Former Vice President Al Gore and the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change share the 2007 Peace Prize for their efforts to raise awareness about climate change. On December 11, the Peace Prize Concert takes place in Oslo, Norway. Performers include Melissa Etheridge, Annie Lennox, Alicia Keys, Juanes, Kylie Minogue, K.T. Tunstall and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Celine Dion will end her five-year run at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on December 15. The Canadian-born singer will take an eight-month break from performing before kicking off a world tour in support of her new album, "Taking Chances." Concerts are scheduled to begin on August 12 in Boston. On February 20, 2008, Bette Midler will take over Celine's spot at the 4,100-seat Colosseum. Elton John will also perform about 50 shows at the venue next year.
A new reality series called Clash of the Choirs will air on NBC-TV December 17-20. Michael Bolton, Patti LaBelle, Nick Lachey, Kelly Rowland and Blake Shelton gathered a 20-member choir from each of their hometowns. The winning choir will choose a grand prize that helps improve its community. NBC executive Craig Plestis says, "Everyone knows that music has the power to inspire and uplift, especially around the holidays. We have brought together an impressive roster of musicians, and they in turn have tapped some incredible local talent to share their music gifts with the American public. For the musicians, it's a chance to give back to the town that supported and nurtured them when they were starting out and for the choir members to become instant hometown heroes."
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers have been chosen to perform the half-time show at the NFL's championship Super Bowl game on February 3. The game will be played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona. Previous half-time entertainers include the Rolling Stones, Prince, Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, Sting and Phil Collins.
Legendary rock band Journey has announced its new lead singer. Arnel Pineda from Quezon City in the Philippines replaces Jeff Scott Soto, who left the group earlier this year. Soto filled in for Steve Augeri, who dropped out of Journey last year for health reasons. Pineda says, "It's so exciting to sing with one of the best bands in the world. It'll be a lot of hard work on my part and I'm actually looking forward to the scrutiny I'll get from the hardcore Journey fans. I know they'll expect me to sound exactly like 'the
On November 30, Garth Brooks donated some of his memorabilia to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. During a ceremony in Washington, D.C., Garth handed over his first gold record, a repaired guitar he smashed on stage in Dallas in 1991, stage clothing and original handwritten lyric sheets. In other Garth Brooks news, 85,000 tickets were sold to his five upcoming concerts in Los Angeles. The shows will take place January 25 (two shows) and 26 (three shows) at the Staples Center. One-hundred percent of the proceeds will benefit California firefighters and victims of the recent wild fires.
MUSICAL EVENTS/FESTIVALS/BENEFITS:
On December 10, legendary British rock group Led Zeppelin reunited to perform a benefit concert at London's 20,000-seat O2 Arena. The group's surviving members, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, were joined by Jason Bonham. Jason is the son of the band's late drummer John Bonham. Led Zeppelin disbanded following his death in 1980. Bill Wyman, Foreigner and Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini also joined the show. Proceeds will go to the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund, which provides scholarships to universities in the United States, the United Kingdom and Turkey.
New York radio station Z100 will hold its annual "Jingle Ball" at Madison Square Garden on December 14. This year's performers include Alicia Keys, Avril Lavigne, Jordin Sparks, Colbie Callait, the Jonas Brothers, Backstreet Boys, Timbaland and Boys Like Girls. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to the autism advocacy organization Autism Speaks.
AWARDS PRESENTATIONS/WINNERS:
Kanye West leads the nominees for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. The hip-hop star earned eight mentions, including Album of the Year and Rap Album of the Year for "Graduation." Troubled newcomer Amy Winehouse received six nominations. They include Best New Artist, Album of the Year for "Back To Black," and Record of the Year and Song of the Year for her hit single, "Rehab." Following close behind with five nods are Justin Timberlake, T-Pain, the Foo Fighters, Jay-Z and Timbaland. Other major contenders with four nominations each are Akon, Dierks Bentley, Chris Daughtry, Feist, Tim McGraw, John Newton, Ne-Yo, Rihanna and Bruce Springsteen. CBS-TV will broadcast the February 10 Grammy Awards live from the Staples Centre in Los Angeles.
