Elton John Cancels Tour For Medical Reasons

"Elton is incredibly disappointed to postpone these tour dates," John's rep said in the statement. "To know that he made such super-human efforts and continued to perform to thousands through his illness only confirms his dedication to his European fans. He is eager to be back on top form and return to play the remaining shows starting in early September 2013." more on this story

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Leaving The View For Fox News

Former Survivor contestant turned talking head Elisabeth Hasselbeck is leaving her spot on The View to take a co-hosting position a popular Fox News Channel morning show.

Hasselbeck will make her last appearance on The View today after announcing that she has been hired by Fox to replace Fox & Friends co-host Gretchen Carlson who is leaving the show to start her own show on the network this fall. Hasselbeck will take over in September.

"I have been a long-time fan of 'Fox & Friends' and am excited to be joining their team in September as it is an honor to call the Fox News Channel my new television home," Hasselbeck said about her job.

Fox News chief Roger Ailes had this to say: "Elisabeth's warm and engaging personality made her a star on The View. She has proven to be an excellent conversationalist and I am certain she will make a great addition to our already successful morning franchise."

The View's mastermind Barbara Walters released the following statement, "When Elisabeth survived 'Survivor' we wanted to make sure she would stay afloat. We have had ten wonderful years with Elisabeth and she will now be swimming in new waters. We will miss her and wish her everything good." more on this story

Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber Track Leaked

A new track called "Love Will Remember," which reportedly comes from Selena Gomez's forthcoming album and features her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber, has leaked online.

The New York Daily News reports that the track is the new single from Gomez's forthcoming album, "Stars Dance," which is set to be released on July 23rd.

The leaked track includes an introduction that featured a voicemail message which the paper reports sounds like Gomez's former boyfriend Justin Bieber where he says, "Hey, Babe, it's me. I just want to call and tell you that I love you so, so, so much. I just wanted to let you know that you are my princess. You are worthy of all the love in the world. You are the love of my life."

The Selena responds to the message with the following lyrics, "You said you loved me/I said I loved you back/What happened to that/What happened to that/All your promises/And all them plans we had/What happened to that/What happened to that/Boom gone/We move on/Even if we try to forget/Love will remember."

The leaked Youtube clip was removed by the video site after a copyright claim was filed by UMG. You can read more details about Gomez and Bieber here.

Kanye West Has Angry Response To Black Skinhead Video Leak

(Radio.com) After Kanye West's Yeezus album leaked online five days before its official release date, a CGI video for first single "Black Skinhead" seemed to suffer the same fate Sunday evening (July 7) before being yanked as suddenly as it appeared.

The video seemed to have been made public mistakenly while on a Universal Music Group staging site, which has become password-protected. But it did give bootleggers a chance to grab the NSFW clip, which has since been removed at the request of the RIAA.

Kanye West has taken to Twitter to respond to the video leak, insisting that it's an unfinished version. He also had a direct message to the person(s) responsible for revealing the new clip ahead of schedule. West's statement in its entirety:

"The ['Black Skinhead'] video that leaked yesterday was not the official version. Me and Nick Knight have been working on this video for five months and for creatives it's heartbreaking when something like this happens.

"The final version will be ready within the next week. So any website that may have the unapproved / unfinished ruff. I ask you to please take it down. Allow me and Nick to give the world what we've been losing sleep over. And to who ever leaked the video… F*** YOU!" More details about the leaked video.

Randy Travis Still In Critical Condition But Didn't Have Heart Surgery

(Radio.com) After being hospitalized in Dallas Sunday (July 7), country singer Randy Travis remains in critical condition, according to a statement released to the press Tuesday afternoon (July 9).

The statement also contradicts earlier, widely circulated reports that Travis had undergone heart surgery. The earlier information was attributed to Randy's sister-in-law Teresa Traywick (Travis's birth name is Randy Traywick).

"Contrary to reports, Randy Travis has not undergone heart surgery," reads the latest press statement from Webster & Associates, where Travis is a client. "Travis is being treated for viral cardiomyopathy. Travis was admitted into a Texas hospital on Sunday and underwent placement of an IMPELLA peripheral left ventricular assist device for stabilization prior to transferring hospitals. The GRAMMY winner remains in critical condition."

As we reported yesterday, Travis is suffering from "complications of recently acquired viral cardiomyopathy."

According to Dr. David Hnida, medical editor at CBS4 in Denver, cardiomyopathy is "a condition where something, usually a virus, attacks the heart muscle, weakening it and causing it to malfunction. It's different from a heart attack, where a blood vessel supplying blood to the muscle gets blocked, causing a section of heart muscle to die…. Think of it as your heart being attacked directly by the flu." more on this story

Dierks Bentley To Headline Benefit For AZ Firefighter's Families

Country star Dierks Bentley will be headlining a benefit concert for the families of the 19 firefighters who lost their lives in last week's wildfires in his home state of Arizona.

The Country Cares Concert benefiting The Granite Mountain Hotshots will be taking place on July 22 at Tim's Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, AZ and was organized by local country music radio stations 107.9 KMLE Country with the help of 92.9 KAFF.

"I want to help honor the memory of these 19 brave firefighters, to be part of the healing process for the community and to raise money for the families left behind," said Bentley. "I was and still am devastated by this tragic event in my home state. I certainly can't imagine what these families are enduring, but I do believe in the healing power of music and hope as many Arizonans as possible can come out and be part of this event."

"We hope this benefit concert gives everyone affected by this tragedy the opportunity to come together and heal," said KMLE Country @ 107.9 Program Director Tim Richards. "We want to raise as much money as possible to help the families of these amazing heroes."

Fans and community members will have the chance to purchase tickets to the concert and special VIP packages with all proceeds going to the United Phoenix Firefighters Charities who will distribute directly to the families of the 19 fallen firefighters. Fifty-one children were left without fathers in the wake of this tragedy. Watch the announcement video here.

Jay-Z Teams With Jack White and Tweets About Miley Cyrus's Twerk

(Radio.com) Jay-Z went on a marathon Twitter season and touched upon a lot of topics including revealing that Jack White's label will be releasing his new album on vinyl and endorsing Miley Cyrus' twerking.

During the course of his nearly seven-hour, on-and-off Twitter session, Jay-Z preferred to search for people who were tweeting about him rather than responding to inquiries sent to his official handle (@S_C_). In a few cases, he gave them a nice Twitter "BOO!" — imagine seeing that pop up in your @-replies.

When he did answer questions, he spoke about his favorite cereals and business strategies; naturally, he accepted hearty congratulations on his latest album, Magna Carta Holy Grail. There were eight random things that Jay revealed that have already had a massive impact on the universe as we know it, possibly altering the future course of entertainment… or whatever. In no particular order:

1. Miley Cyrus is The Future. If you weren't sure what to think about the whole Miley twerking thing or found her new video for "We Can't Stop" unsettling but you were unable to stop watching it, you can now rest easy. She got the seal of approval from Jay-Z on MCHG track "Somewhereinamerica" (in which he repeats, "twerk Miley, twerk") but now it's really official — it's cool to be Miley.

He tweeted, " RT @youngstacks92 You really think Miley Cyrus still twerking somewhere in America? [ yes! she represents an old worlds worst nightmare]"

To which Miley responded, "Call it what you want. But I don't see Mr. Carter shoutin any of you bitches out. #twerkmileytwerk ✌"

2. Jack White's Third Man label is adding Magna Carta to their vinyl catalog. First bomb drop of the whole Jay-Z Twitter experience was when an astute fan asked about why "Open Letter" was not on Magna Carta Holy Grail. Jay let 'em know it'll be on the vinyl version. Oh and by the way, Jack White's putting that one out. Wait, what? No response from White's Third Man Records, whom Radio.com checked in with yesterday. Read the other 8 revelations here.

Sting Announces Residency Concerts

(Radio.com) This fall, Sting is celebrating the release of his first album in a decade by launching a residence in New York City where he will be playing ten intimate shows in the Big Apple.

From September 25 to October 9, Sting will take over the Public Theater in New York City to play not only his hits, but also songs from his new album, The Last Ship, out September 24.

The album — his first original record since 2003's Sacred Love — grew out of a musical of the same name that he's been working on for the last three years. The show takes place in a shipyard in Wallsend, England, where Sting spent his youth, and tackles the struggling local shipbuilding industry in the 1980s. It's set to make its Broadway debut in 2014.

Tickets for the shows range from $250 to $2,500 and will go on sale to the general public on July 14. All proceeds from the residency will go to benefit the Public Theater, one of country's first nonprofit theaters.

In honor of his 62nd birthday on October 2, Sting's performance that night will be populated by free ticket winners, who will be selected via lottery. more on this story

Jason Aldean Has Become Country's Biggest Rock Star

(Radio.com) It's not any artist who can sell out venues as large as New York's Madison Square Garden, Boston's Fenway Park and Chicago's Wrigley Field. But then again, Jason Aldean is not just any artist. He's a bona fide country superstar.

Radio.com spoke with Aldean recently about his career, his latest album Night Train, and his 2013 tour, which is currently in progress and includes upcoming dates at Fenway (July 12-13) and Wrigley (July 20).

The two historic baseball stadiums can pack in upwards of 37,000 and 41,000 people, respectively. Couple those figures with the fact that earlier this year he also sold out Madison Square Garden (over 18,000) and played the first-ever music show at Atlanta's Sanford Stadium (to a crowd of more than 60,000), and it's clear that Jason Aldean has reached a new level of popularity. As music journalist Alan Light says in our Radio.com Essentials profile on Jason, he "blew through being an arena headliner" and this year aimed much higher.

And he is, if ticket sales at these massive venues are any indication, succeeding. As Drew Walker of Chicago country station US99.5 says, 2013 "has been his coming out year."

As he has since the early days of his career (his debut album was released in 2005), Aldean works hard to create a concert experience that every year is bigger and better for his core crowd — and in the process also attracts new fans. "Your live shows are just like anything else," Aldean tells Radio.com. "The more you're out there on the road, playing your shows, you see stuff, every year, that you get more ideas about. And each year you try to change it up" so that "people don't think they're coming to see the same show every single year."

His popularity can in part be attributed to his ability to choose the right songs. "When you're putting albums together," Aldean explains, "the songs will reflect whatever place you are at that particular time." And in the case of his latest collection, Night Train, when it came time to put together material for that album, he was coming off the biggest success of his career to date (his 2011 album My Kinda Party). "So that was where my mindset was when we started recording this record." more on this story

Loretta Lynn's Gospel Music Festival Coming This Fall

Country music icon Loretta Lynn has announced the inaugural "Loretta Lynn's Gospel Music Festival" which she will be holding at her Hurricane Mills, TN ranch September 28-29, 2013.

"Its kind of like an old-time "all-day singing and dinner on the ground," says Lynn. "I got to thinking. I have a big ranch where I live so I decided to throw a good ole Gospel weekend here! I want family and friends to bring a blanket, set up a picnic and then enjoy some of my favorite Gospel music singers! I may even come down and sing a song myself!

"I hope it will be something we can keep going every year. I already have a big campground and cabins where people can stay. We also have a big stage - we have concerts all summer and have done so since 1974."

The two-day event will feature performances from Mark Lowry, The Hoppers, The Isaacs, Karen Peck & New River, Gold City, Rambo-McGuire, The Singing Cookes, The Freemans, Brian Free & Assurance, Michael Combs, Archie Watkins & Smoky Mountain Reunion, and The Sneed Family.

On the eve of the festival, Friday night, September 27, 2013, there will be a special bon-fire and sing-a-long beginning at 8:00 PM. "I should have started this years ago," says Lynn. "But, it's never too late - I am inviting everyone to my ranch to have a great ole Gospel time!

"It'll be a fun time for the whole family. Speaking of family, I want to thank Jeff Sneed and The Sneed Family for helping me plan and promote this Gospel Music Festival. We sure are looking forward to this special time!" more on this story

Why Salma Hayek Jumped Out Of Her Chair Screaming On Extra

(Extra) "Extra's" AJ Calloway sat down with "Grown Ups 2" stars Kevin James, David Spade, Adam Sandler and Salma Hayek and we couldn't help reminding Salma about our last "Grown Ups" encounter.

AJ handed Salma a box saying it was a gift from "Extra's" Terri Seymour and she knew exactly what it was, "I know it's a snake…no it's a snake!" As Adam opened the box revealing the plastic snake Salma freaks out, "I don't like the plastic ones either." Salma jumps out of her chair, screaming as Adam dangles the snake around, even throwing it at her, not returning till the prop was put away, "I don't like them in plastic, I don't like them on television."

The back story-- In 2010, "Extra's" Terri Seymour was chatting with "Grown Ups" stars Hayek, Maria Bello and Maya Rudolph when an unwelcome guest, a large snake, interrupted them, sending Hayek screaming and running for cover. The video speaks for itself.

Jason Derulo Reveals Jordin Sparks' Relationship Rules

(Hollyscoop) Jordin Sparks and Jason Derulo are currently R&B's sweetest celebrity couple and the pair are still going strong after more than a year of dating.

The two officially made their romance known in January 2012, around the same time that Jason sustained a neck injury, which required a recovery time of about seven months.

During that time, Jordin and Jason were brought even closer together and now? They're practically inseparable. In fact, it's one of the rules that keeps their relationship intact.

"We actually have a two week rule," Jason told Hollyscoop. "We don't let two weeks pass without seeing each other."

It's a rule that keeps the spark alive and since they've been together, they haven't broken it once. "Since we have been together, it's been pretty strong," he said. "If I am in Europe [touring], she comes to see me."

Basically, if you want to be with someone, be with them. Sounds simple enough, right? more on this story

Falling in Reverse Frontman Denies Being A Sell Out For Love of Pop

(Radio.com) Ronnie Radke is a survivor. Originally the lead singer of screamo band Escape the Fate, the Falling in Reverse frontman's rock'n'roll lifestyle found the singer caught up in a violent 2006 altercation that resulted in a young man's death and five years of probation for Radke, who did not commit the crime but was charged with battery in the case. Cue a parole violation that landed him behind bars for over two years, as well as the unceremonious ousting from Escape the Fate while behind bars.

During a recent interview with Radio.com, Radke was thoughtful and forthcoming on how his unabashed love for pop music continues to influence the evolving sound of Falling in Reverse, personal critics be damned.

"People will say that I'm a sellout, but that's what kind of music I like," Radke said when asked about his affinity for artists like Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift. "I want to do what I want to do, so technically it's not really selling out. It's doing what I want to do, not what someone else is making me do.

"I have a song for Gwen Stefani right now," he continued when asked which artists he'd most like to collaborate on new music. "It's a straight-up club banger. Her, Katy Perry, Swift."

When queried about his all-time favorite artist, it's a certain Detroit rapper he reveres above all the rest. "I love Eminem. That's my favorite person in the world," Radke admitted. "Over rock and roll, over everything. That guy is like the new Elvis. He's the best. I would love to meet him…He raised me, pretty much. From The Slim Shady LP up, I know all the lyrics." more on this story

Ciara, Jay-Z Lead This Week's New Releases

(Radio.com) Every week, Radio.com's Dan Weiss runs down the week's new full-length music releases, from charting hits to more obscure depths, the underrated and the overrated, from a critical pop fan's perspective.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Ciara – Ciara (Epic): Not a great sign when the princess of Crunk & B has her boyfriend's first initial tattooed on her finger and she starts her fifth album saying she "just went through a breakup." But that's about the only thing here that bodes ill.

Her honorable career from "Goodies" (a great euphemism) to "Like a Boy" (an all-time great, feminist R&B song) sticks to its sex-positive guns for "I'm Out," where Nicki Minaj celebrates her "big, fat ass," and "Body Party," helmed by prince-of-PBR&B Mike Will Made It, where she gives Future what he says he deserves. "Read My Lips" beckons to "bring your appetite" and rhymes "savor it" with "favorite dish," all while removing the grossness from Destiny's Child's "Cater 2 U."

The ebullient "Livin' It Up" celebrates girls "making up their own rules." And best wordplay goes to "Sophomore": "So soft, I got him saying give me more."

Jay-Z – Magna Carta… Holy Grail (Roc Nation): The least interesting man in music today was your favorite rapper yesterday, who admired Coldplay's salable commitment to ambivalence and achieved it on his second career.

What's surprising is its lack of commerciality; having pre-sold to Samsung, there are no hits here even though he leads with Justin Timberlake doing a most ridiculous Adam Levine impersonation over "Where Is the Love?" callback piano.

Fortunately, Jigga never again touches that worst first track, with all pleasantly odd beats from there on out, with sort of a peak on the "Heaven"-"Versus"-Beyonce triptych. The R.E.M., Nirvana and Lady Gaga references are far more glaring than J. Cole's, though, when it comes to pointing out his own inferiority. And when he vows to "f*** up the world," he sounds like Bono promising to "f*** with the mainstream" right before the tour where he couldn't escape from a giant, vehicular lemon. more on this story

A Critical Eyes View Of Mumford & Sons 'Babel' Video

(Radio.com) Mumford & Sons released a new video for "Babel," the latest single (and title track) off their 2012 album that, nearly a year after its release, just won't quit.

In the clip, the guys are shown playing in a huge, abandoned house while a camera swirls around in a circle to catch them again and again and again in different aspects of performance mode. Special effects make it appear as if they are everywhere the camera goes.

There are a few simple things the director, Sam Jones, could have done with this same footage to make it work a lot better. Jones is not an amateur by any means: He not only helmed the excellent and eye-opening Wilco doc, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, but he directs music videos for the Foo Fighters and shoots Rolling Stone covers on the regular (including Mumford & Sons' cover earlier this year).

1. Ditch the multiple Mumfords. Instead of multiple performance takes, shoot a B-story with characters that appear as the camera swirls. Or even better use crowd reaction shots since one of the main problems with this video is it captures Mumford's live performance too accurately. What works on the stage (i.e. the "I'm playing this banjo SO HARD" face) doesn't always work in a static music video setting.

2. Ditch that old-timey filter. Jones clearly mastered the black and white look with Wilco, but when you combine that same feel with Mumford — who are all dressed up like kids at a 1930s bluegrass revival — it reads as cheesy. Jones needed to commit to either going full Depression-era, putting the guys in a dilapidated house in full color, which would invoke the vividness of the time or simply took them out of that time frame and plopped them down in the present this way fans could see a Mumford they haven't seen before. Find out what three was and watch the video here.

Wait there is more!