Kanye West, Kim Kardashian Attend "Cruel Summer" Premiere

PRNewsFotoLovebirds Kanye West and Kim Kardashian hit the red carpet together in Cannes, France, on Wednesday, for the premiere of 'Ye's short film Cruel Summer. 

Kanye, who's been in Europe for the Watch the Throne tour, was photographed with Kim in Cannes earlier this week, checking out some events tied to the annual film festival there.  At 'Ye's Wednesday night film screening, he and Kim appeared to have coordinated their outfits, with Kanye in a cream-colored blazer, and Kim in a short cream and gold dress. 

According to TheBoombox, Kanye introduced his film, which he produced, wrote and directed.  The website reports that G.O.O.D. music's Kid Cudi stars in the short, along with Kanye's pal Aziz Ansari, who made a cameo in The Throne's "Otis" video.

Cudi, Big Sean and Pusha T were on hand for the seven-screen Cruel Summer premiere.  The short film will be available for viewing by the public through Friday.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Squeeze's Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook Say New Album Is Coming from the Band

SqueezeOfficial.comSqueeze hasn't released an album of new original material since 1998's Domino, but the band's resident singer/songwriters Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook say that likely will change in the not-too-distant future.  In a recent interview with ABC News Radio, Difford revealed that the veteran U.K. pop-rock group's 2012 tour scheduled will be "interspersed" with "bits of recording."

Tilbrook adds that before Squeeze hits the studio, he's not planning to show any of his new tunes to his band mates.

"That way, what we can do as a band is to work out an arrangement for the thing," he explains.  "That's what we used to do for the first few albums, and [I'd] very much like to do that again."

As for when Squeeze fans might be able to get their hands on the new record, Difford says, "The record will be done when it's ready.  You know, it's not like in the old days when you had a record label and you had to have a record done for next March, let's say."

Difford does suggest, however, that it wouldn't be a bad idea to have the album ready next year to coincide with the group's 40th anniversary or the release of a planned BBC documentary.

Meanwhile, Squeeze recently released a limited-edition, two-LP vinyl album titled Live at the Fillmore.  The collection, which also is available as a digital download, captures an August 2010 concert at the famed San Francisco venue.

Tilbrook tells ABC News Radio that he was extremely pleased with the group's performance that evening.

"The band were very, very well-rehearsed and drilled at that point and it was very exciting," he offered.  "Just everything about that show went great, and I felt very lucky that we'd recorded it."

Difford says he believes a major reason why Squeeze played so well at the gig was that he and Tilbrook didn't tell the other members that the show was being recorded.

"It was kind of a clever way of not putting too much stress on the emphasis of recording," he maintains.  "Sometimes when you're on stage you got a lot to think about, and if you're thinking about recording a live record too, it can add to the stress.  So, there was none of that."

Squeeze will return to the U.S. for a summer tour that will kick off June 26 in Saratoga, California.  The trek, which will be co-headlined by The B-52s, is scheduled to run through a July 19 show in Vienna, Virginia.  Visit SqueezeOfficial.com to check out all the dates.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Robin Thicke Says Duets Would Have Been "Hard to Turn Down"

(L-R: Robin Thicke, Jennifer Nettles, Kelly Clarkson, John Legend)ABC/CRAIG SJODINWhen the team behind ABC's Duets first asked Robin Thicke to bring his expertise to the show, the singer wasn't sure what his answer would be.  "I was like, 'I don't know there are so many of those [music shows] out there," Robin tells ABC News Radio.  

The singer's hesitance vanished though when he was told that Duets requires all the judges to perform with one or both of their contestants each week, and each other as well.  "I love to sing, I love to make music. So the opportunity to just perform every week in front of millions of people was hard to turn down," Robin says.

Duets, which debuts Thursday night, features Robin, John Legend, Kelly Clarkson and country star Jennifer Nettles of the group Sugarland searching for undiscovered talent across the U.S., and then performing with that talent every week in front of a live studio audience.  The winner receives a recording contract with Hollywood Records.

John was invited to the show after Lionel Richie pulled out due to scheduling conflicts.  So what's it like having such big shoes to fill?  "Lionel is one of the most important singer-songwriters of the last 50 years of pop music and you don't try to replace that person," John says, laughing.  "You just go in there and try to be the best you can be."

And John wants to help his duet partners to be the best they can be, too.  "I love the idea of going out in America and finding great new talent and performing with them, mentoring them and helping them become as successful as they deserve to be," he says.

John and Robin both have some hit collaborations under their belts, and Robin shared his idea of what makes a winning duet.  When it comes to art, its all about how it makes people feel, Robin says.  The beauty of the whole thing, he explains, is that "you could put two people that were supposed to have a great duet together and sometimes it just doesn't work out that way."

Instead, Robin explains that, "there's that unknown magic that just happens every once in a while with the arts that you just, you strive for and you hope you can hit the ball outta the park."

Robin's two duet partners are Olivia Chisholm of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Alexis Foster of Knoxville, Tennessee.  John's two duet partners are Johnny Gray of Fort Worth, Texas, and Virginia native Bridget Carrington.  The show premieres Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Jon Bon Jovi Makes AARP's List of "21 Sexiest Men over 50"

Facebook.com/BonJoviBack in the '80s, when Jon Bon Jovi was rocking out on MTV in ripped jeans and poodle hair, he probably never thought he'd see the day when he'd become a sex symbol for retirees.  But the AARP -- the American Association of Retired Persons -- has just named Jon to their list of the "21 Sexiest Men over 50." 

Jon, who turned 50 in March, still has his good looks, no doubt, but the AARP's magazine also praises him for his smarts.  Jennifer Nettles of the country group Sugarland, his duet partner on the song "Who Says You Can't Go Home," tells the magazine, "It's actually Jon's brain that makes him sexy."  Jon also gets props for being appointed by President Obama to the White House Council for Community Solutions.

Jon is in good company on AARP's list, which also includes George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Antonio Banderas, Liam Neeson, Samuel L. Jackson, James Brolin and Colin Firth.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Metallica Explains Decision to Play “Black Album” Backwards During Summer Tour Dates

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty ImagesDuring their summer festival appearances and on select tour dates, Metallica has been playing its entire classic, self-titled 1991 album, better known as "The Black Album," in reverse order.  Drummer Lars Ulrich explains that he decided to change up the set list for the shows because he felt it would be better to end the “Black Album” performances on a high note with their biggest hits.

“It doesn’t say anywhere that if you play an album in its entirety, you have to play it front to back,” Ulrich tells Rolling Stone.  “This is all subject to change if it doesn’t work.  But the idea of starting off with the lesser-known songs and buried down there and ending up with ‘Sad but True’ and ‘Enter Sandman’ seems like a winner.”

While Metallica is currently on tour overseas, the band will be back in the U.S. to perform "The Black Album" in reverse, along with 1984’s Ride the Lightning, in its entirety for their inaugural Orion Music + More festival.  That event will make its debut on June 23-24 at Bader Field in Atlantic City, NJ.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Zac Brown Band Reveals Details of New Album, "Uncaged"

Southern Ground/AtlanticZac Brown Band's new album, Uncaged, lands in stores July 10.  The group has posted a live performance of the title track on YouTube captured at their recent New Orleans Jazz Fest show.

"We're always trying to push the barrier of our musicianship," front man Zac Brown says of Uncaged, "and I'm proud to say that there is a little bit of something for everyone."

The new project was recorded in studios in Atlanta, Ashville, NC and Nashville as well as Key West, FL.

The group's multi-instrumentalist Clay Cook says, "This is first record that we've made from start to finish in one thought.  The previous albums have been a collection of songs... this is an album."

Uncaged is the follow up to Zac Brown Band's platinum albums The Foundation and You Get What You Give.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Adam Lambert: First Openly-Gay Male Artist to Score #1 U.S. Album?

RCA RecordsAdam Lambert's new album Trespassing apparently isn't just historic because it marks the first time one American Idol alum has replaced another at #1 on the album chart.  According to the website AfterElton.com, Adam is now the first openly-gay male artist ever to score a number-one album in the U.S.

As AfterElton.com reports, other gay male performers have had number-one albums, like Elton John and George Michael, but those number-ones arrived before they came out of the closet, and the artists haven't managed the feat since.

Though Elton John admitted in 1976 that he was bisexual, he didn't come out as gay until 1988.  Since then, AfterElton is correct: he hasn't had a #1 album in the U.S.  Although all six albums Elton released from 1972 to 1975 topped the U.S. album chart, 1976's Blue Moves -- the first one released after he admitted his bisexuality -- rose no higher than #3.  As for George Michael, his only #1 album in the U.S. was Faith, and that was long before he came out of the closet. 

Clay Aiken also seems to have followed this pattern.  His debut album hit #1 in 2003; he came out in 2008. No number-one albums since then, but to be fair, his album sales in general had already been in decline for some time.  Other openly-gay male artists who failed to return to #1 after coming out include Ricky Martin, Lance Bass of 'N SYNC and Michael Stipe of R.E.M.

The Village Voice was the first publication to point out Adam's achievement, and Adam's record label tells ABC News Radio that they believe The Voice's claim to be correct.  Adam tweeted, "Thank you to the Glamily for helping me make HISTORY!" but it's unclear if he was referring to this particular claim.

It's worth noting that, while Queen did top the chart in 1980 with the album The Game, and their frontman Freddie Mercury told an interviewer in 1974 that he was gay, The Village Voice doesn't count them.  Why? The paper argues that at the time Mercury made that comment, Queen were unknown in the U.S., so it had little impact on the U.S. record-buying public. 

Then, in the years that followed, The Voice claims that Mercury couldn't be considered "openly gay" because he never directly addressed his sexuality again in an interview, asked journalists not to mention his boyfriends, and denied he was HIV positive until just days before he died of AIDS in 1991.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Bruno Mars Serenades Diners at NYC Restaurant

BrunoMars.comBruno Mars sure likes to sing for his supper.  The New York Post reports that over the weekend, he and friends were dining at the hot New York City restaurant the Darby, when he decided to jump onstage and join the in-house band.  After chowing down on seafood and red wine, Bruno treated the crowd to a rendition of his song "Grenade." 

Also in the house was Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers, who followed Bruno onstage by performing Stevie Wonder's "Superstition."  Of course, both artists received standing ovations from their fellow diners.

According to a YouTube posting of Bruno's performance by the restaurant, this was actually the third time that he's joined the eatery's band for an after-dinner serenade; a video exists of one previous time two months ago.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Miranda Lambert Wants a Beer Sponsorship for On Fire Tour

Randee St. NicholasMiranda Lambert is packing arenas on her On Fire tour, but she's having trouble getting a beer company to sponsor the trek. Major beer brands regularly sponsor outings by country's top male acts like Tim McGraw and Zac Brown Band.

"It's tough for a girl to be a headliner," Miranda tells W magazine.  "I love alcohol!  You would think a beer company would sponsor me.  I'm my own damn sponsor."

Miranda adds that she has to put on her own eyeliner too.  She says, "A woman's work is never done."

Miranda is looking quite glamorous in a '60s-inspired spread in the latest issue of W.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Guns N’ Roses Keyboardist Dizzy Reed Explains Why He Didn’t Attend Hall of Fame Induction

Gregg DeGuire/WireImageGuns N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed was noticeably absent -- along with frontman Axl Rose and former guitarist Izzy Stradlin -- at the recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which took place in Cleveland on April 14. Now, Reed has explained why he decided not to attend the event.

“Well, you know, Axl decided not to go because he felt that it wasn't right, and I stand by him,” Reed tells EspyRock.com. “The reasons he gave made sense to me and I agreed with him, so I chose not to go as well.”

Reed added that while it was an honor for him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame with original GN’R members Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Stradlin and Steven Adler, he feels it’s “time for people to move on.”

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Steely Dan's Donald Fagen Performing at New York Bob Dylan Tribute on Thursday

SteelyDan.comDonald Fagen is among the many stars who will help celebrate Bob Dylan's 71st birthday Thursday at New York City's annual Dylan Fest concert.  Rolling Stone reports that the Steely Dan frontman will play with the event's house band, The Cabin Down Below, throughout the show, which will take place at the Big Apple's Irving Plaza.

The concert's lineup also includes Fagen's "Dukes of September" tour mate Boz Scaggs, Saturday Night Live's Jason Sudeikis and SNL alumnus Will Forte, as well as some surprise guests.  In addition, the 2012 Dylan Fest will feature a special tribute to late Band singer/drummer Levon Helm.  Fagen frequently collaborated with Helm and is married to his ex-wife, Libby Titus.

Two dollars from each ticket sold to the show will be donated to Amnesty International.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Beyonce Posts Thoughts on Robin Gibb on Her Website

PR NewswireLast week, Beyonce posted a heartfelt tribute to late Queen of Disco Donna Summer on her website. Now she's done the same for Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, who died Sunday at the age of 62.

In her online post, Bey writes, "The Bee Gees were an early inspiration for me, Kelly [Rowland] and Michelle [Williams]. We loved their songwriting and beautiful harmonies."

She adds, "Recording their classic song, 'Emotion,' was a special time for Destiny's Child. Sadly we lost Robin Gibb this week.  My heart goes out to his brother Barry and the rest of his family.  Love, B." 

"Emotion" was written by the Bee Gees but recorded by Samantha Sang, who took it to #3 in 1978.  The Bee Gees did record their own version, in 1994, but didn't release it until 2001 on a best-of disc.  Destiny's Child released their version in 2001 as well, on the Survivor album, and it reached #10.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Brad Paisley Performs for Hendrick Motorsports Celebration in North Carolina

Brad Paisley, Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon (Ben Enos)Brad Paisley performed a full show for Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC Tuesday night in celebration of the company's 200th NASCAR win. Jimmie Johnson put them at that point with his May 12 win at Darlington.

As Brad's show started, Jeff Gordon came out with a guitar and white hat and fooled the audience for a few seconds into thinking he was Brad. Later in the show, Brad's pal Rick Hendrick joined him onstage for a performance of "Old Alabama."

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Gregg Allman Reveals He's Engaged to a 24-Year-Old Woman

Photo: Danny ClinchGregg Allman has been married six times during his tumultuous life, and now the Allman Brothers Band frontman is getting ready to head down the aisle for a seventh time, with a woman who is 40 years younger than him.  The 64-year-old singer revealed the news Tuesday night during a visit to CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight to promote his new memoir, My Cross to Bear.

When host Morgan asked Allman how his 24-year-old fiancée, Shannon, feels about "becoming wife number seven," the rocker responded, "That's not what she's becoming.  She's becoming wife number one."  He added, "I don't have a wife.  Haven't had one for years."

Pressed to explain why he's decided to get married again, Allman declared, "Because this time, I am really in love."

He also admitted that he was only in love with two of his previous spouses, while noting that his other wives "didn't reciprocate."

Allman also talked briefly about his impending marriage during an interview on Wednesday's episode of CBS This Morning.

When host Gayle King asked the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer why he wanted to try marriage again, he explained that this relationship was "altogether different," while pointing out, "I'm sober."

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Bee Gee Barry Gibb Posts Touching Video Tribute to Brother Robin

Tomos Brangwyn/WireImageBarry Gibb has yet to issue a personal statement regarding the recent passing of his brother Robin, but earlier this week he posted a touching video online paying tribute to his fellow Bee Gees singer.  The clip features a montage of footage of all the Gibb brothers -- Barry, Robin, Maurice and Andy -- throughout their lives, and is set to the tune of The Bee Gees' 1993 tune "Heart Like Mine."

The video is titled "Bodding," which was an affectionate nickname Robin was given as a child, according to Mirror.co.uk.  The footage includes various home movies of the Gibbs, clips from TV shows and concert performances.

Robin Gibb died Sunday at age 62 after a battle with cancer and an intestinal ailment, leaving Barry the last surviving Bee Gees member and the last Gibb brother.  Robin's twin and fellow Bee Gees founder, Maurice, passed away in 2003 from complications following intestinal surgery.  Andy, who was not a member of The Bee Gees, died in 1988 of a heart failure when he was just 30 years old.

Mirror.co.uk reports that a private funeral for Robin will be held next week, with a public memorial event expected to be announced at a later date.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw's Brothers of the Sun Tour a Massive Undertaking

The Fun StarKenny Chesney and Tim McGraw's Brothers of the Sun tour launches June 2 in Tampa, FL, but the crew will be there early next week to start building the massive stage. The undertaking will take 91 hours at each stadium they play this summer.

"I'm pretty sure there are towns in Louisiana with smaller populations than we have on our road crew," says Tim. "It takes a village and a lot of hard work by a lot of people, but I'm just excited for the fans because we've got one hell of a show planned for them!"

The statistics behind the Brothers of the Sun tour are quite impressive. Here's a rundown:

-- More than 19,000 miles will have been covered by the time the tour rolls into Foxboro, MA for the final two shows starting August 24.

-- Tour catering will serve almost 3,200 meals on the trek.

-- The crew will consume more than 50,000 bottles of water during the tour; the empty bottles will be recycled.

-- The show will travel on 20 tour buses and more than 80 tractor-trailers.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

John Mayer Rejects "Tron Mayer" Hologram in Hilarious CollegeHumor.com Video

Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesJohn Mayer's vocal problems have forced him to cancel his tour, but his fans want to see him.  What's the solution?  A John Mayer hologram, of course.  That's the premise behind a hilarious new video John's made for the website CollegeHumor.com.

Riffing on the fact that a hologram of slain rapper Tupac took the stage at this year's Coachella Music Festival, the video features a promoter telling John that they need him on the road, so they've created a hologram to send out on tour instead.  Unfortunately, the hologram, dubbed "Tron Mayer," was created on a budget, so it leaves a little something to be desired.

The hologram, "Tron" -- also played by John in the video -- does sing, but it's very jerky and sounds terrible.  When John complains that it also needs to talks to the audience, the nerdy programmer flips a switch and "Tron" starts spouting cliches, like "Love is hard. Snow is fun. Candles are a metaphor.  Remember the lake? We were all children."

When asked how the hologram handles the press, the technician responds, "Oh, we programmed 'Tron' to keep his mouth shut" -- a reference to John's tendency to get himself in trouble with his interview comments.  The programmer then reveals that "Tron" can mimic other artists; he flips a switch, and we see John as "Tron" imitating Gotye: he's naked and painted just like Gotye in the "Somebody That I Used to Know" video, and playing a xylophone.   Then he turns into Mozart, wearing period dress and laughing like Tom Hulce in the film Amadeus.  Next, he's a 15-year-old kid at a bar mitzvah, singing "Party in the U.S.A."; then he's the alien from the Star Wars cantina band.

When the programmer shows that he can flip "Tron" from naked to clothed at the touch of a button, John gets fed up, nixes the whole idea and storms out.  After he leaves, the programmer leaves "Tron" set on naked and begins to, shall we say, get "intimate" with it.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Flaming Lips Attempt to Break Guinness World Record for “Most Live Concerts in 24 Hours in Multiple Cities”

Skip Bolen/WireImageThe Flaming Lips have set their sights on beating a world record currently held by rapper Jay-Z. The band is planning to perform eight live concerts in eight different cities on June 27, which would defeat Jay-Z’s current Guinness record of seven concerts performed in seven cities which he completed on November 18, 2006.

While Jay-Z conquered the record by flying around the country to each of his concerts, The Lips have announced that they will be traveling by bus to each of their concerts in the southern U.S.

"I've accepted the attempt at breaking the world record of performing 8 shows in 24 hours,” said frontman Wayne Coyne in a statement.  “Like when the Sex Pistols did their one and only American tour, the weird mid-south (Memphis to New Orleans) has something very absurd about it when contrasted with radical visionary musicians.  I've accepted the job of, not DRIVING, but commandeering the Magical Mystery Merry Prankster bus."

You’ll be able to check out the concerts for free on your computer as The Lips are planning to stream the gigs live to coincide with MTV's O Music Awards, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on June 27.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Lady Antebellum Gets Big Surprise for 200th Webisode Wednesday

Capitol NashvilleLady Antebellum played a show in band member Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood's hometown of Augusta, GA earlier this week, and they got a big surprise on stage.  In honor of the group's 200th weekly online webisode, the marching band from Charles and Dave's high school alma mater took the stage during their show playing "Own the Night."  A big message congratulating Lady A on their 200th webisode flashed on the massive screen behind them on stage too.

Check it out now in the 200th webisode at LadyAntebellum.com.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Beastie Boys Say They Were Working on New Material Before Adam Yauch's Death

Phil AndelmanBeastie Boys rapper Adam Horovitz, aka Ad-Rock, has revealed the band was in the process of recording some new material shortly before band mate Adam “MCA” Yauch died on May 4 after a three-year battle with cancer.

“We recorded a few months ago,” Horovitz tells Rolling Stone.  “It wasn't any different from before.  We spent more time making fart jokes and ordering food, which was true to form. That's why it always took so long for us to put records out."

In addition, Mike Diamond, aka Mike D, reveals to Rolling Stone that he feared that Yauch wouldn’t be able to sing during their recent recording sessions.  “He wasn't sure he was able to do vocals.  But after a bit, we ended up doing them.  And he was fine.  It was a way for him to say, ‘Yeah, I'm doing it,’” explains Diamond.

Diamond noted that he expects to continue making new music with or without Horovitz.  “I can see making music,” says Diamond.  “I don't know about a band format.  But Yauch would genuinely want us to try whatever crazy thing we wanted but never got around to.”

Horovitz added that he has had a tough time coping with Yauch's death.  "I'm totally numb," notes the rapper. “I'm walking the dog and I'll start crying on the street.  It's pretty f**king crazy."

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio