BLINK 182 UK 2011 - TOUR DATES RESCHEDULED

Blink 182 today released a statement where they announced that their 2011 UK tour dates would be postponed and rescheduled for next year. 

From Mark, Tom and Travis: Turns out we were mistaken as the album is taking longer than we thought and won't be out till later this year. We hoped we would have some new songs to play rather than do another 'greatest hits tour' which you all saw last summer. As much as we know our fans would be cool with that, we feel that we owe you guys something new when you spend your money to come see us. Frankly, it's what needs to continue for us to remain vital.

The three of us are working very hard to do what we set out to do when we re-formed - get a new blink-182 album recorded. Apologies to all of our fans who have bought tickets and were looking forward to the summer shows but we'll be back soon with the rescheduled dates in summer 2012, have a new album out and be able to play new songs for you all. Thanks for all of the continued support and understanding.

The O2 rescheduled dates are on the bands website www.blink182.com and are listed below as follows:

THE O2 RESCHEDULED DATES - for June 2012
Original date of Monday 18 July 2011 rescheduled to Friday 08 June 2012.
Original date of Tuesday 19 July 2011 rescheduled to Saturday 09 June 2012.

Original tickets will be valid for the rescheduled dates. For further information or queries regarding the rescheduled dates please contact the ticket agent where you purchased your tickets.

THE KILLERS RETURN TO HEADLINE FRIDAY AT HARD ROCK CALLING 2011!

To mark the 40th anniversary of Hard Rock, we are delighted to confirm that The Killers will headline Hard Rock Calling on Friday 24th June.

The Killers last rocked the Hyde Park stage at Hard Rock Calling 2009 and after deciding to take last year off, have now reunited for a new record and this special show which will encompass hits from their three studio albums including much-loved hits Mr Brightside, Somebody Told Me, All These Things That I’ve Done and Human.

The group's debut album, Hot Fuss (2004) brought the band mainstream success. The Killers' second album, Sam's Town, was released in 2006, and compilation album Sawdust containing B-sides, rarities, and unreleased material, was released in 2007. Their third studio album, Day & Age, produced by Stuart Price, was released in 2008. In 2009 they released their first live album and DVD titled Live From The Royal Albert Hall.

The band has sold over six million albums in the United States, over five million albums in the United Kingdom and over 15 million worldwide.


Tickets on sale now at Premier Events!

WILLIAM SISTERS MAY MISS WIMBLEDON

There are gathering doubts about whether either of the Williams sisters will be fit to challenge for this summer’s Wimbledon title.



Venus has played only one tournament in the past seven months, and has decided against entering any events in the next few weeks. Serena has had emergency treatment to remove a blood clot from her lung.

Venus, who completed just two matches at January’s Australian Open before retiring after a few points of her third-round match because of an abdominal injury, did not play in Miami because of the same condition.

Though she is entered in the clay-court tournament at Madrid’s Caja Magica that starts in late April, and then to play at Rome’s Foro Italico the week after, her name was added automatically to the lists as they are mandatory events, so that is no indication that she actually intends to play in Spain or Italy.

Serena is also having to deal with a freak foot injury that was sustained when she stepped on some broken glass in a restaurant in Munich last July. She has not played any competitive tennis since winning Wimbledon.

Since the start of the Millennium, there has only been one Wimbledon final that did not feature at least one of the Williams sisters, which was in 2006 when France’s Amelie Mauresmo defeated Justine Henin of Belgium.

Executives at the women’s tour must be feeling increasingly concerned about the futures of the sisters, as Venus turns 31 in June and Serena starts her thirties in September. When the ranking list is updated next Monday morning, both sisters will be outside the top 10.

The sisters have always tended to play a light schedule outside the grand slams, but it has now reached the extraordinary situation that the last four tournaments that Venus has played have been the last four majors. So it is now around 10 months since she played a tournament that was not a slam.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/williamssisters/8414543/Williams-sisters-on-course-to-miss-Wimbledon-as-injuries-start-to-add-up.html

WIMBLEDON TO WAIVE OLYMPICS DRESS CODE

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal could paint the town red at London 2012 after the All England Club agreed to waive their all-white dress code in a bid to distinguish the Olympic competition from the Wimbledon Championships.

The All England Championship rules state that during Wimbledon all players must wear ‘almost entirely white' clothing but chief executive Ian Ritchie has confirmed the regulations will not be enforced during London 2012.

The world famous south London venue is set to host the Olympic tennis competition in 2012 for the first time since 1908 with the nine days of competition expected to begin on July 28 - just 20 days after the 2012 men's Wimbledon final.

And while London 2012 director of sport and venues Debbie Jevans confirmed only minimal temporary changes will be made to the All England Club during the Games, organisers are keen to give the Olympic competition its own identity.

Numerous past players - including Ann White and John McEnroe - have felt the wrath of the All England Club for attempting to flout the dress code, but Ritchie insists the decision was not made through gritted teeth.

"No [it was not a major issue] is the short answer," said Ritchie. "We want to be clear and I think there will be a great interest in this competition.

"The top players in the world will be here and we hope to some extent there will be a different type of audience.

"We have been very supportive [to Locog] throughout the process but it is not the Championships. It will be its own competition, have its own style and it will play out in its very own way.

"The idea was never to have a repeat of the Championships.

"And so with regards to the players' kits we are perfectly happy for there to be some colour."

With less than three weeks between the Championships and the expected start of the Olympic competition - the poorer relation of the two in terms of prestige - concerns have been expressed that tennis fatigue would set in.

That could in turn prompt a lack of public interest and therefore some empty seats - a categorical no-no in the eyes of both Locog and the International Olympic Committee, after so many half-full venues at Beijing 2008.

But Jevans, a former Junior Wimbledon runner-up who sits on the board of the All England Club, believes the British public have the appetite for both competitions.

"We are not worried about tennis fatigue because there will be a lot of people who do not get tickets for the Championships," said Jevans.

"It gives them the chance to come and see the best players in the world."

Jevans also revealed that the expected daily capacity at Wimbledon during Games time will be approximately 26,000 compared to the 40,000 during the Championships.

There will be 172 athletes competing as mixed doubles makes its Olympic debut in 2012 while there will be 160 ball boys/girls and 180 technical officials.

In total, 12 of the courts will be used for competition including Centre Court, courts one and two, court seven, 11 and 12 and courts 14-19 but not court three.

Matches will be scheduled to get underway each day at 11:00 with only one session, ensuring the estimated close of play will be 20:00 with few, if any, night matches expected to take place under Centre Court's £100m retractable roof.

Locog expect that, with the help of the Olympic Route Network, the journey for athletes staying in the Olympic Village will take 45 minutes.

Source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/13082010/58/wimbledon-waive-olympics-dress-code.html

HAS LADY GAGA GONE...GAGA?

Lady Gaga grows horns and claims she's channelling Alexander McQueen

She may be renowned for her fanciful soundbites, but Lady Gaga has now gone full-fledged silly, claiming she has magical bony protrusions which "come out when I'm inspired". Oh yes, and she is channeling the ghost of Alexander McQueen.

Lady Gaga has shown off her skin-bumps in a few places so far, including on the cover of latest single Born This Way and in a new photo-shoot for Harper's Bazaar. "Gaga emerged from make-up at our shoot with pointy shoulders and sharp protrusions on her forehead and cheekbones," explained Bazaar editor Laura Brown. It's a look more Klingon than Björk, but when writer Derek Blasberg asked Gaga about the get-up, she insisted that they are all natural.

Gaga also claims that the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen is the composer of her latest single, released on 11 February. "Right after he died, I wrote Born This Way." She was particularly struck when the release date for the song turned out to be the anniversary of McQueen's death. "When I heard that, I knew: I didn't even write the fucking song! He did!"

Read the full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/apr/14/lady-gaga-horns-alexander-mcqueen

KYLIE'S APHRODITE TOUR: A SPECTACLE HARD TO BE BEAT

Kylie Minogue’s “Aphrodite: Les Folies” is a spectacle hard to beat. The stage is created by WET Design, known for the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas that is a clue for what you will see on stage.

Taking its cue from “Aphrodite,” her most recent album, it resembles an ancient Greek temple, with integrated video screens. Tiers of her body-beautiful dancers elegantly splash fans in the front rows.

Kylie’s website quotes a budget of $25 million for staging a 63-date tour visiting 23 countries. Her five shows at London’s O2 continue tonight and tomorrow. Then she’s off to Japan, Canada, Mexico and the U.S., returning to her native Australia in June.

The Greek theme allows Kylie, 42, to indulge her core fanbase. There are lashings of homoerotic imagery. Videos pay as much homage to Robert Mapplethorpe’s more risque photography as is possible in a family show. Toned male dancers cavort in nothing more than a strategic sliver of gold lame.

Designers Dolce & Gabbana dress Kylie more modestly. She wears a succession of spuriously Hellenic outfits, mostly in white, gold and silver. She looks as immaculate as her publicity photographs at all times. Not even a bead of sweat disturbs her pristine complexion. Kylie remains sanitized throughout.

This show is not to be missed! Tickets still available for tonight’s and tomorrow’s shows at The O2.

BOB DYLAN PERFORMS HIS FIRST EVER GIG IN CHINA

Bob Dylan played his first ever gig in China last Wednesday (April 6).

He was able to perform in the country's capital city Beijing after agreeing to play a set that had been pre-approved by Chinese authorities.

The pre-approved setlist was agreed after an attempt by promoters to bring the folk legend to China failed in 2010. Permission was denied then by the country's Culture Ministry, which must approve every concert that takes place in China.

The approval meant that Dylan could not play any material that the authorities deemed politically sensitive, such as the song 'The Times They Are A-Changin'.

According to Billboard, Dylan played for two hours in the 5,000-capacity Workers Gymnasium. He played a career-spanning set which included 'Like A Rolling Stone', 'All Along The Watchtower' and 'Highway 61 Revisited'.

Bob Dylan is performing in London on 18th June 2011. Click here to see Bob Dylan tickets.

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SUMMER FESTIVALS 2011 UK GUIDE

This month, Premier Events brings a fresh and updated Festival Guide with the hottest Summer Festivals around the UK.



The festival season is nearly upon us, and it is time to grab tickets to the best parties while you still can, most will sell out well in advance.

The summer music festival is a Great British tradition. Whether you are looking for folk and real ale in tranquil surroundings or a huge rave with thousands of partygoers, this is the guide to this summer's music festivals.

Download your Summer Festivals 2011 Guide pdf now!

ADELE BREAKS MADONNA'S ALBUM RECORD AND CLOSES IN ON BOB MARLEY

London singer's 21 tops UK charts for 10th consecutive week, eclipsing record of material girl at height of popularity in 1990. It was a record held by Madonna for 21 years but Adele has broken it with her second album, coincidentally entitled 21, which on Sunday topped the UK charts for the 10th consecutive week – the longest ever for a UK album by a female solo artist.

Remarkably, more than 257,000 copies of the album were bought in the UK last week, a week-on-week increase of 65% – the strongest seven-day sales figures for the record yet.
The 22-year old released 21 in January, since when it has also topped the album charts in 17 European countries and the US.

The London-born singer's debut album 19 also held steady at no 2 in the UK charts on Sunday, seeing off competition from Ronan Keating's collaboration with Burt Bacharach, When Ronan Met Burt.
The effect of Mother's Day was a factor but this alone failed to account for Adele's success, according to Martin Talbot, managing director of the Official Charts Company.

"This is notoriously one of the quietest times of the year for the record industry, so what she has achieved is astonishing," he said.

"She has gone from being a promising young artist, who existed slightly in the slipstream of acts like Duffy, to become the biggest act in the UK by a country mile.

"To do so well, you've often got to be quite cheesy, but she's the opposite of cheese – she's popular right across the spectrum."

The record was set by Madonna's 1990 Immaculate Collection, a compilation. The last act to spend 10 straight weeks at no 1 with a studio album was Dire Straits with Brothers in Arms in 1986. The album with the record for the most consecutive weeks at no 1 is Bob Marley and the Wailers' Legend, a compilation which achieved 12 weeks in 1984.

On Monday, Ladbrokes was offering odds of 1/6 on Adele beating that record.
"Adele looks set to smash Marley's record and in the process could set one which lasts for just as long," said a Ladbrokes spokesman. The success of Adele's two albums has also boosted the fortunes of her record label, the independent XL. In the year to date, it has enjoyed a 9% share of the UK market, whereas the weakest performing of the major labels – EMI Music – accounted for only 12%. Between them, Adele's two albums have sold more than 2.2m copies in the UK this year.

"There is none of the scandal that helped sell Amy Winehouse," said Alexis Petridis, the Guardian's chief pop critic.

"Adele did go to the Brit School but she doesn't sound like the product of endless focus groups – she just seems normal, and there's something attainable and lovely about that."

Also in the top 10 albums chart on Sunday were new entries of wildly different pedigree: X Factor singer Mary Byrne, who charted at no 6; Radiohead, who reached no 7 with the CD release of The King Of Limbs; and Britney Spears, whose comeback album Femme Fatale charted at no 8.

The only disappointment for Adele, who starts a UK tour on Thursday 14 April, was that her song Someone Like You was knocked from the no 1 slot on the singles chart.

See tickets for Adelle concerts in London.


Source: www.guardian.co.uk