Arch MUSIC NEWS for 9/28/12

Arch Music News is compiled by Jay Philpott -

Nicki Minaj is set to star in her own TV series – E! News confirms she’ll be joining the E! network for a “trilogy of specials,” beginning in November. E! says the series will give fans “exclusive and intimate access” to Nicki’s life. The show will also feature footage of Minaj that has never been made public. Earlier this week, Minaj launched her own fragrance called “Pink Friday” after her platinum selling debut albums of the same name. Nicki recently made her debut as a judge on Fox’s “American Idol.” The new season of the singing competition will begin airing in January.

Jennifer Hudson, Celine Dion and Usher are among the first performers to sign on for the CBS special “We Will Always Love You: A Grammy Salute To Whitney Houston.” The one-hour tribute to the singer will air on November 16th on CBS. It will celebrate Houston’s contributions to music with never-before-seen footage and interviews and highlights of some of her iconic performances. The six-time Grammy award winning singer was a frequent performer on the Grammy stage. Her last appearance at the awards was in 2009 when she presented Hudson with her first Grammy for Best R&B album.  The tribute special will tape on October 11th at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. Tickets for the event are on sale now through Ticketmaster.

Late “Sons of Anarchy” actor Johnny Lewis left behind a famous ex-girlfriend. Lewis dated pop star Katy Perry from 2005 to 2006 and a source tells “Us Weekly” the singer was “devastated” upon learning of Lewis’ death. The source says Perry knew Lewis was headed down a bad path when the two split, adding that the song “The One That Got Away” was partially written about him. Perry shot to fame two years after her split with Lewis. Sources tell the website the break-up was hard on Katy because she could never help Johnny get better. The 28-year-old actor was found dead on Wednesday after apparently falling or jumping off a rooftop. Police believe the troubled actor fell from the roof of the home he was renting after a fight with his 81-year-old landlady who was also found dead at the home. Police suspect Lewis may have beaten the elderly woman to death.

The hype surrounding Adele‘s official song for the upcoming James Bond film “Skyfall” continues to mount. According to MI6-HQ.com, One Republic frontman and former Adele collaborator Ryan Tedder tweeted this week that the track is the “best Bond song in my lifetime.” The tweet was subsequently deleted. It also revealed that Adele had teamed up with her “21″ producer Paul Epworth to record the song. Rumors about her involvement in the project started early this month when she was spotted at Abbey Road Studios in London. Pregnant with her first child, Adele has been keeping a low profile and has not commented on the song, which will be called “Let The Sky Fall.”  The song is described as an “ominous, dramatic ballad.” The “Skyfall” soundtrack hits stores on November 6th and the movie will be coming to theaters on November 9th.

Elvis Presley no longer has the most appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The rock legend previously held the record for an individual artist, with 108 entries on the chart between 1958 — when the Hot 100 was first introduced — and 2003. But this week Lil Wayne has surpassed that mark with his 109th chart appearance. The rapper has also set the new record in significantly less time than Elvis, logging the accomplishment just 13 years after making his chart debut. Wayne’s latest Hot 100 appearance comes courtesy of his contribution to Game’s new track “Celebration,” which is entering the chart this week at number 82.  However, on the majority of Lil Wayne’s Hot 100 appearances he’s a featured artist on somebody else’s song. He’s the lead artist on only 42 of his 109 charting songs, while Elvis was the primary artist on all of his Hot 100 tracks. And since the Hot 100 didn’t exist during the first two years of Presley’s career many of his biggest hits, such as “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Jailhouse Rock,” and “Love Me Tender,” can’t be included in his Hot 100 total. According to chart expert Joel Whitburn, Presley likely would have placed an additional 31 songs on the Hot 100 if the chart’s history spanned Elvis’ entire career.

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