Arch MUSIC NEWS for 12/7/12

Arch MUSIC NEWS is compiled by Jay Philpott -

An extended version of Katy Perry‘s video for “The One That Got Away” video has found its way to the Internet. In the seven-minute video, Katy plays a young and an old version of herself. Older Katy was actually voiced by Stevie Nicks.

Lindsey Buckingham says Fleetwood Mac fans shouldn’t expect to see former singer and keyboardist Christine McVie returning for any of his group’s upcoming shows. The guitarist says he’d be “shocked” if Christine “ever expressed any interest” in working with the group again. He says when McVie left the band in 1998 she didn’t just sever ties with Fleetwood Mac but with all aspects of the life she’d been leading, explaining that she divorced her husband, sold her Los Angeles home, moved back to England, and sold her publishing rights. While Buckingham says Christine “wanted to reinvent herself,” he believes she “didn’t necessarily have to burn as many bridges as she did” in order to do so.  Lindsey adds that he’d be “pleased” to have McVie back in the fold, but admits that “in many ways” he’s “having a better time” with Fleetwood Mac as a foursome. He explains that without the keyboards the guitar gets more of the spotlight, and it “opens up a range of things” he can do musically.

Sammy Hagar and Metallica‘s James Hetfield are crossing genre lines to pay tribute to this year’s top country stars. The rockers are among the participants in the CMT Artists of the Year special, which will air this weekend. The event recognizes 2012′s biggest country artists, who were determined by such factors as music and concert ticket sales, radio airplay, and Internet searches. Hagar and Hetfield joined a host of country stars for the event, including Sammy’s buddy Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, and Eric Church. Other participants from outside the country music scene include rapper Ludacris, OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, the “Late Late Show” host Craig Ferguson, and baseball greats Chipper Jones and Roger Clemens. Rascal Flatts and “Nashville” star Hayden Panettiere host the 2012 CMT Artists of the Year ceremony, premiering on CMT Saturday night at 9:00 p.m. StL time

The VH1 “Divas” special is adding some more lady singers to its lineup. Natasha Bedingfield, Keri Hilson, singer-songwriter Ledisi and Australian hip-hop artist Iggy Azalea are all set to perform at the event. Funk legend Bootsy Collins will also be joining them. Others making appearances at the telecast will include, Kelly Osbourne, La La Anthony, Stacey Kiebler and Brandy Norwood. Already announced performers include Grammy-nominated Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, Diama, Demi Lovato, Pitbull, Kelly Rowland and Jordin Sparks. “American Idol” alum Adam Lambert will be the evening’s host. The special will pay tribute to late divas Whitney Houston and Donna Summer who both passed away this year. “VH1 Divas” will air live on Sunday, December 16th at 9 p.m. Eastern.

Vince Neil is starring in a new reality series. “Vince Neil Escapes” is a spin-off of the PBS series “The Aviators,” and follows the Motley Crue singer’s adventures as a newly licensed pilot.  Neil was featured in season three of “The Aviators.” The PBS series followed the singer as he went through the flight training process. Details on “Vince Neil Escapes,” including the show’s network and launch date, haven’t been announced yet.

The Rolling Stones are finally bringing their “50 and Counting” show to this side of the Atlantic. The rock legends will kick off their series of U.S. shows this weekend, taking the stage at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Sunday. The concert will feature guest appearances from R&B superstar Mary J. Blige, who also joined the band for their first London show last month, and rock newcomer Gary Clark, Jr. The Stones will follow with two performances at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey next week. They’ll launch the two-night stand on December 13th, while their December 15th finale will be broadcast live as a pay-per-view special, which will be available through all cable, satellite, and telco providers and carried online via Yahoo! Music. Guests for the Newark shows haven’t been announced yet.

Bruce Springsteen‘s Grammy-nominated “Wrecking Ball” has the top spot on “Rolling Stone’s” list of the “50 Best Albums of 2012.” The magazine praises the project as “rock’s most pointed response to the Great Recession,” saying it’s “a song suite explicitly for the 99 percent.”

Paul McCartney is fortunate his November 26th concert in Vancouver, British Columbia didn’t bring down the house, but it did damage the roof. Canada’s CTV News says the former Beatle’s pyrotechnics display during his performance of the James Bond theme “Live and Let Die” ended up scorching the new $469-million-dollar roof atop BC Place. Fire officials are investigating the matter, but say they believe the device used to measure the stage-to-ceiling distance appears to have been off by 20-to-30-feet. The venue’s assistant general manager says there are “scorch marks” on the some of the flame-resistant ceiling panels, which need to be cleaned and might have to be replaced. She adds that McCartney will be paying for the repairs. However, authorities say they don’t anticipate fining the rock legend because the damage wasn’t done intentionally and nobody was hurt.

 ZZ Top is performing for approximately one-thousand-800 people tonight at the House of Blues in Las Vegas. But bassist Dusty Hill says he still remembers playing for a much smaller crowd — one with one-thousand-799 fewer people.  He tells the “Las Vegas Sun” that when ZZ Top was just starting out they once performed before an audience of one. Dusty recalls that when the band hit the stage at the armory in Alvin, Texas, just “one guy was standing out there” who “didn’t even have a date” and “thought he was in the wrong place.” But Hill says it didn’t matter — the group still played their full show for him, and even “bought him a Coke.” He adds that 15 years later ZZ Top was playing a sold-out show at Houston’s Summit Arena and learned this lone fan from the early ’70s was in the crowd, so they awarded his loyalty with an invitation to join them backstage.  ZZ Top is on the road supporting their latest album, “La Futura.” The band will head to Arizona after their Vegas show, for concerts in Phoenix and Tucson this weekend.