Jessica Simpson joins the growing list of rumored potential candidates to fill Simon Cowell's shoes on American Idol. GossipCop.com reports that the singer has met with American Idol producers about becoming a judge. She's spoken with executives about the gig, and according to her rep, "she likes them and they like her." Insiders say "they are not at the negotiating stage yet."
Other names that have been tossed around lately include Justin Timberlake and Elton John, but those rumors have since been put to rest.
There's talk that Simpson's VH1 series, The Price Of Beauty, will return next year.
In other news, UsMagazine reports that Simpson was spotted making out with her new guy, Eric Johnson, in front of mom while eating dinner at a restaurant in New York this week.
PINK IS OFF THE ROAD -- TIME TO GROW A GARDEN: Pink recently got off the road and is looking forward to some down time, which includes growing a garden. She tweeted, "Just touched down in hazy crazy LA. What a whirlwind tour! 2 years went by in a lightning flash. time to plant a garden. Need dirt and stuff." Pink pointed out that she's struggling to find things to do now that she doesn't have to stick to a touring schedule.
LADY GAGA GETS COZY WITH HER MAN: Things seem to be going well for Lady Gaga with regards to her rekindled romance with her ex, musician Luc Carl. They were spotted kissing at a pool party at the St. Regis Hotel in Houston, Texas. Check out the photo: http://tinyurl.com/2ez3f4q
JUSTIN BIEBER TALKS ALBUM PLANS: Earsucker.com posted an interview Justin Bieber did with a radio station in which he reveals that he hopes to put another album out next year. He also says he'd consider recording a Christmas compilation.
In other Bieber news, during a concert rehearsal in Phoenix, Shaquille O'Neal showed up and joined Bieber for a duet. He serenades the teen pop star, singing, "Justin Bieber . . . I love you." Shaq is a big fan of Bieber, who will be a guest on the second season of his Shaq vs. Shaquille O'Neal. Check out the clip: http://tinyurl.com/2ceeouz
Chicago co-founder and trombonist James Pankow says that the band's ultimate legacy is bridging the generations. 41 years after breaking on the music scene, Pankow, along with co-founders Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane (pronounced: Locknee), and Walter Parazaider, are still delivering the goods night after night to three full generations.
Pankow explains how he's come to terms with Chicago's legacy: "It's a crazy time we're living in right now. Looking back, this might be the 40th anniversary of the second album. With all due respect it's kind of irrelevant to me right now. I think our longevity speaks to the fact that little did we know that this music that we wrote over the years would become timeless stuff -- and not only timeless, but multi-generational."
Chicago tour dates (subject to change):August 8 - Chester, WV - West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort (with The Doobie Brothers)August 19 - San Diego, CA - Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay August 20 - Coto de Caza, CA - Coto de Caza Golf & Racquet Club August 25 - Tulalip, WA - Tulalip Amphitheatre August 27 - Coquitlam, BC - Boulevard Casino August 28 - Richmond, BC - River Rock Casino Resort
In October, Chicago -- along with America and Peter Frampton -- are set for an extended Australian tour.
Daryl Hall & John Oates have just announced a handful of fall dates. The duo will kick things off on September 22nd in Puyallup, Washington with October 1st being the last date booked on the mini-leg when they play Pomona, California's Los Angeles County Fair.
Although Daryl Hall looks back fondly at Hall & Oates sizable back catalogue, he admits that there's a reason why some songs struck a particular chord with the general public: "There's a lot of failures out there. Luckily, our proportion of failures to successes, I think -- the ones I feel good about -- are a lot more than the ones that I don't feel good about. I don't think any of the songs that are well-known are songs that I don't feel good about. I think certain ones were more of their time than others -- that I wouldn't call classics -- that I would call more, you know, of the moment."
Daryl Hall & John Oates tour dates (subject to change):September 22 - Puyallup, WA - Puyallup Fair at Western Washington Fairgrounds September 27 - Saratoga, CA - The Mountain Winery September 29 - Friant, CA - Table Mountain Casino October 1 - Pomona, CA - Los Angeles County Fairgrounds
Friends and fans of John Lennon's legendary recording engineer Dennis Ferrante (pronounced: Firr-ant-eee ) will be teaming up on August 4th at New York City's Highline Ballroom to raise money for a new heart for him. Examiner.com reported that Ferrante, who has suffered numerous heart attacks and whose heart is only functioning at 20 percent usage, is now classified as a "1-B heart transplant candidate." The benefit will partially cover Ferrante's medical insurance and living expenses. Among the assorted friends performing the Have A Heart For Dennis benefit are Wings members Denny Laine and Steve Holley, along with the Crystals' La La Brooks, Lou Christie, and Will Lee from the Fab Faux and CBS' The Late Show with David Letterman. Other special guests are expected to appear.
Ferrante worked side-by-side at the Record Plant East studio with Lennon throughout the 1970's and engineered most of Lennon's solo work, including Imagine, Some Time In New York City, Mind Games, Walls And Bridges, and Rock 'N' Roll.
Ferrante recently told us that the loss of Lennon -- and the aftermath of his death -- continues to hit him hard: "Yoko stole John from everybody because she had him cremated that night, or the next morning. And nobody got to pay our last respects to him, we never got to see him. She just cut everybody off from that. And I thought that was heartless on her part -- and I still think it was heartless. Because, y'know, it's not that it was just her husband, he had a lot of friends that wanted to be there to at least pay respects, and she stopped it from everybody -- she stopped everybody from doing that. Her claim was that she didn't want to put everybody through it, and I don't believe it."
Tax-deductible tickets for the Have A Heart For Dennis benefit can be purchased through http://play4lifenyc.eventbrite.com/ or directly through http://www.highlineballroom.com.
For donations for Dennis Ferrante, call (917) 597-4913.AUDIO: DENNIS FERRANTE ON JOHN LENNON NOT HAVING A FUNERAL
Justin Timberlake has packed his schedule with big Hollywood movies lately, and another one might be in the works. According to DeadlineHollywood.com, he's reportedly been offered a role opposite Amanda Seyfried in the upcoming sci-fi action thriller, I'm.mortal.
The film takes place during a time when people stop aging at 25. If he takes the part, it's likely that Timberlake would play man accused of murdering a member of society's elite. He ends up on the run with a beautiful rich girl, portrayed by Seyfried, as his hostage.
Timberlake has placed his attention on movies. Come October, he'll star as Sean Parke, co-founder of Facebook in the film, The Social Network.
He's also starring in Bad Teacher with Cameron Diaz, as well as Friends With Benefits with Mila Kunis.
Katy Perry and her funnyman fiance, Russell Brand, are expected to tie the knot later this year, and by the sound of it, Perry can't wait. In a recent video chat, she said, "We are excited to get married, of course. And I think, in marriage, when you're picking a partner, one of the things to keep in mind is 'Will he be a good baby daddy?' And he'll be perfect."
Perry was caught smooching another guy recently -- but it wasn't for real; it was part of her "Teenage Dream" video. She admits that it was a little weird to kiss another guy, saying, "I had to make out with a boy which was very traumatizing, I was kind of mean to him. I would be the one to call cut because I was like, 'oh I cant do this! I feel so horrible. But I know it's a job. We understand what our work is."
Perry's new album, Teenage Dream, is due out August 24th.
Ron Wood's artwork will receive it's first major U.S. museum showing this fall when his paintings and sketches will be shown at Ohio's Butler Institute of American Art. Pollstar.com reported that Wood will be on hand for the opening on September 21st, with the exhibition including "30 of Wood's paintings, 22 pen-and-pencil drawings and seven mixed-media works." The eight-week show ends its run on November 21st.
Wood told us that his earliest creative influences were his family: "Ever since I was tiny, ever since I was three or something. I used to copy my elder brothers -- they were both artists and both musicians, so I just followed in their tracks."
Wood's personal problems with alcohol -- above his art and music -- have kept him front and center in the tabloids over the past couple of years. He spoke candidly on why he drank and did drugs, and ultimately what caused him to go get straight: "Y'know, I think a lot of it is to do -- the drink and drugs -- with the celebration thing. Like, if you've done something really well, you go 'Yeah! Let's drink to that.' And that was just getting kind of out of hand. And I realized that I wasn't getting any happier if I drank. In fact, I was getting this person that I wasn't. I was getting very depressed and quite an angry person, and very snappy with people, and I don't like to think that that is me."
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