US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Michael Jackson's music had impact around the globe
NEW YORK - Michael Jackson went from being Gary, Ind.'s most talented kid to one of the most recognizable human beings on the planet. While his worldwide album sales were astounding, that wasn't the sole reason for his fame. His ascendancy went far beyond the cash register -- he inspired dance moves, dictated fashion trends and raised awareness for social causes around the globe. Following is a roundup of international reaction to the pop star's death and recollections of him.
Massive demand for Jackson memorial tickets
LOS ANGELES - More than half a million fans from around the world applied for 17,500 free tickets to Michael Jackson's public memorial service next week, organizers said on Friday as a massive security operation got underway. The life and music of the self-proclaimed "king of pop," who died of sudden cardiac arrest last Thursday, will be celebrated on Tuesday at the Staples Center, a basketball arena in downtown Los Angeles.
Prince booked to return to Montreux jazz festival
GENEVA - Prince will return to the Montreux stage, closing out the famed jazz festival on July 18, with high-priced tickets expected to be snapped up quickly, organizers said on Friday. The Minneapolis-born star last played at the Swiss event two years ago and then showed up at 3 a.m. to jam with his band at a late-night jazz cafe. That year, tickets sold out in a record 10 minutes for his performance at Stravinski Auditorium.
Potter is back: box office big bucks assured
LONDON - Boy wizard Harry Potter is back in cinemas later this month with the sixth installment of the movie franchise, and another box office bonanza looks assured for the Warner Bros. studio. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" hits screens on July 15, promising high-speed action, dark and dangerous battles with the forces of evil, budding romance at Hogwarts school for wizards and the expected death of a prominent character.
Stone Temple Pilots accentuate old faves
LOS ANGELES - For a reunited band bent on having a future, Stone Temple Pilots spent most of its House of Blues show Wednesday visiting the past -- the distant past. Fifteen of the 19 songs were from the first two albums, most played with meticulous attention to the recorded versions. It was a crowd-pleasing recital of radio hits with a couple of album cuts for the hardcore and no covers. Familiar riff after sing-along chorus.
R&B singer Maxwell ends seven-year break
NEW YORK .
Alice in Chains reunion "Gives Way" to album, tour
CLEVELAND - Alice in Chains singer-guitarist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney say the band's new album, their first in nearly 14 years, doesn't stray too far from the Seattle band's influential catalog. "Black Gives Way to Blue," due out September 29 on Virgin/EMI,is also the group's first effort with new singer-guitarist William DuVall.
Unscripted TV fare balances real with "reality"
LOS ANGELES - When the Oxygen network green-lighted the reality series "Addicted to Beauty," the idea was to chronicle the day-to-day workings of a trendy California medical spa via the lives of its married co-owners, a socialite and a doctor. That was the plan, anyway.
Deal chatter heats up in Hollywood
NEW YORK - Dealmaking in Hollywood could get hot and heavy in coming months as movie studios explore ways to fight tumbling DVD sales and distribute entertainment in new formats. Even as the recession squeezes financing from Wall Street banks and funds, the deal chatter has picked up because studios have already cut expenses and are looking for new growth opportunities for their movies, TV series and other content.
Aerosmith's Joe Perry turns to fans for album title
DETROIT - Aerosmith's next album might be "on the bench, in pieces," waiting for the group to resume recording after it finishes touring in mid-September, but guitarist Joe Perry's next solo album is just about ready to go. Perry tells Billboard.com that he's finishing mixing the follow-up to 2005's Grammy-nominated "Joe Perry." He plans to release a single in late July or early August, and the album will come out in the fall.