ARCH MUSIC NEWS for 3/8/13

ARCH MUSIC NEWS is compiled by Jay Philpott -

Clarence Clemons‘ family is taking legal action over his death. William Clemons — the brother of the late E Street Band sax player — reportedly filed a malpractice suit last year, and last month the case received the go-ahead to proceed to a jury trial.  The suit alleges that Clarence was advised to go off blood thinners for his carpal tunnel surgery, and wasn’t given a blood thinner during or after the procedure, which could have caused his stroke. Soon after he died, Clemons’ widow Victoria told “Rolling Stone” that Clarence had “lost sensation in his index finger and thumb,” just prior to suffering the stroke, and was “seriously concerned” about how it would affect his sax playing. Clarence died on June 18th, 2011, six days after the stroke.

Ozzy Osbourne’s daughter Kelly spent the night in the hospital after collapsing on the set of her E! series “Fashion Police.” In a statement to “Us” magazine, Osbourne’s rep confirmed that Kelly was hospitalized yesterday after fainting, and last night was “awake, alert, and in stable condition.” The spokesperson added that Kelly was being held overnight “for observation as a precautionary measure.” But the rep didn’t confirm reports that Kelly had suffered a seizure. According to TMZ, Osbourne was sitting in a chair shooting “Fashion Police” in front of a full studio audience when she turned to Melissa Rivers and said she wasn’t feeling well. She then reportedly fell out of her chair and started shaking. Kelly apparently stabilized a few moments later but her camp wanted to have her checked out at the hospital. Photos online show her being taken away by stretcher. Joan Rivers told TMZ cameras Thursday afternoon that she had visited with Kelly and declared her “fine.”

Justin Bieber says he’s doing better after an onstage scare during his concert at London’s O2 Arena Thursday night. The 19-year-old singer collapsed after experiencing shortness of breath but insisted on finishing his show – against doctor’s orders – before he was taken to a local hospital. He tweeted later that he was “getting better” and thanked fans for pulling him through. He didn’t offer any explanations as to why he fell ill, only saying that they were still “figuring out what happened.” Eyewitnesses gave their account of what they saw from the audience to E! News. During “Beauty and the Beat,” the singer seemed to be walking toward the exit when he collapsed on the staircase. His manager Scooter Braun then appeared with Bieber’s friend, Jaden Smith, to inform the audience that the pop star was getting emergency medical attention and would return. Braun told the crowd that the star had been complaining about being “very low of breath” throughout the show, and later tweeted that he was proud of his “tough kid,” calling him a “true pro.”

America has chosen its top ten finalists for season 12 of “American Idol.” Concluding the first week of live shows, the top ten female and male contestants showed America what they had on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s two-hour live episodes. It all led up to Thursday’s first live eliminations, cutting the number of hopefuls down by half. The selected top ten have secured a place on the show’s summer tour. “American Idol” will continue on Wednesdays and Thursdays on Fox. Next week’s results show will feature performances from last season’s winner Phillip Phillips and Bon Jovi.

The top ten “American Idol” finalists and their hometowns:

Paul Jolley – Palmersville, TN
Burnell Taylor – New Orleans, LA
Curtis Finch Jr. – St. Louis, MO
Devin Velez – Chicago, IL
Lazaro Arbos – Naples, FL
Janelle Arthur – Oliver Springs, TN
Candice Glover – St. Helena Island, SC
Angie Miller – Beverly, MA
Amber Holcomb – Houston TX
Kree Harrison – Nashville, TN

Comedy fans and music fans alike are hoping Justin Timberlake strikes gold this weekend as he takes on “Saturday Night Live” for the fifth time. Expectations are high, as the singer’s previous experiences “going live from New York” have already earned him four Emmys. It will be his first time hosting since Andy Samberg of “The Lonely Island” comedy troupe left the NBC show, leaving JT without a partner for his usually memorable “Digital Shorts,” like “Motherlover,” “3-Way” and, of course, his special present “in a box” that earned him an Emmy in 2007. Justin will be taking on double-duty, appearing as a musical guest as well. He’ll also be spending the whole of next week on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” promoting his much-anticipated third solo album “The 20/20 Experience,” which is out on March 19th.