MUSIC NEWS: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016
SIA - DIVORCE
She is a Grammy-nominated singer. He is a filmmaker. And now, they _ are splitting. In a statement released yesterday, Sia and Erik Anders Lang have announced they're separating. They say while they are dissolving their union, they are ``dedicated to remaining friends.'' Sia picked up three Grammy nods this week, including one for best pop vocal album. Lang has done documentaries for M-T-V and other companies.
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BEYONCE - NO COUNTRY GRAMMY
When Beyonce performed at the Country Music Association awards recently, she got applause at the event _ and some haters. The same seems to have happened to the song she did on the show, ``Daddy Lessons.'' There's word Bey submitted the song to the Grammys in the country category _ but it was rejected. Many country artists said they liked Daddy Lessons _ but some fans criticized her appearance on the C-M-As, some using racially-tinged remarks. As it is, Beyonce scored nine Grammy nominations, even without the country nod.
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MAYNARD JAMES KEENAN - WEST POINT
Things could have turned out quite differently if Maynard James Keenan of Tool, Puscifer and A Perfect Circle had decided to pursue a military career. Keenan earned an appointment to West Point and had an hour to decide whether to take it. He said no. Keenan says he had joined the military to earn a scholarship for art school. He realized if things fell through at West Point, he would lose the scholarship, and even if he went, his dreams of art school would be delayed yet again. It's one of the stories in his authorized biography, ``A Perfect Union of Contrary Things,'' by Sarah Jensen. Keenan says the point of that story and the book is that it's important to trust your instincts.
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RUSSELL CROWE - NO CHARGES
Azealia Banks' accusations against Russell Crowe will not result in charges against him. Los Angeles prosecutors have declined to charge Crowe after Banks accused him of grabbing her by the neck, calling her a racial slur and spitting on her at the Beverly Hills Hotel in October. She acknowledged she had insulted Crowe before he kicked her out of his room. Prosecutors say Banks threatened people with a glass. They quote witnesses as saying Banks appeared to be drunk or high and was aggressive before the confrontation. Prosecutors say they will not file a battery charge against Crowe because of Banks' actions and because she did not have any visible injuries. Banks' representative could not be reached for comment.
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DISTURBED - BEYONCE
Dave Draiman of Disturbed believes ``something has gone wrong'' when Disturbed is competing for a rock Grammy against Beyonce. Draiman tells Billboard magazine with all due respect to Beyonce, the problem with the Best Rock Performance Grammy is that it's become too general in its definition of rock.
Disturbed is nominated for their live rendition of ``Sounds of Silence,'' while Beyonce and Jack White are nominated for ``Don't Hurt Yourself.'' Twenty One Pilots, Alabama Shakes and David Bowie also are up for this award. Draiman isn't exactly preparing an acceptance speech. He says Bowie has this one in the bag.
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SHARON JONES - MEMORIALS
The family and friends of Sharon Jones of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings are planning two memorials for her in the two cities she called home. One will be at a church in New York on December 14th, and the other will be at the Imperial Theater in Augusta, Georgia, on December 17th. Jones died November 18th of pancreatic cancer.
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DOLLY PARTON - TELETHON
Kenny Rogers, Reba McEntire and Alison Krauss will join Dolly Parton for her telethon to raise money for victims of wildfires in Tennessee. ``Smoky Mountains Rise: A Benefit For the My People Fund'' will run Tuesday on the Great American Country network. Parton established the My People Fund to give one-thousand dollars each month to families whose homes were destroyed in the fires.
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(The Associated Press)
