Aretha Franklin News

VH1's popular franchise 'VH1 Divas' announced today that British star Paloma Faith will be joining this year's LIVE dance music tribute. In addition Elisha Cuthbert , Sheila E, Kat Graham, Ellie Kemper, LA Reid and Amber Riley will make an appearance and join the 'VH1 Divas' dance party LIVE at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium on Sunday, December 16 at 9PM/8c on VH1.

Sundance Institute today announced the addition of four films to the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, including Magic Magic (Director: Sebastián Silva), Muscle Shoals (Director: Greg 'Freddy' Camalier) and Wrong Cops (Director: Quentin Dupieux) as well as El Mariachi (1993) for the From the Collection screening. The 2013 Festival will be January 17-27 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

The smash hit West End musical GHOST the Musical, based on the Academy Award winning film, is to tour throughout the UK opening at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff in April 2013. GHOST the Musical is directed by the Tony award winning Matthew Warchus (Matilda, Art) and has music and lyrics by Grammy® award winning Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) and Glen Ballard and features the iconic song Unchained Melody. Set and costume designs are by Rob Howell, musical supervision and arrangements by Christopher Nightingale, illusions are by Paul Kieve, choreography is by Ashley Wallen, video and projection designs by Jon Driscoll, lighting by Hugh Vanstone and sound by Bobby Aitken. The UK tour is being produced by David Ian Productions, The Ambassador Theatre Group, Colin Ingram, and Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle. Full casting for the tour will be announced later this year.

Upright Cabaret's A BROADWAY CHRISTMAS stars Emmy & Tony Award-winner Lillias White (Dreamgirls), LaToya London (American Idol, The Color Purple), Brittany Underwood (Nickelodeon's Hollywood Heights), Matt Zarley (A Chorus Line, Chicago), Nita Whitaker (Star Search), Carla Renata (CW's Hart of Dixie, Avenue Q), JAMES TORME, Sylvia MacCalla (Hairspray), Kelli Provart (Aida) and Santa Claus (Coming Direct from the North Pole)!

The Recording Academy's President/CEO Neil Portnow has released the following statement on the passing of Jules Chaikin.

VH1's popular franchise 'VH1 Divas' announced today additional performers to join this year's LIVE dance music tribute Natasha Bedingfield, Keri Hilson, Ledisi, Iggy Azalea and funk legend Bootsy Collins.

Chris Isaacson Presents brings you the perfect Holiday gift of the season, Upright Cabaret's A BROADWAY CHRISTMAS! Coming this Holiday Season, watch Stars and Snowflakes glitter together as Upright combines the best of Broadway with the carols of Christmastime. Cozy up next to your someone special, and be warmed not by an open fire but by yuletide joy and the sweet songs from your favorite musicals like Jersey Boys, Wicked, The Christmas Story, Billy Elliot, Dreamgirls - and more.

House of Blues, the country's pre-eminent live music venues are set to kick off a 20th Anniversary extravaganza to commemorate 20 years of music and over 20,000 amazing live music performances at their world-famous venues. The 20-month long celebration commences today, December 4 at its renowned Sunset Strip location featuring Rock and Roll Hall of Famers and legendary rock band ZZ Top.

The honorees included the surviving members of Led Zeppelin John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant; ballerina Martina Makarova, Dave Letterman, Dustin Hoffman and Buddy Guy. Check out photos of the female guests below!

VH1's beloved, popular franchise VH1 DIVAS announced today additional performers to join this year's dance music tribute Kelly Clarkson, Melanie Fiona, Metric and Pitbull will join VH1's dance party, along with Havana Brown as House DJ/artist. Airing live from the L.A. Shrine Auditorium 'VH1 Divas' will be hosted by Adam Lambert on Sunday, December 16 at 9PM/8c on VH1.

Shoshana Bean is best known for her roles in Broadway's Wicked and Hairspray. She has performed solo concerts around the world and headlined in the Las Vegas Burlesque revue Peepshow opposite Holly Madison. In the viedo below, she performs Aretha Franklin's 'I Want to Be with You' at Room 5. Check out the performance below!

NBC will celebrate the lighting of the world's most famous Christmas tree with a live broadcast from Rockefeller Center in New York City on Wednesday, November 28 (8-9 p.m. ET). The star-studded holiday special will feature performances from Trace Adkins, Tony Bennett, Mariah Carey, CeeLo Green (NBC's 'The Voice'), Victoria Justice, Chris Mann, Scotty McCreery, Rod Stewart and Il Volo, and special appearances by Billy Crystal, Bette Milder and the Radio City Rockettes.

This week at Joe's Pub, November 26 - December 2, 2012, features performances by Karine Hannah, a night with PigPen Theatre Co., Nicole Henry, Jack Ingram & Radney Foster, Razia's Shadow, Jonah Smith, Maia Vidal, Frisk Me: The Songs of Max Vernon, Alice Smith, Martha Redbone, Emanuel and the Fear, Public Forum Deut: Tony Kushner and Rachel Maddow, and Grace McLean and Them Apples. Details below!

The network premiere of Soul Train Awards 2012 will be televised simultaneously on Centric and BET tonight, November 25, 2012 at 8pm ET/PT.

Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, announces the release of an expanded two-disc 30th anniversary edition of Texas Flood, the electrifying debut album by the American blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, available everywhere Tuesday, January 29, 2013.

The network premiere of Soul Train Awards 2012 will be televised simultaneously on Centric and BET on Sunday, November 25, 2012 at 8pm ET/PT.

A.J. Croce will play Merrimack Hall Performing Arts Center in Huntsville, Ala tonight November 15, 2012, at 7:30 p.m.

GPR Records (Glen Roven, Peter Fitzgerald, Richard Cohen, artistic directors)releases a children's CD of Catherine Zeta-Jones narrating The Runaway Bunny, based on the best selling children's classic by Margaret Wise Brown. Michael Douglas narrates everyone's favorite elephant - The Story of Babar - The Little Elephant, a 1931 classic written by Jean de Brunhoff. Also on the CD will be English Baritone Mark Stone singing Goodnight Moon also by Margaret Wise Brown. The CD, distributed by Naxos, will be released today, November 15th and will be available at www.GPRRecords.com, Amazon, and iTunes.

Virtuoso violinists Kev Marcus and Wilner Baptiste - aka Kev and Wil B of BLACK VIOLIN - return to New York with their funky fusion of classical, jazz, hip-hop, blues and R&B. With DJ TK on the turntables, Beatdown on the drums, and Joe Cello rounding out the band, these Apollo Legends, who played to sold-out New Vic houses in 2009, will perform a concert of new compositions, classic favorites and pop cover tunes at The New Victory Theater, 209 West 42nd Street, from tonight, November 9 through November 25.

VH1's beloved, popular franchise 'VH1 Divas' is throwing the hottest dance party of 2012 LIVE on Sunday, December 16 at 9PM/8c with Grammy Award-nominated host Adam Lambert.