andPOP » elton john

Elton John Has E. Coli

Vanessa Baker — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:58:50 +0000

Sir Elton John has a serious case of E. Coli, reports Perez Hilton. In October, the British singer cancelled a number of concerts in Ireland and the United Kingdom due to influenza.

As a result of the illness, three of John’s upcoming shows with Billy Joel on the Face 2 Face tour have been postponed. Two concerts in Seattle, WA, planned for Nov. 4 and Nov. 7, as well as one scheduled for Nov. 10 in Portland, OR, will be rescheduled.

John is currently receiving treatment for the infection at a London hospital.

Stephen Gately of Boyzone Dies

Vanessa Baker — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:21:26 +0000

Stephen Gately of the Irish boy band Boyzone died suddenly Saturday while on vacation in Spain with his partner Andrew Cowles, reports CBC. He was 33.

“At present we don’t have too many details,” said a statement on the band’s web site.

Gately’s band mates – Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch – said they were completely devastated by the loss of their friend and brother, Stephen. “We have shared such wonderful times together over the years and were all looking forward to sharing many more. Stephen was a beautiful person in both body and spirit. He lit up our lives and those of the many friends he had all over the world.”

Boyzone originally formed in 1993 and reunited in 2008. Gately also had a solo career and appeared in a number of stage musicals including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

“Boyzone and Stephen, they’ve all been part of Irish life and far wider than that, the last 15 years, and so successful, so it’s a huge, huge, tragedy,” said former Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern. “It’s so sad.”

Elton John and his partner, Canadian David Furnish, also gave their condolences. “David and I are stunned by this tragedy,” said John. “Stephen was the kindest, gentlest soul. We send our love and condolences to his partner, Andy, and to all his friends everywhere.”

Officials are awaiting autopsy results before a cause of death can be determined.

Under The Rock: What Do You Get When You Cross – Bob Dylan, Nike, Weezer

Emma Renda — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:53:19 +0000

There’s little in the music world that excites me more than a good collaboration. Be the unlikely pairing of Eminem and Elton John, or inevitable power tracks from Jay-Z, Kanye and Rihanna (check out “Run This Town” if you haven’t already heard it.)

Recently, though, more than just musical minds have been getting together. So here’s the news.

It seems early to be looking forward to the holidays, but this year I actually have a reason to get excited. Bob Dylan is releasing a Christmas album, according to Pitchfork. No longer will I have to sit through the intolerable holiday stylings of Michael Buble, Destiny’s Child, or Jessica Simpson. At first I was hesitant, imagining his raspy, sarcastic attempts at “Santa Baby” or “Deck the Halls.”

But Dylan’s official website confirmed a more appropriate set list, including “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”, “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, “Winter Wonderland”, “Little Drummer Boy”, and “Must Be Santa.” The album artwork for Christmas in the Heart is also pure class, and will surely stand out amongst the glittery fare normally on the shelves around the holiday time. The album is set for release on Oct. 13 – a little on the early side but knowing Dylan, it will be worth much more than just holiday cheer.

The next commercial collabo is even more unsuspecting than Bob Dylan and Santa Claus – Nike and Sub Pop Records. Nike is releasing a shoe designed for the Quickstrike SB Blazer Elite series, whatever that is, and has pasted the black-and-white SubPop label discretely on the tongue. Sub Pop, the record label home to everyone from Fleet Foxes and Wolf Parade to Nirvana and Sunny Day Real Estate, have not posted any information on their website about the shoe. But I’m sure some diehard will be willing to shell out $150 for the black-and-yellow sneaker this fall.

Pending the release of their latest album, Weezer was caught in the crossfire of some harsh words about their choice of title. Raditude made it on Spin’s “20 Worst Album Titles of 2009″ before it was even released, and topped Rolling Stone’s list of “Dictionary-Defying Album Titles” (a very fun list, for those with time to spare or a computer at work).

Anyway, back to the point. Weezer dodged the bullet by informing the furrowed brow of the public that Rainn Wilson (The Office’s Dwight and a recent comic darling) was responsible for the title.

“[Wilson] has a super-rock persona,” Rivers said, according to Pitchfork. “When it came time to find a title for the Weezer album, I asked him what he thought the ultimate album title would be, and he said ‘Raditude.’”

Naturally. The rest of the titles aren’t any more innovative – including singles “The Girl Got Hot” and “I’m Your Daddy.”

Weezer has never been one for album titles (see The Blue, Green and Red albums) or breaking boundaries, for that matter, considering they specialize in three-chord pop-punk about falling in love with Japanese teenagers. But for the group responsible for “My Name Is Jonas”, a cult-favourite and soundtrack to my youth, I hoped for something more. I won’t be able to weigh in until Raditude hits shelves Oct. 27, but expect disenchantment and some good puns. So far, all I have is “Baditude”.

Billy Elliot Leads In Tony Noms

Ilan Mester — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:22:16 +0000

The stage adaptation scored by Elton John of the Oscar nominated movie “Billy Elliot” danced away with 15 Tony Award nominations, leading in nods.

John and Dolly Parton compete for Best Original Score for “Billy Elliot” and “9 to 5.” The ballet-themed play will also go up against “Shrek The Musical,” “Next to Normal” and “Rock of Ages” for the Best Musical category.

Nominated stars include James Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, Geoffrey Rush, Martha Plimpton, Angela Lansbury, Jane Fonda, Hope Davis, Raúl Esparza, former “American Idol” finalist Constantine Maroulis among other performers.

“Hair” received a nod for Best Musical Revival and will compete against “Guys and Dolls,” the bilingual production of “West Side Story” and “Pal Joey” for the award.

This year, the Leading Actor in a Musical category has more names than usual due to the triple nomination for David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish who rotate playing the lead role in “Billy Elliot”.

For the complete list of nominees, visit: www.TonyAwards.com.

Elton John Backs Clinton

andPOP Staff — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:10:36 +0000

Elton John has formally backed U.S. presidential contender Hillary Clinton, holding a fundraiser in her honour last night.

The New York Time reports that the event John hosted and performed at raised US$2-million for the Clinton campaign.

The concert was held at Radio City Music Hall. John announced the concert last month in an email to Clinton supporters, which he signed personally.

Over 5,000 tickets were sold for the event.

Elton John and Elvis Costello Collaborate on New Televsion Show

andPOP Staff — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:22:30 +0000

Elvis Costello and Elton John will collaborate on a new television show that was conceived and developed in Canada by CTV.

The Canadian Press reports that the show will be hosted by Costello and will be called “Spectacle: Elvis Costello With …”. It will be executive-produced by John’s company Rocket Pictures, and aims to raise awareness and funds for AIDS in Africa.

The show is a Canadian-UK joint production, and will air 13 episodes. It will feature indepth interviews with artists and performances.

“I’m not interested in extracting some dark secret [from the performers]. I’d rather hear about a bright secret, a deep love or a curiosity that might be otherwise obscured by fame. This is a wonderful opportunity to talk in complete thoughts about music, movies, art or even vaudeville, then frame it with unique and illustrative performances,” Costello said.

The series will air on CTV most likely beginning in September.

Sudbury to Elton: Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Us

andPOP Staff — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:51:08 +0000

The so-called Ticket Gate regarding the Elton John concert in Sudbury has worried some that it will cause the singer to pull out of his concert date in March.

The fiasco occurred when city councillors and staff were allowed to purchase tickets before they went on sale to the general public.

The Sudbury Star reports that John’s show was never in jeopardy despite the controversy.

Riley O’Connor, chairman of Live Nation Canada who is bringing the Piano Man into the Nickel city said that there is no doubt the show will go on despite city councillors’ fears that the publicity will kill the show.

“They don’t speak on my behalf, or represent anything that we do,” he said.

“I don’t negotiate with ‘city officials,’ whatever that means. I certainly wouldn’t let a few politicians think they may or may not be justified in doing … something,” he told the Star.

O’Connor said Live Nation is excited to be bringing John to Sudbury despite the controversy.

Elton John Fury in Sudbury

andPOP Staff — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:25:53 +0000

Who knew Elton John would cause such an uproar in Sudbury before his concert even happens?

The latest drama in the Northern Ontario town is the mayor offering apologies to those citizens who were unable to get their hands on some of the tickets for the Piano Man’s March show.

“My decision to offer so many advance purchase tickets to council was rushed and not given sufficient consideration. For that I apologize,” Mayor John Rodriguez said before the city council meeting last night, reports the Sudbury Star.

According to the mayor’s statement, city councilors had 100 advance tickets available to them to grab before the sale to the general public began.

“These tickets are not free: the cost is paid in full by the councillor. This same practice occurs in the City of Kitchener, where Elton John is also playing next month,” Rodriguez said.

Six councilors refused to tell the Sudbury Star how many advanced tickets they had purchased for the sold out March 2 show.

Furnish Slams Michael Moore

andPOP Staff — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 13:48:39 +0000

SIR ELTON JOHN’s partner DAVID FURNISH has hit out at filmmaker MICHAEL MOORE for criticizing the U.S. healthcare system.

The star – who lives in England – insists new movie Sicko is inaccurate, and has praised America’s medical services – branding it “the only place to get good treatment.”

He says, “I completely disagree with Michael Moore.

“With my own father, when he was ill, the only option was to hire a jet and fly him to America. It was the only place to get good treatment.”

Sir Elton Calls For End To Homophobia

andPOP Staff — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 15:16:20 +0000

Gay pop superstar SIR ELTON JOHN wants the public to help him fight against homophobia.

The rocker makes his appeal in a magazine interview, just days after church leaders in the Caribbean called for him to be banned from performing there because of his sexuality.

He says, “Whether the bigot is in our local pub or a thousand miles away, we should all stand up and speak out for basic human rights.”

The ROCKET MAN also lent his support to an Amnesty International campaign to protect WILLIAM HERNANDEZ, a gay activist in El Salvador who was threatened at gunpoint.

He says, “I want to shine a spotlight on him. People like William are a lot braver than me.”