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Chris Brown signs up for live Michael Jackson musical tribute

According to the Time Online, Jermaine Jackson announced on Tuesday that Chris Brown – convicted of assaulting pop star ex-girlfriend Rihanna in June – would be headlining a Michael Jackson memorial concert in Austria this month.

This show will mark a comeback for the shamed R&B singer, who was once referred to by Rolling Stone as the next Michael Jackson.

The tribute will also host performances by Natalie Cole, Mary J. Blige and Akon. The show will be held on the property of Schoenbrunn Palace September 26, and will also feature appearances from actress Angela Bassett, German boy band US5 and disco-wielding American girl group Sister Sledge.

Jermaine Jackson said of Brown: “Michael was his idol and he dedicated his first No. 1 hit in the US to Michael, called ‘Run It.’ Chris is a very, very talented artist.”

New Gorillaz album to feature The Horrors

The Horrors have collaborated with Damon Albarn for the upcoming Gorrilaz album, due for release next year. After Albarn listened to the Mercury nominated band’s second album, Primary Colors, he got in touch.

Rhys Webb, bassist for the Horrors, tells BBC 6 music news: “He got a copy of it really early, contacted us out completely out of the blue and told us how much he liked it.”
Albarn was also quick to offer his services mixing the Horrors’ upcoming single, “Whole New Way.”

Kings of Leon will not return to England for a long time

The Leeds Festival was wrapped up last night by Kings of Leon, who informed the gathered masses that they wouldn’t be performing for an English crowd “for a long, long time.”

According to NME, the band’s frontman Caleb Followill told the festival audience watching the headliners on the main stage: “This is the last show we have booked in England for a long, long time, so I’m gonna get my buzz on. We’re gonna miss you guys – we’ll see you next year.”

Cheryl Cole to be face of L’Oreal

According to the Telegraph, Cheryl Cole will be featured in a string of television ads promoting L’Oreal Paris as part of a £500,000 deal for the singer and entertainment personality.

Beyonce inspires Alexandra Burke

After X Factor winner Alexandra Burke relocated to Los Angeles, she found herself in a new friendship with fellow pop star Beyonce, and it seems that this friendship is to influence Burke’s promised “fierce, sexy, sassy” new persona.

The singer is finally ready for her time to shine, and she tells the Daily Record: “I’d like to call it the beast, the beast that comes out on stage. I’ve not got an alter ego. I just know that when I’m onstage and I hear my song come on and I’ve got that microphone in my hand, I’m in heaven. So a beast has got to come out for me to perform. You’re as good as your last performance, so you’ve got to tear it up. Own that stage – that’s what Simon Cowell would say to me.”

Death of Michael Jackson ruled a homicide

The Los Angeles Coroner’s office has declared Michael Jackson’s death a homicide, and many believe that the singer’s personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray will be charged with manslaughter in the case.

The Telegraph reports that the doctor may be able to turn himself in voluntarily instead of being arrested. In California, those convicted of manslaughter can face a maximum of four years in prison.

Unreleased Leona Lewis Single Hacked

Several unreleased tracks by the singing superstar and 2006 X Factor winner Leona Lewis were reportedly hacked from Simon Cowell’s record label databases, including a song that was being considered as the first single from the sophomore album, slated for a November release.

“Don’t Let Me Down,” a collaboration with Justin Timberlake and producer Timbaland, spread virally online and found its way onto a YouTube video within a few hours of the leak, according to the Telegraph. Though many of the links have already been taken down, a spokesperson for the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry confirms that more may be “out there.”

New Beatles Documentary to Feature Fresh Outtakes

Two BBC channels will be presenting a week’s worth of Beatles programming in the near future.

Both BBC Two and BBC Four are slated to present a simultaneous production on the world’s most famous rock quartet, and beginning September 5 the network will begin airing the new documentary which will feature interviews and studio footage. The Beatles were part of the original British Invasion and continue to be regarded as the most influential band ever.

Jet Frontman Released from Hospital

Nic Cester, singer for the band Jet, has reportedly been released from the hospital after on onstage collapse at a London performance.

Thom Yorke compares industry to a zombie

One day after the online-only release of new Radiohead single “Harry Patch (In Memory of),” Thom Yorke issued commentary on the recent changes in musical consumption.
The Radiohead frontman and sometime-solo act told The Believer magazine that he particularly hates CDs – a sentiment that has seen fruition in the release of this recent single as well as the band’s previous album release, In Rainbows. According to Yorke, the CD sales are feeding the zombie that the music industry has become.