TUESDAY, JULY 23
NATIONAL HEADLINES:
DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE WELCOME ROYAL BABY BOY.
The royal baby watch came to an end Monday at 4:24p local time when Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and her husband Prince William welcomed their first child. The as-yet unnamed baby boy, who weighed in at 8 pounds, 6 ounces, is now third in line to the throne, behind his grandfather, Prince Charles, and his father William, who issued a brief statement which read: “We could not be happier.” British Prime Minister David Cameron wished the young parents well, saying, “It is an important moment in the life of our nation, But I suppose above all, it’s a wonderful moment for a warm and loving couple who got a brand new baby boy.” President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle also passed along their well wishes, saying in a statement: “The child enters the world at a time of promise and opportunity for our two nations. Given the special relationship between us, The American people are pleased to join with the people of the United Kingdom as they celebrate the birth of the young prince.”
POPE FRANCIS ARRIVES IN BRAZIL.
Making his triumphant return to his native South America, Pope Francis touched down in Brazil Monday for the start of a seven-day trip. The Argentine-born pontiff was greeted by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff as he got off the plane and then drove away in a small car towards the center of Rio De Janeiro, where swarms of the faithful attempted to get close enough to receive a handshake. During his visit, the 76-year old leader of the Roman Catholic Church will meet with scores of young Catholics attending the church’s World Youth Festival in Rio. Meanwhile, a small explosive device was found Sunday near a religious shrine Pope Francis is scheduled to visit later this week. Local authorities confirmed the homemade device was safely detonated and destroyed.
SOUTHWEST JET’S LANDING GEAR COLLAPSES, 10 INJURED.
Ten passengers suffered minor injuries when the front landing gear of a Southwest AirlinesBoeing 737collapsed after landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Monday. Airport general manager Thomas Bosco told reporters, “The aircraft skidded down the runway on its nose and then veered off and came to rest in a grass area between the runway and taxiway foxtrot.” Passengers evacuated the airplane on emergency slides once the aircraft came to a complete stop. A total of 150 people were aboard Southwest Flight 345 from Nashville. The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the incident.
SUSPECT CHARGED IN DEATHS OF 3 WOMEN IN EAST CLEVELAND.
A man arrested in connection with the deaths of three women in East Cleveland was formally charged Monday. Michael Madison, 35, faces three counts of aggravated murder and three counts of kidnapping and was ordered held on $6 million bond. The bodies of three women, two of which remain unidentified, were found within a block from each other in East Cleveland. All three victims appear to be young black women, and their decomposing bodies were found in separate locations wrapped in plastic garbage bags and taped.
POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE IN NORTHWEST CHINA KILLS 89.
The death toll has climbed to 89 following a strong earthquake that shook northwest China at around 7:45a local time Monday morning. Close to 600 were injured and five were believed still missing, according to state media. The epicenter of the quake struck in Gansu Province, located along the border of two counties – Min and Zhang. The Red Cross Society of China has converged on the area, bringing 200 tents and additional supplies to aid those whose homes were destroyed. Rescue workers fear their efforts will be hampered by heavy rains that drenched the region in recent weeks, while the forecast calls for more rains that could trigger landslides.
SHOWBIZ NEWS:
DENNIS FARINA DIES
Actor Dennis Farina, known for playing Detective Joe Fontana on Law & Order, passed awayyesterday in Scottsdale, Arizona at the age of 69 after suffering a blood clot in his lung. Farina is survived by his three adult children from his marriage to Patricia Farina, from whom he got divorced in 1980, as well as Marianne Cahill, “the love of his life for 35 years” according to his rep. In addition to Law & Order, Farina starred in such films as Get Shorty and Snatch, as well as the HBO series Luck.
DINA LOHAN DRUNK DIALS LINDSAY AT REHAB
Dina Lohan has been banned from participating in the final stages of daughter Lindsay’s drug and alcohol treatment after she called her drunk a few weeks ago. Apparently Dina made the call shortly before the starlet’s birthday on July 2nd. But the staff member at Cliffside Malibu, where Lindsay is in treatment, who answered could tell Dina had been drinking and didn’t let her speak to her daughter. Dina is now prohibited from contacting Lindsay, who has just a few days left of her 90-day court-ordered program.
GAGA TOPS FORBES’ HIGHEST EARNERS LIST
Forbes released their annual list of the highest-paid stars under 30, and Lady Gaga is in the number-one spot. The eccentric pop star, 27, raked in an estimated $80 million in the last year.Justin Bieber, 19, came in second with $58 million, followed by Taylor Swift, 23 (last year’s winner) with $55 million. Rounding out the top 10 are Calvin Harris (Scottish DJ), Rihanna, Katy Perry, Jennifer Lawrence, Adele, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, who tied for ninth place. [See SPOTLIGHT ON for more!]
FARRAH ABRAHAM MAKES BANK ON BACKDOOR
Forget MTV…In just two months, Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham has racked up more than $100,000 in royalties from her porno! Abraham inked a six-figure upfront deal with Vivid Entertainment for Backdoor Teen Mom, which she filmed with porn star James Deen. TMZ got a hold of her first royalty check, which was for a whopping $119,576.39. No word yet on what type of plastic surgery she’ll be getting to celebrate.
KEEPING UP RUMORED TO BE ENDING SOON
Could there be an end in sight to Keeping Up with the Kardashians? Maybe, according to a source.Rumor has it Kim K. and mom Kris are considering ending the show to explore other options. Said the source, “Both Kim and Kris want to make sure they end on a high note, leaving fans wanting more, rather than try and stretch the show on for another few seasons and watch it die a death.” Both Kardashian ladies apparently want to focus on their new jobs- Kris’ as a talk show host and Kim’s as a mother. But the family could be on the hook for at least a few more years- their $40 million contract requires them to keep doing the show until 2015.
GERALDO RIVERA TWEETS TOPLESS SELFIE
Breaking news! Fox news contributor Geraldo Rivera posted a racy snap to Twitter over the weekend. Rivera’s naked (but safe-for-work) selfie was captioned, “70 is the new 50 (Erica and family are going to be so pissed…but at my age…),” referring to wife Erica Levy. But his conscience seems to have gotten the best of him- shortly afterwards, Rivera deleted the tweet and accompanying photo, saying, “Note to self: no tweeting after 1am.” Fortunately- or unfortunately- you can still see the picture here.
KELLY OSBOURNE SHOWS OFF ENGAGEMENT SPARKLER
In a picture posted to Instagram over the weekend, Kelly Osbourne revealed her custom Tiffanyengagement ring from fiancé Matthew Mosshart. Osbourne recently went public with the news that she and the vegan baker have actually been engaged for six months. She designed the rock, a simple round diamond on a plain band, “to look like an earring that my father wore when I was little.” The couple waited to break the news until the ring was completed.
CHORD OVERSTREET DEDICATES SONG TO CORY MONTEITH
Another one of Cory Monteith’s former cast mates has paid tribute to the late actor. At a show at The Roxy in LA over the weekend, Glee star Chord Overstreet dedicated a song to Monteith. Overstreet prefaced the acoustic ballad by saying, “This is for you, Cory.” See a video of the performance here.
LEAH REMINI’S SISTER BASHES KIRSTIE ALLEY OVER SCIENTOLOGY SPLIT
To hear Leah Remini’s sister Nicole tell it, Kirstie Alley is something of a Scientology bully. The actress is under attack in the wake of Remini’s public departure from the religion. Although Alley hasn’t specifically mentioned Remini, reports suggest she once hosted a gathering of church members to discuss “disconnecting” from the King of Queens star, and that in the past she made negative comments about her former friend. In a recent radio interview, Nicole Remini described the Cheers star’s backstabbing ways, and admitted she wrote “Shame on you” on Alley’s Facebook page. She’s not the only one who’s mad…Alley’s former fans have also taken to Facebook to bash the actress’ beliefs. One such comment reads, “I hope this Leah Remini backlash renders you the lame soul you are. You claimed to be her friend, but you weren’t.” It was rumored that Alley was furious that Remini had left the church, although she’s denied the allegations on Twitter.
MILEY CYRUS’ PARENTS WORK IT OUT
Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus are putting the brakes on their break-up. Miley’s parents, who filed for divorce in June, have decided to stay together. In a statement the couple said, “We both woke up and realized we love each other and decided we want to stay together. We both went into couples therapy something we haven't done in 22 years of being together, and it's brought us closer together and really opened up our communication in amazing ways.” Over the weekend, Tish posted a photo with her hubby on Instagram with the caption “Date night.”
In other Miley Cyrus-related news, the “We Can’t Stop” singer has some advice for fellow pop starJustin Bieber. She discussed the difficulties of life as an international celebrity, saying, “When you’re a worldwide star, everyone sees everything.” Commenting on Bieber’s recent antics, including peeing in a restaurant mop bucket (an act of vandalism that went viral after being caught on camera), Cyrus said, “He’s still stupid…But everyone does dumb stuff when they are messed up, and he’s done dumb stuff.” She said she advised the star to “take a bit of time out.” Sounds like a good idea!
PAWN STARS’ RICK HARRISON WEDS
Pawn star Rick Harrison tied the knot with DeAnna Burditt in California over the weekend. Among the more than 100 guests were fellow Pawn Stars personalities Richard “Old Man” Harrison and Austin “Chumlee” Russell. After the ceremony, which was officiated by Danny Koker of Counting Cars, guests partied to the sounds of LA metal band Steel Panther. How romantic!
JARED PADALECKI AND WIFE EXPECTING AGAIN
Supernatural’s Jared Padalecki and his actress wife, Genevieve Cortese Padalecki, have another baby on the way! The pair revealed the news at Comic-Con over the weekend. They are already parents to 16-month-old Thomas Colton.
ROCK NEWS:
MCCARTNEY REFLECTS ON STAGING HOMETOWN NIRVANA REUNION
It took no less than former Beatle Paul McCartney to bring Nirvana’s surviving members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and Pat Smears together last Friday for their first performance in Nirvana’s hometown Seattle in 15 years. Following the show at Safeco Field, McCartney spilled the beans on how he orchestrated the reunion, telling Rolling Stone, “We hatched that plan a couple of weeks ago. Dave was going to come up to Seattle with his family, and I said to him, ‘Do you think there’s any chance the guys would fancy [a reunion]?’ He said, ‘Well let me ask.’ And they fancied it. So we thought, ‘Let’s go and flip ‘em out.’ They’re powerful, you know. I mean, my band’s great – but when you augment it with Nirvana, that’s greater.”
U2, RADIOHEAD, SIGN LETTER CALLING FOR PUSSY RIOT’S RELEASE
More than 100 musicians, including U2, Radiohead and Paul McCartney, have signed an open letter with Amnesty International calling for the release of two members of Russian all-girl punk rock band Pussy Riot. Additional artists supporting the human rights organization’s efforts to free Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokinnikova and Maria Alyokhina include Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Yoko Ono, Sting, and Adele.
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH EXPLORE HEAVEN AND HELL ON DUEL ALBUMS
As Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Zoltan Bathory explains, a “perfect storm” led to the band recording two dozen tracks spread across their upcoming two volume album The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, the first of which arrives next Tuesday, July 30 with the second set for a fall release. Bathory told Billboard, “We travel with a portable studio…and everybody was just in a mindset of, ‘Let’s do this s**t.’ We just started to pound out song after song… Before we knew it, we had 20-somethig songs, all of them great.”
PARAMORE UNVEILS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR PLANS
Playfully dubbing their upcoming North American tour The Self-Titled Tour, Paramore yesterday announced a total of 27 dates, starting October 15 in Seattle and wrapping up November 27 in Duluth, GA. Stops along the way include Vancouver, San Diego, Houston, St. Louis, New York, Montreal, Chicago, and Nashville. The band earned its first-ever No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 when their self-titled set peaked at No.1 in April.
ANASTASIO LOOKS BACK ON 30 YEARS OF PHISH TALES
With Phish marking its 30-year anniversary, frontman Trey Anastasio sat down with Rolling Stoneto take a look back at the band’s three-decade long career, and at what lies ahead. On jamming for 30 years, he said, “We’ve reached this new plateau that I couldn’t have anticipated. I’m still with my best friends and everybody’s healthy, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” Looking ahead to the future, Anastasio said the group is having a good time in the studio because they simply said, “’Let’s just write stuff together,’ which hasn’t historically happened a lot.” There is no timetable for when (or how) the new material will be released.
ROLLING STONES ROLL OUT ITUNES-ONLY HYDE PARK LIVE ALBUM
Continuing to celebrate their 50 years in rock and roll, the Rolling Stones have teamed with iTunes to offer up the iTunes-exclusive album The Rolling Stones – Hyde Park Live, available now through August 19. Culled from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band’s gig earlier this month in London, the album includes 19 tracks, including “Start Me Up,” “Tumbling Dice,” “”Ruby Tuesday,” “Paint it Black,” “Midnight Rambler,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Brown Sugar,” and the set closer “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
BUILT TO SPILL TOUR DATES SPILL OVER INTO FALL
Boise, ID-bred indie rock royalty Built to Spill have announced an extensive list of fall tour dates which begin October 16 in Salt Lake City and as routing and randomness would have it end November 27 right back in Salt Lake City. Ahead of the long run of autumn shows, the band has two more performances on the calendar; a show tonight at the Rock for Oklahoma benefit in Oklahoma City and a set at the Doe Bay Festival in Olga, WA on August 10. Meanwhile, the group continues to write new material for their next as-yet untitled album.
AEROSMITH BASSIST GOT SON IN HOT WATER OVER DIRTY DOLLS
Longtime Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton once got his son in trouble at school after the young Hamilton found his dad’s stash of custom-made X-rated Beanie Babies parody dolls. Hamilton explained, “They’re like the equivalent of Beanie Babies, except they’re dirty. My son got into the box of them and took some to school and got in trouble…and then I got in trouble!” Hamilton hoped to market the dirty dolls but so far there haven’t been any takers, so he said, “I think I’m just going to take them out on the road and throw them out to people when I’m onstage.”
MOCKUMENTARY STARS SPINAL TAP PLOTTING 2014 REUNION
In a recent interview with UK’s The Observer, mockumentary rockers Spinal Tap co-founderChristopher Guest hinted the fictitious foursome may mount a comeback next year. Asked about a possible reunion of the mock rockers (mockers?) featured in the 1984 Rob Reiner-directed classic This Is Spinal Tap, Guest said, “We get asked to do shows on a regular basis. But what I will say is that we are in the midst of talking about something for next year…” The “we” would include Guest (Nigel Tufnel), Michael McKean (David St. Hubbins), and Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls).
COOPER EXHUMES MORE ‘RAISE THE DEAD’ TOUR DATES
Master of the macabre Alice Cooper will resuscitate his Raise the Dead tour with a run of 15 new shows, starting October 13 in Port Chester, NY. Additional gigs will take place in Red Bank, NJ, Verona, NY, Hollywood, FL, Biloxi, MS, Tulsa, OK, and the tour’s final nail in the coffin will come November 6 in Idaho Falls, ID. Finally, the fortunate city to play host to the shock rocker on Halloween Night is Montgomery, AL.
DEF LEPPARD DOCUMENTARY SERIES IN THE PIPELINE
Multiplatinum-selling rock legends Def Leppard have teamed with a top brass army of partners, including the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to produce and distribute a future documentary series appropriately titled Living with Def Leppard. The multi-episode project will focus on the band’s VIVA Hysteria! series of concerts earlier this year at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel, but also features the band members offstage, backstage and on the Sunset Strip during their Sin City residency as well as intimate interviews with the guys discussing their friendships and secret to their success. The series is currently being pitched to networks for future broadcast.
NEW ALBUM RELEASES
New albums out today: Reliant K – Collapsible Lung; Smashing Pumpkins – The Aeroplane Flies High (Box Set); Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros – Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros; We Came as Romans – Tracing Back Roots; Gogol Bordello –Pura Vida Conspiracy; The Winery Dogs– The Winery Dogs.
