Robin Gibb, one of the members of the Bee Gees, has died at 62.

He was battling cancer.

Gibb is the second musical icon from the disco era to die in the past four days with Donna Summer passing away on Thursday.

The only surviving member of the three Bee Gees is brother Barry, 65.

Robin’s twin brother, Maurice, died in 2003 from a twisted bowel. And younger brother Andy Gibb — who was not part of the group — died at 30 from a heart infection.

The Bee Gees had such hits as How Do You Mend a Broken Heart, To Love Somebody, Holiday, Jive Talkin, Words, Nights on Broadway, You Should Be Dancing and Fanny (Be Tender With My Love) before the group skyrocketed to new heights with the 1977 release of Saturday Night Fever.

The Fever soundtrack featured such classic hits at How Deep Is Your Love, Night Fever,  and Stayin’ Alive.

Here is the group performing their 1979 hit Too Much Heaven from their Spirits Having Flown album:

Wait a minute. Adam not not win Idol when he competed during season 8.

He was runner up against a guy named Kris Allen.

Whatever happened to him?

Kris is no doubt a nice guy, he’s very cute and he always seems to be unfailingly gracious. It’s not his fault he beat Adam out but as time goes by and Lambert’s stardom continues to grow, it just seems like such a strange result.

But Adam holds no grudge against Idol and he returned last night to the show that launched him. Here is video of Adam performing his new single Never Close Our Eyes.

He is blasting The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for passing Donna Summer over for induction when she was nominated this year.

‘Her records sound as good today as they ever did,’ he said of Summer who died Thursday at the age of 63. ‘That she has never been inducted into the Rock `n’ Roll Hall of Fame is a total disgrace especially when I see the second-rate talent that has been inducted.’

Read more about this over at Gay Star News.

In the summer of 2010, I was among those who were fortunate enough to see her perform there for what I believe was the last time.

I’ll never forget it/

Here’s part of what I wrote about that night on this blog back then and Donna’s performance of the Carpenters classic Superstar:

The first thing I want to say is this: Donna Summer and Richard Carpenter please, please, please get together and record Superstar.

At last night’s Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame Concert, these two inductees collaborated on the classic Carpenters hit and it was what I would call beautiful music. Donna made the song her own but stayed to the spirit of the original recorded by Richard and his sister, the late, great Karen Carpenter.

He is such a hard-working star and really goes all out to get his music out there.

Surprisingly, Adam says it has been tough to win over his fellow gay males as fans. Read more about that in a piece I just posted over at Gay Star News.

And enjoy his performance from last night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!

I saw her in concert last week in Hollywood and thought she was simply spectacular.

OUT magazine has just posted an interview with this talented star who at the age of 60, still looks much like she did when she was TV’s Wonder Woman more than 30 years ago.

Here are some excerpts:

Hard to believe because at 60, she doesn’t look all that different from her days as the gorgeous superhero and her alter-ego Diana Prince.

The ageless Miss Carter opened a three-night gig at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood last night and I was a part of what looked to be a full house.

I have long known she could sing because, as a kid, I owned her hit single Toto (Don’t It Feel Like Paradise) that I used my allowance money to buy at the JC Penney in Huntington Beach.

Even though I was humming the song all damned day in anticipation of the concert, she did not include in her show! But I didn’t mind one bit because Lynda has a whole bunch of other things to sing in Body & Soul – a show that is an  eclectic mix of songs running the gamut from Motown to country to blues to gospel with lots of pop in between.

My absolute favorite number was a ballad version of the Supremes hit Stop! In the Name of Love which makes you realize there are some really good lyrics in that song! It’s an amazing and completely successful transformation of a pop classic.

I’m a sucker for ballads and Lynda does gorgeous renditions of Bonnie Raitt’s I Can’t Make You Love Me and Elton John’s Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word. Then she reaches an entirely different level on Billie Holliday’s God Bless the Child.

Gorgeous stuff.

There is so much more then the show builds up to this blast of a rock and roll finale with songs including La Bamba.

It must be mentioned that Miss Carter has a first-rate band and trio of back-up singers. They have been together for six years and it shows.

I invited my friend Justino Aguila, a writer for Billboard, to come along with me to the show and we got to meet Miss Carter in her dressing room after the show. She could not have been more gracious and more beautiful.

I highly recommend you catch the show tonight or Saturday at the Catalina – you will have a wonderful time.

To buy tickets and to find out more information about Miss Carter’s music, here is a LINK to her website.

Never Close Our Eyes is the second single off Adam’s forthcoming album Trespassing which is out May 15.

Give it a little listen:

Until then, here is some of what he had to say on the red carpet:

• Adam on meeting Elton John: “It was really great. He is so down to earth and he has such a dirty sense of humor.”
• Adam on naming his new album Trespassing: “It was the only album title. That was the one that summed up the vibe of the album.”
• Adam on kissing pal Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters: “He is a good friend and it was for a promo video and a funny joke.”

– The second photo is of Adam and boyfriend Sauli Koskinen.

Adam Lambert fans were disappointed when the star announced last month that his second album, Trespassing, would be delayed while he fine-tuned its material.

Originally scheduled for release last week, Lambert has just announced the new date for its debut: May 15.

He describes the album as ‘an exciting journey through the past two years of my life. It’s been a transformative period and I really wanted to make music from what I’ve experienced.  All these songs honestly explore the ups and downs of my reality.’

In addition to co-writing many of the tracks, Lambert collaborated with an all-star list of artists, producers and songwriters including Pharrell Williams, Dr. Luke, Bruno Mars ,Claude Kelly, Benny Blanco, Bonnie McKee, Nile Rogers, and Sam Sparro.

I need to upgrade soon!

Well, who had time for pictures anyway – I was too busy dancing!

The concert was a private event for the Herbalife Foundation so it was not your usual Diana Ross crowd. My friends and I talked after the show about not only the difference in the crowd (many people loved it, others looked bewildered) but also in the performance of Miss Ross.

Let me say this: Her voice is as good as it ever was, she is a total professional and it was a wonderful show.

But it was a corporate gig so there was something a little rote about it even if there was FIVE costume changes! I’ve been to five previous Diana Ross concerts and I know the difference between when she is playing for the fans who worship her and for an audience for whom this is part of a larger convention.

She kicked off the show with I’m Coming Out then launched into a series of Supremes hits including Baby Love, Stop! In the Name of Love, Love Child, Where Did Our Love Go? You Can’t Hurry Love and My World is Empty Without You.

The bulk of the show were her many, many solo hits including Love Hangover, Touch Me in the Morning, Upside Down, Do You Know Where You’re Going To?, I Will Survive, Why Do Fools Fall In Love?, It’s My House, The Boss, Ease on Down the Road, and Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.

Miss Ross did two numbers from Lady Sings the Blues but did not do my favorite, Good Morning Heartache. Also missing from the show were her hits Missing You, Endless Love, It’s My Turn and Chain Reaction.

There was virtually no chatter and no encore but you know what? I had a BLAST!

The next time Miss Ross tours, I will be there!

Madonna has no plans to cancel a concert in St Petersburg this summer because of the “homosexual propaganda law in the city which went into effect last Saturday.

Instead, the superstar plans to use the occasion to sing – and to speak out.

‘I will come to St. Petersburg to speak up for the gay community and to give strength and inspiration to anyone who is or feels oppressed,’  she told Bloomberg News via e-mail ‘I’m a freedom fighter.’

You can read more of the story over at Gay Star News.

On Thursday, March 22, Miss Ross returns to the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

She is headlining A Night of Divas which benefits the Herbalife Family Foundation.

The foundation helps provide good nutrition to at-risk and low income children around the world.

All proceeds will go to this worthy cause.

Here is a LINK for more information and tickets!

I first saw Miss Ross at the Pacific Ampitheatre in 1989 during the Working Overtime tour then again two years later at the Universal Ampitheatre during The Force Behind the Power Tour.

It was then a five year break before returning to the Universal Ampitheatre for the Take Me Higher Tour.

Had tickets in the summer of 2000 for the Anaheim stop of the Return to Love tour with the Supremes which was canceled before it got to our stop. I was devastated!

It would be eight more years before I’d see Miss Ross live again and it was a spectacular concert at Hollywood Bowl in support of her first album in forever, I Love You.

Then in 2010, I got tickets to see the superstar at the Nokia for a wonderful concert of her many hits from Baby Love to Endless Love, from Where Did Our Love Go? to Why Do Fools Fall in Love? and from Reach Out and Touch to Touch Me in the Morning.

And let’s not forget Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Upside Down, Love Hangover, Missing You, I’m Coming Out, Reflections, Stop! In the Name of Love, Where Did Our Love Go, Love Child and Do You Know Where You’re Going To?

Can’t wait to see what she has in store for us this time!

It was at The Hollywood Bowl and marked the third time I’d seen Cher in concert.

It was a magical night and it just didn’t seem right that Cher wouldn’t be doing in anymore since she still sounded great and looked great.

Of course, after a few years of rest, Cher returned to live performing with a multi-year gig at Caesar’s Palace.

But now, the 65-year-old legend is going back on the road!

The tour will kick off in September and Cher tweeted last night:

“OH MY GOD !!!! JUST SAW THE SETS 4 THE SHOW !!! I CANT SHOW U CAUSE YOUD NEVER 4GIVE ME ! THERES SO MUCH MAGIC I AM BREATHLESS !”

A full schedule of dates and venues have yet to be unveiled. I will keep you posted!

It’s a professional relationship that began with The Barbra Streisand Album in 1963 through the most recent, her 2012 Grammy nominated What Matters Most- Barbra Streisand sings the lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

“From the day Goddard Lieberson signed me almost 50 years ago, Columbia Records has been my recording home, and I am thrilled to continue that partnership for many years to come,” Streisand said in a statement.

She has released 62 albums with the music label, including number one albums: People, The Way We Were, A Star Is Born, Barbra Streisand’s Greatest Hits, Volume 2, Guilty, The Broadway Album, Back To Broadway, Higher Ground, and Love Is The Answer.

Columbia Records will release a 12 DVD set, giving unprecedented access into her professional and personal life.  The DVD set will consist of never before seen footage directly from Barbra’s archives, as well as milestones from her illustrious career.

Streisand is the only recording artist to have number one albums in five consecutive decades.  Her 51 gold albums, 30 platinum and 18 multi-platinum each of which, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, exceeds all other female singers.

Her most recent Grammy nominated album, What Matters Most, was her 31st to reach the Top Ten in the ratings charts, with which she passed The Beatles to become the third highest achiever in that significant statistic, exceeded only by the Rolling Stones and Frank Sinatra.  She is the only female among the top ten album-selling recording artists.

After denying reports earlier this month, Adam Lambert confirmed today that he will be joining the legendary rock group Queen this summer as its lead singer at the Sonisphere Festival this summer.

‘As many suspected, I can finally confirm: I have been invited by Queen to sing one very special concert! Sonisphere at Knebworth July 7th!’ Lambert wrote on his Twitter account.

After reports of the collaboration spread earlier this month, Lambert took to Twitter to say that his quotes were taken out of context.

He apologized to fans in his latest Tweets: ‘Sorry to be coy about the details the past few weeks, but I made a promise to keep it under wraps as best I could.’

See my full story at Gay Star News.

The Los Angeles Times has published an absolutely outstanding piece on the legendary career of Diana Ross.

This commentary, written by Ernest Hardy, points out that 12-time Grammy nominee Ross has not only never won a Grammy, she’s also never been given proper credit for achievements and impact on the music industry and the culture.

He provides some compelling reasons why. Here are some excerpts from the piece:

The Grammys aren’t the only place where 67-year-old Ross, a primary architect of modern pop culture over her five-decade career, has been undervalued.

It’s long been fashionable to lampoon her in the media and in critical circles, to dismiss her voice and her trailblazing accomplishments — to cast her in the one-note role of incorrigible diva.

Questlove, drummer and co-founder of the Roots, suggests that the failure to recognize Ross’ achievements is also due to the way art and artists are treated in this country.

“America is such a disposable arts culture,” he says, “that it’s easy to dismiss things, to take them for granted. And I’m one of those guilty people. I have every [Ross] album. I’ve seen every special. But you take it for granted so much that you don’t even mention it.”

Visual artist Mark Bradford observes: “She was a trailblazer who wrote chapter after chapter, who put herself at the center of the conversation and demanded a seat at the table,” he observes. “She didn’t want black power. She wanted power.”

“There’s this thing with women — especially women of color — that when they have ambition, it’s [perceived as] a character flaw” Bradford added. “But Diana Ross would throw it in your face. She didn’t apologize for it. We applaud ambition but on very narrow terms — for a woman, for an African American, and especially for an African American woman — and she ignored all those limited and limiting terms in order to set her own.”



Adam Lambert will reportedly be joining the legendary rock group Queen this summer as its lead singer at the Sonisphere Festival this summer.

Lambert would be stepping into the shoes of the late Freddie Mercury who died in 1991 and who last appeared with his band at Sonisphere.

‘The intention is to pay tribute to Freddie and the band by singing some f*****g great songs,’ Lambert reportedly told the UK’s Daily Star. ‘It’s to keep the music alive for the fans and give it an energy that Freddie would have been proud of.’

UPDATE: After reports of the collaboration were widely reported Friday, Lambert took to Twitter to say that his quotes were taken out of context and that ‘I haven’t confirmed any guest appearances.’

Lambert wrote that he was talking about when he joined the band at MTV’s EMAs in Belfast last November.

‘I’m truly flattered by your jump to such glorious conclusions mr journalist!!’ he tweeted Friday evening.

Read more about it over at Gay Star News. Also, below is the video for Better Than I Know Myself which he unveiled online at midnight. Check it out!

MY ALBUM COVER!!

Adam Lambert has just unveiled his new album cover via Twitter!

Trespassing will be released in March but the hype is continuing to build!