MUSIC NEWS: MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2015
MICHAEL BURGESS FUNERAL
A funeral in honour of theatre star Michael Burgess is set to be held today in Toronto.
The tenor died last week after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 70.
Burgess became known for playing Jean Valjean in a long-running Canadian production of ``Les Miserables'' and singing ``O Canada'' at Toronto Maple Leafs hockey games.
His passing last week united friends from the theatre and sports worlds, including stage impresario David Mirvish and former NHLer Darryl Sitler who spoke of Burgess's generosity and dazzling voice.
In lieu of flowers, the Burgess family is requesting donations to Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children in his name.
Burgess is survived by his son Jesse, mother Dolly Burgess and siblings Wayne, Missy, Cathy, Bill, Patty, Julie and their families.
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(The Associated Press)
THE ALARM - CANCER
Mike Peters of The Alarm has announced he's fighting cancer for the third time. Peters writes on his website he had a relapse of leukemia in June. He had fought leukemia in 2005 and lymph cancer in 1996. Peters says his doctor got a drug company to accept Peters as part of its trial of a new drug, and Peters was able to do his American tour over the summer as long as he promised to do regular blood checks. Peters has one concert on Saturday in Wales then has a scheduled break until next year.
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CLINT BLACK - ``ON PURPOSE''
The reason we have not heard much about Clint Black in the past decade is because he was trying to be his own man.
Black says he worked with one record label that did not want him to write any music or have creative ideas, but instead just sing songs chosen for him that the label believed would be hits. Black says he went to a second record label that swore that was not the case, but it was the same situation. Black is now signed with the indie label Thirty Tigers for his new album, ``On Purpose.'' Black says he's not here to sell records, but to make them. He says if someone can sell them, that's great, and if they can't, that's too bad, but it's not going to change what he does.
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GRATEFUL DEAD - JOHN MAYER
Members of the Grateful Dead and John Mayer are giving away 10-thousand free tickets to a concert next month. The two musical acts say five-thousand fans will have a chance to win two tickets each to their Nov. 7th show in New York City. The group has partnered with American Express for its music series, ``American Express Unstaged,'' for the sweepstakes. Fans can enter to win tickets today through Thursday on Dead & Company's website. No tickets for the show will go on sale.
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ROB ZOMBIE - PROJECTS
Rob Zombie has a new attitude about his haunted house: ``We don't care if people are offended.'' Zombie says some visitors to his Great American Nightmare haunted house in Villa Park, Illinois, last year tried to shut it down. Zombie says people should expect to be ``offended or scared or horrified or disgusted.'' The haunted house was also a victim of too much success, so Zombie says they've rejiggered it so the lines aren't so long this time around. One of the mazes in the haunted house is based on his upcoming movie, ``31,'' but Zombie says the maze doesn't give anything away. He says the guy who built the maze asked if it was accurate enough and Zombie says, ``What does it matter? No one's seen the movie!'' Zombie expects to release ``31'' next year, along with an as-yet-untitled album. Zombie is also working on a T-V show for Starz with Mila Kunis about a rich kid who runs off to join a murderous cult.
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ALBUM CHARTS - FETTY WAP
While Fetty Wap is recovering from a motorcycle accident, he can take comfort in knowing he's got a number-one album. His self-titled debut premieres in the top slot on the Billboard 200 album chart, moving 129-thousand units. It knocks last week's number one, ``What A Time To Be Alive'' by Drake and Future, down to second. Don Henley's ``Cass County'' debuts at number three, and George Strait's ``Cold Beer Conversation'' debuts in fourth.
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PITBULL - SPORTS CHARTER SCHOOL
Pitbull has helped open a second charter school, this time outside Las Vegas. Pitbull broke ground on Friday in Henderson, Nevada, on the Sports Leadership and Management Academy, or SLAM! The school is open to students in grades six through nine, and eventually through grade 12, for those interested in careers in sports medicine, marketing and management. It's expected to open for the 2016 school year. The first SLAM! school opened in Miami in 2013. The schools are overseen by the SLAM foundation and Pitbull is a celebrity endorser, not a financial donor.
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KYLIE MINOGUE - IGGY POP
Here's something to look forward to this holiday season: the odd pairing of Kylie Minogue and Iggy Pop on a Christmas song. They duet on a remake of The Waitresses' song ``Christmas Wrapping'' on Minogue's upcoming album, ``Christmas.'' Minogue also does a duet with Frank Sinatra through the magic of studio technology on ``Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.'' She also sings with James Corden and with her sister, Danii. Minogue's ``Christmas'' album comes out Nov. 13th.
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LADY GAGA - ``AMERICAN HORROR STORY''
Lady Gaga says being in ``American Horror Story: Hotel'' was something that was ``so fun,'' it made her feel alive. She says she felt comfortable with the cast and that she was really happy to be a part of the show. The admiration was mutual.
Matt Bomer says some of the actors in the cast even called the singer by her first name: Stefani. He says Gaga was ``so approachable'' that by time the cameras were rolling, they forgot they were doing a scene with Lady Gaga.
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DAVID CASSIDY - CRASH CHARGES
Former teen idol David Cassidy has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident and driving with an expired tag after a crash in Florida last month. The Sun Sentinel newspaper in Fort Lauderdale quotes police as saying that Cassidy sideswiped a truck and then tried to cover his license plate before driving away with a flat tire. Authorities said witnesses identified Cassidy as the driver in a photo lineup. Cassidy is 65 _ and starred in ``The Partridge Family'' T-V show.
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(The Associated Press)