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| ELTON JOHN NEWS ARCHIVE: November 2003 |
| Elton John and band performed in Zurich on November 29, 2003 Sunday, November 30 2003 |
Following is the complete set list of the Zurich show on November 29, 2003:
| Elton John and band performed in Jacksonville on November 21, 2003 Friday, November 28 2003 |
Fan report and photos by Nancy Case.
Elton was on fire, he was hot, hot, hot in Jacksonville, Florida on November 21, 2003! From a fan who has seen him at his best and at his worst, this was my 37th show, he was extraordinarily good!
From the moment he walked on the stage flashing the peace sign to the very last second when he thanked all his fans for their loyalty and love it was very clear Elton was in a good mood!
And when Elton is in a good mood it is contagious! He rocked the new Veteran's Memorial Arena with all the his classic hits and threw in a few less known songs such as "Come Down In Time" (for us die hard fans). Dressed in a black suit with a red velvet shirt, his fingers waltzed across the piano with the ease most of use while brushing our teeth, just so natural.
The set list remained the same as the other shows on this leg of the tour. The extended version of "Rocket Man" and the unbelievable performance of "Levon" (the best version I had ever heard of that song) were just two of the many highlights of the evening.
At the front of the stage , I was lucky to receive loads of eye contact, smiles and faces from Elton, and my first ever guitar pick from Davey! This evening is one I will not soon forget. And I must say I was in need of a good show, so many many thanks Elton!
Now a little side story. My friend Phyllis and I walked to a place called Jacksonville Landings before the show for dinner, after which not wanting to walk back to the hotel and then drive to the arena we called for a taxi, while waiting for the cab I noticed a guy running back and forth to Starbucks loading his SUV up with coffees, wondering where the cab was I asked if he knew whether we were waiting in the right place, and whether it was safe to walk, long story short he was getting coffee for the band and gave us a ride to the arena. What a nice guy (his name was Fred). But it gets better, after the show I asked a police officer where taxi's might line up, we went to the area he suggested, walking all we saw were limo's so I asked the last limo driver in line where we could find a cab, just as I asked his clients for the night approached, asked us where we needed to go, well we were both going to the Adam's Mark hotel, so they said hop in you can ride with us. In the limo I introduced myself and what a small world, their last name was Case!
So, my friend Phyllis and I had a bit of a "transportation angel" looking over us on this fabulous evening in Jacksonville! All in all a wonderful break from reality! Can't wait until the next time, maybe one of these days he will play my home town of West Palm Beach, Florida (he's never played here, just 12 other cities in the state of Florida) ! Happy Holidays to all of you!
Following is the complete set list of the Jacksonville show on November 21, 2003:
| Elton to attend Mary's wedding Friday, November 28 2003 |
Mary J Blige is to be made a respectable woman at long last when she marries fiancé Kendu Isaacs on November 28, 2003.
The 32 year-old R&B diva - who just this year dedicated her latest album, "Love And Life" to Isaacs - credits him for helping her battle alcohol and drugs. The pair will wed at a secret coastal location with about 40 guests.
"I'll dress in white chiffon or something," she admitted recently. "But I don't see myself wearing a tiara - that's just too much!"
Sir Elton John is expected to be among the guests.
| New song: "Run For Love" Thursday, November 27 2003 |
"What's That Sound", the soundtrack to the smash reality show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy", will include a new song from Elton, tentatively titled "Run for Love".
Capitol has set a February 10, 2004 release for this album. The album is led by the show's theme song, "All Things (Just Keep Getting Better)", penned by Widelife.
The album will also include a new song from Basement Jaxx ("Good Luck"), a previously unreleased Chemical Brothers remix of the new Kylie Minogue single "Slow" Jamelia's U.K. hit "Superstar" and a track mixing music from Fischerspooner and Billy Squier. Tracks from Liz Phair and In-Grid will also be featured.
| Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - SACD release Thursday, November 27 2003 |
Universal is celebrating the anniversary of the release of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by re-releasing the album as a 3-disc Hybrid SACD, Deluxe Edition. The album has been remixed in 5.1 Surround Sound by Greg Penny.
The collection, released in the USA on November 25, 2003, comprises:
The album will be released in the rest of the world on December 1, 2003.
| Barcelona show postponed Wednesday, November 26 2003 |
Elton had to cancel the show at Palau St Jordi, Barcelona, on November 27, 2003 as he has catched a flu-like virus, eltonjohn.com reports.
At present it looks like the show will take place on December 21, 2003 instead.
| Tickets for Elton solo show in Venice Tuesday, November 25 2003 |
Hercules was told that some more tickets for the special Elton John solo concert at La Fenice theatre in Venice on December 19, 2003 are now on sale.
There are two box offices where you can buy them. Both accept credit card and bank transfer. Here are the phone numbers:
Biglietteria Calle Fuseri:
39 041 2418029
Agenzia Piazza Roma:
39 041 2722249
| To Russia With Elton on DVD Monday, November 24 2003 |
"To Russia With Elton" is due for release on DVD in Europe on March 15, 2004.
It appears that this will be the same as the video release with the only extra being a stills gallery.
We will up date you when we know more.
| Elton & Billy duet Friday, November 21 2003 |
Billy Joel was on a local New York radio station the week of November 17, 2003 and announced a possible duet of himself with Elton John.
He said that Bernie Taupin has written the lyrics for a new song, and that Elton and Billy have written the music. They hope to record it early 2004.
| UPDATE: Absolut Elton John Friday, November 21 2003 |
Elton John was in Germany on October 27, 2003 in order to record the TV special "Absolut Elton John", which will air on RTL on November 29, 2003.
During the one hour show, Elton talked to host Oliver Geissen about growing up in Pinner, the early years, his spectacular costumes, drug addiction, tragedies, football and Watford FC as well as his work for the Elton John Aids Foundation.
He also performed "Your Song", "I'm Still Standing" and "Are You Ready For Love", with playback music and an acting "rental band", but sung live.
Hercules Coordinator, Stephan Heimbecher, had made parts of his Elton John collection available to the production company, including a Captain Fantastic pinball machine, gold awards, costumes, rare video footage and lots of other collectible items which can be seen during the programme.
The show will air on RTL on November 29, 2003 at 10.45 pm.
| Elton John and band performed in Duluth on November 19, 2003 Friday, November 21 2003 |
Fan report by Tony Centofante.
Elton John and his band started the second half of their grueling US Tour (three cities down in 11 days) at the new Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia on November 19, 2003.
The show was unusual before the first note was played. Starting time on the ticket said 8:30 p.m. There are a couple of possible reasons for this. The first is Duluth is a Northeast suburb of Atlanta and can be a traffic nightmare to get to. This was our first trip to the one year old arena. Because of traffic and lack of directions, we were one of the last to arrive. The parking was free but the last to arrive had to create their own parking spaces on the curbs.
Also, after the show lots were let out one at a time meaning some were still sitting in their cars well after the concert. While the facility is mainly used for minor league hockey, it is disappointing there was not enough foresight to properly plan for sold out events like Elton John.
Thankfully, Elton was not in the rush that Stephan noticed at the Atlantic City show. By the way, thank you Stephan for always saying what you feel needs to be said even when it is not what Elton fans want to hear.
Anyway, when I read that review, I knew that this show taking place in his favorite city would rebound. I was not disappointed.
The show started at 8:35 p.m. and we arrived in our seats during "Funeral For A Friend". One thing I noticed immediately was that this show was louder than any I had heard before. Perhaps it was because he was in a smaller arena than usual or maybe we were sitting in front of a speaker.
The next thing I noticed is how this setlist (same as the other three shows) flows more smoothly than other tours. Instead of one up tempo and then one slow tempo song, similarly paced songs are grouped together.
While I am like Stephan in that I wished more rarities were played, Elton had some new arrangements to some traditional favorites. While I usually take a nap during the last 20 minutes of "Rocket Man", the band has reworked the ending and taken it another level.
The crowd gave this song one of their loudest ovations of the night. Elton also added a little blues to the end of "I Guess That's Why They Called It The Blues" and had a new piano solo to start "Take Me To The Pilot".
There were a couple of slow spots during the show. Elton practically apologized to the crowd after the lack of response to "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore". Elton said it was "one of my favorites". Well, as long as he was happy. I think playing four songs from a two year old album was more than this audience wanted to hear.
Elton did mention he may be back playing in Atlanta real soon because he is recording his first new album here starting in January 2004. Elton also mentioned he was working on "Billy Elliott" and "The Vampire Lestat". Unfortunately, no new material was previewed tonight.
Elton sent the band away for a couple of songs and did "a song I rediscovered in rehearsal with the band": "Come Down In Time" followed by "a song with three different lives": "Candle In The Wind". These were the only two songs different for the fans who saw him at The Tabernacle earlier this year.
Speaking of that, those fans must have chuckled when Elton then introduced the next three songs as "ones we have not played in many years" before going into "Dixie Lily". That was one of the very few songs that the band could have improved on. I was thinking to myself how much better it sounded when John Jorgenson was in the band.
But, almost everything else was done to perfection. "Levon" was great to hear again and had an extended ending.
Almost 11:00 p.m. and the encores have just begun. It is going to be a late show tonight! A new twist to the first encore as there was not the usual long period of silence. Instead, the exact opening of the 1993 tour has been recycled leading into what was the opening song of that tour: "Pinball Wizard". That was a nice touch Clive Franks. It also caused Elton to have to rush back to the stage as he almost missed his cue to start the song.
And then a little surprise to end the show and perhaps someone in the UK can report on exactly what was going on. This might be the other reason why the concert started at 8:30 p.m. Elton said that we are now going to go live to the UK and "Top Of The Pops" with this song. If he meant "live" literally, "Your Song" was aired in the UK at 5:08 a.m. Perhaps he meant a "live" version would eventually air there. Anyway, this announcement left me with some hope something additional might happen such as a live satellite interview or maybe an additional song such as "Sacrifice" for the UK would be played. But, the concert ended there at 11:13 p.m.
On the drive home, 92.3 FM in Chattanooga played "The Heart Of Every Girl". That was the first time we had heard it and a fitting conclusion to another great evening with Elton John.
Following is the complete set list of the Duluth show on November 19, 2003:
| Happy Birthday, Mickey Thursday, November 20 2003 |
The Walt Disney Company is launching a special program called Celebrate Mickey: 75 InspEARations.
The program features 75 Mickey statues, each weighing 700 lbs. and standing 6 FT. tall, designed by a diverse array of stars and artists, including Tom Hanks, John Travolta, Elton John, Susan Lucci, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Affleck and Janet Jackson.
Participating artists created these Mickey-inspired statues to fit one of six themes: adventure, heritage, magic and fantasy, friendship, fun and laughter, and the future.
Micheal Eisner will unveil the statues for the members of the media during a private ceremony on November 18, 2003. The statues then will appear on property through late April 2004.
After leaving Central Florida, the statues will travel to 12 U.S. cities as part of an 18-month tour sponsored by Coca-Cola. Finally, the statues will spend a few months at Disneyland Resort before becoming available to bidders through an auction benefiting a chárity of each artist's choice.
| 500 Greatest Albums of All Time Thursday, November 20 2003 |
We gathered up a few interesting statistics from the Rolling Stone "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list:
Artists with the most entries in Rolling Stone's 500 best albums:
Beatles: 11
Bob Dylan: 10
Rolling Stones: 10
Bruce Springsteen: 8
The Who: 7
David Bowie: 6
Elton John: 6
5 each: The Byrds, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Otis Redding, U2
4 each: Madonna, Bob Marley, Elvis Costello, Grateful Dead, James Brown, Police, The Smiths, Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd, Prince, Roxy Music, Simon & Garfunkel, Sly & the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Talking Heads.
Decade by decade breakdown:
50s or before: 29 albums (5.8% of total 500 list)
60s: 126 (25.2%, but 55% of the top 20
70s: 183 (36.6%)
80s: 88 (17.6%)
90s: 61 (12.2%)
00s: 13 (2.6%).
Albums by men or male-led groups: 439 (87.8%)
Women or female-led groups: 47 (9.4%)
Mixed groups (with more or less equal female and male lead singers): 14 (2.8%)
| Enduring Vision charity dinner and concert Tuesday, November 18 2003 |
Fan report by Richard Joline.
This charity event on November 12, 2003 at Capital in New York City was put together to raise money for the EJAF and promote awareness. At $2,500 a head and 400 lucky folks in attendance, both goals were accomplished. Early on there was a private reception for the corporate sponsores who paid $50,000 or more for a table of 10.
Dinner was then served and Elton and David did a great job of making all feel welcome. As a lucky fan as well as contributor, I had a great time meeting Sir Elton, having my picture taken with him and Sting, saying hello to David (who by the way is an absolute gentleman), and thanking Bernie Taupin.
After the auction, which was highlighted by a fierce bidding war to have dinner with Elton and David in their home in Atlanta (The winning bid was in excess of $110,000), Sting made a brief introduction and Elton strode to the small stage. I was fortunate enough to shake his hand and thank him as he approached the piano and for the take 50 minutes it was Magic.
Unable to contain my self, I stood just off to the side of the stage and sang along with every number. Unfortunately, being the somewhat stuffy crowd it was, I was probably a bit over the top with my standing ovation after each song - but I'll tell you that Elton seemed to appreciate my gratitude and I got more than one nod of approval from Bernie.
Among the songs were "Your Song", "Don't let the Sun go Down", "Ballad of the Boy with the Red Shoes", "Bennie and the Jets" (with that little swing piano solo) and several others.
As the evening came to a all too soon ending, I again shook his hand as he left the stage. As I walked out into the New York evening, I couldn't't help but think that I had just had a once in a lifetime experience.
| Elton John and band performed in Norfolk on November 14, 2003 Tuesday, November 18 2003 |
Fan report by Richard Joline.
The house lights went down just after 8pm in this 8,000 seat hockey arena and my adrenaline shot up as it always does at that moment - any minute the "spotlight's hitten something special" and I am in Elton Heaven once again.
As a New Yorker spending the evening is this "southern" town, I must say I was impressed by both the hospitality of the local folks and the genuine excitement they expressed for our favorite "SIR" as he graced their stage.
The set was identical to Fresno and AC, and I agree with Stephan (see Atlantic City report) that we could use a bit more variety, but let's remember something. He is playing to a broader audience that probably wouldn't appreciate a live version of say "Indian Sunset" or "Simple Life" as much as they would "Bennie and the Jets".
So I rocked along all night with much eye contact, a high five and two more autographs. (The cover of my original "Fox" album and the inside of "Single Man" - the car picture - how sweet is that?!!)
The new wardrobe is neat although I'm not the one to make fashion reviews - but I will tell you all this - and I hope Elton himself reads this. There was a moment late in the show when I could tell why he does this (performing) as much as he does. This little arena was standing and applauding so much that I think Elton was taken aback for a second - he LOVED the fact that we all loved him so much at that moment. His "thank you" to the crowd was so sincere and he expressed it to us perfectly. He was as thrilled as we were.
Naturally the band was as tight as ever and Guy Babylon seemed to be having an extra good time. But all of the fellows deserve so much credit for putting on this show as enthusiastically as they do.
As a veteran of more than 55 shows, this one was as good as any. I could go on and on, but I don't want to bore anyone any longer. I am just a fan, and if you are reading this you are too and I would love to exchange stories and experiences with any you. My wife and kids think I'm a bit nuts, but I want to go Florida on the weekend to catch another show. Although this much I know for sure - I'll be in Vegas more than once!
Thanks for reading and life is wonderful while he's in the world performing his music!!
Following is the complete set list of the Norfolk show on November 14, 2003:
| Elton John and band performed in Atlantic City on November 15, 2003 Monday, November 17 2003 |
Show report by Stephan Heimbecher. Photos by Bob Gennario.
Due to being on a business trip to New York on November 15, 2003, I had the opportunity of seeing Elton and the band in Atlantic City's Boardwark Hall that day (thanks Frank for the tickets!). For that, I had "the pleasure" of a 2 1/2 hours ride on a Greyhound bus full with people who's only intention was to loose some money in Atlantic City's casinos.
From the bus station it was only a short walk to the venue where I arrived approx. 7 pm. Due to the fact that this whole trip had been arranged very short-term, I didn't get the chance to contact any other fans prior to my arrival. As I did not see any familiar faces outside of the hall, I went straight in as it was kind of chilly outside.
The venue itself was pretty impressive. A very large brickstone hall which turned out to be hard to handle for Clive in terms of acoustics. Hence, my ear plugs went in seconds after Guy had hit the first notes of "Funeral For A Friend".
The set list itself was exactly the same as at the Fresno show which kicked off this leg of the current world tour (Does anyone know when exactly it started? Elton seems to be on one gigantic world tour since 1992 ...). No less than six (!) tracks from "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" - compared to only four from the latest album.
I don't know whether it was just my personal feeling, but it appeared to me that Elton was a little bit agitated and not concentrated through the whole set. Even the band introduction only lasted a few seconds. I don't know what was rushing him (maybe an early curfew on Atlantic City's airport), but one could hear quite a few awry keys here and there.
Anyway, it was a great show as always, although I would wish for a few more musical surprises in the set in the future. "Come Down In Time" was the only runaway from the "normal" set, and "Rocket Man" was again almost a completely new version compared to earlier tours. But apart from that - keeping in mind Elton's vast repertoire - the choice of songs - in my mind - was a bit too familiar.
Towards the end of the show Elton dedicated "Tiny Dancer" to a lady who had held up a sign saying "It's my 40th - sing for me" earlier during the show.
Following is the complete set list of the Atlantic City show on November 15, 2003:
| Win a trip to see Elton in Paris Tuesday, November 11 2003 |
Elton fans from the UK have a chance to win tickets and flights/accommodation for the Elton John concert in Paris on December 2, 2003.
Winningnote.com has two prizes for two people to give away. This is an illustrative offer for their new form of promotion.
Winnignote.com are a UK venture that has created a new fun email prize game. One of their example offers is to win two trips for two people from UK to Paris to see Elton John on December 2, 2003. Participants try to win by getting a winningnote and sending it to friends. The 5007th one to respond will win the prize. (That will not take long if a few people send to a few other friends, the numbers get large quickly.)
like.
Please note that they are legally restricted to making this offer within the UK. Good luck!
| EJAF benefit auction Tuesday, November 11 2003 |
11Alive, the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Southeast Chapter of UNICEF are working together to raise money for care and support programs for children orphaned with AIDS. There are two ways you can participate.
Auction: Starting November 9, 2003, 11Alive.com and e-Bay will auction off 11 pairs of tickets for Elton's upcoming concert at the Gwinnett Civic Center on November 19, 2003. The highest bidder for each pair of tickets will also receive one Elton John collectable.
Contest: On November 9 and November 16, 2003, 11Alive will give away two pairs of tickets to the 11th caller during the 11 p.m. news with Karyn Greer and Walt Maciborski.
| Elton John and band performed in Fresno on November 8, 2003 Tuesday, November 11 2003 |
Fan report by Pam. Photos by Valerie Gomez.
We arrived at the Savemart venue in Fresno around 11:30 am, where we went to the box office to see when the Rocket tickets would be handed out. There was quite a line already, so I just went up and asked a guy who was out there talking to the people.
Come to find out, they were all there to get Sarah Brightman tickets that were just going onsale, and he was not very cooperative in telling me when the Rocket tickets would be handed out...said he was dealing with these onsale, would worry about the Elton tickets later.
Soooooo, we went and found our hotel (never rely on Yahoo maps to give you good directions), unloaded and headed back to the venue. Per the Savemart website, box office would be open day of event at 1:00 pm or 2 hours before show time, whichever was earlier. But they weren't ready to hand out Rocket tickets! Said they had to be printed up....and guess what, you know how the tickets in Europe and England have nice pictures on them of the venue?
Well, the rocket tickets were like that...with the savemart center on the ticket...and what with their new way of just scanning your ticket, you get to keep the whole thing. Only the rocket tickets had the picture, as far as I know).
Well, Elton was the 2nd event to be held at this brand new arena. It is really gorgeous and his fans filled it to the brim!! In talking with people waiting there were alot of first timers and I told them they were in for a treat!!
It was raining hard, off and on, and yet we waited, kept being told a later, and later time to pick up the tickets. So in the meantime, we wandered over to the back end of the stadium where we spotted the trucks, and the long ramp down to the loading docks. We chatted with the guard at the entrance to the ramp and had asked if Elton and the band were here yet, and he said no.
We saw the limo parked down there, but then in a little bit it took off. We asked if that was the limo going to pick up Elton and he said, yeah, one of them. So we waited and waited, went back a couple of times to check the box office. We went back to the ramp and my friend said here he comes....and I'm all where?
Well, my friends, here comes a motorcade, Elton and the bands limos were escorted by a total of 10 motorcycle cops, and 3 police cars, lights a flashing and sirens a blaring! It was an awesome sight to see! There were 4 motorcyle cops in the front, a police car, then the 2 limos, another cop car, and 2 motorcycle cops pulling up the rear.
You could see them when they were coming down off the off ramp what with all the lights going!! So we waved as they drove in and of course, we have no idea if they saw us....standing there in the rain, wind..very chilly......but I'd do it again in a heartbeat!
After that, we walked back over to the box office, where we were told, the tickets wouldn't be ready till 6:00 pm .... this was around 5:00 pm, so we headed back to our room to get ready. Back at the venue, we picked up our tickets. We had sect 1, row J, seats 9 and 10, which were a direct inline with Elton. We were very happy with our seats. We did of course, have one of the ticket agents continue to look for late release seats, but nothing came up. We finally went inside the venue around 6:15 pm, though they hadn't officially opened the doors to the people, we saw people inside, so we just walked in.
We stopped at the souvenir table, Ruth got a program, to hopefully get signed for her neice, but that didn't happen. I chose to wait till after the concert to get my t-shirt, a new one for this leg of the tour Fresno being first!
We walked on down to the floor, finding our seats, and proceded to look around and see who we could find. I went and talked to a couple of security guards, trying to get a set list, one guy said he'd see what he could do, but at the end. He said he couldn't get one. I had asked what was the "go to the stage" song and the one guy had said Holiday Inn, but then when I talked to this other guy, he had his set list in his hand and I looked and confirmed with him again what was the song. He said it was actually the song after "Holiday Inn", which was "Saturday Night".
Well folks, he didn't play "Holiday Inn", and when he started playing "Saturday", well I squeezed through my row, and tried to go up to the stage, only to be blocked by security. Man was I upset. So for the next few songs, I stood there and they started to send people back to their seats. I just kind of scooted to the side to make a long story short, they finally let me go up for the last song. Well, just before the last song, as he did his autograph sweep.
I was clear on the end of the stage, behind his piano, and he stopped just short of me with doing the autographs, so I didn't get one this time, which was fine, I just wished I could have been allowed to the stage sooner.
Details: Suit was black with rhinestone design across the chest and on the sleeves. His shirt was a navy blue (not bright enough to be called royal blue, but a little brighter than navy), hung out of his jacket, all the way around, I believe it went just about to his knees. He wore a dangly earring, it looked like 3 strands of dangly stones ... diamonds I'm sure that were 3 different lengths. For his last song, he had changed into a black warm up suit, white stripes and on his right arm it said PEACE and on the back it said, ANGEL HEART. His getaway shoes were very glittery sparkly tennis shoes.
The show pretty much started on time, at 8:00 pm and he ended around 10:50 pm or so. Elton was in a good mood, smiled alot, and he did a great job, and you could tell he was happy by his performance the way he would stand up after each song, (just about) and give the "yeah" fist thing....if ya get what I mean.
Following is the complete set list of the Fresno show on November 8, 2003:
| The Heart of Every Girl Saturday, November 8 2003 |
A new song written by Elton John and Taupin is featured in the film "Mona Lisa Smile".
"Mona Lisa Smile", a film starring Julia Roberts as a young art-history professor in 1953, doesn't open until December 19, 2003. But you'll be able to experience its half-century journey back in time on November 25, 2003 when the soundtrack arrives, with a posse of pop stars crooning new versions of old standards.
The soundtrack for the new film Mona Lisa Smile includes covers of 1950s songs by contemporary artists. It will also contain a new song from Elton John.
Barbra Streisand, Kelly Rowland, Tori Amos, Seal, Macy Gray, Chris Isaak, Alison Krauss and Lisa Stansfield are among those contributing. Sony Music Soundtrax president Glen Brunman says album producer Trevor Horn sought to capture the mood of the period, "so that while the style plays today, it fits naturally into the movie. You don't stop and say, 'Oh, my God, that's Celine Dion.' "
There also is a new song, "The Heart of Every Girl", written by Elton John with longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin and sung by Elton. "They did an amazing job of capturing the era and the aura of the film," Brunman says.
| Elton John tax dispute Wednesday, November 5 2003 |
Elton John is disputing a multi-million pound tax bill going back 14 years, reports contactmusic.com.
He is well-known for his lavish lifestyle, which he funds through vast earnings generated through number one albums and sell-out world tours.
The claim is described as an "ongoing dispute" by officials at Companies House, where Elton's accountants William A Bong have lodged the query.
A friend of Elton explains, "He can easily afford the amount in question. But he strongly believes the Revenue has got it wrong and he doesn't owe anything."
| "The Vampire Lestat" private NYC reading Tuesday, November 4 2003 |
"The Vampire Lestat", the new musical by songwriters Elton John and Bernie Taupin, based on the blood-thirsty and love-hungry characters of Anne Rice, gets a private reading for the producers and creative team beginning November 4, 2003, Playbill On-Line reports.
The cast for the 29-hour, Equity-approved reading of the early draft of the show includes James Barbour (Jane Eyre) as Lestat, Jack Noseworthy (Sweet Smell of Success), Steve Blanchard (Beauty and the Beast) and Max Von Essen (Dance of the Vampires) and other performers.
The project, from new producer Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures — and with Manny Azenberg as a partner — was announced in May 2003, aiming for a 2005 staging.
The score of the dawning show is said to be more legit and traditional than pop and rock. The libretto is by Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast, Aida and the film, "The Lion King"). Robert Jess Roth (Beauty and the Beast) directs.
When it was announced in spring 2003, the project's working title was The Vampire Lestat. "'Interview With the Vampire' is one of my favorite books and Anne Rice is one of my favorite authors," Elton said in an earlier statement. "Although this project has taken a while to come together, I firmly believe we have the right team in place. The Vampire Lestat is the first stage musical that I've written with Bernie which makes it even more special for me."
Taupin added, "Anne had always loved the idea of seeing her Vampire Chronicles set in some sort of serious and seductive musical setting and for all of the parties involved this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Our intention is make a classically-based show that is stripped of gothic clichés and that shows the vampire dealing with his damnation on a more realistic and human level. Please let me make this clear this is NOT a rock opera. Our hope is that it will be stylish, sexy, intelligent, rich and hypnotically dark."
The title character has been adapted for the screen in such films as "Interview With the Vampire" and "Queen of the Damned." Both movies drew on the original best-selling novels by Anne Rice.
| Surprise, surprise Tuesday, November 4 2003 |
Elton John paid a surprise visit to telly’s Pop Idol finalists on November 3, 2003 after hearing they will be performing his songs on this weekend’s show.
Elton stunned the eight remaining hopefuls when he popped into the West London studio where they were rehearsing.
As well as giving Chris, Michelle, Roxanne, Kim, Andy, Mark, Sam and Susanne a pep talk, he also performed on the piano while they sang along.
He asked for the visit after he was told each of the hopefuls would be covering one of his chart hits.
A Pop Idol source told me: “The producers knew he was dropping by but didn’t say a word to the contestants. They were just messing about in the studio when they turned around and saw Elton standing in the doorway.
“Their faces were a picture. They couldn’t believe he was there in person. He sat down at the piano and started playing and they all sang along.
“Elton was great and very supportive. He was clearly touched that they were singing his songs on Saturday’s show.”
Elton’s involvement is a surprise. In the past he has made no secret of his feelings about reality TV pop shows.
He once slammed HEAR’SAY — the winners of the original Popstars — branding them “ugly.”
He said at the time: “They are the ugliest band I’ve ever seen. If you’re going to have a boy band or girl band, then they’ve got to be good looking.”Related News
Monday, November 3 2003 at 12:13:02
| UK Pop Idol goes Elton Monday, November 3 2003 |
The second series of the UK Pop Idol TV series has now reached the Finals stage, with the chosen singers gradually being reduced down to find the overall 'Pop Idol'.
Each week the contestants are given a theme, from which
they each have to sing a song. For instance, this week they had to sing a song from the year in which they were born.
For the next edition, to be broadcast on ITV1 November 8, 2003, the remaining eight contestants are all required
to sing Elton John songs.
One of the contestants, Chris, is an avowed Elton fan, and sang 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me' two weeks ago, when the theme was the contestants own pop idols.
The songs of Elton John have already featured quite heavily in 'Pop Idol', 'Fame Acadamy', and their various overseas equivalents. Despite this, Elton has been a fairly outspoken critic of the format.
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