Please welcome Robbie Daw, who will be penning occasional music posts for us here on Towleroad! Robbie runs his own pop music site called Chart Rigger.
It looks as if next year will be your chance to finally judge how much talent Simon Cowell really possesses. The American Idol and X Factor pop mogul told The Hollywood Reporter that he's producing a feature film revolving around the angst of 10 young hopefuls competing on a fictional TV singing contest. Titled Star Struck, it's scheduled for a summer 2008 release.
Simon says: "We want it to be the musical version of Rocky – an underdog story, a feelgood film."
Cowell plans on wrangling the 10 actors the same way the contestants are herded in for Idol auditions. "To enjoy the film, you've got to watch the actors and believe that they are contestants on a reality show. We always believed that a TV show like Idol would be successful. I have the same feeling about doing the movie."
As Madonna continues working on her new album, she's hit a roadblock with the adoption of one-year-old David Banda. "The whole adoption process may crumble and David [may be] sent back to his village," social worker Penstone Kembe told the Reuters news service.
While on an Australian promotional tour last week for his forthcoming album This Delicate Thing We've Made, Darren Hayes spoke candidly with The Sydney Star Observer about the process of coming out of the closet during his Savage Garden days: “My coming out to myself was very reluctant. It was a thorn in my side as it was something I did not want to be and so when I call it a violent reaction, it was one of shame. But I can only admit that now, as I really could get more gay – and be happy about it.”
After the jump, hot Brit export Shayne Ward, Rob Thomas reunites with Matchbox Twenty, the Spice Girls slightly extend their tour and today's new releases.
The Spice Girls announced the lucky location of their "Spice City" contest on their website. The reunited fivesome offered fans a chance to suggest one additional stop on their upcoming world tour, and the chosen city was Toronto. Said the Girls in their spice statement: "We set this up to give all our genuine fans the chance to turn their hometown into a SPICE CITY. This was all about making your own city a SPICE CITY and since we launched there have been literally millions of votes for us to play in hundreds of cities including places like Rio, Chicago, Melbourne, Manchester, Paris, Alice Springs, Baghdad, and Diss (in Norfolk England)! But one city had to win and we are now delighted to announce the winner is… TORONTO. Thanks to everyone in Canada who voted for us to play there – we'll work out the date over the next few weeks and let you know."
In other reunion news, Rob Thomas recently got together with his Matchbox Twenty bandmates to record a dozen songs. Billboard reported at least six of the tracks will be included on the group's Exile On Mainstream greatest hits compilation, due out October 2.
After winning Britain's X Factor two years ago, Shayne Ward came across as just another scruffy-cute bloke from Manchester. But in the video for his new single, "If That's OK With You," Shayne's kicked up the sex appeal about 25 notches:
"If That's OK With You" is written and produced by Max Martin, who seems to have chucked his Kelly Clarkson and Britney-brand pop sound of the last decade for one more resembling his early work with Ace Of Base.
August is typically a "no man's land" for new releases, but out today is True Colors: The Tour CD
Also out is How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?, the 10th studio album from Public Enemy. It marks the 20th anniversary of the influential hip-hop legends.
A week before the High School Musical 2 soundtrack bombards shelves and digital stores, Disney's Hollywood Records is issuing the self-titled sophomore release from Jonas Brothers
James Blunt's new single, “1973,” is available on iTunes, as is the video. Unlike “You're Beautiful,” this one actually takes a stab at having a beat…albeit a mid-tempo one.
