MUSIC NEWS: MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016
DNC - EMAIL LEAK - ARIANA GRANDE
It appears Ariana Grande's doughnut-licking incident last year cost her a gig at the White House. More than 19-thousand emails between Democratic Party officials were posted on Wikileaks. One exchange expressed concern over whether to let Grande perform at a Democratic Party event right after a video surfaced showing her licking doughnuts at a bakery in California without buying them. D-N-C officials were worried about her comment at the time, ``I hate America.'' Grande later apologized. According to the emails, a White House official responded to the Grande concert idea by saying, ``Nope, sorry.''
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RNC - MUSIC USE
The Rolling Stones, Paul Rodgers and the estate of George Harrison are complaining about the use of their music during the Republican National Convention. The Rolling Stones tweeted they do not endorse candidate Donald Trump and did not give permission for the party to use ``You Can't Always Get What You Want'' to close the convention. Rodgers writes on Facebook permission to use ``All Right Now'' as Trump ended his speech was neither sought nor granted and his lawyer is dealing with the matter. Trump's daughter Ivanka walked out to The Beatles' song ``Here Comes The Sun.'' Harrison's family tweeted the song use was not authorized and they consider it ``offensive.''
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DON McLEAN - ASSAULT CASE
Don McLean will avoid jail time by admitting to domestic violence. McLean pleaded guilty during a court hearing Thursday in Camden, Maine, to assaulting his wife, Patrisha. She filed for divorce earlier this year after 30 years of marriage and cited abusive treatment as one of her reasons. McLean was arrested in January and initially pleaded not guilty. His lawyer says McLean will be fined three-thousand dollars if he stays out of trouble for a year.
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THE TREMELOES - ASSAULT ACCUSATIONS
Two members of The Tremeloes have been found innocent of indecently assaulting a teenage girl after a show 48 years ago. A British judge has ordered Leonard Hawkes and Richard Westwood be found not guilty after prosecutors say there was no evidence to introduce. Westwood released a statement saying his reputation and career have been tarnished by bogus charges that never should have been brought. The Tremeloes are best known for the 1967 hits ``Here Comes My Baby'' and ``Silence Is Golden.''
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LYNYRD SKYNYRD - GARY ROSSINGTON
Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington is home recovering from heart surgery. The band say on their website Rossington had blockage in his arteries. Skynyrd have called off or rescheduled their tour dates for the next two weeks. They called off concerts last week because Rossington suffered chest pains. Skynyrd plan to resume their tour August 4th in Woodlands, Texas.
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ERIC CLAPTON - GUITAR AUCTION
The sale of Eric Clapton's guitar will help to pay the medical bills of the late wife of Johnny Nicholas of Asleep At The Wheel. Heritage Auctions in Dallas says a 2014 Fender Stratocaster played by Clapton at the ``Slowhand at 70'' concert in London last year sold for 45-thousand dollars on Saturday. The auction house says the bidder requested anonymity and the winning bid was more than twice what was expected. Money from the sale will help Nicholas cover the bills incurred for his wife's leukemia treatment and to support leukemia research.
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JOE WALSH - MILITARY DOCUMENTARY
Joe Walsh says too many military veterans are coming home from service missing arms or legs and are confused why the government isn't taking care of them. Walsh wrote the song ``No Man's Land'' for a new veterans documentary called ``Citizen Soldier.'' It follows a group of soldiers in the Oklahoma Army National Guard's 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Walsh says he hopes the movie is a slap in the face because it's a forgotten war and he's not okay with that.
``Citizen Soldier'' comes out August 5th in limited release.
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RIHANNA - ``BATES MOTEL''
Rihanna will play the role made famous by Janet Leigh in the T-V version of ``Psycho.'' The cast and crew of the T-V show ``Bates Motel'' announced at Comic-Con over the weekend that Rihanna will play the role of Marion Crane, the woman who embezzles from her employer and ends up taking a shower at the motel.
Executive producer Carlton Cuse says he heard Rihanna was a fan of the show and calls her casting the ``perfect collision of creativity and fate.''
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SIA - ``MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE''
One of the ponies in the upcoming ``My Little Pony: The Movie'' will sing, wear a big bow and have a blonde mane so long it covers her face. The Hollywood Reporter reports Sia will voice the pony pop star Songbird Serenade. Sia tweeted a picture of the pony version of herself. She will contribute two songs to the soundtrack. ``My Little Pony: The Movie'' comes out in October.
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LIAM PAYNE - SOLO DEAL
Even as One Direction celebrates their six-year anniversary, it looks like the group is poised to splinter for good.
The band has been on hiatus since their fifth album. Liam Payne announced Thursday he's signed a solo deal with Capitol Records.
Harry Styles already has a solo deal, and Zayn Malik (MAL'-ihk) quit the group last year. The four band members posted a video to Twitter on Saturday thanking fans for sticking with them for six years.
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SUGE KNIGHT - WITNESSES INFO
A Los Angeles judge has ruled the lawyers for Death Row Records co-founder Suge (SHUG) Knight cannot have the addresses of key witnesses in his murder trial. The decision was made after prosecutors cited allegations that Knight has intimidated witnesses. However, Judge Ronald Coen says some of the information will need to be disclosed shortly before Knight goes to trial.
Knight's lawyers had wanted details about people who saw Knight drive over two men in a restaurant parking lot in January, killing one of them. One of the witnesses is the man who survived and who repeatedly punched Knight right before the incident. Prosecutors say they will arrange interviews with the witnesses for Knight's lawyers.
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OBIT - BOOKER T. AND THE MG'S - BASSIST
The man who played bass on the most famous song by Booker T. and the M-G's has died. The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports bassist Lewie Steinberg died of cancer Thursday at the age of 82. Steinberg played bass on the 1965 song ``Green Onions.'' Steinberg's daughter Ida says her father originally proposed that ``Green Onions'' be called ``Funky Onions,'' but Stax Records founder Estelle Axton thought the title was ``too out there.'' Steinberg was later replaced by Donald ``Duck'' Dunn.
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REBA - CRACKER BARREL
A lamp shade inspired by the saddle of Reba McEntire's father and a carved Bible box that her grandmother would love are among the items McEntire will present in a line of home goods coming next week. ``Rockin' R by Reba'' include items like Aztec-inspired ponchos, Western jewelry, rocking chairs and distressed metal clocks. McEntire also created karaoke microphones, toy guitars and stuffed rocking horses so her grandchildren would have toys to enjoy. The items will be available at Cracker Barrel stores and through the company's website beginning August 4th.
McEntire also will release a holiday album called ``My Kind of Christmas'' through Cracker Barrel on September 2nd.
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LIL WAYNE
High Times says it is ``awaiting an explanation'' from Lil Wayne's reps after a performance at the Cannabis Cup in Southern California. The magazine says in a statement that Wayne was ``contractually committed to performing for an hour'' at the Medical Cannabis Concentrates Cup on Saturday night. But High Times says Lil Wayne left the stage after just four songs, ``in total disregard for his fans.''
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(The Associated Press)
