Whitney Houston: Tour great, despite bad reports

************************************************ Whitney Houston: Tour great, despite bad reports ************************************************ NEW YORK – Though video postings of her recent performances in Australia have been less than flattering, Whitney Houston says her tour is going great — and she's in great health. Houston's publicist, Kristen Foster, released a statement Thursday, saying: "Whitney is in great health and having a terrific time on her tour and with her fans". She said more than 9,000 people attended Houston's show in Brisbane and more than 12,000 were at Acer Arena in Sydney. "Her fans were dancing and singing along with her and Whitney appreciates their support", Foster said. That view contrasts with news reports quoting disgruntled fans who complaining about the star's voice and performance. Video snippets of Houston struggling to hit notes in concerts in Sydney and Brisbane have circulated widely on 'YouTube' and other outlets. The 46-year-old, who is one of pop's all-time best-selling artists, staged a comeback last year with her first album in seven years, "I Look to You". It debuted at the top of the album charts. During her hiatus from music, she battled drug addiction and ended a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown. But as she returned last year, she declared herself healthy and free from substance abuse. This is Houston's first tour in years. It started in February in South Korea and will take her to Europe until at least May. Foster said there currently are no plans for a United States tour. ************************************************ ************************************************ Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and former fashion model. A relative of several prominent soul singers, including her mother Cissy Houston, cousins Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick and godmother Aretha Franklin, Houston began singing at her New Jersey church as a member of a junior gospel choir at age eleven. After she began performing alongside her mother at night clubs in the New York City area, she was discovered by 'Arista' Records label head Clive Davis. Houston released her debut album Whitney Houston in 1985, which became the best-selling debut album by a female artist at the time of release. Her second studio album Whitney (1987) became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Houston's crossover appeal on the popular music charts as well as her prominence on 'MTV' enabled several African-American women to follow in her success. Following her marriage to singer Bobby Brown, Houston appeared in her first starring role in the feature film The Bodyguard in 1992. The film's original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single, Houston's remake of the 1974 Dolly Parton song "I Will Always Love You", became one of the best-selling singles in music history. Houston continued to star in feature films and contributed to soundtracks including Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996). After the release of her fourth studio album My Love Is Your Love (1998), she renewed her recording contract with 'Arista' Records in 2001 for a historic $100 million. She subsequently released her fifth studio album, Just Whitney the following year with One Wish: The Holiday Album being released in 2003. Amidst widespread media coverage of personal and professional turmoil, Houston's marriage to Brown ended in 2006. Houston is one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million albums and singles worldwide. She is ranked as the fourth best-selling female artist in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (R.I.A.A.), with 55 million certified albums. She has been listed by 'Rolling Stone' magazine as one of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. ************************************************ ***WHITNEY HOUSTON - I Will Always Love You (Divas Live, 1999)[7'10] ************************************************ ***WHITNEY HOUSTON - I Have Nothing [4'48] ************************************************ ***WHITNEY HOUSTON - Saving All My Love For You [3'57] ************************************************ ***WHITNEY HOUSTON - All At Once (1987) [5'27] ************************************************ LATEST NEWS ************************************************ ************************************************ Whitney Houston's 'Nothing But Love' Tour Off To Rocky Start ************************************************ Whitney Houston's return to the stage has been plagued with sub-par vocals since her performance on Good Morning America in August to promote her latest album, I Look To You. Unfortunately, the singer once praised for her exceptional vocal talent was still struggling with singing live Monday when she opened her "Nothing But Love" world tour in Australia. According to a review of the concert, Houston needed to take a break two songs into the show. She reportedly coughed through songs, and at one point had her brother take the lead. When Houston attempted to sing her most notable hit, "I Will Always Love You", she stopped mid-song to get a drink of water. She ruined the song's popular high note, sounding like a bad 'American Idol' audition contestant. Concertgoers were said to have walked out of the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Australia's 'Channel 7' interviewed several angry patrons, who described the show as "the worst concert I've ever gone too", "disgraceful", and "definitely not worth $165". Houston's publicist released a statement Thursday responding to the critics. "Whitney is in great health and having a terrific time on her tour and with her fans", the rep said, 'AP' reports. "The spokesperson said that Houston's Brisbane show had more than 9,000 attendants, and the Acer Arena in Sydney welcomed more than 12,000". "Her fans were dancing and singing along with her, and Whitney appreciates their support", the spokesperson added. Back in November, I blogged that Houston should keep on performing to rebuild her chops. Considering her battles with drugs, it has clearly taken a toll on her voice. I hope her condition improves. I admire her confidence. But it is going to take some time for her to recover. ************************************************ ************************************************

Steven Tyler rejoins Aerosmith, tour announced

************************************************** Steven Tyler rejoins Aerosmith, tour announced ************************************************** ************************************************** NEW YORK – After turmoil that included public squabbling, threats of a lineup change and a rehab stint, Aerosmith is back and ready to rock. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers have announced their "Cocked, Locked and Ready to Rock" European summer tour — with Steven Tyler. The band made the announcement Thursday. It also posted a video on its Web site in which Tyler, sitting with the rest of the band, jokes: "I just auditioned and I got the gig". "We're coming your way and rocking your world! Look out because here we come", he says as he looks at guitarist Joe Perry and the group breaks out in laughter. Aerosmith, which has been one of rock's enduring bands over the past three decades, has been in limbo since Tyler fell off a stage during an August concert in South Dakota, injuring himself and forcing the band to cancel the rest of their summer tour. After that, Perry expressed anger that the group had been sidelined and said Tyler needed to get his act together. For his part, Tyler was quoted as saying he was interested in going solo, and soon the band was talking about replacing Tyler with another singer. In December, Tyler checked in to rehab for a painkiller addiction, a problem he blamed on years of injuries suffered while performing with the band. In an interview this week, bandmate Joey Kramer said: "Everything right now in Aero-land is very copacetic. ... We will carry on and do what we do best". As far as their latest drama, he said: "The one common denominator that we still all have is that we all love to get up on stage and rock out, play music and bring joy to people. And we let the other drama, as of late, kind of filter itself out by the wayside and concentrate on more of what's important, which is the playing and the business at hand". The band, best known for hits like "Walk This Way", has a long history of discord and overcame heavy drug abuse in the 1970s and early 1980s, but has been a mainstay in rock since enjoying a revival more than two decades ago. Their tour starts in Sweden on June 10. ************************************************** ************************************************** Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many subsequent rock artists. The band was formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970. Guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton, originally in a band together called the Jam Band, met up with singer Steven Tyler, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarist Ray Tabano, and formed Aerosmith. In 1971, Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford, and the band began developing a following in Boston. They were signed to 'Columbia' Records in 1972, and released a string of multi-platinum albums, beginning with their 1973 eponymous debut album. In 1975, the band broke into the mainstream with the album Toys in the Attic, and their 1976 follow-up Rocks cemented their status as hard rock superstars. By the end of the 1970s, they were among the most popular hard rock bands in the world and developed a loyal following of fans, often referred to as the "Blue Army". However, drug addiction and internal conflict took their toll on the band, which resulted in the departures of Perry and Whitford, in 1979 and 1981 respectively. They were replaced by Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay. The band did not fare well between 1980 and 1984, releasing a lone album, Rock in a Hard Place, which went gold but failed to match their previous successes. Although Perry and Whitford returned in 1984 and the band signed a new deal with 'Geffen' Records, it was not until the band sobered up and released 1987's Permanent Vacation that they regained the level of popularity they had experienced in the 1970s. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, the band scored several hits and won numerous awards for music from the multi-platinum albums Pump (1989), Get a Grip (1993), and Nine Lives (1997). Their comeback has been described as one of the most remarkable and spectacular in rock 'n' roll history. After 40 years of performing, the band continues to tour and record music. Aerosmith is the best-selling American rock band of all time, having sold more than 150 million albums worldwide, including 66.5 million albums in the United States alone. They also hold the record for the most gold and multi-platinum albums by an American group. The band has scored 21 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, nine #1 Mainstream Rock hits, four Grammy Awards, and ten MTV Video Music Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2005 they were ranked #57 in 'Rolling Stone' magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. ************************************************** ***AEROSMITH - Angel [5'07] (from the Album Permanent Vacation) ************************************************** ***AEROSMITH - Amazing [6'50] ************************************************** ***AEROSMITH - Dream On [4'27] **************************************************

Charlie Sheen follows wife on rehab road

************************************************* Charlie Sheen follows wife on rehab road ************************************************* LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actor Charlie Sheen, star of U.S. television's hit comedy "Two and a Half Men", has followed his wife and entered a rehabilitation facility as the couple try to put their lives back together after a violent Christmas Day argument. Sheen, 44, checked in for undisclosed reasons in what his publicist on Tuesday called "a preventative measure", causing his top-rated 'CBS' TV show to temporarily suspend production. Sheen's third wife, Brooke Mueller, has also been in a rehab facility in the Los Angeles area for the past few days, according to news reports. Mueller, 32, is said to be undergoing treatment for substance abuse. Sheen was charged earlier this month with assaulting and threatening Mueller on December 25 during a family vacation in Aspen, Colorado. Mueller called police and told them Sheen had pulled a knife on her and threatened to have her killed when she said she would divorce him. Celebrity news website 'TMZ.com' has said that both were drinking, according to alcohol tests. Sheen is free on bail pending a further hearing on March 15, although Mueller has said repeatedly she wants the case dropped and the two are attempting to reconcile. "As a preventative measure, Charlie Sheen has entered a rehabilitation facility. He will take some time off from his series 'Two and a Half Men'. He has asked that his privacy be honored. No further statements are planned", publicist Stan Rosenfield said in a statement on Tuesday. Rosenfield did not immediately return calls for further comment. 'TMZ.com' said Sheen would spend two weeks in rehab. Sheen plays a womanizing bachelor in "Two and a Half Men", the top-rated comedy on U.S. television. He had continued to work on the show in Los Angeles while out on bail. 'CBS' and the show's creator said in a statement on Tuesday that they "support Charlie Sheen in his decision today to begin voluntary in-patient care at a treatment center. We wish him nothing but the best as he deals with this personal matter". They said shooting would be temporarily suspended. Production for the remainder of the 2009-10 season was due to end in April, industry sources said. The actor, whose film credits include "Platoon" and "Wall Street", has previously been accused of violence. He pleaded no contest to a 1997 battery charge on his then girlfriend -- and in 2006 his second wife -- Denise Richards, and she obtained a restraining order against him. Sheen and Mueller married in 2008 and have infant twin sons. ************************************************* Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), better known as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. His character roles in films have included Chris Taylor in the 1986 Vietnam War drama Platoon, Jake Kesey in the 1986 film The Wraith, and Bud Fox in 1987 film Wall Street. His career also made room for more comedic roles, including Major League, the Hot Shots! films and Scary Movie 3 and 4. On television Sheen is known for his roles on two sitcoms: as Charlie Crawford on Spin City, and as Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men.

Sutherland set to return to '24' after surgery

************************************************** Sutherland set to return to '24' after surgery ************************************************** NEW YORK – The clock will start ticking again for "24" when Kiefer (KEE'-fur) Sutherland returns to the set Monday after surgery that shut down filming of the 'Fox' network thriller for two weeks. A statement released Tuesday from 'Twentieth Century Fox' Television says Sutherland has been cleared to return to work. The studio says no disruption is expected in the airing schedule. The show began its eighth season last month. Neither the studio nor Sutherland's representative has commented on the nature of Sutherland's ailment. The 'Los Angeles Times' first reported the production halt and says Sutherland suffered from a ruptured cyst near his kidney. Sutherland plays counterterrorism hero Jack Bauer on the series. ************************************************** ************************************************** ************************************************** '24's' Kiefer Sutherland is cleared to return to work ************************************************** '20th Century Fox' Television has told Show Tracker that "24" will resume production on March 1, now that its star and executive producer, Kiefer Sutherland, has been cleared by his doctors to return to work. Sutherland underwent outpatient surgery on Feb. 16 after a cyst near his kidney ruptured a few days earlier. Sutherland's representatives could not be immediately reached for comment. But Jack Bauer is OK, America. You were never that worried about him, though, were you ?

'The Hurt Locker'

************************************************* The Hurt Locker Theatrical Trailer (2:31) ************************************************* ************************************************* The Hurt Locker (2008) ************************************************* Genre: Action | Drama | Thriller | War Release Date: 10 October 2008 (Italy) Director: Kathryn Bigelow Awards: Nominated for 9 Oscars. Another 60 wins & 45 nominations Plot: US Army Sergeant First Class Will James, Sergeant JT Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge comprise the Bravo Company's bomb disposal unit currently stationed in Baghdad. James is the tech team leader. When James arrives on the scene, Bravo Company has thirty-nine days left on its current deployment. It will be a long thirty-nine days for Sanborn and Eldridge whose styles do not mesh with their new leader. James is a renegade for who the thrill of the dismantlement seems to be the ultimate goal regardless of the safety of his fellow team members, others on the scene or himself. On the other hand, Sanborn is by the books: he knows his place and duty and trusts others in the army to carry out theirs as well as he. And Eldridge is an insecure soldier who is constantly worried that an error or misjudgment on his part will lead to the death of an innocent civilian or a military colleague. While the three members face their own internal issues, they have to be aware of any person at the bomb sites, some of who may be bombers themselves. Cast: Jeremy Renner - SSG William James Anthony Mackie - Sgt. JT Sanborn Brian Geraghty - Spc. Owen Eldridge Guy Pearce - SSG Matt Thompson Ralph Fiennes - Contractor Team Leader David Morse - Colonel Reed Evangeline Lilly - Connie James Christian Camargo - Lt. Col. John Cambridge Suhail Aldabbach - Black Suit Man (as Suhail Al-Dabbach) Christopher Sayegh - Beckham Nabil Koni - Professor Nabil Sam Spruell - Contractor Charlie Sam Redford - Contractor Jimmy Feisal Sadoun - Contractor Feisal Barrie Rice - Contractor Chris Rating: 8.0/10 ************************************************* The Hurt Locker is a serious character study and a taut, suspenseful action thriller at once. The subject matter itself - the work of a bomb expert, possibly one of the most nerve-racking jobs on the planet - yields most of the suspense but Bigelow manages to squeeze out every bit of tension of the premise. This film to me was very apolitical - though set in Iraq, it is distinguished from most of the Iraq-themed war films in that it concentrates much more on the job itself than the political environment. Iraq seemed more like a backdrop - any other war would do, The Hurt Locker does not preach about this one specifically. The story is deeply emotional, depicting a thoroughly disturbed individual's life in hell. Jeremy Renner gives an incredibly powerful performance as an EOD officer completely hooked on adrenaline stemming from his everyday close shaves with death. All aspects of film-making are top-notch, from the brilliantly subversive screenplay through vivid cinematography, masterful directing and perfectly paced editing. In its storytelling the filmmakers wisely break with traditional Hollywood narrative techniques. There is no clear antagonist, no rising action, no obvious character development and no climax. And yet the film manages to be more interesting, tense and suspenseful than any Hollywood action thriller I've seen in years while making a powerful, yet subtle statement about the insane addiction that is war. Kudos for everyone involved for making this film without compromising. This is pure quality, cinematic storytelling at its best, a thinking man's actioner.

"Avatar"'s rumours

************************************************** Avatar's Color Controversy ************************************************** The movie studio that produced the mega-blockbuster, "Avatar", had no problem with the film's alien race being blue -- but it turns out they were initially concerned about the Na'vi being too green. According to director James Cameron, '20th Century Fox' had some initial apprehension that his $2 billion-dollar-baby delivered the wrong kind of message -- the message of environmental conservation. Cameron recollects the studio's warning as being: "We really like the story. It's great. But, well, is there a way to not have so much of this tree-hugging, 'Ferngully' stuff in it ?" The famously exacting director wasn't going to give up on the central point of the "Avatar" story. "I said, 'Not with me making it'," Cameron said. "Because that was my purpose in making the film. I wanted to make an environmentally conscious mainstream movie". "FernGully: The Last Rainforest" was a 1992 animated film -- also released by '20th Century Fox' -- featuring the voice of Tim Curry as the villain who gains his power from pollution. Instead of backing down, Cameron reveled in the environmental themes leading up to the climactic conclusion of "Avatar". "I think there's something amazingly satisfying when the hammerheads come out of the forest and start mowing down all the bad security enforcers. Nature gets to fight back", he said. "It's 'Death Wish' for environmentalists. When did nature ever get to fight back in a movie ?" Cameron concedes that '20th Century Fox' wouldn't have been the only studio with concerns: "To be fair… any of the other studios would have said the same thing. 'Fox' ended up being enormously supportive and wrote this huge check. But they would have been much more comfortable if I had eliminated what they called the 'tree-hugging' elements". James Cameron's environmental concerns can be attributed to being a parent of three young children and the fact he would like them to have a world to grow up in: "I think there's a way to live and raise your kids with a set of values that teaches them the importance of hard work, the importance of respecting other people and the importance of respecting nature. And that it's not this consumer society where you buy something and then throw it away when you get the next new thing, filling up huge landfills with plastic and electronics". Cameron's environmentally friendly message has not, as the studio was initially concerned, negatively affected box-office receipts. "Avatar" has so far grossed over $2.2 billion worldwide – which is well over a billion ahead of the ticket sales for its closest Best Picture Oscar rival, "The Hurt Locker". That film (which also has an arguably controversial message in its coverage of soldiers in Iraq) was directed by his former wife, Kathryn Bigelow, and has only taken in $12.6 million in domestic box-office sales. ************************************************** Cameron Penning Avatar Novel ************************************************** ************************************************** At a Tuesday night reception in New York City, director James Cameron confirmed the buzz that he's writing a novel based on the story of his box-office-record-setting film, "Avatar". And he believes the book may, in some respects, be even more successful than his movies have been. Why ? "There are things you can do in books that you can’t do with films", Cameron explained. The director said he first thought of penning the "Avatar" novel during filming of the breakthrough film: "I told myself, if it made money, I’d write a book". "Avatar", of course, did make money. A lot of it. At last count it had made more than $2.3 billion worldwide. Cameron said the book will go into much greater detail about the worlds and "interior monologues" of the characters he created. Before Cameron clarified his plans the Internet had been ablaze with rumors of an "Avatar" book based on comments made by "Avatar" producer Jon Landau. The producer also hinted that the story of Pandora and its blue-skinned people will also have a sequel – or sequels, plural. "Jim's going to write a novel himself, based on Avatar", Landau revealed to 'MTV', saying that Cameron's vision of the book "is a big, epic, story that fills in a lot of things that we won't have time to do in the movie; maybe even in sequels". Landau continued: "I think it would be something that leads up to telling the story of the movie, but would go into much greater depth of all the stories that we didn't have time to deal with". Cameron himself, in a January interview with 'MTV', discussed the possibility of a sequel. "I have a trilogy-scaled arc of story right now, but I haven't really put any serious work into writing a script". For the miniscule number of you who haven't yet seen "Avatar", the film takes place on the aforementioned Pandora, which is a moon that orbits a gas planet, Polyphemus. Until the news of a prequel, speculation has focused on sequels that could take place on the other moons that orbit the gas giant.