Dana Edelson/NBCRemember to tune in to Saturday Night Live tonight to catch Mick Jagger hosting the finale of the sketch comedy showcase's 37th season. Jagger also will perform on the program, along with Jeff Beck, the Foo Fighters and Arcade Fire.
In a new promo for the show, Jagger appears on the SNL stage with all the Foo Fighters and Arcade Fire members.
"I'm hosting! I'm the musical guest! I'm directing! I'm sewing the costumes! I'm doing it all!" The Rolling Stones singer declares, adding, "I'm not cleaning up afterwards. Someone else is gonna do that."
Log on to Jagger's official Facebook page to check out photos of the rock legend preparing for the big show, including a pic of him rehearsing with the Foo Fighters.
Saturday Night Live airs on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Hear Music/ConcordJohn Mellencamp will play a special one-off benefit show for the Farm Aid organization on Saturday at Houchens Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The show will feature concession stands selling various foods from local family-run farms.
The Centerplate hospitality company is partnering with Farm Aid's Homegrown Concessions brand to offer a bratwurst sandwich featuring pork produced at two Kentucky family farms. Centerplate will donate one dollar from each sausage sold to Farm Aid.
Mellencamp co-founded Farm Aid in 1985 with Neil Young and Willie Nelson. The organization has raised more than $39 million since its inception.
Franck Prevel/Getty ImagesBono insists that media reports suggesting he overtook Paul McCartney as the world richest rock star Friday because of the number of Facebook shares he owns are just not true. Speaking with NBC's Andrea Mitchell at the Global Food Summit in Washington, D.C., the U2 frontman declared, "Contrary to reports…this boy is not a billionaire. And -- or going to be richer than any Beatle. And not just in the sense of money, by the way. The Beatles are untouchable -- that's just a joke."
Regardless of how wealthy Facebook may be making him, Bono had high praise for the social-networking pioneers.
"They're a brilliant team," he told Mitchell. "And they really care about this stuff. And…it's a technology that brings people together, people who are traveling a lot, to keep in touch with their families, with their friends."
An NME.com article published Thursday claimed that because Bono owns a 2.3 percent stake the social-networking company, his shares would be valued at more $1.5 billion after Facebook went public on Friday. In comparison, McCartney's fortune reportedly is worth a little over $1 billion.
Facebook.com/VanHalenOn the heels of the news that Van Halen was postponing all of its tour dates beyond its June 26 show in New Orleans, much speculation has circulated about the reasons why the band is truncating its itinerary. A Van Halen tour source told Rolling Stone on Thursday that the band members have been "arguing like mad."
However, Billboard reports that, according to a reliable tour source, "fatigue" amongst the band mates is behind the postponements.
"They're just burnt and they want to take some time off," maintains the source, explaining that tickets for the shows have been selling very well.
The source also suggests that Van Halen initially added the now-shelved concerts to its schedule because "everything was going so well," while not realizing "how tired they were." In all, more than 30 shows were removed from the band's itinerary.
Meanwhile, the source reveals that the rockers "are going to go out and do some more" shows, but an exact time frame for the gigs has yet to be decided.
Facebook.com/JohnDensmore1The Doors' John Densmore and The Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart were among the many drummers and percussionists who participated in an attempt to set a world record for the largest drum session ever. The event, which took place Friday at the College of the Canyons' Cougar Stadium in Valencia, California, was held in conjunction with the Rock the Rhythm, Beat the Odds music-education initiative.
About 7,200 students from the area, along with an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 community members, were enlisted to try to break the record. Other celebrities who lent their rhythmic skills to the big beat were Poison's Rikki Rockett, as well as the backing drummers for pop stars Bruno Mars, Jessica Simpson and Janelle Monae.
Hart led the gathering in a continuous rhythm that lasted about five minutes. Officials from the Guinness World Records organization were on hand to witness the session and are expected to announce in a few weeks whether they will sanction the session as a world record.
The Rock the Rhythm, Beat the Odds program provides music and rhythm instruction to sixth and seventh graders in California's Santa Clarita Valley. The initiative seeks is to help students develop their social skills, creativity and learning capacity.
Facebook.com/DonnaSummerA spokesperson for Donna Summer's family says reports of a public memorial for the late singer next week in Nashville "are not accurate." "The services being planned will be private to include only family and close friends," family rep Brian Edwards says in a statement provided to ABC News Radio about funeral arrangements for the Queen of Disco.
Music stars, from Mary J. Blige to Dolly Parton, have joined Summer's fans in offering their condolences to the late singer's children and husband, Bruce Sudano. "On behalf of the Sudano Family, the overwhelming outreach from the media, fans and friends alike has been most truly appreciated," the family rep says in a statement. "Thank you for continuing to respect the family's privacy during their time of loss."
Summer passed away Wednesday after a battle with lung cancer. Clearing up rumors about the cause of the singer's death, Edwards further explains that the cancer "was not related to smoking. Ms. Summer was a non-smoker." He adds that, "Obviously, numerous factors can be attributed to the cause of cancer in general, but any details regarding the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of Ms. Summer's case remain between her family and team of doctors."
Donna Summer was in Florida when she died. She was 63.
Photo: ZoriahMark Knopfler was among the honorees at the U.K.'s prestigious Ivor Novello Awards for songwriters, held Thursday in London. The ex-Dire Straits singer and guitarist was presented with the Lifetime Achievement prize, acknowledging his accomplishments with his former band, his solo recordings, and his work as a soundtrack composer.
Among the 57th annual event's other winners was Jimmy Webb, who received the Special International Award, which is given to esteemed non-British songwriters. Siouxsie and the Banshees singer Siouxsie Sioux, meanwhile, was recognized with the Ivors Inspiration Award, while Spandau Ballet guitarist Gary Kemp received the Outstanding Song Collection trophy.
The evening's only multiple honoree was young pop sensation Adele, who was recognized in the Songwriter of the Year and Most Performed Work categories.
Facebook.com/StevieWonderStevie Wonder will be presented with the prestigious Icon Award by Alicia Keys at this Sunday night's Billboard Music Awards, airing on ABC at 8 p.m. In addition, the Motown legend and Keys will team up for a special tribute performance during the event.
This won't be the first time that Stevie and Alicia have shared a stage. They sang together at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards and presented together at the Grammy Awards in 2006. Earlier this year, they both performed at Whitney Houston's funeral.
Meanwhile, Whoopi Goldberg, Charlie Sheen and Zooey Deschanel have been added to the show as presenters, joining a list that includes Gladys Knight and many other celebrities. The event also will feature a bevy of performances, including a special tribute to Houston.
The Criterion CollectionA restored version of Quadrophenia, the 1979 theatrical film based on The Who's classic 1973 rock opera, will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 28. The discs will boast high-definition video, as well as a new 5.1 surround sound audio mix overseen by The Who.
The special-edition packages also will offer a variety of new bonus material, including audio commentary from Quadrophenia director Franc Roddam; interviews with the band's longtime manager Bill Curbishley and sound engineer Bob Pridden; behind-the-scenes footage and photos; and a booklet featuring guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend's album liner notes and an essay by critic Nick James.
Quadrophenia is set in mid-1960s London and focuses on a teenager named Jimmy, a disillusioned Who fan who shares aspects of the personalities of all four band members. The film stars Phil Daniels in the lead role and also features Sting in a small role as the Ace Face.
KMazur/WireImageDonna Summer's untimely passing on Thursday inspired an outpouring of emotion from artists of all musical genres -- and an outpouring of anger from Elton John, a friend of the late diva.
In a statement on his official website, Elton says, "I'm so sad. This woman was the queen of disco and so much more. Her records sound as good today as they ever did. That she has never been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a total disgrace, especially when I see the second-rate talent that has been inducted."
While shortlisted several times for the Hall of Fame, Summer had not yet been inducted at the time of her death. She was the first woman, and the first African American, to win a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, for her hit "Hot Stuff."
Elton went on to say of Summer, "She is a great friend to me and to the Elton John AIDS Foundation and I will miss her greatly."
Meanwhile, Barbra Streisand, who scored a smash hit duet with Summer on the song "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)," posted a note on her website saying, "I was shocked to hear about Donna. She was so vital the last time I saw her a few months ago. I loved doing the duet with her. She had an amazing voice and was so talented. .. It's so sad."
TimothyBSchmit.comAll four Eagles members currently are busy with their own solo projects. Both Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh have hit the road in support of new albums, Don Henley reportedly is nearing completion on a collection of country-flavored tunes and Timothy B. Schmit is set to kick off a new series of tour dates with plans for a studio effort of his own on the horizon.
Schmit tells ABC News Radio that having the chance to work individually "is a good thing for the mothership," and healthy for the longevity of the band.
"We're all certain that the reason it broke up in the first place [in 1980] is we didn't take enough breaks from each other and from the pressure of having to do records and tour," the bassist explains. "So now we know how to do that and, hopefully, we'll be around a lot longer."
Schmit launches a new solo trek Saturday with an appearance at the Cherokee Creek Music Festival in Cherokee, Texas. He says he plans to play songs from his latest album, 2009's Expando, along with material from the two well-known bands of which he's been a member.
"I do realize I have a pretty long history, and people are gonna wanna hear not just new stuff," he offers. "So, I sprinkle my set with a little bit of history of both Poco and Eagles and it seems to work out really well."
Noting that Expando was released more than two years ago, Schmit explains that the new tour is not so much about promoting the album as it is about the enjoyment he gets from performing solo.
"I really love doing this and we all seem to have a great time with it," he says. "I certainly don't do it for the money."
Meanwhile, Schmit says he's "surrounding a bunch of ideas" for his next solo effort, but that he's "right at the tip" of the project.
"I just started recording something just recently, and then I had to leave so I didn't get too far into it," he shares. "I also have a song that I wanted to put on the last album but…it seemed like a complete unit as it was."
Schmit adds that he plans to focus his full attention on the recording after his solo tour, which wraps up with a June 9 show in Newton, New Jersey. Visit TimothyBSchmit.com to check out his complete itinerary.
Photo: Mark WeissREO Speedwagon will pay a special visit to a Hanover High School in Mechanicsville, Virginia, on Friday at noon ET. The facility was the site of a video shoot last summer that featured more than 1,000 students, teachers and other educational staff members lip-synching or performing along to the band's 1978 song "Roll with the Changes." The clip was shot to help celebrate the spirit of community and school system of the state's Hanover County.
While at the school, REO's members will be treated to a tour of the institution and then will take part in an assembly of students of the Arts and Media departments. They also will participate in a Q&A session with press members attending the event.
Dave Hogan/Live 8 via Getty ImagesBono apparently is set to surpass Paul McCartney as the wealthiest rock musician in the world. NME.com reports that the U2 singer, who owns a 2.3 percent stake in Facebook, is expected see his net worth increase significantly when the social-networking company goes public on Friday.
Facebook is valued at more than $100 billion, which will make Bono's share worth in excess $1.5 billion. In comparison, the former Beatles star's fortune is estimated to be slightly over $1 billion.
Bono bought his Facebook shares for about $90 million back in 2009 through his private equity company Elevation Partners. Not a bad return on the Irish rocker's investment.
Van-Halen.comVan Halen reportedly is postponing an entire run of North American summer concerts. All of the band's previously announced dates after its June 26 appearance in New Orleans have been removed from the tour section of the group's official website, and venues across the country are confirming the postponements.
Van Halen recently extended their trek through a September 25 stop in Milwaukee, but now, more than 30 concerts -- starting with a July 7 performance in Uncasville, Connecticut -- apparently will be either rescheduled or canceled.
When asked to confirm the postponements, a Van Halen rep told ABC News Radio that all of the band's summer dates currently appear on its website, which -- as previously mentioned -- end with the June 26 show.
A source at Uncasville's Mohegan Sun Arena commented to Rolling Stone that the July 7 gig was "selling pretty good -- I don't know why they would say it's being canceled." Meanwhile, a source close to the Van Halen tour tells the magazine that the group's members have been "arguing like mad." Van Halen's tour in support of A Different Kind of Truth, the group's first studio effort featuring original frontman David Lee Roth since 1984, kicked off in February 18.
Facebook.com/DonnaSummerDonna Summer has died at the age of 63, after a battle with cancer. While the singer is perhaps best known as the Queen of Disco, reaction to her death on Twitter and online proves that her work made its mark on artists from many genres of music, as well as celebrities throughout the entertainment world.
Renowned producer Quincy Jones, who worked with Summer on her self-titled 1982 album, posted a Twitter message that read, "Rest in Peace dear Donna Summer. Your voice was the heartbeat and soundtrack of a decade."
Gloria Estefan also added her voice to the artists touched by Summer's passing, tweeting, "Few singers have impacted music & the world like Donna Summer! It's the end of an era. Peace & prayers 2 all who loved her. I will miss her!"
Here are just a portion of the many Twitter messages from other celebs mourning the loss of the pop star:
Mary J. Blige: "RIP Donna Summer!!!!!!!!! You were truly a game changer!!!"
Boyz II Men: "It’s unfortunate that we have to say goodbye to another amazing talent. Donna Summer, Queen of Disco, our condolences to her family!"
Matchbox Twenty: "RIP Donna Summer. Thanks." Lead singer Rob Thomas further tweeted, "RIP Donna Summer. Loss of a great talent."
Ryan Seacrest: "I remember sitting in the front seat of my mom's toyota while she sang Donna Summer's "she works hard for the money" songs were just classic."
LaToya Jackson: "My condolence to #Donna Summer's family & love ones. She will be terribly missed. She was truly the #Disco Queen!
Flea of The Red Hot Chili Peppers: "woah! donna summer gone to the great beyond !!!...i love donna summer RIP"
Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Gos: "so sad about donna summer....way to young. sending lots of love and light."
Country star Billy Ray Cyrus: "R I P #Donna Summer LEGEND !!! Your music will live forever."
Dolly Parton issued a statement saying, ""I can't believe we've lost another wonderful singer. Donna, like Whitney, had one of the greatest voices ever. I loved her records. She was the disco queen, and will remain so. I knew her and found her to be one of the most likable and fun people ever. She will be missed and remembered."
The Recording Academy, the organization that hands out the Grammys, said in a statement, "Donna Summer had a dynamic voice and unique musical style that helped define the dance music genre in the ‘70s. She also was an artist who crossed many musical genres, as evidenced by her Grammy wins in the R&B, rock, inspirational and dance categories. Her talent was a true gift to the music industry, and our thoughts and sympathies are with her family, friends and fans throughout the world during this difficult time."
Travis ShinnOn Wednesday, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators posted the video online for their first single, “You’re a Lie,” from their upcoming album, Apocalyptic Love.
The video features footage of the band performing the track, mixed with some scenes of a woman of going through a nervous breakdown.
In other Slash news, the ex-Guns N' Roses guitarist has announced he'll be beaming his live concert from Irving Plaza in New York City straight to your computer for free on May 22, the same day that Apocalyptic Love hits stores. You’ll be able to watch the full concert online at Slash’s Livestream channel at 10:15 p.m. ET.
Photo: Jimmy KatzFounding Cream singer/bassist Jack Bruce's new jazz-fusion supergroup, Spectrum Road, kicks off its first official tour on June 5 at the Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, Tennessee, four days after its self-titled debut album will be released. The record pays homage late jazz drummer Tony Williams' Lifetime project, with whom Bruce played in 1970.Spectrum Road may have begun as a tribute to Williams' Lifetime, but Bruce tells Billboard that he and the other members -- Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, Santana drummer Cindy Blackman Santana and keyboardist John Medeski -- now are starting to forge their own original path.
"We just want [Spectrum Road] to be an entity," the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer explains. "None of us want to force it, but we want to take the next steps as if it were a band."
The 10-track album, meanwhile, includes the outfit's interpretations of eight Lifetime songs and two original compositions.
Bruce says of the Spectrum Road sessions, "We just treated it very much like a live show, like a live experience. We just went in the studio and played all at the same time and then did some overdubs."
Spectrum Road's U.S. trek is scheduled through a June 30 concert in Washington, D.C. The group also will spend most of July touring Europe. Bruce tells Billboard that the group is thinking about lining up additional shows as well.
Facebook.com/DonnaSummer
Disco and pop music icon Donna Summer has died, ABC News has confirmed. The singer passed away after a battle with cancer and died in Florida. She was 63 years old.
A statement from the family of Summer's husband, Bruce Sudano, reads: "Early this morning, surrounded by family, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith. While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can't express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time." The statement ends with a request to make a donation in Summer's name to the Salvation Army, in lieu of flowers.
Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines, Summer -- a five-time Grammy Award winner known as the Queen of Disco -- revolutionized dance music with her seminal hits "Love to Love You Baby" and "I Feel Love." Those tracks established her career and were followed by a string of hits, including "Last Dance," "Hot Stuff," "MacArthur Park," "Bad Girls" and "Dim All the Lights."
Summer continued her career into the '80s with hits like "She Works Hard for the Money" and "This Time I Know It's for Real." The first woman and the first African-American Artist ever to win a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, for "Hot Stuff," Summer was shortlisted for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but to date has never been inducted.
Summer's chart achievements and awards were numerous. She was the first artist ever to score three consecutive number-one double albums. She scored at least one Top 40 hit in every year from 1976 to 1984. Her presence on Billboard's Disco/Club Play chart spanned from 1975, with "Love to Love You Baby," through 2010, with "To Paris with Love."
In addition to her five Grammy Awards, Summer won six American Music Awards and was the first African-American woman to be nominated for an MTV Video Music Award, for "She Works Hard for the Money." She was honored twice by the Dance Music Hall of Fame; she herself was inducted as a recording artist, and her song "I Feel Love" was also inducted.
According to Billboard, Summer is survived by her husband, three daughters, and four grandchildren.
Nile Rodgers, founder of Chic and one of dance music's architects, tweeted, "For the last half hour or so I've been lying in my bed crying and stunned. Donna Summer RIP."
Summer was most recently seen performing with Seal in David Foster's 2010 PBS special Foster & Friends and on America's Got Talent, performing with former contestant Prince Poppycock.
MPI Media GroupJohn Mellencamp's 2011 documentary, It's About You, will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 5, but Showtime subscribers will have the chance to watch the flick a lot sooner. The movie will premiere on the cable channel Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.
Several more screenings of It's About You also are scheduled on the network and its affiliated channels, Showtime 2 and Showtime Showcase, through June 7. In addition, the documentary will be available for viewing at Showtime's On Demand service from Friday until June 14.
It's About You centers on Mellencamp's 2009 summer tour with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, and also focuses on the recording of the heartland rocker's latest album, No Better than This. The flick was shot on Super 8 film, and was co-directed by respected photographer Kurt Markus and his son, Ian.
MickJagger.comA video compiling all of the promo clips Mick Jagger has shot for his upcoming stint as host for this weekend's Saturday Night Live season finale has been posted online. The Rolling Stones frontman is seen alongside SNL cast member Kristen Wiig in the ads, during which he demonstrates his magical abilities, finds out how much he's taught the comic actress about sex and drugs and admits to actually being an Australian performance artist.
Check out the promo video at NBC.com. As previously reported, Jagger will be joined on the show by Jeff Beck, the Foo Fighters and Arcade Fire. Saturday Night Live airs at 11:30 p.m. ET.
