MUSIC NEWS: FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2016
JUNO HOSTS
A singer-songwriter and an Olympic gold medallist are teaming up host this year's Juno Awards. Calgary-born Jann Arden and Jon Montgomery of Russell, Manitoba, will M-C the event in Calgary next month. Arden says she's aiming high, given the impact Canadians have made internationally in the past year. She says Canadians have been displacing each other on the top of the charts.
It's Arden's second time hosting, while the former skeleton racer Montgomery is making his Juno debut.
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NINA SIMONE
Nina Simone's family is so upset with the star of a movie about her, they don't even want her to say her name. The trailer for the film ``Nina'' starring Zoe Saldana was released this week. Saldana has been criticized for being a Hispanic actress cast as an African-American and for having her skin apparently darkened for the role. Saldana tweeted one of Simone's most famous quotes:
``I'll tell you what freedom is to me - no fear.'' Simone's family tweeted back, ``Cool story but please take Nina's name out your mouth. For the rest of your life.'' ''Nina`` comes out April 22.
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GLADYS KNIGHT
Here's a unique way to get out of a traffic ticket: get Gladys Knight to sing. Police Captain Mike Roberts of the Pleasant Grove Police Department in Utah says Officer Paul Rogerson pulled over a car for speeding Wednesday night. Rogerson was checking the license when the driver identified Knight as her passenger and said they were going to a church choir performance.
Rogerson said it was his birthday, and Knight got out of the car and sung to him. Police say Rogerson let the driver go with a warning.
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MADONNA - GUY RITCHIE
The custody dispute between Madonna and Guy Ritchie is now spanning courts on two continents. A judge on Britain's High Court said yesterday he wants Madonna and Ritchie to reach an amicable settlement over where their 15-year-old son, Rocco, should live. Earlier this week, a New York judge said it's in Rocco's best interest for his parents to work out an agreement. Madonna had filed court documents in both the U.S. and in England, but her lawyers say she wants to end the British proceedings. Rocco had lived with Madonna but moved to London to live with Ritchie last year.
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SAM SMITH
Sam Smith admits there are some songs on his debut album he hates. He's not crazy about ``Money on My Mind,'' but he still loves and still listens to ``Stay With Me'' and ``I'm Not The Only One.'' Smith is working on his second record and he says he's really digging into some deep stuff for the new songs. He says he's putting his heart even more on the line. He doesn't have a release date yet, but he does say the new music is ``very much a beautiful little transition'' from the first album.
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NATHANIEL RATELIFF AND THE NIGHT SWEATS
Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats just had to respond when Britney Spears inexplicably posted an Instagram video of herself in a bikini writhing to their song ``S.O.B.'' in January.
What they didn't count on is that their fans didn't know what they were doing. They posted a video of Rateliff, who's a big hairy guy, in a bikini doing the same moves to ``S.O.B.'' Rateliff says they thought it was hilarious, but a lot of their fans had never seen Spears' video. He says the comments ranged from, ``No one cares!'' to ``I don't know what...this is -- like maybe just keep playing songs.''
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BRIAN LITTRELL
The 13-year-old son of Brian Littrell of The Backstreet Boys is making his Broadway debut. Baylee Littrell plays twins in the production of ``Disaster!,'' which is a spoof of 1970s disaster movies. One of the twins is a girl, so Baylee wears a wig and sings higher for that role. Brian Littrell says The Backstreet Boys brought Baylee on stage with them when he was 4, and he loved the crowd reaction so much he got upset when it was time to leave.
He says he never pushed Baylee into show business and would love him if he wanted to be a trashman or a schoolteacher.
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JESSE RUTHERFORD
Singer Jesse Rutherford of The Neighbourhood is putting out a book of photos of himself that includes every single shot taken for the project. Rutherford teamed up with photographer Jessie English for the book whose title is simply the symbol for ``ampersand.'' They agreed to publish all 2,965 photos in the order they were taken with no omissions, no retouching and no words.
Another rule was that Rutherford would wear clothes from his own wardrobe and they would keep shooting until he ran out of clothes.
The book is available now for $39.90.
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CEELO GREEN
Come take a drive with CeeLo Green. He's launched a new mobile game called ``CeeLo's Joyride'' that allows players to drive him through ten progressively difficult levels to get him to a concert in his hometown of Atlanta. Players who make it all the way through will unlock a previously unseen video by Green. The game features music from his ``Heart Blanche'' album. Green is donating his profits from the game to the Greenhouse Foundation, which serves underprivileged teens. ``CeeLo's Joyride'' is available for iOS and Android and is free to play, with in-app purchases available.
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NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND PERFORM WITH JACKSON BROWNE FOR PBS SPECIAL
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band are getting back one of their original members, at least for one night. Jackson Browne will join them for a PBS special celebrating the band's 50th anniversary. Former member Jimmy Ibbotson will also be a guest musician, along with John Prine, Sam Bush, Vince Gill, Jerry Jeff Walker, Alison Krauss, Rodney Crowell, Byron House and Jerry Douglas. The special runs on PBS station beginning this weekend - check local listings.
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STAR OF SIA VIDEOS LANDS GIG AS DANCE JUDGE
The girl who stars in Sia's videos will be a judge on ``So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation.''
Thirteen-year-old Maddie Ziegler will join the judges' panel, sitting alongside Nigel Lythgoe, Paula Abdul and Jason Derulo. The show will feature dancers ages 8 to 13. Ziegler has experience in reality television: she starred in ``Dance Moms.'' ''So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation`` premieres May 30 on Fox.
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BOBBI KRISTINA BROWN
The district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia says he believes the autopsy report for Bobbi Kristina Brown should remain sealed. But Paul Howard says he will follow the instructions of the court. For now, the court has ruled the autopsy record be unsealed. Media lawyers argued that the order to seal the report violates state and federal rules. The state has appealed. Bobbi Kristina Brown was the only child of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. She was found face-down and unresponsive in a bathtub in her home last January _ and died six months later in hospice care.
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``AMERICAN IDOL''
Avalon Young gets to sing again on ``American Idol.'' On last night's episode, the viewer votes determined seven of the top eight slots. The judges picked the last, from the bottom three vote-getters. The judge's loved Avalon's take on The Weeknd's ``Earned It.'' So, she gets to move on. But La'Porsha Renae could have the inside track for the final season title. J-Lo said she's the one to beat after a performance of ``Halo.''
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(The Associated Press)
STOMPIN' TOM CONNORS
A local group will decide later this month whether to move ahead with plans to seek funding for a new centre in P-E-I that will pay tribute to country-folk legend Stompin' Tom Connors.
The project in Skinners Pond appeared to be on track late last year, but it fell apart when Heritage Canada pulled out _ based on a technicality.
The economic development group Tignish Initiatives says the project has been scaled back.
The group wants to build a cultural centre and preserve Connors' boyhood home and the nearby schoolhouse he attended.
General manager Anne Arsenault says the group's road to success has been a bumpy one, not unlike Connors' early, troubled life.
Former Tory M-P Gail Shea knew Connors and is from Skinners Pond.
She says the funding snafu would have never happened if Connors was from a large city.
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(The Canadian Press)