MUSIC NEWS: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016
OSCARS - MUSIC
Lady Gaga provided the emotional drama for the night. But it was Sam Smith who ended up with gold, winning the Oscar for best original song. Gaga's performance was introduced by Vice-President Joe Biden, who said the nation needs to change the way it thinks about sexual assault cases. Gaga's performance of ``Til It Happens To You'' was punctuated by an on-stage appearance of dozens of people _ male and female _ who were victims of sexual assault. On their forearms were messages such as ``I'm a survivor'' and ``I've been assaulted.'' But Smith's song for the James Bond movie ``Spectre'' _ ``The Writing's on the Wall'' ended up with the surprise win. He dedicated his triumph to the LGBT community.
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A$AP ROCKY - FIGHT
Most of us would call it a plain ol' fight. But A$AP Rocky says what he had in a hotel elevator was a ``fist exchange.'' The rapper tells The Associated Press the fight went down Thursday in Auckland, New Zealand _ a few hours after he performed in the city. He says he was in an elevator with some women and his ``security,'' when a man tried to ride with them. When they refused to let him on, a scuffle followed. No one in his party was hurt. He says no one pressed charges _ and he doesn't understand why people were making a big deal out of it.
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YOKO ONO - RELEASED AFTER HOSPITALIZATION
Yoko Ono is said to be on the mend after being hospitalized in New York City for flu-like symptoms. A rep for the musician and widow of John Lennon says Ono was hospitalized on the advice of her doctor. There had been reports that she had a stroke _ but her son Sean Lennon said that wasn't true _ but that his mom was dehydrated and tired. In a tweet, she said the ``only stroke'' his mom had ``was a stroke of genius.''
In a bit of irony, Ono was hospitalized at the same hospital where her husband was taken and pronounced dead after being shot in 1980, though it went by a different name at the time.
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BEATLES RECORD - AUCTION
An acetate record cut by the Beatles before the band hit it big is going up for auction. The record was made in 1962 at a London record store. And it's believed to be the only copy. The recording had been in the loft of Les Maguire, a member of another Liverpool band, Gerry and the Pacemakers. The 10-inch demo record is expected to fetch at least 14-thousand dollars when it goes on auction March 22nd.
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PHIL COLLINS - RE-RELEASING ALBUMS
So much for retirement. Phil Collins is taking one tentative step out of his musical exile _ by re-releasing all eight of his solo albums. Each of the discs will be remastered and accompanied by a second C-D of demos and live recordings, many previously unreleased. Collins has said he was shutting down his career. But he suggests that may not always be the case. He notes that other singers like Billy Joel have been able to keep performing in short bursts, followed by rest _ and he's thinking about doing the same.
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STEW DEEZ - ARREST
Stew Deez has been busted after police say he fired a gun outside of a concert venue on New York's Long Island.
Police say the rapper was taken in on Friday on reckless endangerment _ and weapons possession charges. Investigators say Deez fired a gun in the air as a group of people fought in the parking lot of a music venue. No one was injured. Newsday reports that Stew Deez was travelling as the opening act for Grammy Award-winning hip-hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.
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(The Associated Press)