuesday, "Shackled and Drawn" made its online debut at RollingStone.com. Check BruceSpringsteen.net each day to find out the Web location that will host the next track.
Here is schedule for the remaining songs that will be streamed at various sites and the day that they will premiere:
2/22 -- "Jack of All Trades" 2/23 -- "Death to My Hometown" 2/24 -- "This Depression" 2/27 -- "Wrecking Ball" 2/28 -- "You've Got It" 2/29 -- "Rocky Road" 3/1 -- "Land of Hope and Dreams" 3/2 -- "We Are Alive"
PETER MUHLY/AFP/Getty ImagesQueen's Brian May and Roger Taylor have officially confirmed that they will indeed be joining forces with ex-American Idol finalist Adam Lambert again for a special one-off concert performance this summer. On July 7, the legendary rockers and the up-and-coming singer will headline the second day of the touring Sonisphere Festival's stop at Knebworth Park in Stevenage, England. The set will be a homecoming of sorts for May and Taylor, as Queen played its very last concert with late singer Freddie Mercury at Knebworth in August 1986.
The July show also will mark the first time that the Queen members will give a full-length performance with Lambert, who previously sang with May and Taylor on the 2009 American Idol finale and at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards last November.
In a statement, May said about the upcoming collaboration, "Judging by my incoming mail, this decision will make a lot of people very happy. It's a worthy challenge for us, and I'm sure Adam would meet with Freddie's approval! And what better place to revisit, and walk those emotional paths than Knebworth? It will be a rush."
Added Lambert, "I'm completely in awe of the Queen phenomenon. The thought of sharing the stage for a full set is so beautifully surreal. I'm honored to be able to pay my respects to Freddie's memory. He's a personal hero of mine and I am deeply grateful for the chance to sing such powerful music for fans of this legendary band."
The confirmation of the performance comes after a recent report in a British newspaper quoted Lambert as saying he would be singing with Queen at this summer's Sonisphere Festival, and a subsequent message from the singer insisting that his comments were taken out of context.
After the announcement broke Monday, Lambert wrote on Twitter, "Sorry to be coy about the details the past few weeks, but I made a promise to keep it under wraps as best I could."
MickJagger.comJust a reminder that The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger will be giving his first ever performance at the White House as part of a star-studded blues music celebration taking place in conjunction with Black History Month. President Barack Obama will be on hand for the event, dubbed "In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues," which also will feature blues greats B.B. King and Buddy Guy, as well as guitar icon Jeff Beck and Allman Brothers Band members Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks.
Booker T. Jones of Booker T & the MGs is musical director for the show, which will be streamed live from the East Room of the White House starting at 7:15 p.m. ET at WhiteHouse.gov/live, PBS.org/WhiteHouse and BlackPublicMedia.org/WhiteHouseBlues. Highlights from the extravaganza will be shown as a special this Monday at 9 p.m. ET on local PBS stations.
On Monday, Jagger posted a message on Twitter that said, "Met President Obama who listened to a few tunes during rehearsal, he seemed really relaxed and happy!" Attached to the tweet was a photo that showed the rock star and his longtime girlfriend, L'Wren Scott, at the White House.
Photo: Rob ShanahanEarlier this month, Yes announced that it had hired Glass Hammer singer John Davison to replace frontman Benoit David on the prog-rock group's upcoming tour dates because David hadn't recovered from an illness that had forced the band to cancel the last three shows of its 2011 European trek. Well, the move is now a permanent one.
In a recent interview with Noise11.com, bassist Chris Squire declared that David had "officially left Yes." This information apparently came as news to David, who joined the band in 2008 when founding frontman Jon Anderson was sidelined with respiratory problems.
David addressed his ouster from the group in a statement posted Friday on the Facebook page of Richard Lanthier, who played with the singer in the Canadian Yes cover band Notes from the Edge.
In the message, David explains that after the European shows were canceled because of his illness, he was told by doctors "to cease touring, for the foreseeable future, in order to avoid further damage to my voice." He then noted that he informed "my fellow band members that I was unable to confirm my availability for, at least, the forthcoming concerts in New Zealand, Australia and Japan."
He also described how that he gave Yes his blessing to find a replacement singer for the upcoming shows.
"I subsequently learnt, from a band member's interview, that I had officially left Yes and that my departure was permanent," he continued. "As this is the situation, everyone should know that I will be eternally grateful for the opportunity I was given and very proud to have contributed to more than 200 concerts and to the Fly from Here and In the Present Live from Lyon albums."
David added, "I would also like to express my appreciation for the support I was given by each member of the band, the fantastic crew, the management and everyone else involved during my time as vocalist in the band. Finally, to the fans who have applauded my efforts and to those I have had the pleasure of meeting -- many thanks, my best wishes and please continue with your support of one of the world's greatest bands -- Yes."
L. Cohen/WireImageThe Beach Boys have released a full-length video for the recently updated version of their classic 1968 hit "Do It Again." The clip features all of the band members who will participate in the group's 50th anniversary reunion tour -- Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks and Bruce Johnston. The video includes scenes of The Beach Boys recording the song in the studio interspersed with footage of young women and men enjoying various surfside activities, as well as various Southern Californian landmarks.
The track is expected to be included on an upcoming studio album from the group. The Beach Boys kick off their 50th anniversary trek on April 24 in Tucson, Arizona.
