22 minutes ago

LONDON (Reuters) - Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen unveiled plans on Tuesday for his first tour in 15 years, starting in Toronto on June 6.

The announcement comes a day after the gravel-voiced performer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York, along with Madonna, John Mellencamp, The Dave Clark Five and The Ventures.

The tour will include major gigs like the Glastonbury Festival in Britain on June 29, where he could be performing to a crowd as large as 150,000 people, to the more intimate Opera House in Manchester.

It includes dates in Toronto and Montreal and a series of concerts across Europe. The last confirmed date of the tour is Vienna on August 29, although more dates are expected to be added, organizers said.

"For many this tour will be the once in a lifetime opportunity to see the legend that is Leonard Cohen," said Rob Hallett from AEG Live, the company promoting the tour.

Cohen, 73, published books of poetry and novels before turning to music. His 1967 debut album, "Songs of Leonard Cohen," included what became one of his most popular songs, "Suzanne."

Other favorites include "Hallelujah," "Sisters of Mercy" and "Bird on a Wire." His songs have been recorded by R.E.M., Billy Joel, Elton John, Don Henley and others.

Born in Montreal, Cohen started his musical career in New York in the late 1960s. He fought depression and retreated to a California monastery in the 1990s to study Zen.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)

Josh Grossberg Tue Mar 11, 2:57 AM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - It's official: Madonna's like a rocker.

The Queen of Pop joined fellow headliners John Mellencamp, Leonard Cohen, the Dave Clark Five and the Ventures as the latest class of immortals in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Monday night.

Some media critics have carped that Rock Hall organizers lowered their standards in choosing a pop star known more for simulating orgasms on stage than rocking out while overlooking more deserving veteran artists. Still, the crowd at New York's Waldorf Astoria justified its love for the Material Mom, warmly embracing her during the enshrinement ceremony.

The "Borderline" singer—who turns 50 this August—received a fawning intro from Justin Timberlake who collaborated with Madonna on the first single from her upcoming album, Hard Candy, and also cowrote six of the tracks.

"The truth is nobody's gotten into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame looking this fine," the "Sexy Back" star said. "You're no museum piece."

Timberlake ticked off Madonna's accomplishments, from reigning over the pop charts, to her ever-morphing music to her boundary-pushing antics, including the famous Britney Spears smooch.

She changed the way the world sounded, she changed the way the world looked, and she still found time to have kissed someone I may or may not have kissed myself while I was in the audience. Of course you all know who I'm talking about, Sean Penn," he quipped to a collective groan from the peanut gallery.

Timberlake also noted that during their recent work together, he was ailing one day, prompting Madonna to order him to "drop 'em," pull out a syringe and give him a B12 shot—in his derriere.

"She looked at me and said, 'that's top shelf," he said. "And that was one of the greatest days of my life."

For her part, Madge thanked all the "naysayers" for inspiring her to become the pop force she is today with over 200 million albums sold worldwide.

"They helped me because they made me question myself and pushed me to be better," she said. "I know that I would not be here right now without all of you because life, like art, is a collaboration and I did not get here on my own and why would I want to?

"I have gone on to do so many things in my life, from writing children's books, to designing clothes, to directing a film. But for me it always does, and it always will, come back to the music," Madonna continued.

In what will surely go down as one of the more bizarre highlights in Rock Hall history, fellow Michigan exports Iggy & the Stooges performed ear-splitting punk versions of two of her hits, "Burning Up" and "Ray of Light."

During the latter song, the sinewy frontman stuck out his tongue at the "Erotica" performer and concluded with lines from "Like a Virgin"—"You make me feel shiny and new/like a virgin touched for the very first time"—before snaking off backstage.

Billy Joel did the honors for pal Mellencamp, praising the roots rocker's three-decade-plus career for giving voice to Middle America through such classic anthems as "Hurts So Good," "Jack and Diane," "Crumbling Down," and "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A."

"They need to hear stories about frustration, alienation and desperation.  They need to hear somebody out there feels the way they do in a small town," said Joel.

Mellencamp, 56, reflected on the health crises he's had in his life—particularly the childhood bout of spina bifida that nearly left him paralyzed. He recalled his grandmother telling him, "Buddy, you're the luckiest boy in the world."

The Indiana native then jammed out three of his jukebox classics, "Pink Houses," "Small Town," and "Authority Song," the last of which he was joined by his 12-year-old son, Speck, on guitar.

Patti LaBelle kicked off the evening with a rousing cover of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's "If You Don't Know Me by Now" and Jerry Butler singing another one of their gems, "Only the Strong Will Survive."

Hailed as the architects of the Philly Soul sound, the songwriters were feted with the Ahmet Ertegun Award and inducted in the nonperformer category for their seminal work with such R&B acts as O'Jays, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and Billy Paul.

Ben Harper joined forces onstage with James Cotton for a medley honoring late harmonica great Little Walter, who was inducted posthumously in the sideman category for his contributions to Muddy Waters' recordings.

"The first time I heard Little Walter was through Muddy Waters," Harper said backstage. "I was exposed to blues music when I was really young…music was like a family member in my household, blues first and foremost."

Leonard Cohen—the poet turned folk-rock hero for such songs "Suzanne," "Bird on the Wire" and "Everybody Knows"—picked up his Hall pass from Velvet Underground founder Lou Reed,  who compared Cohen's lyrics to the poets of the Beat generation.

Still going strong after 50 years, the Ventures rode a wave of surf-inspired instrumental hits, including '60s smashes "Walk—Don't Run" and "Hawaii Five-O," into the Rock Hall.

And it was a bittersweet affair for surviving members of the Dave Clark Five, the London quintet in the vanguard of the British invasion.

After being introduced by Tom Hanks, the group paid tribute to keyboardist and singer Mike Smith, who died of pneumonia a little less than two weeks before the group's induction.

The night drew to a close with Joan Jett performing the Dave Clark Five hit "Bits & Pieces" and Mellencamp and John Fogerty teaming for a cover of "Glad All Over."

Next year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place in Cleveland, site of the actual museum and considered one of the birthplaces of rock and roll.

24 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — First-season “American Idol” finalist Nikki McKibbin says she was upfront with “Idol” producers about her stripping past seven years ago.

McKibbin, who came in third during the first season of the Fox singing competition, says she stripped for “five or six months” in Fort Worth, Texas. When asked on an “Idol” application if she had any professional dance experience, McKibbin says she wrote: “Yes — exotic.”

Current finalist David Hernandez made headlines last week when it was revealed he steadily worked as a stripper for three years, dancing nude for the “mostly male” clientele at Dick’s Cabaret in Phoenix.

McKibbin’s advice to Hernandez: Have “no regrets” about his past.

“He did what he did for a reason, whether he loved what he was doing or he needed the money,” said McKibbin.

The now-married mother of two is rebutting a report that she had a suicidal breakdown on Feb. 21 over her mother’s death last August. McKibbin said the incident has been “blown out of proportion.”

“I broke my foot and had a bad reaction to pain medication,” McKibbin told The Associated Press on Monday.

McKibbin insists she was never suicidal.

___

On the Net:

http://nikkimckibbin.com/

Natalie Finn Mon Mar 10, 1:38 PM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Eddie Van Halen is still on the mend and his band is still off stage.  

What was originally a four-date postponement has turned into a month-long leave of absence for Van Halen while its rock-god guitarist continues to deal with an undisclosed illness.

"Seventeen concert dates on the Van Halen tour are being rescheduled so that Eddie Van Halen, who is currently under doctors' care, can continue medical tests to define a course of treatment," überpromoter Live Nation said in a statement. "The tour will resume on April 19th." 

Rescheduled dates will be announced shortly, the company added.

Starting with Tuesday's gig at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia, and ending with an Apr. 15 stop at Baltimore's 1st Mariner Arena, 17 shows on the East Coast and in the Midwest will be affected. 

Fans are being instructed to hang onto their tickets for those dates because all will be honored when Van Halen reconvenes onstage, supposedly Apr. 19 in Las Vegas.

The retooled foursome—with original frontman David Lee Roth on lead vocals and Van Halen's son Wolfgang doing the honors on bass—have so far kept mum on what's ailing Eddie. 

When tour plans were put on hold at this time last year, the musician revealed he was taking time off to enter rehab to tackle chronic alcohol addition. Van Halen also battled tongue cancer for a couple of years, with a doctor declaring him cancer-free in 2002.

12 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry is putting down his ax while he goes under the knife.

Perry canceled a solo show scheduled for April 5 in Niagara Falls, N.Y., so he can recover from knee surgery, spokeswoman Marcee Rondan said in a statement released Monday.

Rondan said Perry has needed knee surgery for two years but put off the procedure so he wouldn’t miss any Aerosmith tour dates.

The 57-year-old’s knee finally gave out early this month after a pair of performances with his two sons. That prompted his doctor to schedule the surgery for March 18.

25 minutes ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The winner of Country Music Television’s “Gone Country” reality show was born in Madrid, Spain, and raised in Miami, but these days Julio Iglesias Jr. is spending a lot of time in Nashville.

Iglesias, the son of the well-known Spanish singer Julio Iglesias, lived with six other contestants — R&B singers Bobby Brown and Sisqo, Twister Sister’s Dee Snider, “American Idol” finalist Diana DeGarmo, Carnie Wilson of Wilson Phillips fame and “The Brady Bunch” star Maureen McCormick — as they competed for a record deal.

The series, taped over 10 days in October at country star Barbara Mandrell’s former home, concluded Friday on CMT with Iglesias proclaimed the winner.

“The whole experience was amazing, especially trying to lasso horses and clean out horse stalls at Gretchen Wilson’s house,” Iglesias said of the show, which was hosted by John Rich of the duo Big & Rich.

His debut country single, “The Way I Want You,” is produced by Rich and expected to begin airing this week. Iglesias co-wrote the tune with Tammy Hyler and James Slater.

“I’m not sure where all of this will take me, but I really hope country radio likes this single as much as we enjoyed writing and recording it,” he said.

Iglesias, 35, has recorded two albums during his career, one in English and one in Spanish. He’s also worked as a model and an actor and hosted a series on The Travel Channel.

“The thing I saw in Julio was passion,” Rich said. “Here’s a guy who’s had an incredibly diverse career in the public eye, but everything always comes back to music for him — it’s who he is.”

Iglesias says he will continue writing with some of Nashville’s top songwriters and will appear at upcoming country music events.

__

On the Net:

Country Music Television: http://www.cmt.com

By SAMUEL MAULL, Associated Press Writer 14 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Remy Ma went on trial for assault Monday, with a prosecutor claiming the rapper shot and almost killed a friend because she thought the woman had stolen money from her.

But a lawyer for the singer, whose real name is Remy Smith, said the July 14 shooting after a party was “a tragic accident.”

Smith, 26, is charged in Manhattan’s state Supreme Court with first-degree assault and related charges in the shooting of Makeda Barnes Joseph, who was critically wounded.

Prosecutor Jason Berland said Smith, who accused Joseph of taking $2,000 from her purse, fired two .45-caliber slugs into Joseph’s abdomen, then fled in a Cadillac Escalade and slammed into a parked car a few blocks away.

According to the prosecution, Smith abandoned her SUV and went to a friend’s house without ever calling police or for medical help.

Defense lawyer Ivan Fisher said the victim’s story about the shooting had changed since she testified before a grand jury. He said the two women had struggled over the gun and it went off accidentally. Fisher said Joseph’s story changed when her lawyer was preparing to file a $20 million lawsuit against the rapper. The lawsuit has since been withdrawn.

Smith, who was nominated for a Grammy as part of the Terror Squad for the 2004 smash “Lean Back,” has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is free on $250,000 bail. The rapper, who also has appeared on recordings with Busta Rhymes and Eminem, could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

45 minutes ago

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Juanes is planning a free concert on the Colombia-Venezuela border to foster peaceful resolution of the crisis embroiling both nations and Ecuador.

It will take place between the Colombian city of Cucuta and the Venezuelan city of San Antonio de Tachira within the next three weeks, public relations firm Rogers & Cowan announced.

Tensions in the Andean region have been high since March 1, when Colombian troops killed about two dozen guerrillas including a top rebel leader in Ecuadorean territory.

Juanes, 35, will ask musicians from Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and other Latin American nations to join with concertgoers “in demanding that the region’s governments find a diplomatic solution to ease the growing military presence along area borders.”

The winner of a dozen Latin Grammys, Juanes began a tour last week, promoting his new album “La Vida Es Un Ratico” (”Life Is a Moment”).

The Colombian star has previously performed as part of the Nobel Peace Prize awards ceremony and to raise awareness and money for an anti-landmine foundation in Colombia.

20 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Pop singer Janet Jackson, whose fluctuating weight has fascinated the tabloids for years, is co-writing a book about her journey as an "emotional eater."

A title and publication details are expected to be announced soon, but Jackson hopes to have the book out by the end of the year. She is collaborating on the project with her nutritionist, David Allen, she told Billboard.com.

"It's not just this sterile, weight loss and how to do it book, but my journey even from when I was a kid … being an emotional eater," said Jackson, who is 41.

"It takes you through those moments in my life up 'til now and what worked for me. And hopefully within that, if it doesn't work for them, maybe they'll find something that does work for them and a nice place for them to be content with who they are."

Jackson, who said last month on CNN's "Larry King Live" that she liked French fries, sweets, caramel and candy apples, reportedly put on 60 pounds in 2006. She currently occupies the No. 1 spot on the U.S. pop album chart with her latest release, "Discipline."

Reuters/Billboard

By DAVID BAUDER, AP Entertainment Writer 1 minute ago

NEW YORK - Madonna, pop music’s quick-change artist, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday and paid tribute to people who encouraged her and even critics who panned her for helping drive her career.

Heartland hitmaker John Mellencamp, with his son Speck playing guitar and his parents watching from a balcony above the Waldorf Astoria Hotel ballroom, joined the rock-kicking with a rumbling version of “Authority Song.”

“I wrote this song, and I still feel the same way today as I did when I wrote it 25 years ago,” Mellencamp said.

Philly soul producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, literate songwriter Leonard Cohen, British rockers the Dave Clark Five, and surf instrumentalists the Ventures were among the other inductees.

Madonna recalled a teacher who encouraged her to follow her dreams when she was only 14.

“Thirty-five years later, people are still encouraging me to believe in my dreams,” she said at the induction ceremony. “What more could I ask for?”

Even the people who “said I was talentless, that I was chubby, that I couldn’t sing, that I was a one-hit wonder, they helped me, too,” she said. “They inspired me because they made me question myself repeatedly and pushed me to be better.”

Singer Justin Timberlake, who helped produce Madonna’s upcoming album, inducted her with an innuendo-laden speech.

“The world is full of Madonna wannabes. I might have even dated a couple,” said Britney Spears’ ex. “But there is truly only one Madonna.”

Timberlake told of how he felt ill one day while working on Madonna’s new album and she asked whether he wanted a B-12 shot. He said sure, expecting a doctor to show up, but Madonna pulled out a syringe and said, “drop ‘em.”

After he pulled his pants back up, “she looked at me and said, ‘That’s top shelf,’ and that was one of the greatest days of my life,” he said.

“Everything he said is basically true,” Madonna confirmed, “but I didn’t say ‘drop ‘em,’ I said, ‘pull your pants down.”

Madonna didn’t perform but asked punk rockers Iggy Pop and the Stooges to sing “Burning Up” and “Ray of Light.”

At the end, a shirtless Pop said, “you make me feel shiny and new, like a virgin touched for the very first time,” and tossed his microphone to the floor.

Mellencamp talked of having surgery for spina bifida when he was 6 weeks old, saying doctors were worried he would be paralyzed below the neck. The 56-year-old rocker said he never knew of the surgery until his teen years, when a classmate asked him about the scar behind his neck.

His grandmother always whispered in his ear, “Buddy, you’re the luckiest boy alive.”

“I’m lucky to be standing here for any number of reasons,” said Mellencamp, a heart patient who snuffed out a cigarette as he took the stage.

Fellow Hall of Fame member Billy Joel, who inducted Mellencamp, said, “You scared us a couple of times when we thought we might have lost you a couple of times, even though it might have been a good career move.”

The world needed Mellencamp’s voice, he said.

“They need to hear somebody out there feels like they do, in the small towns or the big cities,” Joel said. “And it doesn’t matter if they hear it on a jukebox in a gin mill or on a … truck commercial.”

Gamble, taking the stage with his longtime partner, invited the audience to answer back his wish for “peace.”

“Thank you so much, because that’s exactly what our music represented,” Gamble told the people gathered at the famed hotel for the annual ceremony, televised on VH1 Classic.

Patti LaBelle performed a chandelier-shaking rendition of “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” to introduce Gamble and Huff. The songwriters and producers created a lush, melodic brand of soul known for their hometown and performed by a variety of artists.

Gamble cited one: Billy Paul’s tale of the adulterous affair in “Me and Mrs. Jones.”

“There’s a little ‘Me and Mrs. Jones’ going on here in New York,” he said to laughter, hours after New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer was accused of hiring a prostitute.

He dispelled one rumor. The song “MFSB” stood for mother, father, sister, brother, he insisted. For years, others let their imaginations run wild with the initials.

One odd sign of the times: among the favors distributed to guests at Monday’s dinner was a box of 30 blank CDs, presumably so people wouldn’t have to worry about buying CDs anymore.

The Ventures excelled at what is almost a forgotten art in rock music — the instrumental. Nokie Edwards’ twangy guitar gave the band its distinctive sound. They performed their first hit, “Walk, Don’t Run,” and “Hawaii Five-O.”

John Fogerty recalled how he and fellow members of Creedence Clearwater Revival used to hang out in a garage learning the Ventures’ songs.

“When the Ventures first hit the radio, I would say I was gone,” Fogerty said. “The Ventures went on to record 250 albums. Think about that. These days, some of us would be happy to sell 250 albums.”

Cohen, a Canadian, is one of music’s most highly regarded, if not best-known, songwriters, through pieces like “Suzanne” and the much-covered “Hallelujah.” Damien Rice sang the latter song in tribute.

Lou Reed, who was inducting Cohen, carried a sheaf of papers to the stage and read several examples of Cohen’s lyrics.

“We’re so lucky to be alive at the same time Leonard Cohen is,” Reed said.

Cohen, dressed in a black tux, recited the lyrics to his song “Tower of Song” in a hushed voice.

“This is a very unlikely occasion for me,” he said. “It is not a distinction that I coveted or even dared dream about.”

The Dave Clark Five followed the Beatles in the original British Invasion, with catchy hits including “Glad All Over.” Led by drummer and songwriter Clark, the band enters the hall at a tragic time: singer Mike Smith died at age 64 of pneumonia less than two weeks ago.

Actor Tom Hanks paid tribute to the band, recalling times he watched it on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Joan Jett, Fogerty and Mellencamp played “Bits and Pieces” and “Glad All Over.”

Little Walter, who died in 1968, joins the hall in its sidemen category. He recorded frequently with Muddy Waters in the 1950s.

“He defined an instrument, he defined a sound, he defined a genre,” musician Ben Harper said of Little Walter.