Idina Menzel is one of the slated performers at the upcoming Tony Awards (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Neil Patrick Harris, Sting, Idina Menzel, Alan Cumming and Sutton Foster — as well as the teaming up of Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight and Fantasia — will perform at the Tony Awards on June 8.
Producers announced a music-heavy lineup that includes all the best new musical nominees — “Aladdin,” ”After Midnight,” ”Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” ”A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” — and some overlooked ones, including “Bullets Over Broadway,” ”Rocky” and “If/Then.” Three revivals — “Les Miserables,” ”Violet” and Cumming’s “Cabaret” — will also be featured.
Sting will perform a song from his Broadway-bound musical, “The Last Ship.”
Harris, in the past a winning host, will return to sing a song from his “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” in which he plays a German male transsexual rock singer. He together with a lascivious and edgy Cumming as “Cabaret” emcee may add some spice to the night.
The Tony Awards will be broadcast from Radio City Music Hall on CBS. Hugh Jackman will host.
George Michael (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
LONDON (AP) — George Michael’s spokeswoman says the singer is “resting” after receiving hospital treatment for an undisclosed ailment.
The Sun newspaper reported Thursday that ambulances were called to Michael’s London home on May 22 and the former Wham! singer was taken to a hospital.
Spokeswoman Connie Filippello confirmed that Michael was discharged over the weekend “and is well and resting.” She had no further comment.
Michael, whose hits include “Careless Whisper” and “Faith,” has had a series of health problems in recent years, as well as automotive mishaps connected to his fondness for marijuana.
In 2011, he spent several weeks in the hospital after falling ill with life-threatening pneumonia while on tour in Austria. Last year he was hospitalized after falling from a moving car on a highway in England.
He was imprisoned for eight weeks in 2010 for possessing marijuana and driving under the influence of drugs after he crashed his Range Rover into a photo shop in London. In 2006, he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs after he was found slumped over the wheel of his car as it blocked an intersection.
Michael’s sixth solo album, “Symphonica,” was released earlier this year.
Phil Collins (AFP Photo/Sebastien Feval)
MIAMI (AFP) – A nervous Phil Collins returned to the stage — but only for “One More Night” — with student musicians at the school his children attend, the Miami Herald said Thursday.
The former leader of the band Genesis, who retired from the music scene in 2011 to spend more time with his two sons, performed with Miami Country Day School’s middle school band last week, the newspaper said.
“How are you? I just want to say hello and thank you for having me,” Collins said in a video of the concert that the Miami Herald posted on its website.
Collins, 63, who sold more than 100 million albums in his solo career after Genesis, said he was a little nervous about the performance, but that during rehearsals the students made him “feel part of the band.”
The singer and drummer — whose smash hits included ballad “One More Night” — joined the students to play “In the Air Tonight” and “Land of Confusion.”
Collins’ former wife, Orianne Collins Mejjati, who lives in the area, told the paper that the singer agreed to the gig at the request of his son.
Iggy Azalea (AFP Photo/Andrew Cowie)
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Australian rapper Iggy Azalea has scored a US chart double only previously achieved by the Beatles, with hits at number one and number two, Billboard magazine said Wednesday.
The Aussie star’s “Fancy” rose from the number two spot to top the Billboard Hot 100, , while she appears as a guest on Ariana Grande’s “Problem,” which moved from third to second place.
The Fab Four are the only other band to have their two debut hits score the top two spots, with “I Want to Hold Your Hand” at No. 1 and “She Loves You” at number two in February 1964, according to Billboard.
The two Beatles songs, boosted by the British band’s iconic appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, remained in the top two spots for six weeks, it said.
The new rankings were to take effect with the publication Thursday of the updated weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart, the online article said.
U2 frontman Bono and lead guitarist The Edge. (AFP)
LOS ANGELES | U2 stars Bono and The Edge have joined the Fender board of directors, adding some rock and roll glamor to a company whose guitars they have been using for decades, it said Thursday.
The Irish rockers paid tribute to the US instrument maker, which said it hopes the pair can help it innovate and expand its already iconic brand.
“This is something of a kid in a candy store situation for me,” said The Edge. “I’ve been a fan of Fender guitars from the beginning, playing them on all the most important U2 tours and albums.”
“But I’m most interested in working with the Fender design team on some new ideas,” added the U2 guitarist, known for the jangling sounds he works from his Fender instruments and amplifiers.
Frontman Bono added: “Wherever you go in the world Fender is a standard bearer, not just for excellence in technology and craft, but for the influence of American culture.”
“This made-in-USA company has at its heart innovation… the iconoclasm of Jimi Hendrix, the subtle sweet murmurings of Bill Frisell, as well as the most roadworthy loudspeaker on Earth,” he said.
Fender co-chairman Bill McGlashan said the company was “undergoing a transformation into a better music company.”
“The Edge’s track record as a guitarist and an innovator of unique sounds through his use of technology makes him an ideal partner to grow Fender’s brand,” added Mark Fukunaga, the other co-chairman.
“Bono is a visionary in the music world who also has business acumen and creativity that will help Fender thrive.”
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie wave at fans as they arrive at the at the premiere of 'Maleficent' at El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, California on Wednesday. (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES | Police on Thursday issued a restraining order against the Ukrainian prankster who struck actor Brad Pitt in the face as he signed autographs at the Los Angeles premiere of “Maleficent,” the new Disney film starring Pitt’s partner Angelina Jolie.
Pitt, 50, sought an emergency protective order against 25-year-old Vitalii Sediuk after he leaped over a fence at the “Maleficent” premiere and hit him, Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Officer Wendy Reyes said.
Sediuk, who is a television personality in his own country, remained in police custody on Thursday, pending payment of $20,000 bail. Pitt was unhurt after being struck.
The prankster has become infamous for crashing celebrity red carpets and events, most recently breaching a red carpet at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France to try and climb under actress America Ferrera’s dress as she posed for photographers, before he was ousted by security.
In previous exploits, Sediuk has hugged actor Leonardo DiCaprio around the crotch at a Santa Barbara Film Festival event; stormed the stage during singer Adele’s Grammy acceptance speech, and was slapped by Will Smith after kissing the actor at a Moscow premiere.
Scout Willis in a topless photo she posted on her Instagram account on Tuesday.
LOS ANGELES | Scout Willis, the daughter of Hollywood actors Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, said on Thursday she wanted to empower women with her topless social media protest against popular photo-sharing site Instagram’s no-nudity policy.
Willis, 22, sparked a debate on social media about Internet standards after posting photos of herself topless in public in New York City on her Twitter account on Tuesday, picking up support from the likes of pop star Rihanna.
Willis said she was inspired to confront Instagram’s policy after topless photos Rihanna posted of herself on Facebook Inc’s Instagram were taken down last month.
“This is about helping women feel empowered to make personal choices about their bodies not dictated by what society says is decent,” Willis wrote on Twitter, which allows nude photos.
Willis, who posted a topless photo with the #FreeTheNipple hashtag campaign, said her Instagram account was suspended after she had posted “artistic” and “tasteful” nude photos.
Instagram said in a statement its policies are designed to strike a balance between creative expression and making the service a “fun and safe place.”
“Our guidelines put limitations on nudity and mature content,” Instagram said. “Once content is reported to us, we review it and remove if it violates our policies.”
Willis said Instagram’s policy was contradictory, allowing photos of near-naked women she believed were demeaning but banning any photos that showed a woman’s nipple, including those of a woman breastfeeding a child.
