'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...... A Los Angeles law firm that has represented Rod Stewart three times sued the British rocker on Nov. 17, alleging he owes them $3.3 million for legal services rendered. The offices of Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs, Howard & Shapiro had represented Rod in cases involving the last-minute cancellation of a 2002 concert in Las Vegas, in a trademark-infringement suit, and a complaint brought against him by a disgruntled concert promoter. A rep for Stewart didn't immediately comment. - E! Online...... In other Stewart-related news, the three surviving original members of his '70s band the Faces say they are "seriously talking about touring" in the spring. Keyboardist Ian McLagan told Billboard that "if we don't do it very soon, one of us is gonna check out...I'm 64, for chrissakes! We've been waiting and waiting for Rod to say yes; now he's finally said no. He's busy doing other shit. So we're gonna do it." McLagan said although it would be "much better to have (Stewart) with us," he is "open either way. I just want to play." McLagan, guitarist Ronnie Wood and drummer Kenny Jones reunited on Oct. 25 for a benefit concert for the British Performing Rights Society's Music Members' Benevolent Fund at London's Royal Hall with former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman filling in for the late Faces bassist Ronnie Lane and guest vocalists included Simply Red's Mick Hucknall, Paul Carrack and Andy Fairweather-Low. McLagan says he, Wood and Jones are also likely to ask Hucknall if he wants to be part of the 2010 tour but expects to approach other singers as well. - Billboard...... Speaking at his annual Elton John AIDS Foundation benefit in New York on Nov. 16, Elton John says he's "back on his feet" after a recent bout with the flu and an E. coli bacterial infection. "The worst thing about being in the hospital was that, actually, it's the first time I've been in bed for about nine days in the whole of my life, except for maybe when I had my tonsils out," Sir Elton said. "So, I was all right. I had a good rest; I didn't expect it. The worst thing was having to cancel shows. I hate that. But I'm back on my feet and I'm bouncing around now." The event, titled "An Enduring Vision," honored former U.S. president Bill Clinton, actress Sharon Stone, and others for their work on behalf of HIV research and prevention programs. - AP...... Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer says he and his bandmates are worried about the health of frontman Steven Tyler and fear he is "struggling very badly" with substance abuse problems. "Steven, he isolates more and more all the time -- that's what gives it away to me that there's something going on," Kramer recently told Billboard. "I don't know what that is. I know he's made some not so great choices and he's got some negative influences around him now. I love the guy. I just want to see him get some help." Kramer and guitarist Brad Whitford both say Tyler has become increasingly isolated from the rest of the band, hiring separate management and not communicating directly with anyone. As for Aerosmith's future, the other members seem resolved in their decision to look for another singer to work with, but are also not ruling out a reconciliation with Tyler. Kramer added that he and the members are "contemplating our options" which include using a different name than Aerosmith for a Tyler-less band, something fan sentiment online is running decidedly in favor of. - Billboard...... Bob Dylan has appeared in his first music video for a decade -- a clip for his new Christmas-themed song "Must Be Santa." In the video, which can be viewed at Dylan's Youtube channel, the rock bard is dancing around at a party wearing a long grey wig and Christmas hat. "Must Be Santa" is from Dylan's recently released yuletide album Christmas In the Heart. - New Musical Express...... The three surviving members of the Velvet Underground -- Lou Reed, Maureen Tucker and Doug Yule -- will make a rare joint appearance at the New York Public Library on Dec. 8 to discuss their iconic band's legacy with Rolling Stone journalist David Fricke as part of the "LIVE from the NYPL" series. VU's debut album, often referred to as "the banana album" from its distinctive pop art cover, was produced by Andy Warhol (who also did the artwork) and includes rock and roll classics like "Heroin," "All Tomorrow's Parties," "Venus in Furs," "I'll Be Your Mirror" and "Femme Fatale." A new VU book, The Velvet Underground: New York Art, was recently published by Italian book house Rizzoli and contains previously unseen photographs, Lou Reed's handwritten music and lyrics, underground press clippings and other reviews, flyers, handbills and posters. - Billboard...... The Who are definitely on to play the halftime show at the upcoming Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7 in Miami, and the National Football League is expected to make the formal announcement on Thanksgiving Day. Three of the Who's songs -- "Who Are You," "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Baba O' Riley" -- are currently used in the CBS network's popular CSI series, and CBS will be broadcasting the next Super Bowl. The band will become the latest Classic Rock act to play the Super Bowl, following Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty. - Rolling Stone...... Speaking of Bruce Springsteen, the Boss is red-faced after bellowing "Hello, Ohio!" to his audience at a concert on Nov. 13, the only problem being he and his E Street Band were performing in Auburn Hills, Mich., that night. Springsteen referred to the neighboring state several times in the following 30 minutes until guitarist Steve Van Zandt whispered in his ear. "I'm all right," Springsteen later told the Detroit Free Press. "That is every front man's nightmare." But the Michigan audience seemed to quickly forgive the rock legend for his faux pas, and he treated them to one of his trademark marathon shows that lasted almost three hours. - AP...... Paul McCartney will be awarded the prestigious Gershwin Prize For Popular Music in Washington, D.C. in spring 2010. Sir Paul will be the third musician -- and the first non-American -- to receive the prize, which is awarded by the US Library Of Congress. "It is hard to think of another performer and composer who has had a more indelible and transformative effect on popular song and music of several different genres," Librarian Of Congress James H. Billington said in a statement. An all-star tribute concert in honor of the former Beatle is also expected to take place around the time of the ceremony, and Macca is expected to perform. McCartney, who says he's "hugely honored" to be receiving the award, is also set to play a one-off show at London's O2 Arena on Dec. 22. - NME...... In other McCartney-related news, ex-Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne says he once offered Paul a chance to play bass on one of his songs, but McCartney politely refused because he didn't feel he could improve on the bassline that was already there. "Meeting Paul McCartney was f---ing phenomenal," Ozzy told the UK publication Heat. "I said, 'Are you kidding? You could piss on the record and I'd make it my life'," Osbourne added. - NME...... In still more Fab Four-related news, George Harrison's ex-wife Patti Boyd recently told an interviewer that she will always regret leaving George for his close friend and fellow rocker Eric Clapton and says it has taken "a lot of psychotherapy" for her to bury the past. Boyd, 65, said, "Eric kept coming over and declaring his love and passion for me. Because I was being ignored by my husband and being young, I found it irresistible. Maybe if we weren't so young, maybe we could have made it work." Boyd says that after years of psychological counseling she has finally laid her demons to rest: "With a lot of help from a psychotherapist I am thankful to be free." Harrison passed away in 2001. - WENN.com...... Former Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd. frontman John Lydon recently told the BBC that the newly-reformed PiL will "definitely" record new material after their December tour, as long as their reunion tour generates enough money to do so. "What you've got to understand with is that every single time we recorded we only had one take, no money," Lydon said. - NME...... Tom Waits will re-release his critically acclaimed 2006 album Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards as a 7-LP vinyl box set on Dec. 8. The new vinyl release features several bonus tracks, including "Diamond In Your Mind," a song Waits wrote for Solomon Burke, and a cover of Fats Waller's "Bout My Baby." - Undercover...... Queen drummer Roger Taylor says he may team up with Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins for a tour in 2010. Taylor and Hawkins first collaborated in 2007 when Taylor made a guest appearance during the Foo Fighters' cover of Queen's "'39" at a London concert. "That sounds like fun," Taylor told the BBC. "(Hawkins is) awesome. I love him. He's got such a great, open approach to life." Meanwhile, Taylor is releasing his first new solo material in 12 years, a single called "The Unblinking Eye (Everything Is Broken)," on Nov. 23. In other Queen news, Taylor and Queen guitarist Brian May are set to play live on an episode of The X Factor, a popular TV singing competition in the UK. - NME...... A lock of Elvis Presley's hair sold at auction for £1,055 to an undisclosed buyer in Devizes, Wiltshire on Nov. 14. The hair was saved by Presley's personal barber Homer Gilleland and came in a frame alongside a certificate of authenticity and photograph of Presley. Another lock of Presley's hair recently sold for $15,000 at an auction in Chicago. - NME...... A new wine named in honor of the Rolling Stones made its debut at the recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Dubbed "Forty Licks" after the band's greatest-hits album, the wine is a 2007 Merlot that retails for $50.97 for a 3-bottle pack. The wine-maker, Mark Beaman, has also produced a "Woodstock Chardonnay" and a "Pink Floyd Sav" and can be purches from Wines-that-rock.com. - Undercover...... The '70s doper duo Cheech & Chong will continue their comedy comeback in 2010 with a Jan. 16 show in Boulder, Col. C&C will also visit such cities as Indianapolis (1/22); Baltimore (1/23); Saskatoon, Saskatachewan (1/30) and Regina, Saskatachewan (1/31) during their 17-date 2010 trek, which wraps on Apr. 30 in Forth Worth, Tex. "We had an amazing time last year reconnecting with each other and our fans in a way that felt like it was part of our DNA, we were meant to be together," said Cheech Marin in a press statement. In March, the duo recorded a pair of shows at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Tex., for an upcoming documentary/concert DVD called Cheech & Chong's Hey Watch This. It is due on Apr. 20. - LiveDaily...... Former 1970s/1980s James Bond actor Roger Moore has been named 2009 Person of the Year by the UK branch of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) group for his campaign against foie gras. Moore, now 82, joined PETA in 2006 when he narrated a PETA documentary depicting the treatment of birds used in the production of foie gras, which PETA said was banned in the UK although selling it was not. Foie gras, a popular product of French cuisine, is made from the liver of a duck or goose which has typically been force-fed corn mash. PETA said the animals lived in "constant fear and stress" because of the practice and many were unable to move because of their diseased livers. - Reuters

BACK IN THE U.S.A.: Paul McCartney's upcoming 2-CD/1-DVD release Good Evening New York City, a document of his July 2009 stand at New York's Shea Stadium-replacing Citi Field that hits stores Nov. 23, will give obsessives who are almost done sifting through the sonic nuances of the recently reissued Beatles catalog an opportunity to hear how one of the two surviving Fab Four members plays those sainted songs these days: well and faithfully. With more than half of this two-and-a-half-hour-plus bonanza composed of spirited versions of Beatles chestnuts, this blast of freshly minted nostalgia almost seems too pat. Still, the party vibe is so contagious you might find yourself cheering for that song you don't even know from the Fireman's last album. This is Macca's sixth live album since 1990 -- most with a nearly identical version of "Hey Jude" and "Live and Let Die," so skip to a blazing version of "Day Tripper," which hadn't been touched since the 1960s. Best is "A Day in the Life," featuring Sir Paul singing both his and John Lennon's parts. Meanwhile, the ABC television network has announced that McCartney and Beyoncé will star in back-to-back one-hour specials on Thanksgiving night (Nov. 26). McCartney's special will air at 10:00 p.m. EST and include highlights from the July Citi Field concert, and both specials will offer interviews and personal glimpses of the stars. Also, Paul's son James McCartney has formed a band called The Light with two pals from McCartney's hometown of Liverpool. James recently told the UK paper The Sun that "I am currently recording an album. The music was inspired by the Beatles, Nirvana, The Cure, PJ Harvey, Radiohead and all good music." - Entertainment Weekly/Rolling Stone/Music-News.com, 11/13/09.

'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...... Yusuf Islam, the singer formerly known as Cat Stevens, kicks off his first world tour since 1976 on Nov. 15 in Dublin, Ireland. Islam, 61, says his recent recordings -- which include the 2006 pop album An Other Cup and this year's Roadsinger -- had encouraged him to embark on his first tour in 33 years. "Thirty-three years is a long time, and I suppose I never imagined that I'd be going back on tour again," Islam said at Elstree Studios in London where he has been rehearsing for his four-date tour. Other dates on the aptly-named "Guess I'll Take My Time Tour" include Birmingham, England (11/23); Liverpool, England (12/5) and a Dec. 8 show at London's Royal Albert Hall. Islam says he'll perform old classics from the '70s as well as material from his two recent albums. Fans will also be treated to elements of a musical he has been writing named "Moonshadow" after one of his early hits. - Reuters...... Sony Pictures Entertainment, the studio behind Michael Jackson's concert movie This Is It announced on Nov. 12 that the concert rehearsal film has taken in more than $200 million at box offices worldwide in its first two weeks of release. In North America, This Is It grossed $61 million, in Japan it brought in $27.2 million, and in the UK it racked up $14.3 million. This Is It is now the 22nd biggest grossing movie worldwide of 2009, according to industry tracker boxofficemojo.com. This Is It was originally planned for only a two week run but has since been extended until early December. Meanwhile, Jackson continues his reign on Billboard's European Albums Chart as the This Is It soundtrack album hit No. 1 in Italy, Sweden and Holland. The album is No. 2 in Switzerland, Denmark and Austria and No. 3 in the UK and Norway, No. 4 in Germany and No. 6 in Ireland. - Reuters/Billboard...... In other Jackson news, just released court documents have revealed that the late pop superstar's funeral on Sept. 3 cost nearly $1 million. L.A. lawyer Howard Weitzman, who represents the administrators of Jackson's estate, said: "I would have done it less expensively. But it was Michael Jackson, who was larger than life. There's no reason he should not have a funeral that's larger than life." Meanwhile, Jackson's father Joe Jackson has lost his claim for a monthly allowance from the late singer's estate. On Nov. 11, L.A. Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff refused Joe Jackson's claim for a $15,000 per month allowance and dismissed his challenge of the appointment of lawyer John Branca and music executive John McClain as executors in a Los Angeles court, reports BBC News. "Joe Jackson takes none of this estate," Judge Beckloff said. "This is a decision his son made." - Billboard/New Musical Express...... The Who has been tapped to be the musical act during the high profile halftime show at the upcoming Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7 in Miami, Fla. Although the National Football League has yet to officially confirm the report, which was leaked on the Sports Illustrated magazine's website, if it happens it will be the veteran British rockers' first performance in North America since 2008. - Billboard...... The Beatles' entire Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album will be available as downloadable content for The Beatles: Rock Band game on Nov. 17. Depending on what video game platform you own, the Sgt. Pepper tracks will be available separately or as a complete package. Rubber Soul is the next album slated for a Rock Band makeover, with downloadable content being made available in December. - Rolling Stone...... Former Kinks frontman Ray Davies released The Kinks Choral Collection, a reinterpretation of several Kinks classics, on Nov. 10. Davies says he's "been in the studio with a couple of the Kinks" -- specifically original drummer Mick Avory and later members Jim Rodford on bass and Ian Gibbons on keyboards -- recently and may record some new songs he's been writing with them. Davies says he isn't sure whether his brother and fellow founding Kinks member Dave Davies -- who suffered a stroke in 2004 but continues to make music -- will become part of the proceedings but "we're in communication, and we're not disregarding it yet." Davies kicks off an 8-date U.S. tour on Nov. 12 which includes four dates with choirs to recreate The Kinks Choral Collection's arrangements. On Nov. 18, he'll perform on CBS' The Late Show with David Letterman. Also in the works is a British tour of the Kinks-based musical "Come Dancing" with hopes of eventually opening it in London's West End. - Billboard...... The '70s British heavy metal act Slade have announced the tracklisting for their forthcoming 2-disc retrospective album documenting their BBC recordings. Live At The BBC 1969-1972 features a collection of hits the band recorded for the BBC, as well as a live show from London's Paris Theatre recorded on Augu. 17, 1972. A number of BBC Radio 1 jingles are also included on the album. - New Musical Express...... Peter Gabriel has announced the tracklisting for his upcoming 12-track CD of covers of such artists as David Bowie ("Heroes"); Neil Young ("Philadelphia"); Paul Simon ("The Boy in the Bubble"); Talking Heads ("Listening Wind"); and Randy Newman ("I Think It's Going To Rain Today"). The album, called Scratch My Back, drops Jan. 25 and will be the first in a number of planned releases that will see Gabriel and other artists reinterpret each others' songs. - NME...... Sony/BMG is planning a new collection of Elvis Presley songs that will celebrate what would have been the King of Rock & Roll's 75th birthday in Jan. 2010. Elvis 75, a 3-disc set that hits stores on Jan. 4, four days before Presley's birthday, contains 75 of Presley's biggest hits. A simultaneous 4-CD release named Elvis 75 - Good Rockin' Tonight will feature 100 of Presley's songs, along with an 80-page booklet of rare photographs and an essay on him. - NME...... Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood is expected to pay his ex-wife Jo a sum of 6.5 million pounds after the two were given a "quickie" divorce on Nov. 11. A judge at London's High Court granted a decree after Wood admitted adultery by dating 21-year-old Ekaterina Ivanova shortly before separating with Jo, to whom he had been married for 24 years. Jo left Ronnie in 2008 when his relationship with the teenager became worldwide news. The pair have two children together and two by previous relationships. Wood claims his wealth today is around $60 million, half what it used to be due to his relationship with what he describes as a "bad manager." - The Independent/NME...... Neil Young's first four solo albums have been remastered and will be reissued Nov. 23 as part of his ongoing "Archives" campaign. The albums -- 1969's Neil Young and Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1970's After the Gold Rush, and 1972's Harvest, will be available individually on both "24 karat gold" compact disc and 140-gram vinyl. The four albums also will be available in limited-edition box sets exclusively online at Young's website and at BecauseSoundMatters.com. Young's next album, Dreamin' Man Live '92, is due Dec. 8. It's an acoustic concert from 1992 featuring the Harvest Moon album performed live. - LiveDaily...... Veteran English singer/songwriter Dave Mason launched a U.S. tour on Nov. 11 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Mason, touring behind his 2008 album 26 Letters - 12 Notes, will also play Karona, Fla. (11/14); Stuart, Fla. (11/17, 18); San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (12/18); Brooks, Calif. (12/19); New York City (1/19); Carmel, Calif. (2/6); Dallas, Tex. (2/19); Austin, Tex. (2/20); San Diego, Calif. (2/25, 26) and Pleasanton, Calif. (2/27). More appearances are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Mason, who has also performed with such top acts as Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, will receive the Outstanding Career Achievement Honor from the Music in Media Interactive Conference in Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 21. In 2004, Mason and his former band Traffic were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. - LiveDaily....... Former Police frontman Sting will headline a Jan. 20 show with The Philadelphia Orchestra as part of the Philadelphia's Academy of Music's Annual Anniversary Concert and Ball. Sting will perform with his own quartet as well as with the orchestra and is expected to highlight a collection of Police hits as well as from his solo catalog. - LiveDaily...... Eagles bassist Timothy B. Schmit has announced a few West Coast dates in December behind his new solo album, Expando. Schmit kicks off the tour Dec. 7 in Portland, Ore., also visiting Seattle (12/9); Sacramento, Calif. (12/11); San Francisco (12/13); Santa Barbara, Calif. (12/14); West Hollywood (12/17); and San Diego (12/21). - LiveDaily...... Elton John, still battling an e-coli bacterial infection and influenza, has been forced to postpone another date on his Face 2 Face Tour with Billy Joel. John and Joel's show in Oakland, Calif. on Nov. 14 will be rescheduled for a later date. Earlier in November, three shows were also scrapped due to the illness. The tour is expected to resume with a Nov. 17 show in San Jose, Calif. - LiveDaily...... After taking a summertime break, Cher will return to her residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas beginning Nov. 19, followed by performances four nights a week through mid-December. After taking a break for the holidays, the diva will return for several more dates in April and May 2010. Her 90-minute showcase will include a new opening sequence, as well as theatrics that will pay tribute to the 1940s and 1950s. - LiveDaily...... ABC has announced it is close to giving the greenlight for a pilot to a modern version of its classic 1970's detective series Charlie's Angels. It will be written by Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and produced by Leonard Goldberg, the co-producer of the original series with the late Aaron Spelling. Actress Drew Barrymore, who starred in and produced the 2000 film version and its sequel, will also be onboard. The new Charlie's Angels is expected to be geared toward a new generation while paying homage to the past. - Variety...... Emmy Award-winning television comedy writer David Lloyd, best known for penning the classic 1975 "Chuckles Bites the Dust" episode for The Mary Tyler Moore Show, died of prostrate cancer on Nov. 20 at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 75. Mr. Lloyd's 40+-year career in comedy began with writing jokes for Jack Paar on The Tonight Show in 1962, and he also wrote for such classic sitcoms as The Bob Newhart Show, Phyllis, Rhoda, Lou Grant, Taxi, Cheers, Frasier and many other shows. - The Los Angeles Times

'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...... John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and his sons Sean and Julian Lennon are marking the 40th anniversary of John and Yoko's single "Give Peace a Chance" by releasing it exclusively at Apple's iTunes store. Net proceeds from all sales through Dec. 31 will benefit the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. "I am thrilled that so many in the music business are readily supporting 'Give Peace a Chance' on its 40th anniversary," Ono said in a statement. "It is indeed a time when we are all getting more aware of the necessity of doing something to achieve world peace, no matter how small... I feel deeply that we are all one, regardless of where we stand." John and Yoko composed "Give Peace a Chance" during their March 1969 honeymoon bed-in protest against the Vietnam War. It was originally released by the Plastic Ono Band on July 4, 1969. Meanwhile, Ono has also teamed up with Hard Rock International for an "Imagine There's No Hunger" campaign. The campaign will raise money for non-profit anti-poverty group World Hunger Year. To raise money for WHY the campaign is releasing an album, called SERV4, for download. The album, which will include Lennon's "Gimme Some Truth," costs $12, with the songs selling for $0.99 each. It will be available through the Hard Rock cafes, hotels and website beginning Nov. 9, with downloads also from iTunes and Amazon. - LiveDaily/Reuters...... In other Beatles-related news, seven black-and-white photographs of the Fab Four sitting on a grassy field that were taken by a 13-year-old girl on the last day of filming for their 1965 movie Help! will be sold at auction in London by Cameo Auctioneers on Nov. 10. The photos, accompanied by autographs of the Beatles on notebook paper, could fetch as much as 2-3,000 pounds ($3,300-$4,950). - Reuters...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, the Beatles' record label EMI has won an injunction against music website BlueBeat.com which it said was selling Beatles songs on its site without its permission. A federal court in Los Angeles has issued a temporary restraining order against the site after EMI took legal action against it on Nov. 3. lueBeat.com had been offering Beatles songs for 25 U.S. cents each, around one quarter of what they typically cost on the iTunes site. BlueBeat claims that it "sold entirely different sound recordings than that copyrighted" by EMI, saying that the "new" recordings were created through a process called "psycho-acoustic simulation." The court will hear arguments from both sides in the case on Nov. 20, according to court documents. Meanwhile, EMI and the Beatles' Apple Corps have announced they're issuing the Beatles remasters on a limited edition apple-shaped USB drive on Dec. 8, in time for Christmas. The release marks the first time Beatles catalogue has officially been sold as digital files separate from the CDs. Vinyl versions of the reissues are expected soon. Limited to 30,000 units, the 16GB USB features 14 Beatles stereo releases and will be priced at $279.99. - Reuters/Billboard...... Elton John was released from a London hospital on Nov. 5 after being treated for flu and an E. coli bacterial infection. John's spokesman, Gary Farrow, says the 62-year-old Rocket Man is resting at home and was feeling fine. Farrow added that Elton plans on resuming his suspended tour and play scheduled U.S. dates with Billy Joel starting in Oakland, Calif. on Nov. 14. John's illness forced him to cancel several gigs in Britain, Ireland and the U.S. over the last few weeks. - AP...... Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood has hinted the Stones may be preparing to tour in 2010. Wood recently told the BBC that the band, who have not toured together since finishing their Bigger Bang tour in 2007, are getting along well and that he recently met with Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts. "Let's hope so, yeah!" Wood told the BBC - NME...... Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford says the Boston-based rockers are considering replacing vocalist Steven Tyler after Tyler's erratic behavior in the past several months. Speaking to Classic Rock magazine, Whitford says the band plans to hold meetings "probably without Tyler" in the near future to discuss their future, and one direction being considered is to replace Tyler with a new singer. I'm not sure how good that would look, it would largely depend on who we could get and who would want to do it. That's big shoes to fill," Whitford said. In August, Tyler fell offstage during a gig in South Dakota, causing the band to postpone a South American tour. In recent tours Tyler had also been given a separate dressing room to the rest of the band, Whitford revealed. - New Musical Express...... Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, the Temptations and other soul/R&B legends will be on hand on Nov. 20 and 21 to celebrate Motown's 50th anniversary back home in Detroit. The event, titled "Live It Again," will benefit the Motown Historical Museum, which is located in the company's original Hitsville U.S.A. headquarters in Detroit's midtown section. The weekend will kick-off at the Roostertail, a nightclub that hosted many Motown performances and parties, with a program honoring Motown alumni. On Nov. 21, the Temptatons and Franklin will headline a black-tie gala at Detroit's GM Renaissance Center, while Stevie Wonder will offer "a special tribute performance" to Motown Founder Berry Gordy, Jr.. Motown's 50th will also be feted during halftime of the Detroit Lions' annual Thanksgiving day football game. - Billboard...... Bruce Springsteen played more full-album shows for his Nov. 7 date at Madison Square Garden in New York, treating fans with his 1973 set The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle in its entirety for the first time. On Nov. 8, the Boss and his E Street Band tackled his 1980 double record The River from beginning to end. After the tour wraps on Nov. 22 in Buffalo, is expected to go on an extended break. - Billboard...... New York Dolls frontman David Johansen has announced a one-off solo show in the UK on Nov. 25 at the Patriots Theatre at the Trenton War Memorial. Johansen will be performing NYD songs, his own solo material and even a few covers. - NME...... A collection of photos of Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett are set to be sold at auction at Phillips de Pury in London on Nov. 21. The photos were shot by music photog Mick Rock at Barrett's London flat, capturing him at the onset of his mental illness. - NME...... The Who's Roger Daltrey says he's having "terrible trouble" finding a movie script about his late bandmate Keith Moon "that isn't just 'Carry on Keith'." "I won't let it be made until it's right," Daltrey says of the Moon project, which is titled See Me, Feel Me: Keith Moon Naked For Your Pleasure. "It's something I can do in a period of my life where perhaps singing has to take a back seat. So, I'm not worried about it. I just want it to be right. And I want whatever they do make of Keith Moon to be something of depth and quality that shows the complexity of the man." Moon died at age 32 in 1978 from a drug overdose. - Sun Media...... Former Bachman-Turner Overdrive members Randy Bachman and Fred Turner are being sued in Canadian court by Randy's own brother, former BTO member Robin Bachman and former BTO member Blair Thornton over name rights. Robin Bachman and Blair Thornton launched the lawsuit claiming Randy Bachman and Fred Turner signed away the rights to the Bachman-Turner Overdrive and BTO names in three separate contracts. The lawsuit states that Randy Bachman and Turner signed two further deals in 1984 and 2002, saying they wouldn't use the Bachman-Turner Overdrive name in connection to new recordings and live performances. Robin Bachman and Thornton are asking for a permanent injunction stopping Randy Bachman and Fred Turner from using the BTO and Bachman-Turner Overdrive names. The pair is also looking for financial damages for loss of market share, income and profit. - Canadian Press...... Steve Miller will host a benefit concert for Norton Buffalo's wife and children on Jan. 23 at The Fox Theater in Oakland, Calif. Buffalo, who spent 33 years as a member of the Steve Miller Band, died on Oct. 30 after battling lung and brain cancer. Buffalo, who recorded his own music in addition to being an in-demand session player, performed on 180 albums with a number of high-profile artists, including the Doobie Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Mickey Hart and Merl Saunders. More info about the concert can be found at The Fox Theater website. - LiveDaily...... Bob Seger will release a 10-song album dubed Early Seger, Vol. 1 on Nov. 24 exclusively via Meijers stores in the Midwest, then on his official website three days later. Highlights of the collection are four unreleased tracks, three of which -- "Star Tonight," "Wildfire" and "Days When the Rain Would Come" -- were written during the early '80s. Early Seger will be the Michigan rocker's first album since Face the Promise in 2006. Seger is not planning any live appearances to promote the album but is said to be considering additional volumes of the collection. - Billboard...... Former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts will launch a winter tour of the eastern U.S. with his band, Great Southern, on Dec. 4 in Frederick, Md. Betts and the band will also hit Stroudsburg, Pa. (12/5); Falls Church, Va. (12/6); Norfolk, Conn. (12/11); New York (12/12) in December. In March 2010, they'll play Red Bank, N.J. (3/11); Collingswood, N.J. (3/13); and Killington, Vt. (3/14). - LiveDaily...... ZZ Top will kick off a 13-city tour of North America on Nov. 10 in Milwaukee. The Texas trio will also visit such cities as Prince George, B.C. (11/17); Dawson Creek, B.C. (11/18); Everett, Wash. (11/23); Edmonton, Alberta (11/28); Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (11/29); Regina, Saskatchewan (11/30); and Calgary, Alberta (12/1). ZZ Top has reportedly been in the studio sculpting a new comeback album with noted producer Rick Rubin. - LiveDaily...... Jimmy Buffett will release a new studio album, Buffett Hotel, on Dec. 8, the follow-up to his 2006 studio set Take the Weather With You. Buffett says he was inspired to write the music on the upcoming release during a recent trek to West Africa to attend the "Festival In The Desert," an annual music fest that takes place near Timbuktu, Mali. Buffett has already been performing several of the new album's songs on his tour, including "Summerzcool," which he describes as "the quintessential beach song," and "Surfing In A Hurricane," the first surf song Buffett has ever written. Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band's remaining 2009 dates include shows in Charlottesville, Va. (11/17); Toronto (11/19); Uncasville, Conn. (11/21) and a Nov. 24 date at Madison Square Garden in New York City. - LiveDaily...... It's one of the craziest box sets out this fall (or any other fall): AC/DC's Backtracks Deluxe Collector's Edition, a collection of the Aussie headbangers' rarities that includes three CDs, two DVDs, and one record...and an actual, working guitar amplifier. Plug in your Gibson SG and play along! Backtracks hits stores Nov. 10, or it's available through acdcbacktracks.com...... Also completely nuts is Miles Davis' The Complete Columbia Collection, a whopping 71 discs collected in an Amazon.com exclusive, including world-changing classics like Kind of Blue, lesser-known gems like Filles De Kilimanjaro, and tons of live sets. The set drops Nov. 24. - Entertainment Weekly

'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...... Elton John was discharged from a London hospital on Nov. 3 after contracting "a serious case of e-coli bacterial infection and influenza." John, 62, is reportedly recovering from the illness and hopes to resume his touring commitments in two weeks after cancelling a number of upcoming shows and being admitted to the hospital on Oct. 30. "(Elton) is recovering from a case of serious influenza with minor complications. We are confident he will be back on stage in the near future," according to his spokesperson. "He doesn't like letting his fans down. But he had to this time." One source close to the legendary pop star said: "The feeling is Elton will be out of action for four weeks. His voice has temporarily gone and he has been having severe coughing bouts, so there is no way he can play concerts for a while." His partner, David Furnish, spent much of the weekend by John's bedside and said Elton was "OK, he's doing fine." John was forced to postpone three US gigs on his Face 2 Face tour with Billy Joel due to the illness, and promoters are advising fans to keep hold of tickets and await news of possible rescheduling. In 1999, John was fitted with a pacemaker after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. He also has a history of substance abuse, however he has been clean and sober for almost 20 years. - Music-News.com/Undercover/NME...... It's official: the new Michael Jackson movie This Is It is the biggest concert film of all time, raking in a total to $32.5 million in the USA and $68.5 million internationally as of Nov. 1. The $101 million total eclipses the record set by Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour, which earned $70.6 million worldwide in 2008. Sony Pictures, which released the film and initially said the movie would play for two weeks, announced on Nov. 1 that it would play through the Thanksgiving weekend. Sony's "$60 million to acquire rights was money well spent," according to one industry insider. This Is It, a backstage documentary filmed before the star's death in June, earned strong reviews from critics, who praised its personal glimpse into the reclusive singer's world. The picture earned recommendations from 80% of reviewers, according to the movie rating site RottenTomatoes.com. - USA Today...... In other Jackson news, the late pop star is among the Top 10 of top-earning dead celebrities according to a new list just published by the business magazine Forbes. Although he's been dead only four months, Jackson earned $90 in 2009 and was the third hightest earning dead celebrity in the past year, followed by Elvis Presley ($54 million) at third; John Lennon ($14 million); and Jimi Hendrix ($8 million) at number twelve. - New Musical Express...... A new song by Paul McCartney titled "(I Want To) Come Home" will appear in the soundtrack for the upcoming Robert De Niro-starred film Everybody's Fine. Macca composed the song after being given an early screening of the film, which is about a widower named Frank (De Niro) who works out his connection to his family was only through his late wife and sets up a road trip to reunite with his grown up children. "I could definitely identify with Robert De Niro's character because I have grown-up kids who have their own families," Sir Paul said. Everybody's Fine will hit U.S. theaters in December. - Undercover...... In other Beatles-related news, the U.S.-based music download site BlueBeat.com is now selling the Fab Four's entire back catalog online, with individual tracks from the Fab Four's recently released remastered album being sold for 25 cents each. However, it is unclear whether EMI and Apple Corps -- who must give permission for The Beatles' music to be sold online -- have agreed to let the website distribute the tracks. A spokesperson for Apple Corps reportedly told Wired.com that she didn't think BlueBeat.com had permission to sell the Beatles' music, and the site is also selling songs by AC/DC, another band known to have not issued their material digitally before. - NME...... Speaking of AC/DC, the rockers' home country of Australia is presenting a collection of memorabilia from the band and their record company at the Melbourne Art Centre from Nov. 7, 2009, to Feb. 29, 2010. "AC/DC Family Jewels" includes costumes, instruments, stage props, photographs and rare hand-written material such as letters, notebooks and lyrics. "There is little doubt that after 35 years on the world stage AC/DC are by far Australia's most successful and influential performing artists," curator Tim Fisher says. "(The display) seeks to link the material history of the band to the experience of their music (and) also try to convey -- both through exhibited material and an interactive online initiative -- the place that AC/DC holds for their devoted fans." - Undercover...... Iggy Pop says he and his band the Stooges will embark on a full world tour in 2010. "We're going to be doing a one-off show in Brazil [on Nov. 7 at Planeta Terra] but the real touring starts next year," Pop recently told BBC News. Pop previously announced that Stooges guitarist James Williamson would replace the late Ron Asheton in the band to play their classic 1973 album Raw Power in May of 2010 to play the "All Tomorrow's Parties" festival in the UK. - NME...... The Clash will release a "30th Anniversary Legacy Edition" of their acclaimed 1979 set London Calling on Dec. 14. Since a 25th anniversary music-only London Calling was released in 2004, it is expected the new release will be a CD/DVD package. - NME...... Comedian/actor and accomplished banjoist Steve Martin has announced he'll play his first ever UK music gig at London's Royal Festival Hall on Nov. 9 in support of his new music CD, The Crow: New Songs For The Five-String Banjo. Billed as "An Evening of Bluegrass And Banjo," the concert will see Martin play clawhammer banjo, accompanied by his bluegrass band the Steep Canyon Rangers. - NME...... Former Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry has collaborated with dance music producer DJ Hell for a new single called "U Can Dance." Hell first met Ferry in 2006, when Hell visited Ferry's studio in west London. "It's always a pleasure to work with people from that genre, who follow a singular groove," says Ferry. The track will be released in January. - NME...... Carlos Santana has teamed-up with WHY (World Hunger Year) to help raise money, food and awareness for America's hungry children. During Santana's eight November performances at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, concertgoers who bring five non-perishable food items or make a $5 donation to the Three Square Food Bank will receive a $5 gift certificate to participating restaurants inside the Hard Rock Hotel. "This year above all others in recent memory is an important one to help our brothers and sisters of this family we call the human race," Santana said in a statement. "I encourage you to help and to participate in this more than worthwhile drive." - LiveDaily...... ABBA releases their third concert film, In Japan, on Nov. 3. Featuring the band performing its biggest hits during a 54-minute show for Japanese television in 1978, the disc also contains two exclusive, behind-the-scenes documentaries that include television performances and press interviews filmed during ABBA's visits to Japan in 1978 and 1980. ABBA's previous concert films include ABBA - The Movie, which was filmed during a 1977 tour of Australia and was released in theaters later that year, and ABBA In Concert, which was filmed during its 1979 tour of Europe and North America. - LiveDaily...... Bruce Springsteen's sax player Clarence Clemons opens up about his tales of life on the road in his new book Big Man: Real Life and Tall Tales. Clemons, who has been playing with Springsteen since 1971, also talks about the birth of the E Street Band, recent health problems, and his special relationship with Bruce...... Though it's packed with great photos and artifacts, a new Led Zeppelin biography dubbed Shadows Taller Than Our Souls also makes room for some scholarly analysis -- named the idea that Zep were as sophisticated as any high-toned artiste..... A posthumously released book of essays by late music critic Robert Palmer titled Blues and Chaos: The Music Writing of Robert Palmer collects revealing interviews with Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Jerry Lee Lewis and William S. Burroughs....... An unreleased Bob Dylan song called "California" will debut on an episode of the CBC crime drama NCIS on Nov. 3, as well as appear on a NCIS soundtrack album released the same day. The acoustic track was recorded in 1965 during the sessions for Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home album, and has remained in the vaults ever since....... The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will honor Janis Joplin with a three-week conference at the State Theater in Cleveland, Oh., culminating in a concert on Nov. 6. Headliners included Country Joe McDonald, Lucinda Williams and Nona Hendryx. - Rolling Stone....... The Who's Roger Daltrey has launched a rare solo tour of small venues after Pete Townshend decided to take the year off. "We and the Stones invented the bloody arena tour," he says. "But it's lovely to be able to talk to an audience. We're playing lots of songs the Who haven't played in years -- and some the Who never played." Those songs include such live rarities as "Pictures of Lily," "Cache Cache" and "Blue, Red and Grey." Datrey adds there's talk of a Who tour in 2010, and that "I'd like to do Quadrophenia, but that's for selfish reasons, because I don't think there will be many more years left that I'll physically be able to sing it." - Rolling Stone...... Speaking at the Classic Rock Awards in London on Nov. 2, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi said his recovery after stem-cell treatment on his hand is going well. "I've already had the stem-cell treatment, so I've just got to wait now. It's been six weeks but it's feeling great," he told BBC News. Iommi, who underwent the treatment earlier in 2009 after admitting he was suffering from joint problems, had his arm in a sling for the awards, but admitted it was only as a precautionary measure: "I'm just wearing this now because if people shake your hand I don't want to push it, I want to take it easy for a bit." Iommi also said he is still able to play guitar, even during the recovery process. - NME...... PBS premieres another edition of its Live By Request series on Nov. 7 at 9:00 p.m. EST featuring John Fogerty. The former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman takes requests from fans via phone and online. As with all PBS programming, check local listings. - Entertainment Weekly...... On Oct. 21, a Bahamian judge declared a mistrial in the extortion case involving John Travolta, 55, due to possible juror misconduct. Picewell Forbes, a local politician, publicly announced that one of the defendants accused of blackmailing Travolta for $25 million had been acquitted. Forbes has since been ordered to reveal the purpose and source of his declaration. A retrial has yet to be scheduled. - Entertainment Weekly...... Actor Dennis Hopper has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and is canceling all travel plans to focus on treatment. His manager says the 73-year-old Easy Rider actor/director and counterculture icon is being treated through a "special program" at the University of Southern California. Hopper, who recently finished shooting the second season of TV's Crash and has several film projects in the works, was forced to cancel his appearance at an exhibition at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne called "Dennis Hopper and the New Hollywood," a collection of artwork and photography by the actor. "We're hoping for the best," said his manager Sam Maydew. - AP

'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...... Meanwhile, This Is It's companion soundtrack album of the same name is also doing brisk business, with forecasts that the Oct. 26-released album could move 300,000 copies by Nov. 1. The numbers almost assure Jackson will score his sixth No. 1 album on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart. The late pop superstar already owns the No. 1 selling album of 2009 with his Number Ones best of collection, which has sold 2 million units this year and counting. The This Is It album contains 14 studio recordings of Jackson's hits and three demo recordings and a spoken word poem titled "Planet Earth." - Billboard...... In other Jackson news, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office is denying that it leaked photos of Michael's autopsy after claims that someone is trying to sell snaps of the late singer's body for $1 million. According to rumours published on The Daily Beast website, an L.A. restaurant owner is in possesion of a high resolution shot of the singer's body and is trying to sell it to the highest bidder. It is suggested that the image was taken with a BlackBerry and was obtained from a police source. Los Angeles chief coroner Ed Winter responded that the official autopsy photos are under "lock and key" and could not be "floating around." The photo in question purportedly shows Jackson's head, featuring his shaved scalp minus make-up. A scar is supposedly visible plus his tattooed eyebrows. - New Musical Express...... A new John Lennon biopic dubbed Nowhere Boy is scheduled to close out the London Film Festival on Oct. 29. Nowhere Boy, which profiles the rock icon's rebellious teenage years and his torrid relationship with family members before the Beatles were formed, stars Aaron Johnson as an angry, confused teen Lennon who struggles to understand why his mother Julia (Anne-Marie Duff) left him with his aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas) when he was a small boy. The London Film Festival is attempting to compete with major international festivals like Venice and Cannes, and this year introduced a best film award which brings it closer into line with its rivals. - Reuters...... In other Beatles-related news, arrest papers detailing drug busts involving Lennon and George Harrison in the 1960s are set to be auctioned online on Oct. 29. The Lennon papers are from the time in 1968 when his London flat was raided and police a quantity of cannabis resin, which resulted in his arrest and a £150 fine. The Harrison papers detail the 1969 raid at his home while he was attending Paul McCartney's wedding to first wife Linda. Harrison was also later arrested and fined. The arresting officer in both cases, the notorious Detective Sergeant Norman Pilcher, was later convicted of perjury and jailed. - New Musical Express...... Bruce Springsteen canceled a concert in Kansas City on Oct. 26 after the unexpected death of his cousin and his E Street Band assistant road manager Lenny Sullivan. Sullivan, 36, had been with the band for 10 years and was found in his room at a local hotel on the previous afternoon. It said police were investigating the death although it was not being treated as suspicious. Springsteen and his band kicked off a 47-date world tour in April behind their Working On a Dream album. - Reuters...... In related news, Eric Clapton has announced he'll bow out of the Oct. 29 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concert in order to have gallstone surgery. In a statement, the 64-year-old guitar god said he'll "spend time recuperating at home in the UK and (I'm) very sorry to disappoint the fans and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." The concert is not related to the annual Hall of Fame induction, which takes place in New York next March. The concert is the second of a two-night celebration of the Rock Hall's 25th anniversary, and also features U2, Aretha Franklin, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne and Annie Lennox. - Reuters...... The Who vocalist Roger Daltrey hinted that his band may be the next group to receive their own branded Rock Band video game. "The game, yeah, yeah, theyıre going to be doing a Who one next year. There is one planned," Daltrey said in a recent interview. A spokesperson for Rock Band told a video game blog that "we're working closely with the Who on what's next, but don't have anything new to announce at this time." The Who have already offered up a number of their songs for preexisting Rock Band games: the first Rock Band featured "Won't Get Fooled Again," and Rock Band 2 had "Pinball Wizard." - Rolling Stone...... Former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel says his next album will be a "song swap" called Scratch My Back where he and other big-name collaborators reinterpret each others' songs. "The songs are not simply covers," Gabriel collaborator John Metcalfe told BBC 6 Music. "They are major interpretations of some famous stuff. It's quite radical." ther artists covered include the likes of the Kinks, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Neil Young and Talking Heads. The album is expected to have a spring 2010 release. - The BBC/NME...... Veteran entertainer Wayne Newton is hinting that after 50 of performing in Las Vegas, his latest run at the Tropicana Las Vegas may be his last in the desert entertainment mecca. The 67-year-old Newton, who opened his latest Vegas show on Oct. 28, says his decision won't hinge on the success of his new show, but rather whether it conflicts with his desire to spend more time with his 7-year-old daughter. "I'm enjoying my second daughter in a way that I didn't get a chance to do the first time around," Newton says. "The decision that I make, whether or not to perform or retire, will pretty much be based on that." The production, which is scheduled to wrap in April 2010, is presented as a live memoir of Newton's life and his career, with never-before-shared insights from Newton about personal episodes along the way. Newton relates stories about such iconic Vegas performers as Elvis Presley, Dean Martin and Bobby Darin as well as songs from his catalog of 165 records, including his US Top 5 hit "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast" in June 1972. - AP...... Speaking of Las Vegas, what happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happened in the hit late '70s private eye series Vega$ is now out on DVD. The Robert Urich-starred Vega$: The First Season, Vol. 1 has just been released from Paramount Home Video. Reminisce as Dan Tanna tools around Sin City in his vintage Thunderbird solving private cases, as well as being on retainer to a wealthy casino owner to keep crime out of his hotels. - Entertainment Weekly...... Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant recently told the BBC that he's been in talks with Glastonbury Festival chief Michael Eavis about performing at the 2010 show. "I've just been talking to Michael," Plant said. "There's place for me there, but I have no idea who with. There is a chance yeah, but I don't know with who." Led Zeppelin reunited in Dec. 2007 to play the London O2 Arena, although they haven't been active since. - NME...... In a recent interview with CNN, Rod Stewart gave his strongest indication yet that he'll reunite with his old the Faces bandmates. "(They had) a reunion a without me because I'm promoting this album (Soulbook). Hopefully, I'll get me old job back. It's on the cards. I'll do it eventually." The Faces performed in London on Oct. 27 with original members Ronnie Wood, Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones to benefit the Music Benevolent Fund. Also chipping in were former Stones bassist Bill Wyman and guest singers Mel C, Mick Hucknall and Kiki Dee. - NME/Undercover...... Speaking of Ronnie Wood, artwork from the musician's paintings are featured on a new line of clothing and accessories for a high end London department store named Liberty. Three of Wood's paintings are being used for the clothing's prints, including "I Feel Like A Painting," which, says Wood, is inspired by "the day when I decided to turn my life around." - NME/London Telegraph...... Jeff Beck will be among the headliners at the upcoming Bluesfest 2010 in the UK. The festival will also feature such acts as Robert Gordon, Glen Matlock (the Sex Pistols), Slim Jim Phantom (The Stray Cats) and Chris Spedding (Roxy Music). Bluesfest will take place Apr. 1-5, 2010. - NME...... Carlos Santana will begin his second residency in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Nov. 11. The shows feature a broad selection of tracks from throughout legendary axman's career and run through Nov. 22. Santana will perform a second Vegas run for three weeks in February 2010. - LiveDaily...... Elton John has announced that former US president Bill Clinton will be among the honorees at his annual Elton John AIDS Foundation benefit event on Nov. 16. Entitled "An Enduring Vision, the gala dinner will also honor such AIDS-aware celebrities as disco singer Donna Summer, actress Sharon Stone, and be hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper. - LiveDaily...... The Moody Blues have mapped out their traditional spring tour of the US, this time focusing on the eastern half of the nation. The Moodies kick off the 21-city trek on Mar. 4 in Clearwater, Fla., also visiting such markets as Miami (3/5); Orlando (3/8); Knoxville, Tenn. (3/16); Nashville, Tenn. (3/18); Atlanta (3/19); N. Charleston, SC (3/20); Charlotte, N.C. (3/22); Norfolk, Va. (3/25); Washington, D.C. (3/26) and Red Bank, N.J. (3/29) before wrapping with a two-night stand in Montclair, N.J. on Mar. 30 and 31. The Moodies haven't released a new, non-holiday studio album since 1999's Strange Times, however in early 2007 band member John Lodge told a radio interviewer that a new studio set was "not far away." - LiveDaily...... Working Men, the first "best of" live performance compilation from the Canadian rock trio Rush, will be released in the UK on Nov. 16 on CD and digital download via Atlantic Records. Culled from Anthem Entertainment and Zoö Vision's three other Rush releases -- Rush in Rio, R30 and Snakes & Arrows Live -- Working Men features live recordings of the band's greatest hits as well as one previously unreleased track, "One Little Victory." - Noble PR...... The Steve Hillage Band is confirmed as a special guest on Gong's forthcoming nationwide November tour of the UK, which kicks off in Bristol on Nov. 19. It will mark the first time since 1979 when former Gong member Hillage will perform material from his Steve Hillage Band albums, 1975's Fish Rising, 1976's L, 1976's Motivation Radio and 1978's Green. - Noble PR...... Billy Joel has spent the past year working on his memoirs with longtime Rolling Stone magazine contributor Fred Schruers. The book is scheduled to come out in 2010. - Rolling Stone...... Carly Simon recorded her most famous songs for Never Been Gone, her new unplugged compendium, which was instigated and abetted by her musician son, Ben Taylor. Underproducing these performances mostly works wonderfully. "You're So Vain" takes on new life, and other songs previously easily dismissed as adult-contemporary mush, like "You Belong to Me," sound palatable and emotional for the first time. Only in a couple of instances to sparse arrangements just futher expose thin material ("It Happens Every Day"). Way to look out for Mom's cred, sonny. - Entertainment Weekly...... For more than four decades, Dolly Parton has made toe-tapping music that's now smartly catalogued in her new 4-disc boxed set Dolly. From her early singles ("Dumb Blonde") to her dozens of hits ("9 to 5"), she never hits a false note. - Entertainment Weekly...... '70s TV producer Norman Lear has been awarded the AARP's annual ndrus Award for service during a ceremony in Las Vegas. The 87-year-old Lear, the creator of such groundbreaking shows as All In the Family, Maude and Good Times was honored for his achievements in socially transformative television, filmmaking, philanthropy and social activism. - AP

SOUPY SALES, 1926-2009: Entertainer Soupy Sales, known to the Baby Boomer generation for his raucous hit daily kids show of the 1950s and 1960s, died of numerous health problems on Oct. 22 at a hospice in the Bronx, N.Y. He was 83. Born Milton Supman on Jan. 8, 1926, in Franklinton, N.C., Mr. Sales took his first pie to the face when he started his TV career in Cleveland in 1951. After moving to Detroit, Mr. Sales garnered a national reputation as he honed his act, a barrage of sketches, gags and bad puns that played in the Motor City for seven years. In 1961 he moved to Los Angeles, where he eventually became a fill-in host on NBC's The Tonight Show. In a notorious New Year's Day 1965 stunt that nearly got him fired, Mr. Sales told kids watching his show to sneak into their parents' bedroom (who were presumably "sleeping off" their hangovers) and look in their parents' pockets for "little green pieces of paper with pictures of guys with beards," and stuff them in an envelope addressed to him at the TV station, "and I'll send you a postcard from Puerto Rico." It's unclear how much money he netted, but it did earn him numerous complaints to the FCC and a network suspension. In his signature gag, Mr. Sales was hit by pies in his face, by his own estimate, more than 20,000 times in his career. Major celebrities of day including Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis and Shirley MacLaine lined up to take a pie hit on his show. Moving to New York in 1964, he premiered The Soupy Sales Show and the following year had a pair of hit novelty records including Soupy Sales Sez do The Mouse and other teen hits. After his own show ended its run, Sales became a member of New York's renowned Friars Club and remained a familiar face on TV, first as a regular from 1968-75 on the game show What's My Line? and then appearing on everything from The Mike Douglas Show to The Love Boat. He joined WNBC-AM as a disc jockey in 1985, a stint best remembered because Mr. Sales filled the hours between shock jocks Don Imus and Howard Stern. Mr. Sales is survived by his wife, Trudy, and two sons, Hunt and Tony Sales -- a pair of musicians who backed David Bowie in the band Tin Machine. - AP/USA Today, 10/23/09.

'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...... Still Bill, a documentary about '70s hitmaker Bill Withers, premiered on Oct. 23 at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto, Canada. "We wanted Bill's voice to be the viewer's way into his music, his childhood and family," says co-director Damani Baker. "He gave us an incredible, once-in-a lifetime experience, and there was no need to add anything to someone who already knows how to say it just right," Baker added. Withers enjoyed immense popularity in the '70s, but divorced himself from the industry after cutting what would be his last record, Watching You, Watching Me, in 1985. He later blamed what he described as a "blaxpert" at CBS Records for souring his relationship with the music biz. "His idea was I should cover the Elvis Presley song 'In The Ghetto' and my attitude was, 'Black people don't need to imitate Elvis Presley; Elvis imitates black people.'" "[Bill's] ability to take very personal ideas and create phrases that speak to your heart is why the world has responded to his music for almost 40 years," Baker says. - Sun Media...... On Oct. 22, Led Zeppelin's seminal second album Led Zeppelin II turned 40 years old. Released just nine months after its historic 1968 debut album, Led Zeppelin II laid the groundwork for heavy metal with its classic "Whole Lotta Love" and firmly established the British group as one of the loudest and greatest bands in rock at the time. Although "Whole Lotta Love" and the rest of the album was given a lukewarm reception in Rolling Stone when it was first released, the magazine eventually gave the song a glowing review in its New Rolling Stone Album Guide, describing it as "a starting point for Aerosmith, Guns n' Roses and Van Halen, among others...It's an amazing song not just for its seismic riff and bingeing-on-lust vocal performance, but for its mind-bending midsection, in which [Jimmy] Page orchestrates the aural equivalent of an orgasm." - Rolling Stone...... In other heavy metal news, Ozzy Osbourne will be performing with Metallica at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 30 as part of a series of shows dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The show will also feature performances from U2, Aretha Franklin and Eric Clapton. On Oct. 29, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Simon & Garfunkel, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Friends perform. - Wenn.com...... The Beatles computer game Rock Band was the biggest selling game in the US during September, and more than 100,000 downloads of the Fab Four song "All You Need Is Love" were sold for the game. - Undercover...... In other Beatles-related news, Paul McCartney has announced he will launch his first European tour since 2004 beginning Dec. 2 in Hamburg, Germany. Sir Paul will also visit Berlin (12/3); Arnhem, Netherlands (12/9); Paris (12/10); Cologne, Germany (12/16); and Dublin (12/20) before wrapping on Dec. 22 in London. The latter show will mark McCartney's first-ever performance at London's O2 Arena. Macca previously announced that he will unveil a multi-disc Good Evening New York City live set, Nov. 17. McCartney completed an extensive summer run of North America earlier this year. - LiveDaily...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, sitar legend Ravi Shankar has been awarded the inaugural humanitarian award named in honor of late Beatles guitarist George Harrison. "George Harrison and Ravi Shankar have been stalwart advocates on behalf of the world's children their entire careers," UNICEF president Caryl Stern said in a press release on Oct. 20. "We are pleased to honor Ravi Shankar with the George Harrison Humanitarian Award for his commitment to reducing that number and believing in zero," she added. Shankar was presented with the award after his concert on Nov. 10 at Carnegie Hall in New York. - Undercover...... In still more Beatles news, "honorary Beatle" and bassist Klaus Voormann has released a limited edition CD/DVD and book for his first ever album A Sideman's Journey. The album features remakes of some of the tracks Voormann recorded with Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr. Guests on the album include Starr, Paul McCartney, Dr. John, Joe Walsh and Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens). Voorman, now 70, was associated with the Beatles in the early Hamburg days around 1962 before the group was signed to Parlophone. - Undercover...... The late '70s/early '80s New Wave band Madness will release a 30th anniversary edition of their 1979 UK debut album, One Step Beyond, on Oct. 26. The 2-disc package will include the original songs as well as music videos on disc one, with disc two featuring B-sides, live tracks and a John Peel Session. - New Musical Express...... Former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley has rescheduled his upcoming 2010 Australian tour to now begin on Feb. 1 in Perth. He'll also visit Adelaide (2/4); Melbourne (2/5); and Sydney (2/7). - Undercover...... Motown legend Smokey Robinson will be the keynote speaker for the 2010 South By Southwest music conference in Austin, Tex., on Mar. 18. The world's biggest music conference and festival, SXSW is held each March in the Texas city. Next year's conference will run from Mar. 17 through Mar. 20. - Undercover...... Former Kinks frontman Ray Davies will play a handful of dates in the US this fall in support of the American release of his forthcoming album, The Kinks Choral Collection. Davies will kick off his 8-date trek on Nov. 12 in San Francisco, also hitting Los Angeles (11/14); Boston (11/17); New York (11/19, 20); Philadelphis (11/21); Albany, N.Y. (11/23); and Montclair, N.J. (11/24). The album, a reworked collection of Kinks songs, hit shelves this summer in the UK, peaking at No. 28 on the UK Albums chart. It drops in the US on Nov. 10. - LiveDaily...... The Eveready battery bunny isn't the only pop culture icon who "takes a licking and keeps on ticking." Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards was the recipient of "The Rock Immortal Award" at Spike TV's Scream 2009 Awards at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Oct. 17. "I liked the living legend, that was all right, but immortal is even better," Richards said before receiving the award from actor Johnny Depp. The Scream Awards honor the best performances in fantasy, sci-fi, comics and horror. - Undercover...... Elton John and Billy Joel have lined up another run of concerts as part of their ongoing series of "Face 2 Face" co-headlining shows. The piano men will return on Nov. 4 and 7 in Seattle, then play Portland, Ore. (11/10); Oakland, Calif. (11/14); San Jose, Calif. (11/17); Salt Lake City, Ut. (11/20); Denver (11/22); Oklahoma City, Okla. (11/25); Little Rock, Ark. (11/28); Kansas City, Mo. (12/1); and Buffalo, N.Y. (12/4) before wrapping in Albany, N.Y. on Dec. 7. - LiveDaily...... Gregg Allman has announced he'll return to the road this fall and winter for a solo run of the US. Allman launches his 14-date tour on Nov. 11 in Salamanca, N.Y., and follow it with several East Coast stops, including a performance Nov. 21 at a New York City benefit for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. He'll wrap the tour early next year with two shows in Fairfield, Conn., on Jan. 12 and 13. - LiveDaily...... Loggins & Messina have tacked a handful of new shows onto the end of their current trek, which now extends into late November. The '70s folk-rock duo are now scheduled to play Coquitlam, B.C. on Oct. 30; Airway Heights, Wash. on Halloween; Seattle on Nov. 2; Maui, Hi. on Nov. 14; Honolulu on Nov. 15; Lancaster, Calif. on Nov. 19; and Primm, Nev. on Nov. 21. In 2005, L&M completed their first joint tour since 1976. - LiveDaily...... Singer/bassist Dickie Peterson of the late '60s/early '70s San Francisco hard rock band Blue Cheer died on Oct. 12 after a battle with liver cancer. Rush drummer and Blue Cheer fan Neil Peart credits Blue Cheer for "definitely play(ing) their part in shaping Rush's beginnings" and remembered Peterson as a musician "who left deafening echoes in a thousand other bands in the following decades, thrilling some, angering others, and disturbing everything -- like art is supposed to do." Blue Cheer's remake of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" was a #14 hit for the band in Mar. 1968. - Rolling Stone...... Songwriter Vic Mizzy, best known as the composer of catchy theme songs for such hit 1960s sitcoms as The Addams Family and Green Acres, died on Oct. 17 at his home in Bel Air, Calif., of undisclosed causes. He was 93. Mr. Mizzy's songs were recorded by such popular music recording stars as Dean Martin, Doris Day, Perry Como and Billie Holiday in the '40s and '50s, but his most famous work was the Addams Family Theme, which he sang himself and overdubbed three times to give the impression of multiple vocalists. The enduring tune, for which Mr. Mizzy demanded to retain ownership of the rights, is often heard to this day during sports games to rally the home team. His recent songwriting credits include a song for Spiderman 2 which ended up on the DVD version of the movie. - AP...... Screen and stage actor Joseph Wiseman, who played the sinister scientist and title character of Dr. No in the first James Bond feature film, died on Oct. 21 at his home in Manhattan. He was 91. His film credits include Detective Story (1951) and The Unforgiven (1960), and he also had guest roles on such TV shows as The Twilight Zone, The Untouchables, The F.B.I, Night Gallery, The Streets of San Francisco and Law & Order. - The New York Times

STRAIGHT SHOT OF SANTA: On his new yuletide-themed set Christmas in the Heart, Bob Dylan celebrates the Christmas hit parade the old-fashion way: He plays it straight, as much as his pitted baritone allows, with a band that mixes David Hildago with R&B guitarist Phil Upchurch. There are hymns ("Hark the Herald Angels Sing"), chestnuts ("Little Drummer Boy") and tinsel: Backup chorus singers add wholesome glitz. Dylan's singing is often nimble and clear -- he goes high in "The First Noel" without a hint of gravel. The effect is like a Woodstock snowfall with the defiance of 1970's Self Portrait: another way of saying his roots are everywhere. - Rolling Stone, 10/29/09.

'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...... Rod Stewart says he hopes his upcoming Motown remakes album Soulbook may launch a series similar to his multi-platinum The Great American Songbook series earlier this decade. "That would be just amazing, but I'm not going to count my chickens before they hatch, as they say," Stewart recently told Billboard. "There's a hell of a lot of material left over, so if (Soulbook) is a success, I will definitely do a follow-up," he added. Co-produced by Songbook series collaborator Steve Tyrell and Steve Jordan and featuring several ace L.A. sessionmen, Soulbook finds Hot Rod covering 13 R&B favorites and collaborating with such soul/R&B heavyweights as Stevie Wonder ("My Cherie Amour"), Smokey Robinson ("The Tracks of My Tears"), Mary J. Blige (the Stylistics' "You Make Me Feel Brand New") and Jennifer Hudson ("Let It Be Me"). Soulbook is due Oct. 26, and Stewart says he's currently "in the middle of planning touring" behind the new album. Rod says that commitment will unfortunately prevent him from rejoining his former band the Faces for a reunion charity fundraiser at London's Royal Albert Hall on Oct. 25, however he applauded the band's choice of Paul Rodgers to sing in his place. - Billboard...... Also planning a new Motown covers album is former Genesis drummer/vocalist and '80s solo superstar Phil Collins. "I want the songs to sound exactly like the originals," Collins told the German newspaper Hamburger Abendblatt on Oct. 19 about his upcoming 30-song album, which he hopes to release in 2010. Swiss resident Collins, 58, added that since he had surgery in April to repair a dislocated vertebra in his neck he doesn't have feeling in his fingers and isn't able to pick up his drumsticks. "The only way (I) could drum is if (I) were to glue drumsticks to my hands," he says. - AP...... A new Michael Jackson video clip featuring the late pop superstar performing his 1985 hit "Human Nature" has been unveiled in the lead-up to the highly anticipated Jackson theatrical movie This Is It. The video shows Jacko at the rehearsal at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in preparation for what should have been his London residency. This Is It is scheduled to screen in cinemas around the world for two weeks only beginning Oct. 28, and its soundtrack album will be released two days earlier. Meanwhile, Paul Anka has spoken out about the recent "This Is It" songwriting dispute in which he claimed he was initially not given proper credit for his contribution. Speaking to the celebrity gossip site TMZ.com, Anka said he has now been officially credited for his role in the tune, and added that he felt there was no malice originally intended: "[It was] an honest mistake. I want to clear the record. I have spoken to the estate, they have understood that this has been a mistake -- an honest mistake. They have clarified the issue." He added that he is now set to receive royalties from the single and that he now wants to put the issue behind him. - Undercover/New Musical Express...... In other Michael Jackson news, on Oct. 14 Jackson's mother Katherine denied a report in the magazine US Weekly that the three Jackson children will appear in a TV reality series. Katherine Jackson said her late son shielded his children --- Prince, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7 -- and would not have wanted them to be in the public eye. Us Weekly suggested television viewers would soon see Jackson's children on a new reality series titled The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty that is tentatively set to air in December on cable network A&E. Us Weekly issued a statement saying it was standing by its story. - Reuters/Billboard...... Harmonix/MTV Games has announced that the Beatles' Abbey Road album will be made available in its entirety for its The Beatles: Rock Band video game starting Oct. 19. The companies also announced that the entire Sgt. Pepperıs Lonely Hearts Club Band album game will be available or download in November, with a Rubber Soul game dropping in December. - Rolling Stone...... In other Beatles-related news, Paul McCartney will be among the headliners at a charity gig at London's Royal Albert Hall that benefits the Children In Need organization on Nov. 12. Also on the bill will be Nuse, Lily Allen, Dizzee Rascal, Snow Patrol, Leona Lewis and Shirley Bassey. Meanwhile, on Oct. 14 Sir Paul was among the honorees at an American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) awards ceremony in London. Macca was named Songwriter Of The Year and was recognized with song awards for the Lennon/McCartney classics "All You Need Is Love," "Come Together" and "Hello Goodbye." The awards recognized the most performed works in 2008 by writer and publisher members of U.K. collecting society PRS for Music, who are licensed by ASCAP for the U.S.- NME/Billboard...... In related news, the 2010 Songwriter Hall of Fame nominations have been announced and '70s artists Lou Reed and Elvis Costello are among the nominees. "The indefatigable (Elvis) Costello has also written country and classical music while collaborating with Burt Bacharach and Paul McCartney and earning his way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," the SHOF said in a press release, adding that Lou Reed "(has) established himself as a major solo singer-songwriter thanks to such titles as "Walk On The Wild Side" and "Dirty Boulevard." - Undercover...... The UK's Royal Mail has announced a new set of 10 stamps commemorating iconic album covers by such classic rock acts as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and the Clash will be issued on Jan. 7, 2010. One consideration is the darkness of the image, which is probably bad news for fans Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. In other Pink Floyd-related news, former Floyd guitarist David Gilmour is to receive an honorary Doctor Of Arts degree from Anglia Ruskin University at a ceremony set to take place in November. - NorvicPhilatics.com/NME...... New York Dolls guitarist Steve Conte will release a solo album to coincide with the Dolls' highly anticipated forthcoming UK tour which kicks off on Dec. 2 at the Cambridge Junction. "There is very little genuine rock and roll out there at the moment, but Steve Conte has hit the nail on the head with this one," says the album's producer, Steve Lillywhite. Conte joined Dolls when Morrissey reunited the band at Meltdown Festival in 2004, and has since gone on to play guitar on the band's 2006 and 2009 studio albums. - Noble PR...... Def Leppard posted a statement on its official website on Oct. 19 saying it was canceling the final leg of its North American Tour "due to unforeseen personal matters." The British rockers added they "agonized over (the) decision" before calling off the 23 shows of the leg, which was set to kick off Oct. 22 in Reno, Nev., and wrap on Nov. 28 in Beaumont, Tex. The trek was one of the most popular tours currently underway in the US and Canada. - AP...... Hollywood producer Daniel Melnick, the force behind such gutsy, smart '70s films as Straw Dogs, Network and Midnight Express, died of multiple ailments at his home in Los Angeles on Oct. 13. He was 77. Melnick, who had recently undergone surgery for lung cancer, was also head of production at MGM and Columbia, where he helped develop the divorce drama Kramer vs. Kramer and the nuclear suspense thriller The China Syndrome. - AP

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.