MUSIC NEWS: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015
JOHN MELLENCAMP
John Mellencamp is on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert tonight.
John, along with Willie Nelson, will be guests on CBS' The Late Show with Stephen Colbert tonight. The show, which is in its second week, airs at 10:35 PM. John and Willie will be performing as well doing an interview to promote Farm Aid's 30th Annivesary concert, which takes place this Saturday, September 19th in Chicago at the FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island.
---
THIS SATURDAY: FARM AID 30TH ANNIVERSARY IN CHICAGO, IL!
This Saturday, September 19th, Farm Aid's annual benefit concert will head to Chicago, IL, taking place at the at FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago, IL.
Farm Aid 30 will feature Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews (performing with Tim Reynolds), along with Imagine Dragons, Jack Johnson, Kacey Musgraves, Mavis Staples, Jamey Johnson, Old Crow Medicine Show, Holly Williams, Lukas Nelson & the Promise of the Real, Insects vs Robots, Ian Mellencamp and Blackwood Quartet!
---
DRAKE - BET HIP-HOP AWARDS
Canadian rapper Drake is killing it on the charts.
And there's a good chance he'll be killing it when the B-E-T Hip-Hop Awards roll around next month. He already has 12 nominations for the 10th annual awards show, to be held in Atlanta on Oct. 9th. Big Sean picked up 10 nominations, while Nicki Minaj scored 9. Gathering up eight nods each are Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. Snoop Dogg will host _ and the event will be taped for airing on Oct. 13th on B-E-T.
---
TAYLOR SWIFT - TOUR STAR POWER
Her name is on the marquee and on the tickets.
But these days when Taylor Swift does a show, you're likely to see other stars during the concert. As her 1989 World Tour continues, so does the list of celebrities she has invited on stage. Among the musicians she has shared the stage with are Nick Jonas, Mary J.Blige, Jason Derulo and John Legend, as well as Selena Gomez and Lorde. She has also brought in veterans like Joan Baez and newcomers like Canadian singer The Weeknd, and Fetty Wap. You don't have to carry a tune for Swift to carry you on stage. Non-musicians who have been on shows with Swift during the tour include Lisa Kudrow, Chris Rock, Julia Roberts _ as well as pro athletes like Kobe Bryant and Serena Williams. Swift says all those who have appeared already were attending the show _ and agreed to do the cameos.
---
TIMBALAND - MUSIC AND TV
He made his name as a big-hit producer. And now, Timbaland is using his star power to promote his latest music through T-V. Timbaland is executive music producer of the hit T-V series ``Empire.'' And he says he will use the show as a platform to get new music heard. He didn't elaborate on how he plans to do that.
But so far, his music and the show have meshed. The original soundtrack from Empire's first season made its debut at the top of the Billboard album charts. Timbaland hasn't announced a release date for his new album.
---
ELTON JOHN - VLADIMIR PUTIN
A case of musical diplomacy? Or musical delusion?
Depends on who you ask when it comes to Elton John and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The singer says he had a phone chat with the Russian leader to chew the fat over that country's attitude toward gays. In his Instagram post, John thanked Putin for the call and said he looked forward to meeting him in person to discuss Russia's treatment of gays. So far, so good, right? Only trouble: Russia says it didn't happen. A rep for Putin says there was no call _ though the government spokesman says the Russian president is open to chatting with Elton John _ even if it's to discuss gay rights issues.
---
KATY PERRY - CONVENT
Here's the latest on Katy Perry's effort to buy a hilltop convent in Los Angeles: a judge has signed off on a businesswoman's plan to keep paying 25-thousand dollars a month plus maintenance for the property. The woman making the payments wants to use the convent for a hotel and restaurant project. The Los Angeles Catholic archbishop wants to sell the property to Perry. And it will take additional court hearings to determine who ends up getting the right to sell the property.
---
DURAN DURAN - ON NERVOUSNESS
You might not think big-time pop stars get nervous before a performance. But Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran says he does.
He says he used to lie to himself about fighting off the butterflies _ at least until he figured out how to get those butterflies to fly in formation, so to speak. He says he once heard an actor say on the radio that when he gets nervous, he says to himself: ``it's not fear, it's adrenaline.'' Le Bon says he takes that to mean that when he gets nervous, it's because his body is getting ready to do something special. Duran Duran has a new album called ``Paper Gods,'' is available now.
---
JANIS JOPLIN'S OLD CAR UP FOR SALE
A car once owned by Janice Joplin us up for sale. It's a 1965 Porsche 356C Cabriolet. It was pearly white when Joplin bought it in September, 1968 _ but she gave it one of those crazy psychedelic paint jobs that were all the rage back then. The car will be auctioned this winter by Sotheby's in New York _ and is expected to fetch more than 400-thousand dollars. Joplin drove the car regularly until she died of a drug overdose in 1970. The car has been featured at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland the past two decades.
---
'AMERICA'S GOT TALENT' FINALS
Tonight, we'll know who wins the one-million dollar prize on ``America's Got Talent.'' The 10 finalists performed live at Radio City Music Hall in New York last night. They include a guy who calls himself the Professional Regurgitator, a ventriloquist and stuttering comic Drew Lynch. He developed his severe stammer after getting hit in the throat with a softball. Judge Howard Stern says he's so proud that Lynch was part of the competition. Tonight's live finale on N-B-C includes scheduled performances by Yolanda Adams and Rachel Platten.
---
LIONEL RICHIE
Lionel Richie is ready to go all night long in Las Vegas.
The singer announced Wednesday that he will launch a residency called ``Lionel Richie _ All the Hits'' on April 27 at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.Richie will play 20 shows in April, May, September and October. Tickets, which go on sale Friday, range from $59 to $199, not including service charges.The shows will include hits such as ``All Night Long (All Night),'' ''Hello,`` ''Stuck on You,`` ''Say You, Say Me`` and ''Dancing on the Ceiling.``Richie said in a statement: ``It's a high energy show that is a perfect match for such a vibrant city!''
(The Associated Press)