#WhatsHappening for February 28, 2017

Hey, hi, howdy kids. Hope you're all having a fantastic day.

Okay, so I don't remember the song or anything, but I just about peed myself laughing at the lyric "Fuck this on your biscuit." I've made it my new catchphrase. That's some highbrow lyricism right there.

I've said it before, but it could use repeating: There aren't many things I won't say over the mic.

Coming to one of my karaoke shows is like going to a Sam Kinison show- with more profanity and less screaming (and probably less funny, too). Of course, I do try to remain cognizant of where the gig is. In a bar, you are going to hear adult commentary. In somewhere like a restaurant, I tend to keep things more PG (okay, PG-13).

The point is, a bar is an adult establishment. And censorship isn't something I'm prone to. There are some exceptions, though. I don't allow racial slurs or homophobic slurs.

Feel free to curse like a fucking sailor, though!

How did I not realize Liberty Media owns Sirius/XM? And here I'd pledged not to give any money to support the Braves!

The Retro Futura tour returns to the US this summer for 24 dates in July and August.

Howard Jones is the headliner, with The English Beat, Men Without Hats, Modern English, Paul Young, Annabella Lwin of Bow Wow Wow, and Katrina of Katrina and the Waves.

The tour kicks off July 18 in LA and includes a July 28 show at Chastain here in Atlanta.

Ever used a Neti Pot or Neti Rinse? They're gross as hell, but work (kind of). It's terribly disconcerting, though, to be at work some four hours after using it and having water run out of your nose.

Wowsa.

So, didn't watch the Oscars (and haven't seen any of the winners, either, that I know of), but- if Emma Stone needs to be disciplined for her part in the wrong Best Picture winner being announced, I would like to formally volunteer to do so.

Representatives for U2 haven't responded to requests for comments after a British songwriter filed a lawsuit claiming that Bono stole one of his songs for the band's 1991 album Achtung Baby.

Paul Rose says U2 lifted elements of his song Nae Slappin for their song The Fly- claiming they heard his song from on a demo tape he'd given to studio executives.

The suit, filed in federal court, seeks songwriting credit and $5 million in damages and lawyer's fees.

California memorabilia dealer Moments in Time has listed the 1996 BMW 750iL that Tupac Shakur was killed in for sale on its website.

Shakur was riding in the car with Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight when he was shot during a drive-by attack in Las Vegas in September 1996. Shakur died six days later.

It's amazing what people will pay for.

Birthdays today include: Jason Aldean; Pat Monahan of Train; Cindy Wilson of The B-52's; Ian Stanley of Tears For Fears; Phillip Gould of Level 42; Eddie Manion of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes; Ronnie Rosman of Tommy James & The Shondells; and Donnie Iris of Wild Cherry. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for February 25, 2017

Good Saturday morning, chirruns. Hope you all made it through the work week unscathed.

Come see us tonight!

Billboard headline: Why Jay Z Deserves to Be the First Rapper In the Songwriters Hall of Fame

Allow me to point out a few reasons I disagree:

"50 g's to the crap shooter,

niggas can't fade me"- Can't Knock The Hustle, the lead track on his debut album (and let's not forget Ain't No Nigga on the same set).

"About to redefine rap mami, either I'm

the illest nigga doing it or these niggaz is losin it"- You Belong To The City, lead track on his second album (which also includes a track called Real Niggaz).

Some other song titles: 

Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator '99)

Jigga My Nigga

Is That Yo Bitch?

Nigga Please

Bitches & Sisters

Niggas In Paris

That's My Bitch

Look, I've said this many times: I get it. I'm not his target audience. And I fully realize that some of my favorite songwriters have written some garbage.

I also get that I, too, have been guilty of the spread. How?

I have used both of those words. And I meant them in their most vitriolic and insulting ways- though, believe it or not, it was exceedingly rare there was anything racially related. I stopped when I realized that A) it was ignorant of me and 2) I realized there was a normalization going on- people were using the words as throw-away, no-big-deal kind of things.

Which accomplished the same kind of thing that is happening with in country right now- people become immune to the underlying hatred involved. That's sad.

Lionel Richie has postponed his All The Hits Tour until the summer.

In a statement released yesterday, Richie said his "recovery from a knee procedure will not have me 100 percent ready to start the tour" and doesn't want to disappoint his fans. He added that he waslooking "forward to being back onstage so we can all be 'Dancing on the Ceiling' together again."

Fans who have already purchased tickets will be able to use them for the rescheduled dates- which should be announced soon.

Logan hits the screen next week and it was announced quite some time ago that it would be Hugh Jackman's last time playing the character- but Patrick Stewart has added that it will be his last time in the role of Charles Xavier.

Stewart told a SiriusXM Town Hall that Logan would be his final movie of the series.

"I was so moved by it, much more moved than I had been the first time of seeing it. ...(At) one point (Hugh) reached out, and he took my hand in those last few minutes, and I saw him go (wipes tear from eye) like this, and then I realized I had just done the same thing."

"Then, the movie ended… and we were going to be taken up on stage, but not until the credits were over. So, we had some time to sit there and, as I sat there I realised there will never be a better, a more perfect, a more sensitive, emotional, and beautiful way of saying au revoir to Charles Xavier than this movie. So, I told (Hugh) that same evening, 'I'm done too. It’s all over.'"

Foo Fighters have confirmed the rumors: They will headline Glastonbury Festival 2017.

The band had long been favorites to headline this year after having to pull out of their 2015 headline slot after Dave Grohl broke his leg.

The band will play the Pyramid Stage on the Saturday night of this year’s festival.

From the I Don't Really Give A Shit, But It's Evidently A Big Deal pile:

Beyonce has evidently dropped out of Coachella. Organizers say no refunds.

Birthdays today include: Daniel Powter; Justin Jeffre of 98 Degrees; Mike Peters of The Alarm; Dennis Diken of The Smithereens; and Stewart Wood of Bay City Rollers. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for February 22, 2017

Happy hump day, kids. Hope everything's going good for you this week.

Me? I'm tired and my foot hurts. I'm old before my time. Or something.

I swear, every time I see an article about Skrillex, I think it's about Corey Feldman until I see the headline.

Holy crap- can you believe it's been 20 years since The Spice Girls' Wannabe topped the charts? And now, it's stuck in your head.

You're welcome. 

Also, did anyone else notice that Victoria Beckham is basically just for decoration?

Wow... Paris Jackson... just... wow.

I mean, having Mike and his weirdness for a dad had to be a huge disadvantage- and then, his death when you were still a child was another. But still... Did you decide Courtney Love was your role model or something? Yikes.

(Yes, that was uncalled for, but- goddamn.)

David Bowie fans in London have turned to crowdfunding in hopes of honoring the late genius with a three-story lightning-bolt statue reminiscent of 1973's Aladdin Sane album cover.

So far, the Crowdfunder page has raised over $28,000 towards the cause- but the estimated price is over $1.23 million, so they have a ways to go.

Organizers want to erect the memorial in Brixton, South London, where Bowie was born.

Evidently, Chris Brown has decided not to go through with his scheduled boxing match with Soulja Boy- calling their disagreements "immature."

No argument there, but I also have to wonder if Brown is afraid of hitting a man instead of a woman...

Birthdays today include: Tom Higgenson of Plain White T's; James Blunt; Scott Phillips of Creed; Michael Wilton of Queensryche; Jon Brant of Cheap Trick; Bobby Hendricks of The Drifters. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for February 20, 2017

Hey kids. Hope your Monday was smooth sailing.

Ringo Starr's Facebook page says the drummer is back in the studio, and has some special guests lined up. It's only Monday, and Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Benmont Tench of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Timothy B. Schmit, Richard Page, Amy Keys, Nathan East, and Starr's old band-mate Paul McCartney have already stopped by.

Because their aren't enough shitty "reality" shows on TV, American Idol appears to be on the verge of a return to the airwaves. 

Last week, US Bankruptcy Court judge Stuart Bernstein accepted an amended agreement between 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia Limited that affirms "the parties’ intention to re-launch American Idol on American television by seeking a new license agreement with a broadcaster, network or other platform subject to various terms and conditions."

It's reported that NBC is in talks with FremantleMedia about the show.

Ricky Martin tells Jimmy Fallon he "cannot wait" for his Las Vegas residency to kick off in April. 

Appearing on The Tonight Show last week, Martin said he would be "working with amazing musicians obviously. I'm going to have 18 dancers onstage. We've invested a lot of money so it's going to be an amazing show. The crowd in Vegas is used to high quality."

Hmm... currently appearing in Vegas... Celine Dion, Cher, and Britney Spears. Not exactly what I'd consider high quality, but I'm kind of picky.

BBC2's David Bowie: The Last Five Years will be coming to HBO. 

The documentary, chronicling Bowie's recording sessions for his final two albums, 2013's The Next Day and 2016's Blackstar, as well as the stage musical Lazarus, debuted on BBC2 in January.

"Looking at Bowie’s extraordinary creativity during the last five years of his life has allowed me to reexamine his life’s work and move beyond the simplistic view that his career was simply predicated on change," director Francis Whately said.

The film's US premier date hasn't been announced. 

Birthdays today include: Rihanna; Edwin Graham of The Darkness; Julia Volkova of t.A.T.u.; Brian Littrell of Backstreet Boys; Ian Brown of Stone Roses; Jon Brant of Cheap Trick; Walter Becker of Steely Dan; Jerome Geils of The J. Geils Band; and Lew Soloff of Blood, Sweat & Tears. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for February 19, 2017

Good Sunday morning, kids. Hope you're all having a great weekend.

Saturday Night Karaoke was packed last night- hope everyone who joined us had fun and if you missed it... What the hell? Come on out next week!

Court documents filed by Lisa Marie Presley's legal team claim that her eight year old twin daughters have been put into California child services' protective custody because of "kiddie porn" found on their father's computer. 

Presley said she was "shocked and horrified and sick to my stomach" by the discovery- which was detailed in papers filed earlier this month as part of her ongoing divorce battle with Michael Lockwood.

Is it just me, or does she always look stoned?

The filing claims Presley discovered that Lockwood had "hundreds of inappropriate photos of children and is facing allegation of sexual abuse and neglect. While Respondent has yet to be convicted of crimes related to his possession of these photos, that he possessed them is documented evidence of conduct that has destroyed the mental or emotional calm of Petitioner … Accordingly, Respondent’s request for spousal support must be denied by reason of his conduct alone."

Lockwood’s lawyer says the filing does not accurately reflect the situation. 

"Mr. Lockwood and his lawyers believe that it is very unfortunate and inappropriate that Ms. Presley chose to file a one-sided, inaccurate version of the facts in the Family Law Court’s publicly accessible files. Ms. Presley and her lawyers undoubtedly knew that their highly sensational, inaccurate and unproven claims would be of great interest to the media, which would disseminate Ms. Presley’s inaccurate story as a result. To make matters worse, Ms. Presley failed to disclose very important information in the papers she filed in the Family Law Court and the things she failed to disclose are directly related to her inflammatory claims against Mr. Lockwood."

The filings also claim Presley is in financial difficulty and currently living with her daughter, actress Riley Keough. 

"Since we relocated to California in June, I have not traveled out of state," Presley said. "I have not flown in any airplane, much less a private plane, in over 18 months. I cannot recall the last time I spent money on clothes and shoes of any value."

Presley cited irreconcilable differences in divorce papers filed last June- claiming Lockwood was a poor father and "took advantage" of her finances.

As an aside- the Elvis Presley estate is worth an estimated $300 million and took in $55 million in 2015. Hard to believe Lisa Marie isn't a beneficiary of any of that- and impossible to feel even a little sorry for her if she's pissed her share away.

The Funky Drummer's sticks are still. Clyde Stubblefield, who played with James Brown, died yesterday after a long battle with kidney disease. 

Rolling Stone says that Stubblefield's solo on Brown's 1970 single, "Funky Drummer" has been sampled on over 1,000 songs, including Public Enemy's "Fight the Power," Dr. Dre's "Let Me Ride," LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" and Run-D.M.C.'s "Run's House," Ed Sheeran's "Shirtsleeves," and George Michael's "Freedom '90"- though Stubblefield received "very little" in royalties- though he was held in high regard. Prince claimed Stubblefield was "his favorite drummer", according to Jody Hannon, Stubblefield's widow. She says that when the Purple One learned of her husband's debt from battling bladder cancer back in 2000, he personally paid $90,000 to cover Stubblefield's bills

Stubblefield was 73.

Apropos of nothing.

Birthdays today include: Daniel Adair of 3 Doors Down and Nickelback; Prince Markie Dee of the Fat Boys; Seal; Dave Wakeling of The English Beat; Mark Andes of Spirit; Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath; and Smokey Robinson. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for February 15, 2017

Hey hi howdy kids. Happy Hump Day. Hope you survived yesterday's festivities with little to no damage.

Yeah, I'm gonna have to correct you: They both suck.

I see where Carlos Santana is being pilloried for saying that Adele deserved her Grammy over Beyonce because Adele can "sing" and Beyonce can't.

But, hey- I'll give them both the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they actually can sing, and it's just that the songs are fucking terrible.

A man claiming to be Ed Sheeran's manager managed to scam four VIP Super Bowl tickets worth an estimated $50,000 from the charity The Giving Back Fund.

The man promised that the singer would perform for the charity in exchange for the tickets, according to a report from TMZ. He presented representatives of the charity with a contract with Sheeran's forged signature when he appeared to claim the tickets.

Police said the tickets had been re-sold. 

I don't really understand what that has to do with anything, though? Why didn't they just confiscate the tickets when the buyers attempted entry, then give them back to the charity so they could use them? I mean, sure- it would've been right before the game, but still...

I keep seeing this headline: Watch Guns N' Roses Get Booed for Forgetting the City They're Playing In and it's baffling me. The roadie forgot the city- not the band. The roadie got booed- not the band.

I mean, I have no great love for the band, but let's get the fucking facts straight, huh?

By the way, I didn't watch the Grammys. I did read through a few articles about it, though, and yeah- still don't care.

Billboard headline: Chart Beat Podcast: The Monkees' Micky Dolenz on 50 Years of Chart Success

Let's see- the Monkees' first Top 40 single was in 1966. Their last was in 1987. I'm no math savant or anything, but I'm pretty sure that's less than 50 years.

Because the Republican Party isn't scuzzy enough- here comes word that Kid Rock may be the party's contender for one of Michigan's senate seats next year. 

Birthdays today include: Brandon Boyd of Incubus; Ronnie Vannucci, Jr. of The Killers; Mikey Craig of Culture Club; Ali Campbell of UB40; Melissa Manchester; David Brown of Santana; John Helliwell of Supertramp; Mick Avory of The Kinks; Denny Zager of Zager and Evans; and producer Brian Holland. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for February 12, 2017

Good Sunday afternoon, kids. Hope you're having a stellar weekend.

Personally, I've enjoyed a weekend off by doing a whole lot of nothing. It's what I'm good at.

Just FYI, today marks the 208th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. Just thought you should know.

Showtime has announced that Eric Clapton: A Life in 12 Bars will be released theatrically this fall- after a run in domestic and international festivals- before the network airs it 2018.

The documentary is described as an "unflinching and deeply personal journey into the life of the legendary musician" and will chart Clapton's life from his childhood through his struggle with drugs and alcohol, and the loss of his son. Archival materials, performance clips, on- and off-stage footage, photos, concert posters, handwritten letters, drawings and personal diary entries- and extensive interviews with Clapton, his family, friends, musical collaborators, contemporaries and heroes, including late music icons B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison will be featured.

Director Lili Zanuck says Clapton's music is "the foundation of our film- his commitment to the Blues, its traditions and originators is absolute from his earliest days. His personal life conveys the emotional spine of the film- his damaged emotional psyche threads throughout his life, informing his art, and causing many abrupt and surprising shifts along the way. The film traces all the key junctures: his prodigious talent, obsessive impatience, perfectionism and musical 'mission.' Mining inner strength and spiritual resolve, he somehow maintains sobriety, finding healing in music. He reflects on his newfound domestic happiness and a magical, meteoric journey which has secured his place in the rock pantheon. Despite the fact that his path is strewn with tragedies, addiction and loss, he never fails to regain his bearings and continue to serve what he holds dearest: his music.

Speaking of movies- the Tupac biopic All Eyez on Me will be hitting theaters June 16th, and there's a new trailer out. Check it out.

The manager  for Rick Derringer says his client "meant no harm" when he took a loaded gun on a Delta Air Lines flight from Mexico.

Prosecutors say Derringer carried a loaded gun in his carry-on and was stopped after landing in Atlanta. A federal air marshal said in court records that Derringer said he often flies with a gun in his carry-on and has never had any problems.

Derringer says he thought he was permitted to have the gun because he has a license to carry one and that he will work with the government to clear his name.

Birthdays today include: Jim Creeggan of Barenaked Ladies; Chynna Phillips of Wilson Phillips; Per Gessle of Roxette; Brian Robertson of Thin Lizzy and Motörhead; former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett; Michael McDonald; Stanley Knight of Black Oak Arkansas; and Joe Schermie of Three Dog Night. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for February 9, 2017

Hey kids- howaya?

Anyone else having trouble with the weather? I mean, is it still winter or not (yes, according to the calendar- no, according to the forecasted high of 70 tomorrow)? Still- glad I don't live in the northeast right now! I've had a sinus headache for three months now- I can't imagine how bad my head would hurt if I was stuck in a blizzard. Anyway...

Aretha Franklin says she will be cutting way back on the frequency of her live performances once she releases her new album this fall. 

"I am retiring this year," Franklin told Detroit's WDIV. "I will be recording, but this will be my last year in concert. This is it." 

The Queen of Soul says she feels comfortable with the decision. "I feel very, very enriched and satisfied with respect to where my career came from and where it is now," she noted. "I'll be pretty much satisfied, but I'm not going to go anywhere and just sit down and do nothing. That wouldn't be good either."
Work on the new album hasn't begun, but Franklin says the set will include a variety of genres. "We're not pigeonholed to any one thing," she said, and added that Stevie Wonder would be producer on a number of tracks.

A study at Canada’s McGill University shows that music affects the brain in a very similar way to sex and drugs, according to results published in the Scientific Reports Journal.

Participants were given naltrexone, a drug that prevents the brain’s pleasure-making opioid system from working properly and researchers said the subjects didn't experience the same sense of pleasure they would normally would when they hearing their favorite songs. 

When researchers played songs the subjects didn't like, there was no noticeable difference in their response to the music.

"This is the first demonstration that the brain’s own opioids are directly involved in musical pleasure," said the study’s senior author, cognitive psychologist Daniel Levitin. "The findings... were what we hypothesised."

I dig music, but as Charles Jefferson's little brother said in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, "I like sex."

Justin Timberlake tells The Hollywood Reporter he left N*Sync because "I was growing out of it." 

Timberlake says that his time with the group "started as a fun snowball fight that was becoming an avalanche" and that he "just felt like the whole thing was too big."

Now if he'd just explain that weird perm thing he had going.

Birthdays today include:  Travis Tritt; Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes To Hollywood; Dennis Thomas of Kool & The Gang; Major Harris of the Delfonics; Carole King; and Barry Mann. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for February 6, 2017

Hey, ho kiddios. 

I'm sure all the Falcons' fans are feeling down this morning- but (as I posed on my personal FB page) you'd think, after the past 52 years, they'd be used to that kind of collapse.

Since my day job is a 4am-Noon shift (and I've been battling a sinus thing for a month now), I was asleep before kick-off (and had the TV on a different channel anyway), I was asleep as the game was going. I got up to get some water around midnight and flipped over to Fox and thought "huh- 24 is still on. Guess they had some long postgame crap going on."

After that, I flipped over to ESPN and muted the sound to see some highlights. I saw the 28-3 score and immediately wondered "how will they fuck this up?" Then, the did a squeeze and showed a Patriots player in "Super Bowl Champion" attire and- whaddaya know?

The related Billboard headline: Watch Lady Gaga's Epic Super Bowl Performance in 30 Seconds 

That's 30 seconds more than I want to see. Seriously, I still think she and Fergie use to be men. Anyway, post-halftime show, Lady Gaga announced she'd be embarking a world tour that'll hit Philips Arena on November 28. Tickets for that show go on sale on the 20th.

Of course, there's the post-game "best commercials" lists, too- and I have to wonder (as I do every year)- who fucking cares?

Seriously, VCRs, DVRs, etc. are like the greatest inventions ever- and they mean I don't have to sit through three asinine minutes of mind-numbing stupidity that is even dumber than the show I'm watching.

Metallica postponed their show in Copenhagen last night, citing James Hetfield's being sick.

"We’re very disappointed to have to share with you that ... James’ health, and specifically his throat, is not improving and he is under strict doctor’s orders to not sing one single note. So sadly we have to report that we will be postponing tomorrow’s show at the Royal Arena until September 2, 2017," the band wrote on Facebook.

"We are monitoring James’ voice on a day-to-day basis so watch this space for updates," the band added.

The band is scheduled to perform at the Grammys Sunday. I'll be recording The Walking Dead instead.

Black Sabbath has played its last concert- a show at NEC Arena in their hometown of Birmingham Saturday night. The two hour show featured all of the band's original lineup with the exception of drummer Bill Ward.

Birthdays today include: Rick Astley; Richie McDonald of Lonestar; Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses; Peter Lucia of Tommy James & The Shondells; and Fabian. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for February 4, 2017

Good Saturday morning, cats and kittens. Hope your week was relatively stress free.

Don't forget to join us tonight for Saturday Night Karaoke: Pre-Game Edition, tonight from 10-1 at the Iron Horse Tavern. No, we aren't doing anything special in advance of the "big game," we just wanted to call it "pregaming."

It was 40 years ago today that Fleetwood Mac's legendary Rumours album was released. It has since sold more than 45 million copies and is one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Except for the "myself included" part. Seriously, I don't care.

It's totally normal to wake up at 2:30am, right? By the time the game is over Sunday night, it'll be (basically) the middle of the night for me. And I still won't care who won, though I find this to be an accurate representation of most people's view of the outcome.

And I don't know how much clearer I can make it: I don't care about the commercials, either. Commercials may be a necessary evil for "free" TV, but the best use of a DVR (or the VCR before it) remains fast-forwarding through commercials and getting back to the show/event/whatever I was watching.

And Lady Gaga's halftime show? Nah.

Not my bag. Then again, not much about the NFL actually appeals to me- though I do find it hilarious that the NRA reportedly asked the performer "not to get political" during her set because "people don't want to hear how stupid & racist they are." I mean, if the shoe fits...

Zac Brown Band and Fitz and the Tantrums will be kick off the festivities tomorrow, performing for the Fox NFL Pregame Show.

Brown's band will headline the NFL Tailgate Party, while Fitz and the Tantrums will perform their latest single, "My Old Man."

Luke Bryan will sing "The Star-Spangled Banner," while Hamilton stars Phillipa Soo, Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Jasmine Cephas Jones will perform "America the Beautiful."

"Taco Bell has made a shell entirely out of fried chicken..."

Look, I'll be the first to admit I'm fat- but even I know that adding fried chicken to a dish from Taco Bell just makes an already bad-for-you item fall into the category of "If-You-Eat-It-Your-Circulatory-System-Will-Immediately-Start-Screaming-Why-Don't-You-Just-Pump-The-Fucking-Cholesterol-Directly-Into-Your-Fucking-Veins?!?!?"

The Beach Boys: Making Pet Sounds, a new documentary on band's classic album, will air on Showtime this April.

The film will feature interviews with Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks, plus include footage from the recording sessions and outtakes from the songs.

Wilson is currently on tour, celebrating last year's 50th anniversary of the release of the landmark album, and is scheduled for a number of UK tour dates as well as the Kendal Calling and Camp Festival.

Michael Bublé says his son is "progressing well."

Bublé and his wife, Luisana Lopilato, posted to Facebook yesterday that Noah Bublé's prognosis was "very optimistic."

"We are so grateful to report that our son Noah has been progressing well during his treatment and the doctors are very optimistic about the future for our little boy. He has been brave throughout and we continue to be inspired by his courage. We thank God for the strength he has given all of us. Our gratitude to his doctors and caretakers cannot be put into words."

"We’d like to thank the thousands of people that have sent their prayers and good wishes to us. As we continue this journey we are greatly comforted by your support and love."

Bublé had ceased performing after announcing the boy's cancer diagnosis last November.

Birthdays today include: Cam'ron; Natalie Imbruglia; Rick Burch of Jimmy Eat World; Clint Black; Jerry Shirley of Humble Pie; Phil Ehart of Kansas; Alice Cooper; Florence LaRue of the Fifth Dimension; John Steel of The Animals. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for February 1, 2017

Hiya kids. How's the week treating you? On the plus side, it's almost the weekend.

Stevie Wonder, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Maroon 5, and Dave Matthews are among the acts at this year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The lineup, announced last Friday, includes more than 500 bands according to organizers.
Other acts including Snoop Dogg, Alabama Shakes, Kings of Leon, Pitbull, the Hot 8 Brass Band, and Ellis Marsalis.

The festival takes place April 28-30 and May 4-7. Tickets are on sale now.

Pearl Jam's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be handled by Neil Youn.

Young and the band are well acquainted, having performed together at MTV's Video Music Awards in 1993, and members of the band playing on Young's 1995 album "Mirror Ball."

It was also announced that Jackson Browne will induct Joan Baez, and Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush will induct Yes at the ceremony, while presenters for the year's other inductees haven't been announced. 

A public memorial service for Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds will be held on March 25 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, according to Todd Fisher.

Todd posted on his production company's official site that guest would be welcome to visit the final resting place of the late mother-daughter duo following the service, which is planned for 1 p.m. Seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Chance the Rapper, Little Big Town, and Sturgill Simpson have been added to the performing lineup for the Grammy awards, joining Adele, Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, and Carrie Underwood, who were already announced. 

The awards show will be held next Sunday, February 12. I'll be DVR-ing The Walking Dead, instead (and asleep when the show is on).

Billboard headline: David Cassidy Set to Retire at Year End

O-o-o-o-kay.

Birthdays today include: Shakira; Billy Mohler of The Calling; Ben Mize of Counting Crows; Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots; Tony Butler of Big Country; Ross Valory of Santana; Ross Valory of the Steve Miller Band; Alan McKay of Earth, Wind & Fire; Howard Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers; and Graham Nash. #MusicalBirthdays