Kelly Clarkson mounts inaugural headlining tour
Singer Kelly Clarkson, the first-season winner of Fox-TV's "American Idol," works the North American theater circuit this spring behind her sophomore album, last year's "Breakaway."
Clarkson's 34-city outing kicks off with a late-March, three-night stand in Tulsa, OK, and dates stretch through late May. Tickets for most shows will hit the box office this month. Details are shown in the itinerary below.
"Nothing makes me happier than being out on the road," Clarkson said in a statement. "I can't wait to see the fans and perform the new material. Playing in these small venues will be a great opportunity for me to connect with my die-hard fans in an intimate setting. I'm really excited and I know it's going to be awesome."
Released in November, "Breakaway" follows Clarkson's 2003 debut, "Thankful," which debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart. The new set's title track went to No. 1 on the Mainstream Top 40 radio chart, and currently sits at No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart and No. 3 on the Adult Top 40 chart. Follow-up cut "Since U Been Gone" holds the No. 3 slot on the latest Mainstream Top 40 chart.
The "Breakaway" single and "Since U Been Gone" are both streaming at Clarkson's website.
Clarkson scored her first No. 1 hit, "A Moment Like This," in 2002. The song went on to be the top-selling single of the year.
Tour Itinerary
March 2005
28-30 - Tulsa, OK - Performing Arts Center (on sale 2/26)
31 - Kansas City, MO - Midland Theatre (on sale 2/26)
April 2005
2 - Omaha, NE - Civic Music Hall (on sale 2/26)
3 - Saint Louis, MO - Keiner Plaza (on sale 2/26)
5 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theatre (on sale 2/26)
6 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre (on sale 2/26)
8 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre (on sale 2/26)
9 - Cleveland, OH - Palace Theatre (on sale 2/25)
11 - Columbus, OH - Palace Theatre (on sale 2/26)
12 - Detroit, MI - State Theatre (on sale 2/26)
14 - Rosemont, IL - Rosemont Theatre (on sale 2/26)
16 - Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall (on sale 2/19)
17 - Kitchener, Ontario - Centre in the Square (on sale 2/19)
19 - London, Ontario - John Labatt Centre (on sale 2/19)
21 - Montreal, Quebec - Place des Arts (on sale 2/26)
22 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre (on sale 2/26)
24 - Wallingford, CT - Oakdale Theatre (on sale 2/26)
25 - Newark, NJ - New Jersey Performing Arts Center (on sale 2/26)
27 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom (on sale 2/26)
28 - Providence, RI - Providence Performing Arts Center (on sale 2/26)
30 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre (on sale 2/26)
May 2005
1 - Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall (on sale 2/19)
3 - Clemson, SC - Littlejohn Coliseum (on sale 3/5)
4 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre (on sale to be announced)
6 - Boca Raton, FL - Mizner Park Amphitheatre (on sale 2/26)
7 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall (on sale 2/26)
9 - Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theater (on sale 3/5)
10 - Grand Prairie, TX - Nokia Live (on sale 2/25)
13 - Chula Vista, CA - Coors Amphitheatre (on sale to be announced)
16 - Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theatre (on sale 2/25)
18, 19 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern LG (on sale 3/6)
24 - San Jose, CA - Civic Auditorium (on sale 2/26)
26 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre (on sale 2/25)
28 - Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Hall (on sale 2/26)
29 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Queen Elizabeth Theatre (on sale 3/4)
Foos Draft A Pair Of Jones' For New Album
Foo Fighters have landed guest appearances by Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and singer/songwriter Norah Jones for their upcoming double album, which will feature one disc of rock tracks and another of songs recorded in acoustic settings. With basic tracks completed, the band will now focus on overdubs and final vocals, with an eye on releasing the album this summer.
"We've recorded a lot of music for this record," guitarist Chris Shiflett writes on the Foos' message board. "It's over 40 songs or versions of songs. Of course, that'll get narrowed down to about half of that number for the final track list."
Shiflett gushes about the appearance of John Paul Jones, who contributed mellotron, piano and mandolin to several songs. "That guy is like royalty but he was so down to earth and cool, it was incredible," he says. "Of course, we managed to sneak in a few Zeppelin trivia questions and he even riffed 'Kashmir' on the mellotron for a minute."
Norah Jones' appears on a song with "a really cool Elvis Costello vibe to it," according to Shiflett. "Her voice is beautiful and fits the song really nice." Addressing fans who scoffed at the artist collaborating with a loud rock band, Shiflett said, "Trust me, it's really good. You'll see soon enough."
At present, the Foos have three international festivals on their performance slate, beginning July 7 at the Quart Festival in Kristiansand, Norway. As previously reported, frontman Dave Grohl plays drums on Nine Inch Nails' upcoming album, "With Teeth," due May 3 via Interscope.
Punk Trio Blink-182 on 'Indefinite Hiatus'
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California pop-punk trio Blink-182, famed for its practical jokes and disdain for clothing, has gone on "indefinite hiatus," with no plans to work together again, its Geffen Records label said Tuesday.
Singer-guitarist Tom DeLonge, singer-bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker want to "spend some time enjoying the fruits of their labors with loved ones" after a decade of working together nonstop, the statement added.
"While there is no set plan for the band to begin working together again, no one knows what tomorrow may bring," it said.
San Diego-based Blink-182, cast in the same mold as Grammy-winning punk combo Green Day, enjoyed major success with such tunes as "What's My Age Again?" and "All the Small Things," winning an MTV Video Music Award for the latter tune.
The group toiled in obscurity for years before hitting the big time with its 1997 major-label debut album "Dude Ranch," which sold 1 million copies. The 1999 follow-up, "Enema of the State," cemented its success, bolstered by the unlikely suicide ballad, "Adam's Song."
But for the most part, Blink-182 was best known for its goofball antics, including running naked through the streets of Hollywood for the "What's My Age Again?" video. It topped the U.S. pop charts in 2001 with the cheekily titled album "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket."
Barker, considered the band's linchpin on stage, kept busy with two other bands, Box Car Racer (along with DeLonge) and the Transplants, as well as a boutique record label.
The Wall Street Journal reported in 2003 that DeLonge bought a $5 million home in a gated community outside of San Diego because fans were bugging him at his former abode. Hoppus, meanwhile, co-owns a clothing company.
Miramax's Weinsteins, Disney Near Break-Up
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Brothers Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein will meet with executives of Walt Disney Co. this week to iron out the details of their exit from Oscar-winning powerhouse Miramax Films, a source with knowledge of the talks said on Tuesday.
The brothers founded the Disney unit and guided it to best film Oscars -- the top U.S. movie honors -- for the likes of 2002's "Chicago," but have for years had a contentious relationship with Disney chief executive Michael Eisner.
The pair have been in talks to exit Miramax since last year, and it appears the Oscar ceremony this coming Sunday, Feb. 27, will be their swansong with Miramax, which is backing best picture nominees "The Aviator" and "Finding Neverland."
"They are continuing negotiations this week," the source said, "A deal is imminent."
A Disney spokeswoman was not immediately available. Miramax would say only that there was nothing new to report in the ongoing negotiations.
Under plans being considered, the Weinsteins would leave their posts as co-chief executives but remain as consultants to help market certain upcoming films, the source said.
Some of those titles include comic book themed "Sin City" and kids' movie "The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl" -- both from director Robert Rodriguez -- as well as drama "Proof," starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
The Weinsteins would be free make their own movies and find a new distribution partner.
Disney would pay the Weinsteins around $100 million to settle their contract, which expires on Sept. 30, 2005, although a final amount has yet to be determined.
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
Disney would retain the Miramax library of some 800 films with titles that include 1998's Oscar winner "Shakespeare in Love," starring Paltrow, and director Quentin Tarantino's popular "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" and "Vol. II" titles. Libraries are a highly lucrative means of generating cash from sales of DVDs, videos and television rights.
Disney would retain the Miramax brand name, which the Weinsteins had sought to keep because it is based on their parent's names, Miriam and Max.
Miramax would become a slimmer unit with an annual budget around $300 million, far less than the $700 million Miramax under the Weinsteins but closer to the budgets of the art-house movie wings of Hollywood's other major studios.
Staff, which now numbers less than 300 people, would be cut, although a final number has yet to be determined, the source said.
The employee count has fallen steadily since Miramax said in August of last year it was laying off 13 percent of its then 485-member staff. Just last month, Miramax Chief Operating Officer Rick Sands left to join DreamWorks SKG.
The Weinsteins have been a major film force in New York, where Miramax is based, and in Hollywood for more than two decades. Based on the success of low-budget hits like "sex, lies and videotape," the brothers sold their company to Disney in 1993 for around $75 million.
Since then the Weinsteins have increasingly pursued more expensive films like last year's Oscar contender "Cold Mountain," while Disney wanted the unit to stay closer to its low-budget, independent roots.
Tension between the Weinsteins and Disney came to a head last May when Disney refused to release Michael Moore's controversial anti-Bush documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11," which Miramax had backed. The Weinsteins acquired the film from Miramax and found an independent distributor to release it.
Raptors Rock Nets 100-82
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The sight of his old team made Vince Carter look like the player the Toronto Raptors wanted to get rid of. Carter struggled in his first game against the team that traded him to New Jersey earlier this season, missing 17 of 25 shots while being outplayed by Jalen Rose in Toronto's 100-82 victory over the Nets on Tuesday night.
Rose shot 12-for-15, scored 30 points and did a fine defensive job on Carter, who seem to be pressing in a game that he acknowledged meant a lot to him.
Rose led the Raptors on a 14-4 run early in the fourth quarter, and New Jersey never recovered. Chris Bosh had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Milt Palacio added 13 points for Toronto, which had six players in double figures.
Carter scored 22 points, and Jason Kidd added 20 for the Nets, who had no one else in double figures.
Carter seemed loose before the game as he discussed last weekend's slam dunk contest won by J.R. Smith of Atlanta. Carter said he has a dunk in his repertoire that no one had seen yet, a specialty he plans to keep under wraps until the next time he enters the dunk contest.
But once the game began, Carter missed several drives, was off-target with his jumper, committed four turnovers and missed four free throws.
Toronto led 71-64 after three quarters, getting 20 points from Rose on 8-for-10 shooting. Carter was 6-for-20 for 15 points.
Rose had a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter as the shot clock expired before Carter came up with his lone highlight-reel move of the night, spinning 360 degrees as he drove beneath the basket before spinning in a reverse layup.
But Rose answered by driving around Carter for a layup, then stealing the ball from Carter as he was double-teamed. The steal led to a 3 by Donyell Marshall that made it 79-66, and Carter followed by missing a running jumper to make the Nets 1-for-9 in the period.
Carter fouled Marshall on a 3-point attempt with 5:09 left, and Marshall made two of the free throws for a 17-point lead. That was it for the Nets, who were without starting center Nenad Krstic (viral infection) and Rodney Buford (left ankle), leaving them with only 10 players in uniform, one of whom, Jabari Smith, made his first career start.
Notes:@ Bosh, 20, became the third-youngest NBA player in NBA history to reach 1,000 career rebounds. Only Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady reached the plateau at a younger age. ... Krstic has a viral infection, and the team was worried he had mononucleosis before tests came back negative. "Hopefully antibiotics and rest will be the cure," coach Lawrence Frank said. Krstic will miss Wednesday night's game at Milwaukee, and Rodney Buford (left ankle) also will sit out against the Bucks. "He's not ready to roll," Frank said. We'll give him two more days and see where he's at."
'Star Wars' Bosses Warn Websites Again
Movie bosses financing forthcoming prequel Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith are threatening to take legal action against internet sites that leak pictures and plot details. Currently, various websites are displaying photographs of a pregnant Padme Amidala, played by Natalie Portman, and a new android villain named General Grievous. Other shots online include an aggressive light-saber duel between Anakin Skywalker and his former mentor Obi-wan Kenobi - which leaves Skywalker horribly scarred and propels him to don the black suit of Darth Vader. Producers of the film had issued a warning to various internet sites last year, and have now renewed their threat of legal action. Revenge Of The Sith is due to hit American cinemas on May 19.