The rest of the Faithless tour has been cancelled because frontman Maxi Jazz was involved in a car accident on Sunday morning. He’s suffered severe injuries but is now in a stable condition. The Dates Affected Are: 10 December Corn Exchange, Cambridge 11 December The Rock, Bristol 13 December Guildhall, Southampton 14 & 15 December Brixton Academy, London
Alicia Keys, who opened up for Maxwell’s tour of theaters earlier this year, is going back on that circuit for a solo outing starting January 22 in Wallingford, Connecticut. “This year has been incredible, and I am so looking forward to getting out and playing live around the country,” Keys said in a statement announcing the 28-date tour. “It gives me an opportunity to be intimate with the people that have supported my music, and I can’t wait.” Jay-Z stated that getting up close and personal with fans was the reason he took his Blueprint Lounge Tour to smaller outlets.… Read more »
If the Who, Elton John and Abba can be glorified on the theater stage, Gene Simmons sees no reason why he and Kiss can’t get a piece of those Broadway bucks. He plans to work with some of the top names in musical theater to put together a musical about Kiss. Next week, the Kiss bassist will meet with “Beauty and the Beast” director Rob Roth and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” co-writer Stephen Trask about creating a story for the musical. At this point Simmons is unsure whether Kiss will pen new songs for the project, whether someone else… Read more »
Singer Mya has joined Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, Christine Baranski and John C. Reilly in Miramax Films’ musical feature “Chicago.” Mya, who has released two albums on Interscope Records since 1998, is currently in Toronto rehearsing with the rest of the cast for her supporting role in the Rob Marshall-directed film. Shooting is to start Dec. 12, with a scheduled Christmas 2002 bow. In the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical, Mya will star as Mona, one of the cell block prisoners guilty of murder. The pop/R&B songstress will also be featured singing and dancing in… Read more »
“Scream” director Wes Craven and longtime producing partner Marianne Maddalena have signed with the William Morris Agency. The duo had been represented by Intl. Creative Management. Craven, whose “Scream” trilogy grossed more than $350 million at the domestic box office, and Maddalena have an overall deal at Miramax/Dimension. Craven’s credits include “Music of the Heart,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Vampire in Brooklyn.” The next picture Craven is likely to direct is “Pulse” for Dimension, based on a Japanese ghost story from which Craven will develop a script.
The members of No Doubt are pleased to announce that fans will have one less week to wait for the arrival of the band’s new Interscope Records album, ROCK STEADY. The collection, which was recorded throughout 2001 with a variety of producers at a number of international locations, is now scheduled to arrive in record stores on December 11, 2001, seven days earlier than first planned. The release date has been pushed up in response to the overwhelming response that’s greeted No Doubt’s new single and video, “Hey Baby,” including an impressive 130 first-week adds on Top-40 stations. The pride… Read more »
Mya stays slumming when picking out her girlfriends, at least on screen. After spending time with Lil’ Kim, Pink and Christina Aguilera, playing ladies of the evening in the video for “Lady Marmalade,” she’s now set to hang with a murderer. The singer is currently in Toronto rehearsing with leading ladies Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger for her role in the big-screen adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical “Chicago.” Filming for the Miramax project starts in January, with Mya playing a vixen named Mona. The original version of “Chicago” centers around two 1920s entertainers who get involved in homicide. Besides… Read more »
Britney Spears, a former Mousketeer, is at the center of an aggressive drive into the movie business by a handful of young pop stars molded by the music industry and MTV. Not since the 1960s, when singers like Elvis Presley, Frankie Avalon, Fabian and Johnny Cash crooned their way onto movie screens, have studios produced as many star vehicles to showcase the hip-shimmying musical talents of the day’s teen idols. Their holy grail is “The Bodyguard,” starring Whitney Houston, which grossed $122 million and relaunched a pop song that became a perennial hit. The soundtrack is one of the best… Read more »
BMG Entertainment has formed BMG Heritage, a label to maximize the music group’s catalog repertoire from BMG-owned Arista Records, Buddha Records, RCA, RGL, Windham Hill and Private Music. BMG Heritage will launch Jan. 1. Alex Miller will head BMG Heritage as senior vp. He will report to Pete Jones, president and CEO of BMG Distribution and BMG Associated Labels. Miller most recently was senior vp worldwide marketing at RCA Victor Group. He joined BMG in 1998 to helm its catalog reissues label, Buddha Records, which will become an imprint of BMG Heritage. BMG Heritage will focus on previously unreleased works… Read more »
Columbia Records will release The Concert For New York City – a 2-CD collection documenting the historic all-star concert event held to benefit those in need affected by the World Trade Center tragedy. The Concert For New York City album will be released on Tuesday, November 27. DVD and VHS versions will be available thereafter. “The Concert For New York City” took place on October 20, 2001 at Madison Square Garden. Produced by VH1, Cablevision, Miramax and AOL, the concert was a celebration of the strength of New York and a thank you to the heroic firefighters, police officers and… Read more »
