Arch MUSIC NEWS for 8/28/12

Madonna is bringing her controversial tour to the North American stage. She’s been making headlines with her use of fake guns and swastikas as props, as well as for her on-stage advocacy for a jailed Russian punk group and her comments supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. But as she gets ready to launch the U.S. and Canadian portion of the trek she’s released a “manifesto” to Billboard.com about her show, which she calls “the journey of a soul from darkness to light.” Madonna explains that the guns simply symbolize the desire to feel powerful and to stop things that are “hurtful or damaging.” She says the journey ultimately leads to the realization that “there is an innate and pure love inside us all and we have to find a way to tap into it.”  She’s asking her audience to watch her show “with an open heart from beginning to end,” adding that fans who do will leave feeling “inspired,” “invigorated,” and wanting to “make the world a better place.” The show comes to St. Louis November 1^st.

The weather is forcing Journey to postpone their concert in Lafayette, Louisiana Tuesday night. The band was scheduled to perform with Pat Benatar and Loverboy at the Cajun Dome, but they say the approaching Tropical Storm Isaac has prompted them to change their plans. The show has already been rescheduled for October 16th.

Paul Simon is in Sweden this week as one of this year’s Polar Music Prize Laureates. The Swedish honor recognizes artists for their “exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music.” Simon’s co-honoree is famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The two performers are being featured in two days of events. On Monday they took part in the Polar Music Talks & Sessions 2012, during which they each sat for individual “Meet the Laureate” interviews and took questions from the audience. Simon and Ma will each receive their prize, which includes a monetary award of just over 145-thousand-dollars, from the King of Sweden at a gala and banquet in Stockholm today.

Ringo Starr has the title of the “World’s Richest Drummer.” The former Beatle is topping a new list compiled by CelebrityNetWorth.com, ranking first with an estimated fortune of 300-million-dollars. Phil Collins has second place with a net worth of 250-million. He just edges out Foo Fighters frontman — and former Nirvana drummer — Dave Grohl, whose wealth is reportedly 225-million-dollars. The Eagles’ Don Henley, with 200-million-dollars, has fourth place, followed by Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, whose net worth is 175-million. Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, with 160-million-dollars, just misses the top five. U2′s Larry Mullen Jr.’s 150-million-dollars puts him in seventh place. Queen’s Roger Taylor, Aerosmith’s Joey Kramer, and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith complete the top ten. CelebrityNetWorth.com based its rankings on available public figures covering record sales, publishing royalties, endorsements, real estate, and other income sources. Collins would have been #1 were it not for his two very expensive divorces.  He reached a settlement with his most recent ex-wife in 2008 and gave her $47 million dollars, ($2 million more than the amount Paul McCartney gave to Heather Mills), and he also paid out $35 million in a previous divorce in 1994.

Neil Diamond‘s “Sweet Caroline” won’t be a part of Penn State University’s football games anymore. The song had become one of the staples in the game. But Pennsylvania’s AltoonaMirror.com says the track has been dropped from this fall’s playlist. University officials had expressed concerns about the appropriateness of having a stadium full of fans singing along with the line “touching me, touching you” following the recent child sex abuse scandal that rocked the school. Penn state will launch their 2012 football season at home in University Park, Pennsylvania, facing Ohio this Saturday.

Miley Cyrus is heading back to TV. CBS announced on Monday that the pop star will appear in two episodes of the tenth season of “Two and a Half Men.” Cyrus will play a new character named Missi who is a family friend of Ashton Kutcher’s character Walden. Missi starts a romance with Jake, played by Angus T. Jones, who is on leave from the military. The guest spot on “Two and a Half Men” will be Cyrus’ first time back on TV since hosting “Saturday Night Live” in March 2011. She made headlines earlier this month when she debuted her new platinum blonde pixie cut. The tenth season of “Two and a Half Men will premiere on September 27th on CBS.