Rock News

Last Update on September 03, 2010 03:10 EDT

IRISH SENATORS DEMAND REFUNDS BE GIVEN FOR BOTCHED GUNS N' ROSES SHOW

DUBLIN (AP) -- Irish senators are calling for promoters to refund tickets for Guns N' Roses Dublin concert on Wednesday after the band went on stage nearly an hour late. Frontman Axl Rose warned fans to stop throwing bottles or they'd leave. Someone threw another bottle, and Rose left the stage. The promoters would not let Rose leave the venue until he finished the gig, so the band went back on stage an hour later. Most of the fans had left by then and GNR played to a mostly empty venue. GNR's tardiness is dogging them on their current tour. They arrived an hour late for their slot at the Reading Festival outside London on August 27. Organizers cut the power to the stage during their encore. Two nights later in Leeds, England, GNR were told to cut their show a half-hour short because they started an hour late.

WAR SUE OVER PEPSI COMMERCIAL

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The band War are not happy about the Pepsi commercial that shows a truck driver for Pepsi and one for Coke sitting in a diner. War is suing Pepsi for more than $10 million, saying they did not give permission for the commercial to use their song, "Why Can't We Be Friends." The band's lawsuit says they didn't know about the commercial until it started airing in July. Their lawyer, Max Sprecher, says even if Pepsi and its ad agency got the rights from the music publishers, the companies should have negotiated with War too. Pepsi did not return messages for comment.

CARLOS SANTANA MOVIE IN THE WORKS

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Carlos Santana has given the OK to a movie about his life, provided it's not a downer. Santana says most biographical movies are tragedies. He doesn't want people to see his life story and think, "Kill the poor fellow, whatever, get him out of his misery." Santana says his life has been a triumph from the day he was born. Actor Benjamin Bratt and his brother are working on the film, which will be out sometime next year.

CHRIS BROWN HITS NUMBER ONE ON R-AND-B CHART

NEW YORK (AP) -- The music world seems to have forgiven Chris Brown. His latest single, "Deuces," is number one on the Billboard R-and-B/Hip-Hop songs chart. Brown is serving five years probation and six months of community labor for beating Rihanna in February of 2009.

KISS OFFER LED HDTVS

LAKE MARY, Fla. (AP) -- Kiss want to be on your television, whether it's on or off. Kiss have teamed up with Roundtable Concepts to create the Kiss LED HDTV. The Kiss logo is on the bottom two corners. When you turn it on, an image of Kiss is shown for the 8-second warm-up as the set powers up. The TVs come with 32-, 40- or 46-inch screens and range in price from $890 to $1,400. They will be available in stores in mid-November.

BOB DYLAN PAINTINGS GO ON DISPLAY IN COPENHAGEN

COPENHAGEN (AP) -- Bob Dylan is showing off his arty side in Denmark. Copenhagen's National Gallery is showing Dylan's "Brazil Series," which were made specifically for this exhibit. Dylan sketched scenes of Brazilian slums, farms and beaches, then painted them on canvas with acrylics. Dylan didn't tell the museum very much about how he painted the scenes. The museum's curator says he doesn't know if Dylan painted what he saw or painted from photos. Dylan said in a statement he chose Brazil because he's been there and he likes the atmosphere. The 40 paintings have never been shown to the public before. The exhibit runs through January 30.

JOE JACKSON HEARING SET FOR OCTOBER 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Michael Jackson's father will get his day in court to argue he deserves a piece of his son's estate. The Second District Court of Appeals in California has set a hearing for Joe Jackson on October 6. Michael Jackson cut his father out of his will. Joe Jackson is appealing last year's ruling that put his son's attorney, John Branca, and family friend John McClain in charge of the estate.