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Bringing you the Web's best '70s music & culture news twice-weekly since 1997!
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Updated 11/18 @ 5:27 PM EST '70s SOUNDBYTES - 11/18: In an interview with ABC airing on Nov. 18, Michael Jackson's sister Janet Jackson revealed she felt her brother "was in denial" about his drug use and that he rebuffed her attempts to help him. "You can't make 'em drink the water," Janet said, adding that she felt Michael's personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray was responsible for her famous brother's untimely death at age 50 on June 25. Janet, 43, is promoting her upcoming diet book, True You, which chronicles her lifelong struggle to control her weight. Janet also said that she hasn't seen Michael's new concert documentary This Is It yet, and that she "don't know if I will ever see it." On Nov. 17, MTV Networks acquired the exclusive U.S. television rights to air This Is It, along with its sister networks such as VH1, BET and Palladia. Meanwhile, Michael and Janet's mom Katherine Jackson says she is "seriously considering" suing Dr. Murray for wrongful death in the Jackson case. Katherine's attorney Adam Streisand said Murray's current lack of funds is the only thing standing in the way of a trial, and he's just waiting for the right time to file on behalf of Michael's three children Paris, Prince Michael and Blanket. Los Angeles authorities have yet to file any charges against Murray over the tragedy, which was ruled a homicide in August. In related news, Jackson's father Joe Jackson says he'll appeal a recent decision by the California Court of Appeal that didn't include him in his son's will. Joe insists Michael's name was forged on a 2002 will that excluded him from the list of beneficiaries, claiming Michael was in New York on the date he is said to have signed the document in California. In still more Jackson-related news, the 65-year-old man whose son made the blockbuster accusations of molestation against Michael in 1994 is dead of an apparent suicide. Evan Chandler was found by authorities in his luxury New Jersey apartment on Nov. 5 with a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and the weapon still in his hand. Chandler, a Beverly Hills dentist and aspiring screenwriter, did not leave behind a suicide note but detectives found prescription medication indicating he was suffering from an unnamed serious medical condition. - AP/WENN.com/E! Online...... |
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'70s SOUNDBYTES - 11/13: Longtime friends James Taylor and Carole King have announced they'll hit the road in 2010 on a far-ranging world tour for the first time ever. The veteran singer/songwriters' upcoming "Troubadour Reunion" tour evolved after the pair performed six concerts together in late 2007 to mark the 50th anniversary of Hollywood's famous Troubadour Club, where Taylor and King performed in 1970. The trek is set to kick off Mar. 27 in Melbourne, Australia, then visit Brisbane (3/31); Hunter, Australia (4/3); Sydney (4/6); Auckland, N.Z. (4/10); Tokyo, Japan (4/14, 16); then hit the states with a show at L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl on May 14. "When we reunited for the Troubadour's 50th anniversary celebration, it felt like yesterday," Taylor said in a statement. "It was and still is all about the music and the songs that we get to perform together." Taylor and King also promise to announce additional dates after the L.A. show. - LiveDaily...... Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry said on Nov. 11 that band frontman Steven Tyler "wants to take a couple years off and do some of whatever he wants to do and the rest of the band wants to keep working." The fate of Aerosmith -- which also includes Joey Kramer, Brad Whitford and Tom Hamilton -- has been the object of rumors since Tyler was quoted as saying he was considering a solo career. Perry tweeted late Monday that Aerosmith was "not splitting up" but "looking for a new singer to work with." On Nov. 9, Perry used the popular online social network Twitter to say that Aerosmith was "not splitting up" but "looking for a new singer to work with." On Nov. 12, Tyler appeared to make a conciliatory guest appearance with Perry and his band at a concert at Irving Plaza in New York City, joining them for an encore version of the Aerosmith classic "Walk This Way." Before the song Tyler told the crowd that "I am not leaving Aerosmith" and told Perry "you are a man of many colors, but I am the motherf--king rainbow!" It is unclear whether Perry and the other members of Aerosmith are still looking for a replacement for Tyler. Aerosmith last performed in October in Abu Dhabi. - AP/Billboard...... |
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'70s SOUNDBYTES - 11/8: Cable TV's A&E network has announced it will premiere a new reality show miniseries about the Jackson family on Dec. 13 at 9 p.m. EST. Jackie, Jermaine, Tito and Marlon Jackson will be the focus of the 6-episode The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty, as it chronicles their lives after the tragic loss of brother Michael Jackson in June as well as their preparation for a reunion concert tour. A&E had originally announced it would air a documentary special about the Jackson clan in May, and it is unclear whether Michael and/or his three children will be seen in the shows. - AP...... In other Jackson news, family patriarch Joe Jackson filed court documents on Nov. 6 seeking a monthly stipend of $15,000 from his late son's estate to help cover living expenses. Joe Jackson, who receives a $1,700 monthly Social Security payment and had relied on his son for support for many years, suffers from diabetes and had a stroke in 1998, the filing stated. An attorney representing Jackson's estate said that "Mr. Jackson's petition will be considered as are all requests for money from Michael's estate." A judge has already approved more than $26,000 in payments to Michael's mother Katherine Jackson each month, and a $60,000 monthly payment for the care of the children. - AP...... In still more MJ news, his This Is It soundtrack album has hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart for the week of Nov. 4 with an impressive 373,000 copies sold -- the fifth-best sales week for an album in the U.S. this year. The companion album to the documentary film of the same name is Michael's sixth #1 and is his best-selling album since 1995's HIStory debuted on the album char with 391,000 copies. Incidentally, Rod Stewart's Soulbook CD of Motown remakes had a #4 placing in its first week of release. - Billboard...... |
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'70s SOUNDBYTES - 11/3: Such iconic rockers as Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder and others celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Oct. 29 with a concert in Madison Square Garden that included all-star collaborations, spellbinding guitars, and even tears. The night's emotional highlight came when Wonder, who sang Michael Jackson's upbeat "The Way You Make Me Feel" in tribute to the fallen King of Pop, bent his head at one point and began to sob. But Wonder quickly gathered his composure and ended it joyously by leading the crowd with chants of "We Love Michael Jackson" and "Long Live Michael Jackson." The show was the first of two concerts celebrating the Cleveland-based hall and museum and was a reunion of such past honorees as Simon & Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Jeff Beck, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt and the Police. During one part in the chorus, Wonder stopped singing, bent his head and started to sob, but he quickly gathered his composure to finish the song, ending it joyously by leading the crowd with chants of "We Love Michael Jackson" and "Long Live Michael Jackson." The Oct. 29 show closed with Bruce Springstee and his guest stars performing a spirited rendition of Jackie Wilson's "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" -- ending on a musical high note. - Billboard...... |
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'70s SOUNDBYTES - 10/29: Former Police frontman Sting says he thinks US Pres. Barack Obama is the best choice possible to handle the world's problems. "In many ways, he's sent from God, because the world's a mess," Sting mused on Oct. 28. The 58-year-old British pop star, who just released a Christmas-themed CD titled If On A Winter's Night..., added that in addition to Obama, he's fascinated by American politics and the president's opponents on the right: "It's aggressive and violent and full of fear. They don't want change, they want things to feel the same because they feel safe there." Sting says that he's spent some time with Obama and "found him to be very genuine, very present, clearly super-smart, and exactly what we need in the world." - AP...... The new Michael Jackson documentary This Is It premiered on Oct. 28 and racked up a $7.4 million box office gross on its first day, with distributor Sony Pictures having its best opening ever for a movie on a Wednesday in October. Overseas, the simultaneous release of the film in 99 countries brought in another $12.7 million. The single day receipts were good enough to propel This Is It into the ranks of the all time top-grossing music documentaries, and currently it's just behind U2's Rattle and Hum, which had an 8.6 million domestic haul. Currently, the box office champ for music documentaries is Miley Cyrus's Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, which took in a total of $65.3 million. The film documents Jackson's rehearsals for his planned concert tour and features all his biggest hits, including "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Thriller," "Human Nature" and "Smooth Criminal." The film, which has earned rousing praise from fans and critic, could even qualify for an Academy Award for Best Picture of 2009, as well as Best Sound and Best Film Editing. However, its release comes too late in the year to qualify for a Best Documentary Oscar at next year's ceremonies. - AP...... |
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'70s SOUNDBYTES - 10/24: A small group of Michael Jackson's most dedicated fans have started an "awareness" campaign surrounding the upcoming movie This is It, claiming it covers up the grim reality of the dead pop star's final days. The group, which represents Jacko fans from at least 10 countries, claim the movie conceals the "dire state" of Jackson's health while enriching its promoters that they hold partly responsible for his death on June 25. "It is our wish to help people understand where the responsibilities lie, pertaining to Michael Jackson's passing, in the hope that if they choose to watch the film, they will do so with critical eyes," the group said in a written statement on its website, This-Is-Not-It.com. "In fact, we believe that those around Jackson chose to look the other way when it was evident he was having problems," they added. This Is It is based on Jackson's rehearsals for a series of London concerts and hits theaters around the world on Oct. 28. Meanwhile, Jackson's mother Katherine has just hired a new lawyer to battle of the deceased superstar's estate after becoming displeased with her current legal representation. The Jackson family has brought in Hollywood heavyweight Adam Streisand to replace Burt Levich and Londell McMillan. Trust and estate litigation are said to be Streisand's specialties, and he has notched victories in cases involving the estates of Ray Charles, Marlon Brando and Barry White. Though Jackson owed money to many creditors, his estate is expected to rake in about $100 million in 2009 thanks in part to one of the first deals the executors nailed down, the upcoming This Is It concert film and soundtrack album. In still more Jackson-related news, the Christie's auction house will offer up a portrait of Jackson by the famous late pop artist Andy Warhol in New York on Nov. 10. The 30-by-26-inch portrait is expected to fetch between $500,000-$700,000 and is one of a small group of Warhol silk-screened images of Jackson created in 1984. A similar Warhol portrait of Jackson was bought by an anonymous buyer for over a million dollars in August. - Reuters/Rolling Stone/AP...... |
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'70s SOUNDBYTES - 10/19: A clump of hair purportedly belonging to Elvis Presley sold for $15,000 at an auction conducted by Leslie Hindman Auctioneers of Chicago on Oct. 18. The hair, belonging to late Elvis fan club official Gary Pepper, was said to have been shorn from the King's head when he joined the Army in 1958. Other items selling from Pepper's lot included a Elvis shirt with a large embroidered "EP" ($52,000), scarves, and photos from the reception of Presley's 1967 wedding to Priscilla Presley. Meanwhile, a robe worn by Barbra Streisand in the hit 1974 film The Way We Were sold for nearly $6,000 in a charity auction in Los Angeles the same weekend. More than 400 of the diva's dresses and suits, books, designer furniture, paintings and vintage collectibles were on the block in the sale conducted by Julien's Auctions. All proceeds go to Streisand's favorite charities. - AP...... John Fogerty has announced he'll release a live DVD from his 2008 Royal Albert Hall performance in London on Nov. 3. Comin' Down The Road: The Concert at Royal Albert Hall features songs from the rocker's days fronting Creedence Clearwater Revival as well as selections from his solo career. Fogerty, with Creedence, also played the esteemed British venue in 1971. Fogerty, who recently received a Lifetime Acheivement Award for songwriting from the Americana Music Association, embarks on a U.S. touron Nov. 12 in Los Angeles and will appear on the season kickoff of PBS' Live By Request on Nov. 7, performing songs requested by viewers. His most recent studio project is a revival of his 1973 solo debut album concept, The Blue Ridge Rangers Ride Again. - LiveDaily/USA Today......
News items appearing in Super Seventies RockSite!'s "Favorite Seventies Artists In The News" are compiled from numerous online and printed sources, including Yahoo News/AP, Yahoo News/Reuters, USA Today - Entertainment News, E! Online, Entertainment Weekly, VH1 News, Billboard.com - News, Rolling Stone.com - Rock Daily, New Musical Express - News, Undercover.com - News, Jam! Music - News, LiveDaily.com - News, and Noble PR. |
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