Singer Kelly Clarkson's new album, My December, will be released on June 26, but she won't be touring anytime soon in support of the collection. Her representative, Paul Freundlich, said, "Plans for Kelly Clarkson's summer tour have been shelved for now as the singer and her team re-evaluate her show's size and scope." Concert promoter LiveNation was more direct in a statement that read, "Ticket sales have not been what we anticipated and we came to the realization that we had bit off more than we could chew."
Kelly made headlines earlier this year when she battled with music mogul Clive Davis. Creative differences led to the feud. Clive reportedly offered Kelly $10 million to let him remove five songs from the album and replace them with more radio-friendly tracks. She refused. On June 11, Kelly fired her manager, who, according to Us magazine, also was concerned about the songs and direction of My December.
On June 19, Island Records will release Bon Jovi's new album Lost Highway. The band recorded the album in Nashville. Its first single, "(You Want To) Make A Memory," peaked at Number 27 on the Country chart. Guests on the album include LeAnn Rimes and Big & Rich.
In other news, Bon Jovi will be the first act to appear on MTV's revived acoustic performance series Unplugged. The episode was taped on June 5 and will air on June 22. There were rumors that Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora showed up drunk for the taping, which affected his guitar playing. His representative said, "They had to do a few songs over, which is typical in any taping, but he was not wasted and that report is completely overblown." On June 6, however, Sambora entered an undisclosed rehab center in Los Angeles. He reportedly completed his treatment and left the facility one week later.
On June 19, Country star Toby Keith will release his new album, Big Dog Daddy, on his own Show Dog Records. Two songs from the album are currently on Billboard's Country Singles chart. "High Maintenance Woman" slips to Number 13 this week, while he debuts on the list at Number 42 with the album's second single, "Love Me If You Can." Toby produced Big Dog Daddy by himself, which marks a first in his career. He'll begin his summer concert tour on June 21 in Birmingham, Alabama. The trek is scheduled to run through late September.
Billboard.com reports that singer Rob Thomas, has formed the label R Tel Records with his publishing friend Evan Lamberg. They made a deal with Epic Records to develop new artists. According to Lamberg, artists won't be pressured to sell huge numbers of their albums. He says, "If you sell 30,000 records, we don't blink. We're making a second record." If Epic Records sees great potential, the major label will take over funding to promote the artist. Thomas says, "I'm doing a lot of writing with these artists and helping them produce, but it's not about me being a producer and having a writing credit on the record. I don't have to have any creative input whatsoever, but I'm definitely here if they want it."
Mariah Carey has been working on the follow-up to her 2005 multi-million-selling album The Emancipation of Mimi. She's also spent some time in New Mexico and Tennessee filming the upcoming drama Tennessee. Mariah plays a waitress and aspiring singer who leaves her controlling husband to join her brothers on a journey to find their estranged father.
Mandy Moore's first studio album since 2003 will be released on June 19. Moore co-wrote all of the tracks on Wild Hope. She's been testing the songs on audiences at some acoustic shows. Mandy says, "It's just fun to finally be singing my own music and have the band up there." She's also been very busy with her acting career. Four movies have finished filming. Mandy says she's not committing to another movie for the time being so she can support Wild Hope with a concert tour later this year.
NBC has picked up Victoria Beckham's reality show, which will air as an hour-long special on July 16. Victoria Beckham: Coming To America follows her move to California, where she and soccer star husband David Beckham will be settling into their multi-million-dollar mansion in Beverly Hills.
NEW ALBUM RELEASES:
New albums scheduled for release on June 19 include: 5th Gear by Brad Paisley, Destination Moon by Deborah Cox and Icky Thump by The White Stripes.
MUSICAL EVENTS/FESTIVALS/BENEFITS:
On June 22, soul legends Isaac Hayes, Booker T & the MGs, Eddie Floyd, William Bell and Mavis Staples will headline "50 Years of Stax: A Concert to Benefit the Stax Museum of American Soul Music." The event will take place at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis, Tennessee. The Stax Museum was built in 2003. Stax Records was founded in 1957 and was reactivated in December of 2006. Signed to its roster are Isaac Hayes, Lalah Hathaway and Angie Stone, among others.
TOUR DATES AND INFORMATION:
On June 18, Barbra Streisand will kick off a month-long European tour in Zurich, Switzerland. She was scheduled to launch the tour in Rome on June 15, but that concert was cancelled. Organizers claim it was scrapped due to production delays. Two consumer groups had protested what they felt were "absurd and shameful" ticket prices. Streisand is also scheduled to perform in Austria, France, Germany, Sweden and Ireland before wrapping up the tour with three concerts at London's O2 Arena on July 18, 22 and 25.
Bob Dylan will begin his 24-date North American tour with two shows in Atlantic City, New Jersey on June 22 and 23. The legendary singer-songwriter recently performed throughout Europe. He'll spend the month of August playing shows in New Zealand and Australia. Dylan is supporting his 2006 Modern Times, which became his first Number One album since Desire in 1976.
On June 23, Jimmy Buffett will kick off a U.S. concert tour in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Only 15 shows are on his itinerary. The "Bama Breeze Tour," which supports his latest album, Take the Weather With You, wraps up on October 27 in Las Vegas.
