Music Industry News

• Rolling Stones tunes supply 'Idol' surprises (AP)
  
  AP - Tim Urban couldn't get any satisfaction on "American Idol."
• Judge OKs settlement in deadly Lear jet crash (AP)
  

  AP - A judge approved a multimillion-dollar legal settlement Tuesday involving the wife and young son of former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker's assistant, who was killed in a 2008 plane crash in South Carolina.

  
  
• Warrant issued for Lil Wayne in Arizona case (AP)
  
  AP - An Arizona judge issued a bench warrant Tuesday for Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne after he failed to appear for a hearing on drug and weapons charges because he is serving jail time in New York.
• Rapper DMX ordered to 6 months in Phoenix jail (AP)
  
  AP - A judge has ordered rapper DMX to spend six months in a Phoenix jail for violating probation and to undergo a mental health evaluation.
• Teen idol Justin Bieber begins tour in June (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - Canadian teen pop singer Justin Bieber will begin his first headlining tour of North America on June 23 in Hartford, Conn., he said Tuesday, a week before his new album hits stores.
• Sony in new music deal with Michael Jackson estate (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - The King of Pop is dead; long live the King of Pop.

  
  
• Dixie Chick members make debut at SXSW (AP)
  

  AP - Even though the Court Yard Hounds are a new group, they are hardly your typical baby act. The duo is derived from one of music's best-selling bands — the Dixie Chicks — and their self-titled debut album is already among the spring's more anticipated releases.

  
  
• Dixie Chicks touring for first time since 2006 (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - The Dixie Chicks will tour for the first time in four years this summer when the country trio opens for the Eagles on a brief North American stadium tour.
• Dixie Chicks to tour with Keith Urban, the Eagles (AP)
  

  AP - All three members of the Dixie Chicks, including lead singer Natalie Maines, are heading out in June on a one-month stadium tour with The Eagles and Keith Urban.

  
  
• Luke Bryan, Gloriana among ACM top new artists (AP)
  

  AP - Reverse psychology may have done the trick for country singer Luke Bryan.

  
  
• The top 10 singles and albums on iTunes (AP)
  
  AP - iTunes' top 10 selling singles and albums of the week ending March 15, 2010:
• ABBA, Hollies, Genesis, Iggy Pop enter Rock Hall (AP)
  

  AP - An English band steeped in harmony, a reggae pioneer, progressive rockers who thrived despite a defection, four Swedes who combined their nation's traditions with their rock heroes and a man who prowled a ballroom floor singing "I Wanna Be Your Dog" wouldn't seem to have much in common.

  
  
• Abba, Genesis inducted into rock's Hall of Fame (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - Pop band Abba was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday in a ceremony that honored genres from the Swedish group's catchy tunes to the theatrical British rock band Genesis and reggae master Jimmy Cliff.
• Kings of Leon begin North America tour in June (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - Kings of Leon will begin a North American amphitheater tour in Atlantic City on June 5, the rock band said Monday.
• Fans go Gaga for video as Lady unveils new shows (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - Glam pop singer Lady Gaga on Monday announced 31 U.S. concert dates as her fans went wild for a controversial new music video that features R&B star Beyonce and lesbian prison sex.

  
  
• Tegan & Sara in rare collaboration for new album (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - Tegan & Sara's latest album, "Sainthood," has opened the door for the two to spend more time writing together.
• Warner Music, KKR/Bertelsmann mull EMI bid (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - Warner Music Group executives are talking with KKR/Bertelsmann, a private equity-backed music joint venture, about a potential joint bid for beleaguered music company EMI Group, according to two people familiar with the talks.

  
  
• Singer-songwriter Dan Black looks for U.S. breakthrough (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - Dan Black is keeping his fingers crossed. The British born but Paris-based musician has been touring North America all winter and from the response, it looks like this could finally be his big break.
• Jackson estate in record deal worth up to $250 mln (AP)
  

  AP - Even in death, Michael Jackson is breaking new records.

  
  
• White Stripes movie documents oddball Canada tour (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - As stylish as the band it depicts and occasionally as enigmatic, "The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights" stands out among tour films largely because of the strange tour at hand.

  
  

• Rolling Stones tunes supply 'Idol' surprises (AP)
  
  AP - Tim Urban couldn't get any satisfaction on "American Idol."
• Tom Selleck eyes CBS cop drama pilot (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - After lengthy negotiations, Tom Selleck is nearing a deal to play the lead in an untitled police drama at CBS.
• Obama pitching healthcare reform on Fox News (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - President Barack Obama is venturing into enemy territory to drum up last-minute support for healthcare reform ahead of a crucial vote in the House of Representatives.

  
  
• Jessica Simpson investigates standards of beauty (AP)
  

  AP - Singer and sometimes actress Jessica Simpson has paid the price of beauty, and now she's examining people's obsession with looking good.

  
  
• Tracy Morgan returning to "Scare Tactics" (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - Syfy is expanding its reality slate with new shows, a new night and the return of Tracy Morgan to the sci-fi cable network.

  
  
• How Tiger Woods is leaving networks in the rough (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - Tiger Woods is returning to golf next month at the Masters. But for TV networks, the fallen pro couldn't have picked a worse event.

  
  
• Deaf West To Present Kesselman's 'My Sister In This House' (Playbill)
  
  Playbill - Deaf West Theatre in North Hollywood, CA, will present Wendy Kesselman's My Sister In This House, based on the true story of the troubled lives of French sisters, April 10-May 30.
• NBC's prime-time viewership improves without Leno (AP)
  
  AP - Two weeks into non-Jay Leno programming, NBC's audience for the final hour of prime-time TV has increased by 45 percent.
• Nielsen's list of top 20 shows for March 8-14 (AP)
  
  AP - Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by the Nielsen Co. for March 8-14. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
• Virgin America apologizes for LA-to-NY grounding (AP)
  
  AP - Virgin America has offered refunds to "Dancing With the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba and other passengers who were stranded for hours on a grounded plane bound for New York from Los Angeles.
• Winfrey due in Philadelphia for defamation trial (AP)
  

  AP - Talk show host and media magnate Oprah Winfrey is expected to spend two weeks defending herself at trial in a defamation case linked to the sex-abuse scandal at her girls school in South Africa.

  
  
• HBO's "Pacific" wounded in first outing (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - HBO's costly World War Two miniseries "The Pacific" got off to a slow start on Sunday evening, delivering 3.1 million viewers.

  
  
• HBO wins dismissal of Gumbel show defamation suit (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - The HBO cable television channel won dismissal of a $5 million defamation lawsuit by a Brooklyn, New York handwriting expert who accused it and "Real Sports" host Bryant Gumbel of tying him to a forgery ring.
• World's shortest man, He Pingping, dies in Italy (AP)
  

  AP - The world's shortest man has died in Italy, where he was to take part in a TV show, the program's production company said Tuesday.

  
  
• Less-than-spectacular superheroes come to Syfy (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - Syfy has greenlighted a pilot that puts a spin on the traditional superhero genre, and is seeking to extend its "Battlestar Galactica" empire.
• Expect huge TV audiences for Woods' Masters return (AP)
  

  AP - CBS Sports' president thinks that Tiger Woods' return to golf will be one of the "biggest media spectacles in recent memory."

  
  
• "Seinfeld" vet, Steve Jobs parodist team on satire (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - Fledgling premium cable network Epix said Tuesday it has picked up a Silicon Valley satire from Larry Charles, the "Seinfeld" veteran who went on to direct the "Borat" and "Bruno" movies.
• Charlie Sheen back at work on `Two and a Half Men' (AP)
  

  AP - Charlie Sheen is back at work and shooting has resumed on "Two and a Half Men."

  
  
• "White Collar" actress joins NBC's "Parks" (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - Natalie Morales, who recently left USA's rookie drama "White Collar," is joining NBC's comedy "Parks and Recreation" for at least two episodes.
• Glitch leads to adult video on kids channels in NC (AP)
  
  AP - A cable TV spokeswoman says preview clips for adult programming appeared on two channels dedicated for kids in North Carolina because of an "equipment failure."

• Verizon files patent action against Cablevision (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - Verizon Communications filed a complaint against Cablevision Systems on Tuesday, alleging that it infringed its patented technology for television set-top boxes, the U.S. International Trade Commission said.

  
  
• Thriller writer John Grisham ends holdout on e-books (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - Popular legal thriller author John Grisham has broken his holdout against selling his books in an electronic format and will sell all of his 23 titles as e-books, his publisher said on Tuesday.
• Blockbuster raises bankruptcy as possibilty (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - Video-rental chain Blockbuster Inc said on Tuesday for the first time it may need to file for bankruptcy protection after years of struggling to lessen its debt load.

  
  
• Sony in new music deal with Michael Jackson estate (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - The King of Pop is dead; long live the King of Pop.

  
  
• FCC backs plan to speed up Internet (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - Communications regulators submitted to Congress a national broadband plan that aims to expand access, increase Internet speeds and shift airwaves to mobile services.

  
  
• Icahn's bid would hurt Lions Gate's credit: Moody's (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - Carl Icahn's bid to own nearly 30 percent of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp would hurt the company's credit as the activist investor gains more influence, Moody's Investors Service said on Tuesday.
• RedState.com editor to join CNN (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - Conservative commentator Erick Erickson, editor of RedState.com, will join CNN as a political contributor, the news network said Tuesday.
• Hollywood braces for talks on DVD releases (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - Top Hollywood executives and theater owners will seek this week to resolve a brewing dispute over DVD release schedules, a contentious question as the industry grapples with shifting viewer patterns and the advent of high-tech home entertainment.

  
  
• Studio chief hankers for healthy movie food (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - Popcorn and soda has filled the stomachs of generations of moviegoers, but with childhood obesity on the rise one studio head has a hankering to see yogurt and veggies at the concession stand, too.
• Berlusconi in probe over TV talk shows (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is being investigated for allegedly trying to pressure Italy's communications watchdog to block state television talk shows critical of his government, a source close to the investigation said on Monday.
• Warner Music, KKR/Bertelsmann mull EMI bid (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - Warner Music Group executives are talking with KKR/Bertelsmann, a private equity-backed music joint venture, about a potential joint bid for beleaguered music company EMI Group, according to two people familiar with the talks.
• DirecTV, Comcast settle on sports channel (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - DirecTV Group and Comcast Corp said on Monday they have reached a deal to return Comcast's Versus sports network to the satellite operator's programing line-up.
• News Corp to net $350-400 million from "Avatar": report (Reuters)
  

  Reuters - Rupert Murdoch's News Corp will earn $350 million to $400 million from James Cameron's blockbuster "Avatar," once the movie is released on pay television and DVD, Bloomberg said, citing two people with knowledge of the financial performance.

  
  
• Disney to close Zemeckis studio, lay off 450 (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - The Walt Disney Co plans to close director Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers Digital facility in Northern California, laying off 450 workers there, or more than 5 percent of its movie studio division.