Arch MUSIC NEWS for 1/16/13

Arch MUSIC NEWS is compiled by Jay Philpott -

While David Bowie has a new album coming out, fans shouldn’t expect him to tour behind the disc. Producer Tony Visconti tells RollingStone.com that Bowie has no intentions to hit the road in support of “The Next Day.” He says Bowie has mentioned possibly playing a show or two “if he feels like it.” But he says but the singer has been “very clear” with label execs that he’s not “going to tour or do any kind of ridiculously long album promotion” for the album.

A car once used by the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury now has a new owner. The singer’s Rolls Royce was expected to fetch about $18,000 at the Coys auction in Birmingham, England over the weekend. But when it went under the hammer on Saturday bidding climbed into the six figures before a Russian businessman got the car for just under 119-thousand dollars. The 1974 Rolls Silver Shadow features a grey leather interior and wood trim, with automatic windows, a radio cassette player, and a car phone. Mercury bought the car in 1979 through his Goose Productions company, and used it until his death in 1991. Since then the car had been with Freddie’s family, who last used it to attend the 2002 premiere of the Queen musical “We Will Rock You.” In addition, Mercury reportedly didn’t put any of the 62-thousand miles on the car himself. He never actually drove the vehicle but used chauffeurs, because he didn’t have a driver’s license.

Former Ram Marshall Faulk, Cardinals great and Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, Alice Cooper, former Eagle Don Felder, and Michael Bolton are spending time this week golfing for a cause. They’re among the stars taking part in the Humana Challenge, the charity golf tournament previously known as the Bob Hope Classic. Other stars taking part in the event include actors Craig T. Nelson, Anthony Anderson, and Peter Gallagher; actor and game show host Alfonso Ribeiro.   TV personality Carson Daly, NFL star Ronde Barber and comedian Ron White are also on board. Cooper is a longtime supporters of the event. This year marks his 15th tournament over the past 16 years. The Humana Challenge raises money for a variety of organizations serving California’s Coachella Valley. While activities surrounding the Humana Challenge began over the weekend, first round play begins Thursday and continues through Sunday. The Golf Channel will provide coverage of the event each day from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Fox’s hit talent search series “American Idol” returns to primetime tonight. As with past seasons, the show’s 12th season will kick off with a new crop of “Idol” hopefuls putting their vocal chops on display in front of a celebrity panel of judges. Much of the buzz leading up to the new season has been about the judges themselves after video of a heated exchange between panel newcomers Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj went viral last fall. The feud reportedly got so intense Carey told interviewer Barbara Walters she felt the need to beef up her security detail after getting wind of a threat Minaj allegedly made against her. Minaj denies it. Also new to the panel this season is country star Keith Urban. Original “Idol” judge Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest are also back for another round.  Carey, Minaj and Urban were brought in to fill the panel seats vacated by Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler last year.

Justin Timberlake might be looking at his best sales week yet with his latest surprise single “Suit & Tie.” Label sources tell “Billboard” Timberlake’s first new song since 2006 is expected to sell between 330 and 350 thousand downloads by the end of its first tracking week. The estimate would easily outdo the 250 thousand downloads he sold with “SexyBack,” making it the most he’s earned in one sales week in his career. Only a few songs have surpassed the 300 thousand mark in the past year, including Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend.” Timberlake has managed to merge his new music efforts with the Myspace project he was working on during his long hiatus. He is using his new single to help promote the revamped version of the site, making it the first thing a user sees when signing up.  ”Suit & Tie,” which features Jay-Z, was released on midnight Sunday. Timberlake also announced that fans could expect his next album to arrive later this year. It will be called “The 20/20 Experience.”

An anti-gun violence group is calling out Lady Gaga for her choice to wear a gun bra on her “Born This Way Ball” tour. The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence is denouncing the Mother Monster’s onstage costume choice calling it insensitive in light of the recent gun-related tragedies around the country. A rep for the group says they had hoped Gaga would have “a better sense of judgement,” adding that her plastic gun bra is “no different than a guy who poses with an assault rifle to look tough.” The group is calling on Gaga to “consider the influence she wields over many people” and to “use that power responsibly.” Sharon Osbourne made similar comments against the singer on Monday’s “The Talk,” criticizing the bra as well as the supposed violent language on Gaga’s fan site.