Arch MUSIC NEWS for 8/23/12

Justin Bieber will do a cameo on the 24th season of The Simpsons, playing himself in an upcoming episode. The plot has him trying to get into a talent show that Bart is playing piano in and they won’t admit him. No specific air date has been announced, but it will be sometime in 2013.

The man who shot and killed John Lennon is awaiting word on his parole fate. Mark David Chapman was scheduled to appear before the New York Department of Correction parole board on Wednesday. It’s his seventh chance to seek parole since he became eligible for release in 2000. Since then Chapman has made a parole bid every two years, and each time has been denied. In their rejection after Chapman’s 2010 hearing, the New York State Division of Parole members said they felt his release would be “inappropriate at this time and incompatible with the welfare of the community.” Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono has submitted letters to the parole board for each hearing opposing Chapman’s release.

Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider isn’t pleased to hear one of his songs being used by the Republican party. Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney’s running mate in the current presidential campaign, played the group’s hit “We’re Not Gonna Take It” at a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. The rocker tells “Talking Points Memo” he “emphatically” denounces the vice presidential candidate’s use of the song “in any capacity.” He adds that he does not agree with Ryan on virtually any issue “except the use of the ‘P90X,’” a home fitness program.

“Forbes” has named Lady Gaga the 14th most powerful woman in the world, ranking her well above any other female in music. The only other female music stars to make the list’s top 50 are Beyonce at number 32, Jennifer Lopez at number 38, and Shakira at number 40. No entertainment industry women cracked the top 10, the closest being Oprah Winfrey, who beat Gaga by three spots clinching number 11. Topping the list are German Chancellor Angela Merkel followed by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.