On the eve of her long-awaited album Aerial's release, Kate Bush cancelled a series of interviews, according to popbitch.com . The electronic tabloid claims that the 'King of the Mountain' singer is not content with her appearance and further adds fuel to the rumor that Kate has an unrequited love for marijuana. Ariel, a buzz-worthy double disc, marks Kate's first release since 1993's The Red Shoes.
While promoting her greatest-hits package The Road Less Traveled, Melissa Etheridge is also embarking on a mission to raise awareness about breast cancer. Proceeds from the sale of her single 'I Run For Life' via iTunes have benefited The Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. Etheridge has been applauded for her efforts, including being recognized as one of Out's Top 100 People of the Year and honored at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards.
Evita had its extravagance, politics were the backbone of Kiss of a Spider Woman and of course shoes were key in Wicked. With this equation, it only seems logical that there will be a musical based on the life of Imelda Marcos. Who better to put this together than former Talking Heads singer David Byrne and British DJ Fatboy Slim? Per BBC News, Here Lies Love is expected to make its debut at Australia's Adelaide Festival in March.
Mama Mia! In other theatrical news, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA are taking Carl-Johan Seth to court in hopes to resolve a disagreement about who wrote the musical Kristina From Duvemala. The creators behind the hit songs like 'Gimme, Gimme, Gimme' and 'Money, Money, Money' have been trying to settle this for more than a decade now, according to billboard.com . All parties are in hopes that Kristina, a piece about Swedish immigrants to America in the 1850s, will make its way eventually to the Great White Way, even if this case goes to trial next year.
Overdue recognition is given to Australian singer Sia's song 'Breathe Me' from her sophomore solo album Colour the Small One, when the track was used during the series finale of Six Feet Under. Now 'Breathe Me' provides the backdrop for the trailer for Jennifer Aniston's latest movie Derailed. Initially released as a single last year, the song's creative video clip gives a Polaroid camera the best cameo since the movie Thelma and Louise. The soulful Zero 7 singer's track 'Numb' was licensed for an episode of Nip/Tuck. Expect Sia to finally release Colour the Small One early next year stateside with an accompanying intimate tour.
All things keep getting better for singer Simone Denny. The Canadian singer, whose perfect pitch is best known for the theme to TV's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, has her first solo cut 'Cliché' high in clubland's charts. Before Simone teamed with the duo Widelife for some singles, she was the lead vocalist for the dance outfit Love, Inc. and had sizeable hits abroad with 'You're a Superstar' and the down-tempo 'Into the Night' and even made a soulful cover of One Dove's 'Why Don't You Take Me.' Denny is now busy promoting 'Cliché' and is wrapping up her solo debut full-length album. How can we not love Simone? On her official Web site she is quoted to saying, 'I want to make people feel limitless, beautiful and empowered.'
While Marc Almond teamed with Replicant to remake Laura Branigan's hit 'Self Control,' maybe they should have done a rendition of Pat Benatar's 'Invincible.' The new-wave pioneer was critically injured in a motorcycle accident last year in London, but Almond still has projects surfacing and more in the works. For his upcoming covers album, the former front man from Soft Cell recorded two tracks with Antony of Antony and the Johnsons. Marc also worked with T-Total recording a version of Brian Eno's 'Baby's on Fire,' moreover, King Roc just released 'Prime Evil,' a collaboration with Almond. Further showing his love for the '80s, Almond remixed Bananarama's No. 1 hit 'Venus,' which appears on the girls' latest album Drama as a bonus track.
Is Barry Manilow out? Sure he played piano for Bette Midler in the '70s in New York City's finest bathhouses, but the singer revealed at the Society of Singers' annual Ella Awards that he 'always wanted to marry Elton John' per advocate.com . Being honored at this fundraiser, Elton was on best behavior considering his recent well-publicized rants and feuds. He even joked, 'I couldn't have married you, Barry. There would have been too much fuss in front of the mirror.'
Somebody returned from an overseas vacation and asked me about the theme song to a British primetime drama about a female soccer team. I had to roll up my sleeves for the task. The husky, almost androgynous voice belongs to Alison Moyet and her song 'Blue,' which is available on her album The Essential, is indeed the theme for the series Playing the Field. The former Yaz singer just released the standards album Voice featuring 'Cry Me a River' and 'Bye Bye Blackbird.'
