MUSIC NEWS: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016
OBIT-VANITY
Canadian-born singer and actress Vanity has died of kidney disease at the age of 57. She rocketed to fame as a protege of Prince, and fronted her own group ``Vanity 6'' with steamy hits like ``Nasty Girl.'' But she later abandoned rock and became a Christian minister, saying drugs had taken their toll. She was born born Denise Matthews in Niagara Falls, Ontario. She died in L-A.
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EAGLES OF DEATH METAL
The last time they were on a stage in Paris, they had to flee for their lives. This time, the U.S. rock band Eagles of Death Metal were there to remember -- and perform. The group did a show yesterday at the Olympia concert hall -- their first time back playing in Paris since their Nov. 13 show was shattered by a massacre perpetrated by Islamic extremist suicide bombers. As frontman Jesse Hughes addressed the crowd at the start of yesterday's show, he declared: ``Bonsoir Paris, we're ready for this.'' Some in the audience for the show were at the massacre at the Nov. 13 show at the Bataclan. One said in the months since the attacks, he'd be afraid to even go to the movies. But he noted the added security for yesterday's show made him feel more secure.
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GRAMMYS - RATINGS
It had more emotion than recent Grammy Awards shows. But it also had fewer viewers. The numbers are out for Monday's Grammys telecast on CBS. And the Nielsen ratings say it was seen by an average of nearly 25 million viewers. That was 300,000 fewer viewers than for last year's show -- and last year's edition was the smallest Grammys audience since 2009. This year's Grammys show was held on a Monday for the first time ever -- which may have cut into the audience. It was also aired live in the Pacific and Mountain time zones -- regions where it is usually shown on a tape delay.
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LAURYN HILL VS. GRAMMYS
We may never get to know the real deal about why Lauryn Hill didn't show up for the Grammys on Monday night. Both the singer and the Grammy bosses are sticking to their stories -- which blame the other side for the snafu. Hill's people say the singer bailed because her performance was announced prematurely and ``without approval'' by the Grammys. Hill's reps also say she had shows to do all weekend, which left her no time to prep for the Grammys. For their part, the Grammy people say Hill statement is inaccurate on several fronts. Recording Academy president Neil Portnow says it was The Weeknd who asked Hill to perform as a surprise. Further, he insists the Grammys never announced Hill's scheduled appearance. And Portnow notes that while Hill claimed she had no time to rehearse, she did make the run-though on the day of the show _ but never showed up for the actual Grammy gig.
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RIHANNA - SORE CORDS
No word on how Rihanna is doing as she tries to recover from the throat ailment that caused her to miss the Grammys. Her doctor pulled the plug on her Monday performance after she scuffled through her pre-show rehearsals. Grammy president Neil Portnow says Rihanna's doctor feared if she went on, she'd risk needing the kind of surgery that laid Adele up for a while.
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DODGERS - CONCERTS
The Los Angeles Dodgers are trying to make their home more accessible to giants. And no, we aren't talking about their San Francisco-based baseball rivals _ because you know that would never happen. In this case, the ``giants'' would be big-name music artists who might be lured to having a concert or two at Dodger Stadium. The team has signed a multi-year deal with a concert promoting firm to bring more big-name shows to the ballpark in Chez Ravine. Since it opened in 1962, Dodger Stadium has hosted shows by acts like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Madonna, Elton John, Michael Jackson and David Bowie.
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GRAMMYS RATINGS FALL
The Grammys people like to call their show ``music's biggest night.'' But that designation doesn't appear to apply to TV viewers. While this year's Grammys delivered some emotional moments, it didn't deliver a big enough audience to keep it from being the lowest-rated ceremony in 7 years. The Nielsen ratings say the show on CBS was seen by an average 24.95 million viewers. That's 300,000 fewer viewers than for last year's edition.
And the 2015 Grammys had been the smallest Grammy audience since 2009. This year's edition of the Grammys was held on a Monday -- the first time that happened. Apparently the Recording Academy wanted to see if the show could draw an audience on President's Day, a federal holiday. It also apparently didn't want to compete with Valentine's Day, which fell on Sunday this year, the usual night for the Grammys.
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(The Associated Press)