MUSIC NEWS: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016
ACM AWARDS - PERFORMERS
You know the drill by now: an organization announces the nominees for their awards show. Then they release the names of the first wave of performers, then another list or two as the event nears _ then send another update with a list of presenters. The people who do the Academy of Country Music Awards are at the second phase of the rollout to build interest, set for April 3rd. Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Florida Georgia Line and Cam are on that first list of performers at the event. Chris Stapleton has seven nominations, leading all artists.
And the ceremony will be co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley.
Of course, more performers will be announced in the coming weeks.
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``AMERICAN IDOL''
Season-one ``American Idol'' winner Kelly Clarkson says she knows who the Season-15 winner will be. A very pregnant Clarkson was a guest judge on Idol last night, as this season's Top 10 finalists were revealed. Clarkson says La'Porsha Renae is going to win it all. Clarkson says La'Porsha is so ``blessed'' to be so talented. Four guys and six women make it to the Top 10. Among them are 15-year-olds Tristan McIntosh and Lee Jean. Next week, two of the 10 will be sent packing.
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MICK JAGGER - TV SERIES
Mick Jagger is used to being in a town and seeing ads for his latest project. But these days, the ads he's seen aren't about his music _ but his T-V series. Jagger is a co-creator and executive producer of ``Vinyl'' _ which airs on H-B-O. He says he got a kick out of seeing the ads on a freeway in Argentina. The show about the music world in the 1970s has already been re-upped for a second season. It's about a troubled music exec in an industry fueled by drugs and sex. Says Jagger, with a laugh, ``obviously, it's fictional.''
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OSCARS - MUSIC
The Oscars: they're a big deal for musicians _ not just actors and directors. Some top names in music have a stake in what happens at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday. Lady Gaga and Sam Smith are among those competing for the night's big music prize: best original song for a motion picture. Gaga is up for ``''Til It Happens to You,`` co-written with Diane Warren. It's in ''The Hunting Ground,`` a documentary about sex assaults on college campuses. For Gaga, the song is personal; she was sexually assaulted at age 19. And she says her first Oscar nod for a song about such a serious topic ''makes it extra-special.`` Smith is up for ''Writing's On the Wall,`` from the James Bond Movie ''Spectre.`` Canadian The Weeknd's ''Earned It`` is also in the running for the category. It's from ''Fifty Shades of Grey.``
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OSCARS - LADY GAGA
Lady Gaga says she hopes performing her song about sexual abuse on college campuses will free her from the trauma of what happened to her a decade ago. She was sexually assaulted when she was 19 _ and she says she hopes doing the song at the Oscars on Sunday will have a liberating effect. She says she feels if she can do the song in such a public setting, the assault ``won't define'' her anymore _ and that she ``can let it go maybe.'' ''Til It Happens To You,`` written with Diane Warren, is up for best original song. It's featured in ''The Hunting Ground`` _ a documentary about sexual assault on college campuses.
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QUINCY JONES - MICHAEL JACKSON LAWSUIT
Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson worked together to create some of the pop star's biggest hits, such as ``Billie Jean,'' ''Bad,`` ''Off the Wall`` and ''Thriller.`` But now, the producer is taking Jackson's estate to court in a dispute over royalties. A judge in Los Angeles has ruled the case can go forward, saying it's up to a jury to decide whether Jones' claim has merit. Jones sued Jackson's estate and Sony Music in 2013, seeking at least 10-million dollars. He says the defendants re-edited songs for the movie ''This Is It`` and two Cirque du Soleil shows to deprive him of royalties and production fees. The defendants deny any wrongdoing and asked a judge to kick out the case, a request that has been denied.
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DON McLEAN CONCERT - PROTEST
Some Massachusetts high school students are calling for the cancellation of a concert by Don McLean because of a domestic-violence charge against him in Maine. The Cape Cod Times reports student presidents of violence prevention programs at four Cape Cod high schools have asked school officials to cancel the show, set for April. The students say they feel McLean is a ``bad role model.'' District officials say they are talking with McLean's reps about whether the show should go on.
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NEIL YOUNG - CONCERT FILMS
Two Neil Young films will be making rare appearances on Monday. Both ``Rust Never Sleeps'' and ``Human Highway'' will get special one-night screenings on Monday. It will be the first time either has gotten that much screen time in decades. The films have been restored and edited and will be shown back-to-back at theatres nationwide. The evening will also feature Young in a live interview during the screening.
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(The Associated Press)