Arch MUSIC NEWS for 8/16/12

At least one part of Axl Rose‘s 20-million-dollar lawsuit against “Guitar Hero” is being upheld in a court of law. A Los Angeles judge dismissed Rose’s fraud claim against the videogame maker on Tuesday, but upheld his breach-of-contract allegation.  Axl sued Activision Blizzard, the makers of “Guitar Hero 3,” in 2010, claiming the company agreed to not feature ex-G-N-R guitarist Slash in exchange for the rights to use the band’s 1987 hit “Welcome to the Jungle.” Rose filed the lawsuit three years after the game came out in 2007 with Slash featured on its cover.

The late Elvis Presley‘s family is helping fans commemorate the 35th anniversary of the rock legend’s death. Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley made an unexpected appearance Wednesday night at the start of the annual Candlelight Vigil. It was the first time either of them had taken part in the most solemn event of Elvis Week — something Lisa Marie acknowledged as she spoke to the fans. She told the crowd she’d “always avoided this” in previous years because she “felt it would be too emotional.” Memphis police estimate that 75-thousand people turned out to make the silent procession through the gates of Graceland and up the driveway to Presley’s gravesite. The Candlelight Vigil takes place each year on the eve of the anniversary of Elvis’ passing. Elvis Presley suffered a heart attack at Graceland, and died on August 16th, 1977, at the age of 42.

For fans of Guns N’ Roses, a reunion of the band’s original lineup is the ultimate fantasy. One British lottery winner who recently pocketed more than 232-million dollars, may just put his winnings toward the cause. According to “Classic Rock Magazine,” 41-year-old Adrian Bayford is a music shop owner and calls himself “a real fan.” But large amounts of money have been offered to G-N-R’s members before with no success. Frontman Axl Rose has been particularly unresponsive to the idea of a reunion in the past. The band has not responded to Bayford’s offer as yet.

Lady Gaga is leaning on her “Little Monsters” for some ears of support. In a letter posted to her website Tuesday, Gaga vents about weathering some professional and personal struggles. Without naming anyone specifically, she expresses anger and disappointment toward those she worked with on her “Born This Way” album. She explains that there were disagreements about how she wanted to move forward as an artist. Gaga writes, “Then there were all the personal moments. Betrayed by lifelong friends, mentors I’ve had for years suddenly taking advantage of me, and massive struggles with my body image.”

NBC “Voice” coach Cee Lo Green is the new voice behind the NFL’s Thursday Night Football fan theme song. The NFL says Cee Lo’s “Fanthem” will be set to fan videos each Thursday night, specific to the match up. The new song will debut on September 13th, starting with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers game. Green’s new version of the Fanthem is the song “I Love Football” set to the tune of “Blitzkrieg Bop” by The Ramones. Green released a statement about his new partnership with the NFL. He said, “The NFL always brings us the biggest and brightest entertainment spectacle in sports and now with ‘Fanthem,’ NFL Network gives loyal fans the chance to participate!”

The latest “Now That’s What I Call Music!” album is on top of this week’s Billboard 200 charts. “Now 43″ sold 111-thousand copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album features 20 tracks, including 2012 hits from Katy Perry, Carly Rae Jepsen and Maroon 5. In the history of long running music compilation series, all of the regular “Now” albums have reached the top ten. The first one to hit number one was in 2000 with “Now 4.” Rick Ross’ “God Forgives, I Don’t” slips from the top spot to number two. Frank Sinatra’s “Nothing But The Best” greatest hit set takes number three after Amazon MP3 discounted it by 99 cents for the day of August 7th.