Paris Jackson Hospitalized; Bieber Signs Up for Space Ride

WASHINGTON —  Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris Jackson was taken to a hospital in the early morning hours of June 5 after attempting suicide. According to reports, Paris ingested 20 ibuprofen pills and cut her wrists. Her biological mother, Debbie Rowe, told Entertainment Tonight that Paris has had “a lot going on.” The same morning she was rushed to the hospital, Paris Tweeted the Beatles’ song lyrics, “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as though they’re here to stay.”

yesterday , all my troubles seemed so far awaynow it looks as though they're here to stay

— Paris Jacksoη (@ParisJackson) June 5, 2013

Jackson family lawyer Perry Sanders said in a statement, “Being a sensitive 15-year-old is difficult no matter who you are. It is especially difficult when you lose the person closest to you [her father]. Paris is physically fine and is getting appropriate medical attention. Please respect her privacy and the family’s privacy.” June 25 marks the fourth anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death.

Bieber Signs Up for Space Ride

Justin Bieber and his manager Scooter Braun are the latest celebrities planning to head into space. Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson Tweeted the news, which Justin re-Tweeted to his 40 million Twitter followers.

@richardbranson @scooterbraun @virgingalactic let's shoot a music video in SPACE!! #nextLEVEL

— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) June 5, 2013

Other entertainers who have signed up to take the sub-orbital space flight include Ashton Kutcher, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Katy Perry and Tom Hanks.

Rihanna Earns Another Platinum Album

Pop star Rihanna recently earned her sixth platinum album in the United States with Unapologetic. Her five previous albums to sell at least one million copies include A Girl Like Me, Good Girl Gone Bad, Rated R, Loud and . Unapologetic became the first of Rihanna’s seven albums to reach Number One on the Billboard 200 chart.



Alice in Chains Scores Hot Shot Debut

American rock band Alice In Chains has the HOT SHOT DEBUT at Number 2 on this week’s Billboard 200 chart with its fifth studio album, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here. The set features the recent Mainstream Rock Number One hit “Hollow” and the group’s current Top 5 single, “Stone.” The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here enters this week’s Hard Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts at Number One.

New Fogerty Album Tops Billboard 200

Legendary singer-songwriter John Fogerty’s new album, Wrote A Song For Everyone, opens at Number 3 on this week’s Billboard 200 chart. This marks the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member’s highest debut ever. Fogerty’s latest album features 12 of his classic hits re-recorded with some of today’s biggest superstars from Country, pop and rock. They include Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown Band, Keith Urban, My Morning Jacket, Jennifer Hudson and Bob Seger, among others. Fogerty also recorded two new tracks for the album.

Songwriters Hall of Fame to Honor Mowtown's Berry Gordy

On June 13, the Songwriters Hall of Fame will hold its 44th annual induction ceremony in New York City. Motown founder Berry Gordy will be honored with the Pioneer Award, which recognizes those who have “been a major influence on generations of songwriters.” The 2013 Hall of Fame inductees include Foreigner’s Mick Jones and Lou Gramm, Holly Knight, JD Souther, Tony Hatch and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.

New Album Releases / June 11:

“The Minutes” by Alison Moyet
“13” by Black Sabbath
“Burden of Proof” by Bob Schneider
“Better” by Chrisette Michele
“Magnetic” by the Goo Goo Dolls
“Every Man Should Know” by Harry Connick Jr.
“Damage” by Jimmy Eat World
“Woody Guthrie At 100!: Live At The Kennedy Center” by various artists

Musical Events / Festivals / Benefits

The inaugural Taste of Country Music Festival takes place June 13-15 at Hunter Mountain Resort in New York’s Catskills Mountains. Performers include Willie Nelson & Family, Lady Antebellum, Billy Currington, Hunter Hayes, Montgomery Gentry, Gloriana, Joe Nichols, Trace Adkins, Justin Moore, Dustin Lynch and Blackberry Smoke. In addition to the many concerts, the Taste of Country Music Festival will offer a number of activities and attractions, including a ski lift Skyride, Frisbee golf tournament, parades, and a Kozy Kids Korner with arts and crafts, toys and games.

This year’s Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival showcasing electronic, hip-hop, indie, pop and rock music is being held June 13-16 in Manchester, Tennessee. The 12th Bonnaroo festival will feature appearances by Paul McCartney, Mumford & Sons, the Lumineers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and many others. During the four-day event, some 125 bands will perform on the festival’s 13 stages.

Star Birthdays

June 12 marks the birth date of Boston’s co-founder Brad Delp (born 1951). The rock band originally formed as a quintet consisting of Delp, guitarist and keyboardist Tom Scholz, guitarist Barry Goudreau, bassist Fran Sheehan and drummer Sib Hashian. During the late 1970s, they recorded two albums that produced such hits as “More Than A Feeling” and “Don’t Look Back.” After a long absence from recording, Boston returned in 1986 as a duo (Brad Delp and Tom Scholz). Their album “Third Stage,” contained three major hits, including the Number One song “Amanda.” In 1994, Boston’s long-awaited CD, “Walk On,” was released. In 2002, Boston recorded “Corporate America,” its first new studio album since “Walk On.” Brad Delp committed suicide at his home in New Hampshire on March 9, 2007. In 2008, the remaining members of Boston hired Tommy DeCarlo to front the group on its summer tour. DeCarlo was working at a Home Depot store in Charlotte, North Carolina when the band came across his MySpace page, which featured clips of him singing Boston songs.

Swedish pop singer Robyn will turn 34 on June 12. At age 14, Robyn was signed to BMG Records, which released her debut album throughout Europe in 1995. Two years later, “Robyn Is Here” was finally distributed in North America. The album featured the singles “Do You Know (What It Takes),” “Show Me Love” and “Do You Really Want Me (Show Respect).” Her second CD, My Truth, was released in 1999 only in Sweden. In 2001, Robyn signed an international deal with Jive Records, which released her single “Keep This Fire Burning” the following year. Her 2005 self-titled album, which wasn’t released in the U.S. until 2008, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Electronic/Dance Album. In 2010, Robyn recorded the album, Body Talk. Its Grammy-nominated single, “Call Your Girlfriend” became her first Number One hit on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Last year, Robyn announced that she’s working on a new album. She also opened some of Coldplay’s U.S. shows in 2012.

On June 13, keyboardist Bo Donaldson will celebrate his 58th birthday. Donaldson and his band The Heywoods made several appearances on the pop chart in the early 1970s. The Cincinnati-based group is best known for its 1974 Number One single, “Billy, Don't Be A Hero.”

British singer George O’Dowd, better known as Boy George, will turn 52 on June 14. From 1981 to 1986, he performed as lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. The group recorded such hits as “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me,” “Miss Me Blind” and the Number One single “Karma Chameleon.” In 1983, Culture Club won the Best New Artist Grammy Award. Four years later, Boy George left Culture Club. Since then, he has recorded several solo albums. The 2002 musical “Taboo,” which was loosely based on his life, enjoyed a 15-month run in London. Boy George wrote 21 songs for “Taboo,” named for the nightclub he frequented as a youth. In 2003, former talk show host Rosie O’Donnell financed its American Broadway run, which closed after two months due to poor ticket sales. Following a 2005 drug arrest in New York City, Boy George was given a sentence of community service. In August of 2006, he fulfilled his punishment by working for the New York City Department of Sanitation. In 2009, Boy George served four months in jail after being found guilty of false imprisonment and assault of a male escort at his London home. Boy George’s latest album, “Ordinary Alien,” was released digitally in the U.S. in 2011. Later that same year, Culture Club reunited to perform concerts in Dubai and Sydney. Boy George’s new single, “Coming Home,” will be released on June 24 on his own Very Me Records. He issued a statement that said, “’Coming Home’ is about returning to who you really are as a person. Some people grow further away from themselves as they get older, while others like me become who they are meant to be. Right now I feel very comfortable in my skin. The music I’m making is a reflection of how I feel, which is super positive and focused. I’ve been writing with Youth and Mikey from Culture Club for my new solo album ‘This Is What I Do’ and ‘Coming Home’ was born out of those writing sessions."

June 15 marks the birth date of Country legend Waylon Jennings (born 1937). In the late 1950s, he played bass in Buddy Holly's band, the Crickets. Waylon formed his own group, The Waylors, in 1960. He moved to Nashville in 1965 and later established himself as a leader in the “outlaw” movement. Some of his biggest hits include “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love),” “I’ve Always Been Crazy,” and the Number One duets with Willie Nelson, “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys” and “Good Hearted Woman.” In 1996, Waylon made his Justice Records debut with “Right for the Time.” He was later signed to Miles Copland’s Ark 21 Records, which released his 1998 album “Closing In on the Fire.” Also in 1998, Waylon teamed with Country legends Mel Tillis, Bobby Bare and Jerry Reed to record the CD, “Old Dogs.” Waylon died on February 13th, 2002 after a long battle with diabetes. His son, Shooter Jennings, portrayed him in the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic “Walk The Line.” In 2006, Waylon was posthumously inducted into Hollywood’s RockWalk.

Awards Presentations / Winners

Carrie Underwood took the top honor at the 2013 CMT Music Awards on June 5. The Oklahoma native won the Video of the Year trophy for “Blown Away.” Two Country acts were double winners. Miranda Lambert received the Female Video of the Year award for “Mama’s Broken Heart” and the CMT Performance of the Year award for her poignant ballad “Over You.” New Country duo Florida Georgia Line won the Breakthrough Video and Duo Video of the Year awards for “Cruise.” Other winners included Blake Shelton, Male Video of the Year for “Sure Be Cool If You Did;” Jason Aldean, Eric Church and Luke Bryan, who shared the Collaborative Video award for “The Only Way I Know;” Lady Antebellum, Group Video of the Year for “Downtown;” and Hunter Hayes, who took home the award for best new live act.

Look Who's Going On Tour!

Cyndi Lauper is celebrating the 30th anniversary of her 1983 debut album She’s So Unusual with a 23-city U.S. tour. Dates begin in San Diego on June 12. She’s So Unusual sold 16 million copies worldwide and produced a string of hits, including “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” “Time After Time,” “She Bop” and “All Through the Night.”

On June 13, One Direction kicks off a new round of U.S. concerts in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The pop boy band will wrap up the 40-date North American leg of its “Take Me Home Tour” on August 10 in Los Angeles. Also on the group’s 2013 itinerary are 24 shows in Australia and New Zealand, set to run from September 23 through October 30. One Direction’s 2011 debut album, Up All Night, reached Number One in 16 countries and sold 4.5 million copies worldwide. The band’s sophomore release, Take Me Home, was equally successful, selling 4.4 million copies worldwide.

Country star Toby Keith begins his “Hammer Down Tour” on June 14 with a show in Cincinnati, Ohio. He’ll be joined by special guest Kip Moore and opener Drake White. Thirty-four concerts are planned through October 19. The tour will mark Toby’s first without his longtime bassist and band leader Chuck Goff, who died this past February in an automobile accident.