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Los Angeles Hosts Jackson Memorial Service; Jonas Brother Engaged!


Staples Center Hosts Jackson Memorial Service

The Hollywood Reporter, says the memorial service for Michael Jackson will take place on July 7 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Concert promoter AEG Live, which owns the arena will also use its Nokia Theater for the service. Michael's 2002 will designated his 79-year-old mother, Katherine, as guardian of his three children. In the event that anything would prevent Katherine from caring for the children, Michael named his lifetime friend, singer Diana Ross, as the backup guardian. Four days after his June 25 death, a judge gave Katherine temporary custody of the children. Michael left his estate to the Michael Jackson Family Trust. Nothing was left to ex-wife Debbie Rowe, who is the mother of his two oldest children.

Fans who bought tickets to Michael Jackson's 50 sold-out London concerts are being offered a full refund or the option to keep the commemorative ticket, which Michael designed. The tickets come in eight different designs with a holographic image of Jackson on the front.

Jackson Tops Billboard Album Chart

This week (week ending July 11), the Top 10 spots on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart include eight of Michael Jackson's solo collections, plus one Jackson 5 compilation. Jackson's Number Ones album takes over the top spot, followed by The Essential Michael Jackson, Thriller, Off The Wall, Bad, the Jackson 5's Ultimate Collection, Dangerous, Greatest Hits: HIStory, Vol. 1 and Michael's 2004 box set The Ultimate Collection. Sales of his solo albums in the week following his death totaled 422,000 copies in the U.S. In other news, Sony Music CEO, Tommy Mottola, has announced that "There are dozens and dozens of songs that did not end up on his albums." He told Billboard, "People will be hearing a lot of that unreleased material for the first time ever. There's just some genius and brilliance in there." In addition to leftover solo tracks, the vaults contain songs Michael recorded with Akon and will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.

Bon Jovi, Iranian Singer Team Up for Blues Duet

Jon Bon Jovi and exiled Iranian singer Andy Madadian recently recorded a new version of Ben E. King's classic hit "Stand By Me." The duet, sung in Persian and English, can be viewed on YouTube. Co-producer Don Was says the video is meant to send "a musical message of worldwide solidarity" to Iranians following the recent controversial presidential election. He added, "It is not for sale. It wasn't intended to be on the Billboard charts, wasn't meant to be a hit record or even pressed on a CD. It's intended to be downloaded and shared by the Iranian people. The whole idea was to get it into Iran and tell them… to carry on, that the world is watching and we're with you."

Jonas Brother Engaged

21-year-old Kevin Jonas of the Jonas Brothers is engaged. People magazine reports that on the morning of July 1 he arrived at girlfriend Danielle Deleasa's home in New Jersey and proposed. Kevin said, "She said yes, yes, yes like 500 times super-fast in a row." Kevin met Danielle in 2007 while both families were vacationing in the Bahamas. A wedding date hasn't been set.

New Album Releases July 7

"BLACKsummer's Night" - Maxwell
"Persona" - Queen Latifah
"Music From the North Country: The Best of the Jayhawks" - the Jayhawks
"Rock of Ages" - the original Broadway cast
"Hannah Montana, Volume 3" - the original motion picture soundtrack

Musical Events/Festivals/Benefits

On July 11, Sheryl Crow will headline a free concert in St. Louis, Missouri to kick off the Major League Baseball's All-Star Game festivities. Elvis Costello will also appear at the concert, which will benefit Stand Up To Cancer. The charity funds cancer research. Major League Baseball is donating $1 million to the organization. Crow was born in Kennett, Missouri and is a cancer survivor.

Look Who's Going On Tour!

The 52-date "Idols Live" tour kicked off on July 5 in Portland, Oregon. The outing features this year's Top 10 American Idol finalists Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, Danny Gokey, Michael Sarver, Lil Rounds, Megan Joy, Matt Giraud, Scott MacIntyre and Anoop Desai. Tour producer/director Raj Kapoor says, "There are some duets in it, there's a group number, there a couple of solo spots, but each of those Idols is featured." The tour wraps up on September 15 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Ne-Yo will began a European tour in Cork, Ireland July 6. Shows are also planned in Dublin, Ireland and London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle upon Tyne in the U.K. He'll be supporting his latest album, "Year of the Gentleman." Later this year, Ne-Yo will perform concerts in Japan and Australia.

Coldplay will kick off a North American tour on July 10 in Portland, Oregon. Nineteen shows are scheduled through August 9. One week later, the band will begin a month-long European tour in Herning, Denmark. Coldplay's latest album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, has sold three million copies in the U.S. It also won this year's Best Rock Album Grammy Award.

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