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On September 16/17, 2006, protestors gathered around the world for what has been called by the UN, one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Elton John, Annie Lennox and Bob Geldof were just some celebrities that added their voice to the plea for international action in war-torn Darfur, Sudan. The famous musicians, along with other stars, added their names to a letter urging the British government to action.

The later stated, "We call on our government to move Darfur to the top of its priority list until a U.N. force is deployed and the people of Darfur are protected," according to the Associated Press.

An estimated 200, 000 people have been killed in the conflict and more than 2 million forced to flea from their homes.

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By Jack Suslak, Lynn,MA USA

I just got back from Walmart in NH where we got the CD at midnight. And we listened to the album in the car and we all thought the album is brilliant. I really feel that this is the best album Elton has put out in 30 years. The sound really echoes those classic works, but he has put new spins with these songs to make it all unique. One thing that is clearly obvious how upfront the piano is and that makes it really an amazing album. Another great thing is that the album is just Elton and the Band thats it.

Individual Song Reviews

Postcards- Great Opener letting us know where we are starting our journey, great piano and backing vocals, and the ending with the doubled pianos is really cool making this an Amazing one. A

Noah's Ark- Nice uptempo tune with a good energetic vocal on this one but I feel its probably the weakest one on the album. But its still a cool song and I love to hear Arthur barking on this. B+

Wouldnt Have You Any Other Way- A just gorgeous love ballad about the city Elton Loves the most NYC and is just a great song to sing along with, towards the end it reminds me a bit of Empty Garden, and the bridge here is really solid. And the ending little bit with Elton and Davey is really cool. A

Tinderbox- Chilling intro leads intro a great vocal intro with nice acoustic guitar by Davey. I really like the lyrics which talk about the time when Elton's popularity waned a bit. But to me what makes this song really shine is the bridge again really Elton rocks out. And the Band also really shines on this one. A-

And The House Fell Down- An Instant Classic, A type of Uptempo fun song that many doubted that Elton could ever do again. The song starts out cool with great piano and you can hear Elton's Evil laugh too. Reminds me some of Crystal, A Little Peace and I'm Still Standing. The little rap bit is unexpected but could be a bit of a preview of the future direction EJ might take. Also nice backing vocals singing along with Elton, But the piano throughout the song is just incredible. And I love how you can hear the huffing at the end. A+

Blues Never Fade Away- Ever since we ever heard that Elton was going to reprise Captain Fantastic with this new album The Captain and The Kid, fans wanted a classic song that could least remind people of Someone Saved, now this song isnt that good, but what we got hear is one of the top 30 songs he ever did. You know instantly from the piano intro that you are going to hear something amazing This song is so powerful featuring arguably some of the best vocals ever did on record. Lyrics are also great here also paying tribute to people like Ryan White, Versace, and Lennon. Its chilling to hear the siren wail after the bridge of the song. But the passion on the song is hard to beat and this one is without a doubt my favorite song on the album. A++

The Bridge- Has a tough role to follow up to Blues but this song is brilliant on its own. First of all i love how the majority of the song is just Elton and the piano and its a really brave step to do this, but he carries that brilliant, I love how strong he sings the song. Also love the reference to Your Song. The song's universal makes it a song that anyone can refer to and enjoy. But the backing vocals during the instrumental break are just angelic and brilliant, I kinda reminds me a bit of Border Song and Bridge Over Troubled Water. It was a good choice for the single and I love how he says Fade Away at the End. A

I Must Have Lost it On The Wind- Starts off with a cool harmonica intro ala Keep It A Mystery. But what makes this song unique in the Elton catalog, is its obvious tribute to Bob Dylan and his song Blowing in the Wind with the way he sings this. But at the same time Elton makes it its own great song. And the lyrics are really good and it also has a nice country feel which makes it sound even more like Dylan. A

Old 67- Has an intro very reminiscent of Amoreena and Bennie and The Jets for a bit, but it goes off into a great song talking about Elton and Bernie's meeting in Nice in 2001, and the chorus is really cool. And Elton's vocals shine here on this one, And its a good fune to listen to. And the best part he uses a whole section of your song's lyrics in the chorus. A-

The Captain and The Kid- Love how he bookends the two albums by using the original riff from Captain Fantastic. Also the verses remind me very much of Something About The Way You Look Tonight but it is in a very cool way. Another great lyrical song with a clear country feel. The song might have the best chorus on the album. And the way he emphesizes the vocals on the last time through the chorus is really cool and is a great way to end a great album. A

Overall I would give this album a grade of A, its really that you can listen to in its entirety and know you got 10 great songs. I am so proud that Elton and Bernie and the Band could make such a brilliant album and I thank you all for that.

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Elton John wields a mean tennis racquet, and he had the courage to do so in front of pros Billie Jean King, Andy Roddick, Pete Sampras, Anna Kournikova and Rennae Stubbs.

Plus, Elton didn’t mind that his athletic performance was captured on camera. This is bravery, but the pop music icon got physical to raise money for AIDS organizations, including his namesake Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Besides celebrity tennis matches, the All-Star WTT Smash Hits benefit on September 14, 2006 featured auctions for items like Wimbledon seats and a guitar autographed by Jon Bon Jovi.

Anna Kournikova played with strength, despite speculation in the press that her shrinking frame may be due to an eating disorder. Anna was looking kind of bony on the court, and our source told us that people on the tennis circuit have nicknamed her “Anorexikova”.

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Following is the complete set list of the San Jose, CA show on September 16, 2006.

• Funeral for a Friend
  
• Love Lies Bleeding
  
• Bennie and the Jets
  
• Philadelphia Freedom
  
• Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
  
• Believe
  
• Tiny Dancer
  
• I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
  
• Take Me To The Pilot
  
• Someone Saved My Life Tonight
  
• I Want Love
  
• Postcards from Richard Nixon
  
• Just Like Noah's Ark
  
• I Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way (NYC)
  
• Tinderbox
  
• Blues Never Fade Away
  
• The Bridge
  
• Captain and The Kid
  
• Mona Lisa's and Mad Hatters
  
• Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
  
• Rocket Man
  
• Daniel
  
• Levon
  
• Crocodile Rock
  
• Bitch is Back
  
• Saturday Night
  
  
• Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
  
• Your Song

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With the upcoming release of his new album TONY BENNETT: DUETS/An American Classic on September 26, 2006, musical icon Tony Bennett brings his television special to NBC this Thanksgiving holiday. "Tony Bennett: An American Classic," presented by Target, premieres on Tuesday, November 21, 2006 (8-9 p.m. ET).

In a rare television guest appearance, Barbra Streisand joins Bennett for a duet of "Smile," which is the track they recorded for his DUETS album. Off of the heels of the release of her #1 selling album "Back to Basics," Christina Aguilera also joins the star-studded cadre of popular artists representing a wide range of musical genres from Pop, R&B, Latin and Jazz who sing with Bennett.

Musical performances include "The Shadow of Your Smile" with Juanes; "Rags to Riches" with Elton John; "The Best Is Yet to Come" with Diana Krall; "For Once In My Life" with Stevie Wonder; "Because of You" with k.d. lang and trumpeter Chris Botti; "Just In Time" with Michael Bubl; "Sing You Sinners" with John Legend; "Steppin' Out With My Baby" with Christina Aguilera; and "Smile" with Barbra Streisand.

"NBC is honored to salute the 80th birthday of this legendary entertainer," said Kevin Reilly, President of NBC Entertainment. "Hollywood's best will perform alongside an entertainer who is loved by millions of fans, and our viewers will have a chance to learn more about this man's extraordinary career."

The one-hour music special takes viewers on a spectacular journey through the renowned singer's life. Set amongst the backdrops of different eras from Bennett's career, performances will include duets of his most memorable songs as well as spectacular dance numbers. Each musical performance is shot as a short movie with Bruce Willis, Robert De Niro, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Billy Crystal narrating and introducing milestones in Bennett's life.

"Tony Bennett: An American Classic" is produced and directed by Academy Award winner Rob Marshall ("Chicago," "Memoirs of a Geisha") and his Oscar-winning production team, including production designer John Myrhe, costume designer Colleen Atwood, cinematographer Dion Beebe and choreographer John DeLuca.

"Working with Tony Bennett on this extraordinary and historic event has not only been thrilling for me, but also a singular honor," said Rob Marshall. "Mr. Bennett is an authentic and legendary icon who has helped shape the landscape of American music. Paying tribute to him in this way, with such an illustrious group of artists and creative talent, has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Referred to as "the best singer in the business" by Frank Sinatra, Bennett has sold over 50 million albums worldwide, with over 100 recordings to his credit, and has garnered 13 Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Rob Marshall ("Chicago," "Memoirs of a Geisha"), John DeLuca ("Terminal," "Chicago") and Danny Bennett ("Tony Bennett Live by Request: An All-Star Tribute") serve as executive producers with Marshall directing. The special is produced by RPM TV Productions, Inc.

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Following is the complete set list of the Sacramento, CA show on September 15, 2006.

• Funeral for a Friend
  
• Love Lies Bleeding
  
• Bennie and the Jets
  
• Philadelphia Freedom
  
• Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
  
• Believe
  
• Tiny Dancer
  
• I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
  
• Take Me To The Pilot
  
• Someone Saved My Life Tonight
  
• I Want Love
  
• Postcards from Richard Nixon
  
• Just Like Noah's Ark
  
• I Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way (NYC)
  
• Tinderbox
  
• Blues Never Fade Away
  
• The Bridge
  
• I Must Have Lost It On The Wind
  
• Old 67
  
• Captain and The Kid
  
• Mona Lisa's and Mad Hatters
  
• Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
  
• Rocket Man
  
• Daniel
  
• Levon
  
• Crocodile Rock
  
• Bitch is Back
  
• Saturday Night
  
  
• Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
  
• Your Song

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Elton John has rubbished claims he will make a guest appearance on British reality TV show THE X FACTOR, dubbing the contest "a cruise ship show" and "f**king cruel".

Elton accuses the programme, where aspiring singers compete against each other to win a recording contract, of exploiting its contestants for the sake of making money.

He likens the contest, fronted by his friend Sharon Osbourne, Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Paula Abdul, to a karaoke show, as the contestants only perform other artists' songs. He says, "I read somewhere that I was supposed to be taking part in that... rubbish! The X Factor is a cruise ship show.

"I've got nothing against the people who go on - good luck to them. But I hate how they're treated. They're given an awful sense of stardom and pressure straight away but they're only successful until the next series.

"The record companies sell a lot of records and those people are gone. It's f**king cruel. Will Young is the best thing that's ever come out of those shows. He has proved himself. But it's no way to find talent. I want to hear new songwriters, people who are creating their own stuff, not just singing my songs every week."

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Elton John and George Michael appear to have settled their public feud.

The stars, both of whom are gay, fell out after Elton told the world in 2004 that Michael was miserable and needed to get out more.

Michael responded with a furious open letter saying Elton was no friend of his.

Michael, the former Wham! star, recently drew attention by being pictured emerging from a gay sex haunt in Hampsted Heath, an area of London.

In an interview on ITV, Elton said with a laugh: "George is great. I haven't seen him since Hampstead Heath. George and I are fine. He came and stayed down my house last year."

Asked about Michael's recent behavior, Elton said: "It's up to him what he does with his life, and I don't really want to get into that any more."

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Bernie Taupin has revealed he writes hidden messages into the songs he creates for Elton John.

The acclaimed lyricist, who has worked in partnership with Sir Elton for 40 years, frequently takes full advantage of his position to sneak cryptic messages into their music - with Elton often only realising years afterwards.

He admits, "I've always tried to be aware of his feelings or his social or political bent, but sometimes I can be cryptic, so I've slid things in there that I know he won't realise until later on.

"I've been standing on the side of the stage ten years after I've written a certain lyric and he's come off stage and said, 'I've just realised what you said in that song.'"

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Elton John, Jazz icon Herbie Hancock, the late father of modern Nubian music, Hamza el Din, and classical violinist Ida Haende are featured in a series of 30-second and 60-second television public service announcements to promote Daniel Pearl World Music Days -- an international network of concerts scheduled from October 6 to 15, 2006.

Their video message to professional and amateur musicians around the world is a simple one: "Join us in using the universal language of music to diminish hatred, respect differences and reach out in friendship by dedicating performances for 'Harmony for Humanity.'"

"Danny was a talented musician and principled journalist who respected all cultures and found magic in every person," said Judea Pearl, Daniel's father and president of the Daniel Pearl Foundation. "World Music Days, which commemorates Danny's October 10, 2006 birthday, is his legacy to raise awareness of our common humanity. All musicians, no matter their genre, are invited to dedicate performances held from October 6 through 15, 2006. We simply ask that they say a few words from the stage or in the program in affirmation of the principles for which Danny stood," he added.

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If you believe the New York Post, Elton John’s critically acclaimed musical “Billy Elliot” may indeed have a Broadway debut in its future.

The stage production, an adaptation of the 2000 film about a working-class English boy who wants to be a ballet dancer, has been a hit in London’s West End.

However, Elton, director Stephen Daldry and writer Lee Hall are going back to work to make the show a bit more accessible to an American audience, prior to its scheduled 2008 debut here.

Says producer Eric Fellner in the New York Post: “Stephen decided that if we’re going to take the show to Broadway and other places, we really want it to be as strong as possible. He felt he could do better. Lee and Elton felt they could do better.”

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Icon Film Distribution has announced that "It's a Boy Girl Thing" will open in cinemas everywhere on the December 29, 2006.

"It's a Boy Girl Thing" is a high-jinx romantic comedy about next-door neighbours who live worlds apart. Woody Deane and Nell Bedworth, life-long sworn enemies, wake up one day to find themselves in a very strange place: each others bodies. In their switched identities, each sets about to destroy the other's high school reputation. When they start to succeed they get more than they bargained for. Sometimes falling in love can be an out of body experience.

"It's a Boy Girl Thing" stars Kevin Zegers (Transamerica, Zoom Academy), Samaire ArmstrongSharon Osbourne (The Osbournes, The X-Factor). The film is directed by Nick Hurran (Little Black Book, Girl's Night) and written by Geoff Deane (Kinky Boots). The producers are Steve Hamilton Shaw (Gnomeo and Juliet) and David Furnish (Gnomeo and Juliet, Billy Elliot the Musical) of Rocket Pictures and Martin Katz (Hotel Rwanda, Spider) of Prospero Pictures. The film is executive produced by Elton John (The Lion King, Billy Elliot the Musical).

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The award winning musical "Aida" kicks off its 2006 -2007 national tour at Fayetteville's Walton Arts Center.

"I've seen the play before and it is really unique and interesting," said journalism major Brandon Harris. "It has a lot of authenticity to the region from which it originated. It is not your standard love story and is fun to watch. No matter what you go to see the play for, the ending will please you. 'Aida' can appeal to everyone."

"Aida" is a modern musical about the classic tales of love, loyalty, betrayal, and courage with a pop twist. It is based on the opera of the same name by Giuseppe Verdi.

The music is described as having urban-based rhythm and blues, gospel inspired songs, ballads and Crocodile Rock songs.

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Elton performed a rather secretive show at St Luke's in London on September 11, 2006. Fan report by David Wright.

Only a mention in the magazine Radio Times provided less than a week's notice of an event that nearly passed us all by.

St Luke's is an 18th-century Grade 1 listed church, restored to become the home of the London Symphony Orchestra's community and music education programme.

A dedicated band of die-hard fans were gathering at the venue hours ahead to be sure of getting in and, of course, getting to the front. Free tickets are issued for TV recordings of this kind but they do not guarantee entrance and are deliberately over-subsribed to allow for 'no-shows'. With a certain number of BBC and LSO staff with guaranteed tickets, it is believed that hundreds were turned away disappointed.

"Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" must be the perfect opener for any show and in such an intimate venue it was stunning.

"Bennie And The Jets" is an old favourite that Elton has performed for over 30 years but he keeps finding ways to breathe new life into old songs. This was a brilliant version with so much creativity and energy it reminds me all over again why I am an Elton fan!

It was a pleasant surprise to see Bernie Taupin standing to the left of the stage. He left after the new songs.

As he has done before, Elton almost apologised for playing new songs, even though that was why were there. He talked about how this album was his manager's idea and while "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" was about dealing with failure pre-1970, "The Captain and the Kid" is about dealing with success.

The new album was written and recorded in 20 days on a stage in Atlanta where they usually rehearse.

The first song, "Postcards From Richard Nixon", is about when he and Bernie first arrived in the USA to be met by a red London bus and had few expectations other than to visit record stores.

"Just Like Noah's Ark" is about how Elton and Bernie went everywhere together and had to fend off 'arseholes' who were trying to get them to sign contracts.

Elton said he has made his best vocal performance on any album on "Blues Never Fade Away" which is about losing people.

There was only one disappointment for me, the ommission of "And The House Fell Down" - arguably the best song on the album.

Introducing "I Must Have Left It On The Wind" Elton said that he and Bernie had both found love but (with an ironic smile) this song is about the disasters that went before.

The final, and title, song includes the familar riff from "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirty Cowboy".

Elton seemed to relax a little when back into familiar territory with "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" and an energetic "The Bitch Is Back".

The show was the first in the series 'BBC One Sessions' and 50 minutes from it will be broadcast on BBC1 on Thursday September 14, 2006 at 10.35pm.

Setlist

• Funeral For A Friend
  
• Love Lies Bleeding
  
• Bennie And The Jets
  
• Believe
  
• Someone Saved My Life Tonight
  
• Postcards from Richard Nixon
  
• Just Like Noah's Ark
  
• I Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way (NYC)
  
• Tinderbox
  
• Blues Never Fade Away
  
• The Bridge
  
• I Must Have Lost It On The Wind
  
• Old '67
  
• The Captain And The Kid
  
• Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
  
• The Bitch Is Back
  
  
• Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters (solo)

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Elton has revealed the real reason why he split from his last record company Mercury - executives wanted him to record an album of Motown Christmas hits.

Elton was outraged by the suggestion he record a series of soulful festive favourites after his critically acclaimed 2004 album "Peachree Road" flopped - and decided it was time to move on.

He tells Rolling Stone magazine, "Over my dead body will I ever do a Christmas album. Why would I do that when I work with someone who comes up with such great lyrics as Bernie Taupin?"

Elton signed to Interscope and he and Taupin set about writing and recording a sequel to hit 1975 LP "Captain Fantastic" - and his next project will be a hip-hop album featuring collaborations with Dr Dre and Eminem.

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New album eelease from celebrity therapist and musician Beechy Colclough. Resume by Stephanie Thorburn - Freelance Music Writer.

Beauchamp Colclough’s life force remains one of extremes and somewhat controversial as far as recent press reports are concerned. Having returned to professional songwriting after 27 years, Beechy has spent some six months focusing on producing his debut 12-track album, ‘Darkness To The Light.’ This title is of course somewhat prophetic and intended as an allusion to his own life path, which at first glance would appear to best resemble the concept of ‘American Pie.’

One of the highlights of Beechy’s musical career dates back to his time living in Guernsey. Having spent his formative years on the island sweeping streets, washing dishes and drinking with the likes of Oliver Reed, his performance with Elton John’s band defied the odds. With a little coercion, Elton and Colclough played on stage in the Fermain Tavern to an audience of 300. Elton made an unconventional performance in jeans, offering a truly intimate set to the faithful. Perhaps the pinnacle of his relationship with the therapist was expressed not long after this in his much quoted Preface to Colclough’s ‘The Effective Way To Stop Drinking’, where he addresses with touching candour, his most crucial turning point, "When I made the decision to fight for my life, I began to change emotionally and spiritually. I truly believe that communication is the greatest form of therapy- to tell someone how you feel. I began to talk and write about my life.. I realised how precious life is.” August 1992.

‘Darkness To The Light’ is a spiritual album that resonates with Elton’s sentiments remarkably well; it’s surprising that the media have not yet uncovered this work. The title track is an anthem for dyslexia and the empowerment of communication using the written word, produced in aid of Moon Hall Schools Educational charity, (www.moonhallcollege.com) Empowerment for the disenfranchised is most definitely the key theme of this album, with Beechy addressing a surprisingly diverse range of controversial issues. ‘A Letter To Katya’ voices the lament of immigrant women, enslaved into a life of abuse, whilst ‘A Father’s Son’ narrates the cost of human devastation felt on both sides of the Iraq war.

Without a doubt this is a powerfully humanist album that is spoken through Beechy’s understated Irish vocals and complemented with the essence of some sophisticated R & B. Colclough is joined by Bobby Bradley, guitarist/ producer for the likes of The Sugarbabes and Girls Aloud, together with Dan Hegarty, session guitarist for Massive Attack, with Mick Gaughan on bass and Richard Causton on keyboards/piano. The net result of the project and its personnel is the production of some very haunting music, delivered with the same candour as folk heroes of the Van Morrison ilk.

Clearly this is a serious excursion into singer/songwriting for Beechy, formerly known for his therapeutic work with stars including Elton John, Robbie Williams and Michael Jackson. I suspect that the press have only focussed on a partial picture of Beechy to date- to my mind, this release deserves some attention.

Links:
http://www.myspace.com/75730022
http://www.beechycolclough.com/mymusic.html

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Samantha Morton was thrown out of Elton John's mansion after one of his prized possessions was smashed to smithereens.

The Alberto Giacometti sculpture - worth tens of thousands - was broken during a dinner party at Elton's lavish pad in London's Holland Park.

Sir Elton, 59, was away hosting Fashion Rocks in New York at the time - and no doubt there'll be hell to pay when he gets back.

Hosted by David Furnish and their friend Liz Hurley, it was to celebrate the launch of the new Versace store. The accident happened when Minority Report star Samantha, 29, and party planner Fran Cutler, 43, arrived.

The tail of Fran's dress brushed against Elton's beloved statue, knocking it to the ground. Horrified, David promptly booted out Fran, Sam and two other females in their party. We're told: "Judging by David's appalled reaction the statue was obviously worth a lot of money - he seemed very flustered and worried.

"He was hosting the party without Elton and the last thing he needed was for something like this to happen."

The Holland Park house in West London is one of five Elton owns around the world. In 2003 he sold its contents to create more room for his collection of contemporary art. So he's bound to be miffed at this little mishap. A Christie's source said: "The cheapest Giacometti we've ever sold was £156,000 and they can fetch up to £10million."

Sam and Fran's hasty exit from the do, where DJ Sam Young was spinning the tunes, meant they missed out on David's "special curry sauce".

They also lost the chance to hobnob with dinner guests Nicole Kidman, her husband Keith Urban, Rod Stewart, David Blaine and Thandie Newton.

David Furnish's spokesperson said September 8, 2006: "We don't want a smashed sculpture to overshadow what was a fantastic evening, raising money for a breast cancer charity."

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The all-star Fashion Rocks show on CBS on September 8, 2006 came off as a fun and frothy two hours - but for the audience who saw it live the night before at Radio City Music Hall, tedium ruled as performers flubbed their lines and long delays between acts caused some people to walk out.

The first big goof at the Fashion Week-inspired show came when Tim McGraw and Faith Hill finished a romantic duet and McGraw suddenly slipped and hit the ground face first as the whole audience gasped, reports The Post's Jennifer Fermino. The country star got back on his feet and limped off without saying a word.

Next, when Scott Weiland of the Stone Temple Pilots and former "Sopranos" star Drea de Matteo appeared as presenters, de Matteo blew her speech. "Oops, I just [bleep]ed up!" she barked. On the second take, Weiland stopped cold, muttering, "Sorry. We're going to have to do it again." Then de Matteo flubbed again, prompting the exasperated audience to boo. Eva Mendez and Francesco Costa also needed two takes.

The show, set to kick off at 8 p.m., started late, then ran past 11 with endless stretches between acts - which included Elton John, Beyoncé, Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Jamie Foxx and Rhianna.

The walkouts dismayed organizers. Making things worse, the producers asked the audience to applaud repeatedly for some of the acts.

"It was exasperating," one guest told Page Six. "It went on and on. There was nothing spontaneous. And, at first, you could bring drinks inside, and then you couldn't."

Backstage, there were mishaps aplenty in the green room, too, where celebs schmoozed and boozed. De Matteo flaunted the law by chain-smoking three cigarettes right under a "No Smoking" sign. Denise Richards spilled a drink on her dress when somebody bumped her, prompting Mendez to run off for napkins. Tommy Hilfiger enjoyed a passionate make-out session with his girlfriend right in front of his daughter, Ally. And Mischa Barton leaped from a couch to shoo away photographers.

The yearly event, honoring the relationship between fashion and music, benefits the Elton John AIDS foundation. Elton performed with some of today's hottest pop acts. Christina Aguilera paired up with Elton to sing a rendition of "Benny and the Jets" while Black Eyed Peas performed The Temptations' "Get Ready" with him.

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On September 2, 2006, Elton and the band performed at the Sopot Festival in Poland.

You can find various video clips from the broadcast of that show on YouToube.

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Vivendi's Universal Music Group put itself in line to become the world's No. 1 music-publishing company after its $2.1 billion offer won a widely watched bidding war for Bertelsmann's BMG Music Publishing Group.

If approved by antitrust officials in Europe and the USA, Universal will pick up more than 1 million copyrights for an eclectic array of songs from artists including Coldplay, Barry Manilow, Christina Aguilera, R. Kelly, the Bee Gees, Elvis Costello, Puccini and Ravel.

Universal already has about 1 million copyrights, including those of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Paul Simon, Motown's Holland-Dozier-Holland, Madonna, Prince, Leonard Bernstein and Kiss.

Other bidders weren't disclosed. In addition to getting revenue when CDs or downloads are sold, music publishers collect royalties every time their songs are performed on radio, TV, movies, ads, concerts, online or even built into toys.

That has made it a coveted arm of the music business even as anemic album sales and piracy have staggered record companies.

The acquisition "is a unique opportunity to grow our music-publishing business and enhance the value of Universal Music Group," Vivendi CEO Jean-Bernard Levy said in a statement.

While the deal would give Universal the most copyrights, it still would have major rivals: In the second quarter, EMI controlled 19.8% of songs played on U.S. radio stations monitored by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. Warner/Chappell had 13.8%, Sony/ATV 10.5%, Universal 10.2% and BMG 7.3%.

"Only a handful of copyrights really matter," says Larry Mestel of Primary Wave Music Publishing, which has rights to Nirvana, Daniel Johnston and music from movies including Ben Hur. "The rest just clutter up the system."

Privately owned Bertelsmann put its music-publishing unit on the block to help repay loans it used to buy back a 25.1% stake owned by Belgian billionaire Albert Frere.

But BMG chief Thomas Rabe said in a statement that "Bertelsmann remains fully committed to its recorded music business through its partnership with Sony in Sony BMG Music Entertainment."

BMG publishing generated $234 million in revenue in the first half of 2006, about 2% of the total for Bertelsmann, the company reported on September 6, 2006.

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MOJO Magazine is featuring Elton John in the current edition with "The Ultimate Rock ‘N’ Roll Interview."

He trampled America, hung with his idols and took all the drugs in the tin. Elton John defined 70s rock superstardom from the height of his stacked heels to the depth of his depressions. Yet behind the goofy glasses seethed a complex relationship with his success, sexuality and his songwriting partner.

As Reg Dwight’s latest album revisits this golden age in more ways than one, MOJO writer, Tom Doyle, beards him in is lair, and finds the raconteur and melodist supreme, for the first time in 30 years, in genuine world-beating form.

MOJO RADIO: ELTON JOHN WEEKEND
Friday 15-17 September 2006

Saturday 16, 9pm (British time): Rocket Man – Elton in the 70s and now.

Sunday 17, 11pm (British time): Elton Live

Brilliant! So how can I tune in? Mojo Radio is available worldwide online at www.mojo4music.com, and in the UK on Freeview channel 721 and Sky Channel 0182.

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At The Rose Theater, New York, September 6, 2006. A fan report by J. Phillips.

I live in New York now, so I had a very good excuse to go to the premier of “The Captain And The Kid.” In fact, it was only a $5 cab ride and took all of 10 minutes, by far the shortest commute I’ve ever made to see Elton. Last year at this time, I flew from California to go to Madison Square Garden to hear Elton perform “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy,” which was the very first record album I ever bought 31 years ago. I had to go tonight because I knew that if I didn’t, I’d regret not being able to say, “I was there.”

The Rose Theater is the jazz theater of Lincoln Center, located in the brand new Time Warner building overlooking Columbus Circle. The building is a masterpiece and was the home of the Elton John exhibit around the time of the Lestat opening. There I saw many of Elton’s costumes, but more impressively, a number of Bernie’s paintings.

The concert started at 8:12 pm to a number of empty seats that quickly filled during the opening notes. I was taken aback by the trademark sound of wind for "Funeral For A Friend". The sparse stage led me to believe that this was going to be a very short concert of his new material only. I was wrong. I had no idea I was in for a 2 ½ hour full-on concert. The theater is small and accommodates only 1,231 people. Was he really going to blow this jazz house down?

It was basically full-throttle Elton in this house of jazz. I noticed that many of the people in the audience were corporate-types, and I overheard one ask another if he was a fan. “Well,” he said, “yeah, but not really.” Huh, I thought. I was concerned the audience was not going to receive this very well. But Elton played it safe. The next song was “Bennie and the Jets” and he turned the ending into a jazz fusion number which seemed to befit the setting. It wasn’t hard for me to predict the next song as Nigel counted down the beats to "Philadelphia Freedom". By now I was wondering if this was going to be an hour’s show or a full 90 minutes.

But it just kept going and going. It wasn’t until Elton started to talk about “Captain Fantastic” that I thought we were getting close to the good part. He played “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” which was a safe song to play. I love the song, but I would have rather heard “Captain Fantastic.” But by the time “Someone” was finished, I was ready to hear what I came for.

You see, despite the fact that eltonjohn.com has been offering up previews, I did listen to “The Bridge” but then decided that I wasn’t going to listen to anymore songs until I could hear the album end-to-end the way it was intended to be listened to. So, tonight was going to be a special night for me.

The moment arrived and Elton admitted that we had reached “the scary part, at least for us, maybe for you as well.” This really was the first time that most of the songs had ever been performed live.

Elton explained that “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” was about the years 1967-1970 when they had to deal with failure. The new album, he said, was the idea of his manager Merck Mercuriadis who acknowledged that Elton always said that Bernie now really was the Brown Dirt Cowboy living on a ranch in Santa Ynez (he couldn’t pronounce the name of the town) and talked about how he works with horses and cows, adding that he knows nothing about cows… “I’ve known some cows,” he said to great applause. And he added that Merck mentioned how he “swanned around in private jets” and really was “Captain Fantastic.” But more importantly, Elton said that the new album about the years 1970-2006 was about how they dealt with success - in other words, the opposite of the original album.

Elton mentioned that the album was recorded “live” on a stage in Atlanta. I thought for a moment about how “soft” the original “Captain” album was, and contrasted this to the idea of Elton “on stage” recording his new album with all of his new piano-playing tricks. But then it hit me: that’s right - if the album is up-to-date as of 2006, then recording “live” on a stage in Atlanta of all places makes perfect sense. It’s who he is today, not trying to emulate a sound from long ago.

He mentioned that the opening track “Postcards From Richard Nixon” was about how they arrived in LA in “September 1970,“ - we know it was August, of course. The audience liked this one, and it did sound like a good old-fashioned Elton song.

He then introduced “Just Like Noah’s Ark” by mentioning how Elton and Bernie were like two kids from England who had arrived in the states, and everyone was offering them contracts to be their manager, etc.

“Wouldn’t Have You Any Other Way” he said was a “love song” for New York, a city he says he loves, which offers the “best gig in town, Madison Square Garden.”

Elton said that “Tinderbox” was about the time when Elton and Bernie felt they were spending too much time together and maybe getting on each others nerves.

Elton then talked about how unfair it is that some people’s life are cut short and how other people get to live long lives. He said that “you never know when it’s your time to go” and then introduced “Blues Never Fade Away.”

“The Bridge” is the only song I’ve heard, and only once on eltonjohn.com. I remember the track being sparse and so I was surprised by the very beautiful chorus harmony during the bridge of the song, no pun intended. This was for me by far the best song of the evening.

When introducing “I Must Have Lost It On The Wind,” Elton remarked that the song was about their love life and that they had to compress it to a very short amount of time. Elton said that after years of drugs and alcohol and so forth, nobody could tell him anything. He loved Bernie’s lyric, “You couldn't tell me I was wrong, you couldn't tell me anything, and if you did then I guess I must have lost it on the wind.”

Elton introduced “Old 67” by saying that Bernie came to visit him for 5 days at his house in the South of France before they made “Songs From The West Coast.” He added that it was rare that they get to spend that much time together. He said that they agreed that they needed to “draw a line in the sand,” and recognize that their days in the sun, so to speak, were over, that they would no longer be having hit singles and that they should concentrate on making really great albums that they like. I take it that “67” refers to the year that their partnership started.

And then we reached the finale of “The Captain And The Kid” interlude, only skipping the song “And The House Fell Down.” Why it was dropped, I don’t know. Elton explained that the song incorporates the “riff” of the “Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy” melody in order to “complete the cycle,” in other words, the first song of the original album has the same melody as the last song of the sequel album. Did it work? Yes and no. It was nice to hear the old melody to tie the two together, but I’m not sure after one listen in concert whether it was a good idea of not. If the two songs end up being played back-to-back in concert, you know, it might be interesting.

I watched closely for the audience reaction during the new songs. I would have to say that most of the people attending were probably not real fans, so their interest level probably dropped considerably. I noticed that Elton made continual trips to his “Diet Coke” canister to elongate the applause, but it was fairly clear to me that some songs reached the audience and others didn’t. For the first time, I could sense in Elton’s presence a feeling of trepidation about audience reaction. He’s probably not used to these kind of settings where his music isn’t instantly recognizable. I’m sure some in the audience were wondering, “When is he going to play ‘Crocodile Rock.’”

And so, for what to me was going to be probably a 45-60 minute concert ended up being 2 ½ hours. After the “Captain” songs he returned to old favorites like “Tiny Dancer” and ultimately ended his concert with showstoppers like “The Bitch Is Back” which brought all of the audience out of their seats for the first time. Elton returned to play “Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)” and closed the show not with the predictable “Your Song,” but with a song he said he hadn’t planned to do. He said that he loves New York and played “Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters” - a song I hadn’t anticipated.

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On September 6, 2006, eltonfan.net is launching sixty-years-on.com - exactly 200 days before Elton’s 60th birthday on March 25, 2007.

Sixty-years-on.com is an initiative by eltonfan.net, the international Elton John Fan Club, and is solely dedicated to the celebration of Elton John’s 60th birthday on March 25, 2007.

This site will inform about events and other news related to Elton’s big day. It will also allow fans of Elton John to post congratulations (in the form of a simple text message, a photo/image and/or an audio/video clip). By March 25, 2007, that way sixty-years-on.com will be turned into one giant audiovisual state-of-the-art birthday card for Elton John.

Bookmark sixty-years-on.com today and begin preparing your contribution!

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Penny Lancaster was so scared of photographing Elton John she took husband Rod Stewart along for moral support.

The model-turned-photographer had to snap Elton after agreeing to photograph stars and their dogs for the new PDSA charity calendar, 'Pet Pawtraits'.

Despite being thrilled to be involved, Penny admits she found it very daunting to shoot such a huge icon.

Penny, 35, told Britain's Hello magazine: "I was so nervous before the Elton John shoot. I've met him a few times and he's always been really sweet and nice. But he's just this huge icon - I mean, he's one of the biggest legends.

"I was so apprehensive about it I had to ask Rod to come with me for support."

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Robbie Williams, Elton John and Westlife have been signed up to coach the UK X Factor finalists.

Judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne struck a secret deal to recruit the famous names to the Saturday night show.

Heart-throb Robbie, a huge X Factor fan, will coach the 16-25s. Elton John - whose first hit was way back in 1971 - will advise the over 25s.

And Irish band Westlife, who are managed by Louis, will pass on tips to the groups. The stars will join when the show goes live in October 2006.

An insider said: "Simon said he wanted this series to be the biggest and best yet. This is a massive coup."

Other stars who will make guest appearances on the ITV1 talent search include Robbie's former band Take That, American singer Mariah Carey and Simon's group Il Divo.

The Sunday Mirror can also reveal who each judge will look after - Simon will handle the 16- to 25-year-olds, Louis will take the over-25s and Sharon will take care of the groups.

Our source said: "The judges all pretend to take it lightly, but the truth is they are all desperate to win."

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David Buckley (the freelance writer and Mojo scribe who wrote the recent four-star review of "The Captain And The Kid") has some interesting news for all Elton John fans.

David has previously written biographies of David Bowie, R.E.M., the Stranglers and Roxy Music and his new book will be a biography of Elton John.

To be published early in 2007 by Andre Deutsch it’s entitled "Captain Fantastic: Elton John – the Biography". David is currently busy writing the book, but has let slip that it will contain exclusive interview material from a wide range of associates both past and present including Ray Cooper, Gary Osborne, Kiki Dee, Paul Buckmaster, Clive Franks, John Jorgenson, Charlie Morgan, Ken Scott, members of Bluesology, Elton’s old piano teacher, and also the webmaster of this very Elton John website!

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For over 20 years, the annual AVO SESSION Basel festival in Switzerland has played host to tens of thousands of visitors, who have enjoyed live performances in various music styles, from pop to soul, from Latin music to rock, from funk to blues and world music.

Elton John will perform a 120 minute show at the festival on November 17 and 18, 2006.

The festival offers high-quality entertainment in all areas, by bringing well-known artists to a small venue, with a club-like atmosphere and exclusive and creative performance combinations.

In previous years, names like A-Ha, Seal, Vaya Con Dios, Lionel Richie, Ronan Keating, Deep Purple and many others have all come to Basel, to take part in this unique event.

Sir Elton John has chosen the 2006 AVO SESSION Baselmusic festival, with its uniquely intimate 1,500-seat venue, to launch of his new album. The live performance will be broadcast with a delay of 30 minutes.

Tickets are on sale at Ticketcorner. Prices are CHF 160, 190 or 250.

For more information, please visit www.avo.ch.

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