MUSIC NEWS: TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015
BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS
Taylor Swift's mega-selling ``1989'' album has earned her a nomination for top artist at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards.
Swift's competition includes Sam Smith, Ariana Grande, One Direction and Katy Perry. Ludacris and Pete Wentz announced some of the nominees Tuesday on ABC's ``Good Morning America.''
Swift's ``1989'' is a finalist for top Billboard 200 album, where it will battle efforts from Smith, Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5 and Pentatonix.
Swift is also up for top female artist and top hot 100 song for the hit ``Shake It Off.'' Smith also earned multiple nominations, including top male artist and top hot 100 song for ``Stay With Me.''
More finalists will be announced later today.
The show will air live on ABC on May 17 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Ludacris and Chrissy Teigen will host the awards show.
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PRISCILLA PRESLEY WANTS TO MAKE ELVIS CHAPEL CLASSY
One thing you will not be able to get at the new Elvis Presley's Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas: an Elvis impersonator. Priscilla Presley says the chapel is ``all first-class.'' She has helped put the chapel together, which will be part of ``Graceland Presents ELVIS: The Exhibition - The Show - The Experience.'' It opens April 23rd. Whoever has the first wedding at the chapel will not have Elvis, but they will get Presley. Priscilla says she will attend the wedding and give the couple a tour of the exhibit as part of a contest through N-B-C's ``Today'' show.
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BRIAN WILSON RELEASES ``NO PIER PRESSURE''
Brian Wilson didn't need to meet his guest musicians before creating songs for them. He just flipped on the radio. Kacey Musgraves, fun.'s Nate Ruess, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, and Capital Cities' Sebu Simonian are among the artists who perform on Wilson's ``No Pier Pressure'' album. Wilson says he heard their voices on the radio and wrote songs accordingly. Wilson calls the album ``a labour of love'' and says he wanted a sound that was both modern and reminiscent of the 1960s. ``No Pier Pressure'' is out today.
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JOAN JETT ADVISES HER YOUNGER SELF
The advice Joan Jett wishes she could give her 15-year-old self is to document what she was doing. Jett tells Billboard there are very few photos or videos of The Runaways. She says teenagers don't think that far ahead. Jett will be one of the inductees in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this month and she says the Rock Hall needs to induct more women. She says women in rock are out there and in any city there's an all-girl rock band.
She says female rock musicians don't get the notice that the pop ones do.
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R.E.M. CHURCH STEEPLE GETS RESTORATION WORK
Work has begun on the restoration of the steeple of the old church in Athens, Georgia, where R.E.M. played their first show. The Athens Banner-Herald reports R.E.M. played there on April 5, 1980, under the name Twisted Kites. They renamed themselves a few weeks later. The church was demolished and the steeple left standing, and the current owner is a charity that is restoring it. Workers say it doesn't have any termites but it does have some rot and bug damage. They also had to displace a raccoon that had moved in.
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JOSH GROBAN SINGS AT KENTUCKY DERBY
Josh Groban will perform the national anthem before the Kentucky Derby. His performance will be shown as part of N-B-C's coverage of the race on May 2nd.
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AUCTION OFFERS ITEMS BELONGING TO DAVY JONES OF THE MONKEES
Items from the estate of Davy Jones of The Monkees will be auctioned the weekend of May 15th in New York.
Memorabilia for sale include costumes from ``The Monkees'' T-V show and concerts, Jones' tambourine and his gold record for ``Daydream Believer.'' His driver's license and wallet are also for sale, as is a director's chair with The Monkees' logo across the back.
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