MUSIC NEWS: MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2017
CHRIS PRONGER - JUSTIN BIEBER
Do you really think Justin Bieber was going to play with some of the best N-H-L players ever and they weren't going to take a shot at him? N-H-L great Chris Pronger pinned the Canadian popstar against the boards during a celebrity exhibition game during the N-H-L All-Star weekend on Saturday. It was all in fun, and there were smiles all around. Bieber's revenge was scoring an empty-net goal. Actor Cuba Gooding Junior, who also played, says he was shocked at how good the 22-year-old can play, and adds, ``He's a real sweet kid, too.''
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BILL MEDLEY - EX WIFE MURDER
Investigators believe they have solved the 1976 murder of the ex-wife of Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers using a controversial D-N-A testing method. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says it solved the case of Karen Klaas ``through the use of familial D-N-A, which identified the killer.''
No other details were given, and a spokeswoman will not say if an arrest was made. Klaas' friends found her unconscious at her home after being sexually assaulted and strangled with her pantyhose. She died a few days later. Medley and Klaas maintained a friendship after their divorce, and Medley had picked up their son at Klaas'
house just hours before. The identification technique has been criticized in the law enforcement community because it identifies likely relatives of suspects.
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GEOFF NICHOLLS - OBIT
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler are confirming the death of Sabbath keyboardist Geoff Nicholls. Iommi writes on Facebook Nicholls had been suffering from lung cancer and died on Saturday at the age of 68. Iommi says they were close for 40 years and he's been ``a real true friend.'' Butler says he's ``very sad'' to hear the news. Nicholls played on nine of the later Black Sabbath albums and was a sometimes official member of the band.
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QUEEN - ADAM LAMBERT
Queen guitarist Brian May wishes singer Freddie Mercury was still around to meet Adam Lambert. May says Lambert is a worthy successor to Mercury because they have a lot in common. He says Lambert doesn't have to try to copy Mercury, but just be himself. Could Queen possibly make a new studio album with Lambert? Lambert says they get asked that in interviews all the time. Drummer Roger Taylor jokes the only time they ever talk about it is in interviews and maybe it's time they talk about it in private and actually do something. Queen and Lambert will do a tour that begins June 23rd in Phoenix.
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MISSY ELLIOTT - FILM
A documentary about Missy Elliott is in the works. Elliott released a 90-second trailer for the as-yet-untitled film that features interviews with Pharrell Williams, Busta Rhymes and many others. The documentary will come out this year. In the meantime, Elliott has released a new song and video called ``I'm Better.''
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HILLARY SCOTT - CLOTHING LINE
Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum is about to be a fashion mogul. Women's Wear Daily reports Scott will launch a clothing line called LaBellum in April through the U-S based Home Shopping Network channel. The collection includes fringed wraps, peasant tops, acid-washed denim, studded moto jackets and accessories.
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THE WEEKND - NUMBER ONE ALBUM
John Mayer missed out on the top spot on the Billboard 200 album chart because homegrown popstar The Weeknd is blocking his way. Mayer's new E-P, ``The Search For Everything: Wave One,'' debuts at number 2, moving 49-thousand units. The Weeknd's ``Starboy'' album moved 56-thousand units. The ``La La Land'' soundtrack is in third, followed by ``24K Magic'' by Bruno Mars and ``A-F-I (The Blood Album)'' by A-F-I.
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(The Canadian Press)
