ARCH MUSIC NEWS for 3/11/13

ARCH MUSIC NEWS is compiled by Jay Philpott -

Vince Neil is recovering from a bout of kidney stones. He was performing with Motley Crue in Sydney, Australia when he had an attack, which forced the group to end their Sunday night show early. Both Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx used Twitter to voice their regrets to the fans. Mars tweeted his “apologies for a short set,” adding that Vince “Went straight from the stage to the hospital.” Sixx said that Neil “had to be rushed to the hospital for internal pain, and promised to “update you on his progress.” Setlistfm.com says Motley Crue played seven songs as well as a drum and guitar solo before Sixx made an announcement to the crowd. He said Neil had been in pain the entire night, and that he needed to go to the hospital.

Justin Timberlake is enjoying yet another successful go at hosting “Saturday Night Live.” In his cold open, he impersonated Sir Elton John, singing a eulogistic “Candle in the Wind” at Hugo Chavez’s funeral.  Besides taking on the late-controversial Venezuelan president, Justin also brought some major star power with him. Knowing that expectations were high, he brought in backup for his monologue from some SNL greats. Steve Martin, Paul Simon, Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Martin Short, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin and Candice Bergen welcomed him to the “Five-Timers Club” for members who have hosted “SNL” at least five times. In another sketch revolving around a dating game show, Justin and Andy Samberg reprised their suave singing duo characters from their memorable “D*** in a Box” Digital Short. Timberlake also poked fun at his acting career with a spoof on a typical romantic comedy trailer, with Nasim Pedrad playing his love interest. He also brought hip-hop star Jay-Z to the stage during one of his musical performances on the show. Justin’s episode took “Saturday Night Live” to a 14-month high, bringing in the highest ratings of the year for the show so far. His new album, “The 20/20 Experience” is out on March 19th.   Now, Justin Timberlake heads back to NBC for a week-long run on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” Starting tonight, the singer will spend the week on the late night show.

Sammy Hagar won’t be reopening his New Jersey restaurant after all. Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City was among the places that took a hit when Hurricane Sandy struck last fall. In early November Hagar posted pictures of the destruction, along with the caption reading “Hope all Redheads and BB&G staff are safe and dry! Here is a look at the damage – we will rebuild!” But now Sammy’s revising his plans. A website update says Hagar has been through “months of ongoing discussions,” and “has regretfully been unable to come to terms with Caesars Entertainment on the rebuilding of the Sammy Beach Bar & Grill at Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel and Casino.” But Hagar’s not abandoning the area. The post adds that Sammy “continues to explore a new partnership in the region,” and that he remains committed to supporting the Atlantic City community through his Hagar Family Foundation.

Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson have officially announced their upcoming collaborative tour. The two generations of shock rockers are coming together this summer for the “Masters of Madness” trek. Only a few dates have been announced for the month-long upcoming road trip, which is slated to run from June 1st through the 28th. Just three confirmed stops are posted on their respective websites — Salt Lake City on June 4th; St. Charles, Missouri on June 25th; and Rockford, Illinois on June 28th.

Dee Snider is the latest to leave on NBC’s “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice.” After Plan B fell short in Sunday night’s challenge, the Twisted Sister frontman was shown the door.  The teams were tasked with making an interactive three dimensional photo experience for Universal Orlando’s new marketing campaign. While Power’s project manager Omarosa quickly took control of her team and laid out her vision of bringing “Harry Potter” and “Despicable Me” to life, Snider decided to use his team’s celebrity as the focal point for their project. Because Power had the more creative idea they were spared from the scrutiny of the boardroom. Meanwhile, Donald Trump ripped Plan B for their simplistic design. He became even more upset after learning that Penn Jillette had pitched a more creative idea that Dee rejected. It came down to Snider, Stephen Baldwin and Gary Busey on the chopping block. While Dee argued that Gary’s limited skill set contributed to the team’s downfall, ultimately the responsibility fell on Dee as project manager.

Adele may have booked herself another huge gig in the U.S. According to “Daily Mail,” the singer has been asked to perform at the First Lady’s forthcoming 50th birthday bash, alongside a White House favorite – Beyonce. A source tells the paper the First Lady is already planning a huge, star-studded party to bring in her 50th, which is scheduled for January 17th, 2014. The paper adds that Adele “graciously accepted” Mrs. Obama’s invitation and waived her usual fee for private performances. The British singer will reportedly be singing a selection of the First Lady’s favorites at next year’s party.

Mariah Carey has released her video for the song “Almost Home,” which she recorded for this weekend’s box-office hit “Oz: The Great And Powerful.” The video was directed by the star’s frequent collaborator David LaChapelle, who has shot a number of her album covers and her “Loverboy” video. The video has the “American Idol” judge singing from a stool in black and white before switching into a land of color with clips from the Disney film starring James Franco. “Almost Home” came out last month, and was featured on last Thursday’s first elimination episode of “American Idol.” In a statement, Carey said the song is a “feel-good record” that “works beautifully with the film.” “Oz: The Great and Powerful” opened at number one at the box-office this weekend, bringing in 80-point-three million dollars.