MASSIVE MUSIC NEWS ROUNDUP: 11/6

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Madonna and her family have been in Malawi to do some work for her charity, Raising Malawi. In a statement at Madonna.com, the singer says, quote, "Our vision is to empower girls to become Malawi's future leaders. Our goal is to teach them to challenge themselves, serve their local communities, and develop their country."  A school being built by the charity, which is going to cost around 15-million-dollars, will feature, quote, "innovative educational approaches, cutting-edge architectural design methods, and other modern technologies."  Those interested in donating to the charity can do so at RaisingMalawi.org.  Madonna says she'll match every dollar contributed to the school.

 
Rihanna is going to break in a brand new stage on the world's largest cruise ship.  She’s set to perform on the Royal Caribbean Oasis Of The Seas on November 19th.  The concert is to take place during the new ship's three-night preview voyage before it makes its official debut.  Rihanna will get to showcase songs from her new album during her special cruise ship performance.  Her CD "Rated R" is due to drop on November 23rd.

The Black Eyed Peas are set to play winter's hottest fashion show – they’ve been named the musical guest for this year's Victoria's Secret fashion show.  Previous artists who have performed at the Victoria's Secret fashion show include Mary J. Blige, Justin Timberlake, Usher and Destiny's Child.  The Victoria's Secret fashion show will air December 1st on CBS.

Justin Timberlake now has a temporary restraining order against an overzealous fan.  Timberlake received the order against a 48-year-old female fan named Karen McNeil, who has tried to enter Timberlake's home on three different occasions and has left notes claiming that she is friends with the singer.  McNeil has a history of stalking singers.  In the 1990s she pursued Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose, who also took out restraining orders against her.  Nine years ago McNeil was sentenced to a year in jail for violating the order.

One of the biggest concerts of 2009 went on as scheduled, but without one of its scheduled superstars.  Eric Clapton didn’t take part in the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Anniversary concerts.  He underwent a minor medical procedure for gallstones and following the surgery, began recuperating at his UK home.

A possible witness has surfaced as the search continues for a missing Metallica fan.  A Richmond, Virginia-area grandmother claims she was in the parking lot at John Paul Jones Arena on the night 20-year-old Morgan Harrington vanished.  The alleged witness says that she saw a young man and a woman matching Harrington's description in a struggle. The elderly woman called authorities last Monday night after seeing Harrington's picture on the news, but prefers to remain anonymous.  Harrington was last seen at Metallica's October 17th concert in Charlottesville, Virginia. The band will add 50-thousand dollars to the existing Crimestoppers 100-thousand reward for Harrington's safe return.  The band has also posted appeals to fans at the show to divulge any details they might have about the disappearance to the Virginia State Police.

One of rock's most respected journalists is giving fans a close look at David Bowie. Marc Spitz, contributor to "Vanity Fair," "Maxim," "The New York Times," and "Uncut," has penned "Bowie."  The 448-page biography is an expansive account of rock's enigmatic "Thin White Duke."  From his humble suburban roots as David Jones to his flamboyance as "Ziggy Stardust," Spitz probes into the man behind the music.  Also included are photos from various chapters in the singer's life.  Crown Publishing distributes "Bowie," now available online and in bookstore. 

 
John Fogerty is giving fans new opportunities to see him rock.  He’s just released "Comin' Down The Road: The Concert at Royal Albert Hall".  It’s a performance-packed disc featuring 26 tracks including "I Will Walk With You," "Fortunate Son," and "Proud Mary."  Rocking on stage with Fogerty during his return to Royal Albert are Kenny Aronoff on drums, Billy Burnett on guitar, Jason Mowery on fiddle/mandolin, Matt Nolen on keyboards and guitar, Hunter Perrin on guitar, and David Santos on bass.  Fogerty's two sons -- Shane and Tyler -- also guest on guitars. 

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry continues to forge a solo path.  According to "Rolling Stone," the 59-year-old rocker has announced new dates for The Joe Perry Project.  Perry started playing on his own when Aerosmith canceled tour dates following an onstage tumble by frontman Steven Tyler in August.  Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford also missed the opening stretch of dates for the band's ill-fated tour after undergoing surgery.  In recent months, Joe Perry has said that he anticipates an indefinite hiatus for the injury-prone band.  The Joe Perry Project released the LP "Have Guitar, Will Travel" on October 6th.

 
Lilith Fair will be back next year.  The list of 18 cities to host the 2010 trek is at LilithFair.com, but St. Louis is not one of them.  The tour is focused in North America, while there's one stop in London.  More dates are expected to be unveiled in the future.  Those who visit the website and sign up for the traveling festival's newsletter will be offered a free download of the song "Angel" performed by Sarah McLachlan and Emmylou Harris at Lilith Fair in 1998. 

Sting is feeling festive as the holiday season gets underway.  The Police frontman has released a new album -- "If On A Winter's Night".  Next, Sting stars in a holiday concert for an upcoming PBS special.  The 58-year-old will bypass typical yule fare like "Jingle Bells" for authentic English and Scottish folk songs.  The special, titled "Sting: A Winter's Night," continues the PBS network's "Great Performances" series.  Joining the Grammy-winner for the production are guest musicians and singers from around the world.  The UK's Durham Cathedral serves as the seasonal show's backdrop.  "Sting: A Winter's Night" will air on PBS on Thanksgiving night.  "If On A Winter's Night" is in stores now.

Get ready for a shock.  Tweens and teens have voted Miley Cyrus the worst celebrity influence of 2009.  The poll of young people was taken on AOL's JSYK.com website, which is aimed towards an audience of nine-to-15-year-olds.  Cyrus got the title with her infamous Teen Choice Awards pole dance, which earned her 42-percent of the vote.  Britney Spears comes in at a rather distant second place, as the choice of 27-percent, followed by Kanye West.  Vanessa Hudgens, who sparked controversy when some naked photographs hit the internet, takes fourth place, and Shia LeBeouf, who was involved in a drunk driving incident, rounds out the top five.  Meanwhile, Selena Gomez was voted to be the Best Celeb Influence of 2009, followed by Taylor Swift, Nick Jonas, Emma Watson, and Justin Bieber respectively. 

Worst Celeb Influence:

Miley Cyrus  --  42%
Britney Spears  --  27%
Kanye West  --  19%
Vanessa Hudgens  --  9%
Shia LeBeouf  --  3%

Best Celeb Influence: 

Selena Gomez  --  30%
Taylor Swift  --  28%
Nick Jonas  --  17%
Emma Watson  --  13%
Justin Bieber  --  12%

Genesis alum Peter Gabriel is back in the studio.  "The UK Guardian" reports that the 59-year-old will release his first album of new material in seven years next Spring.  The LP "Scratch My Back’ has Gabriel and other major collaborators interpreting each other's songs. According to the London newspaper, a leaked, but unconfirmed, track list for the project includes Radiohead, Arcade Fire and David Bowie.  Known for his collaborations, Gabriel's past work has paired him up with Natalie Merchant, Kate Bush, Paula Cole, The Police's Stewart Copeland and Youssou N'Dour.  Gabriel's last studio album of new material "Up" was released worldwide in 2002.


The popular "Rock Band" video game series may be getting some new avatars.  The Who's Roger Daltrey was talking to website www.masslive.com when he let it slip that the band could go cyber in 2010.  Regarding a possible The Who: Rock Band product, Daltrey said, quote, "The game, yeah, yeah, they're going to be doing a Who one next year. There is one planned. [The idea] is fabulous.  Anything that gets non-musical people interested in music is wonderful."

The Beatles went cyber earlier this fall.  The Beatles: Rock Band -- featuring an interactive Fab Four -- debuted on September 9th.  Figures reported last week by "Billboard" put unit sales over 595-thousand so far.

Rob Halford is opening up about his singing technique.  The 57-year-old Judas Priest frontman talked about his style as a metal frontman on VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show" earlier this month.  Halford told "Metal Show" hosts Jim Florentine, Don Jamieson and Eddie Trunk that he can't get too comfortable on any material.  Halford has just unveiled an album of holiday music.  Halford's "Winter Songs" -- featuring the single "Christmas is for Everyone" is out now.