Briefly: Guns N' Roses, Jane Monheit, Jackson Browne, William Hung
Guns N' Roses ' "Greatest Hits"--the first best-of set from the popular '80s rock group--is scheduled to hit stores on Feb. 14.
The album features 14 cuts, including all eight of the band's Top 40 Billboard Hot 100 tracks. Among the other tracks is the band's cover of The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil," from the 1995 film "Interview with the Vampire."
Singer Jane Monheit has signed an exclusive contract to record for Sony Classical. The 26-year-old Long Island, NY, native--who broke through on the jazz scene when she sang in the 1998 Thelonious Monk Competition--is expected to release her first album for the label this fall.
Monheit will also perform at the Academy Awards' Governors Ball on Feb. 29.
Jackson Browne will perform with Urban Entertainment Institute Inner-City Youth Choir during a Thursday night (2/19) benefit at the Scottish Rite Theatre in Los Angeles.
The event is the UEI's major fundraiser for the year. The organization features an after-school curriculum that "offers inner-city youth a creative outlet and an alternative to drugs and gang violence," according to a press release. Classes are taught by founder Fred Martin, and leading members of the arts and entertainment industry volunteer to teach and mentor.
UC Berkeley civil-engineering student William Hung , whose 15 minutes of fame began earlier this year when his awful rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" aired on FOX-TV's "American Idol," has been offered a recording deal.
Hung--in an event spearheaded by music-television network Fuse--was given the record contract and video-production offer with Koch Entertainment on Wednesday night (2/18), after he performed "She Bangs" during halftime at a UC Berkely volleyball game.
- Artist Links:
New Guns N' Roses Song For "Rock Band" [July 2008]
Guitarist's Return To NIN Surprises Guns N' Roses [April 2008]
Axl Rose Signs With New Management Team [March 2008]
Free Dr Pepper For "Chinese Democracy" [March 2008]
New Releases, March 4: Alan Jackson, Black Crowes, Bauhaus [March 2008]
Weekend Ticketing: Santana, Rush, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, Rascal Flatts [January 2008]
Coldplay at the HP Pavilion San Jose
2008 Pitchfork Music Festival Photos - Day 3
2008 Pitchfork Music Festival Photos - Day 2
2008 Pitchfork Music Festival Photos - Day 1
Madonna's "Confessions on a Dance Floor" tour
The Duke Spirit on stage and in the studio
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Stevie Nicks
Metallica at the KROQ Weenie Roast in Irvine, CA
R.E.M. at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA
Herbie Hancock at the Sonoma Jazz Festival

