Michael Jackson’s public memorial service is set to be visited by a number of music celebrities. Stevie Wonder and Mariah Carey were announced to take part in it, as well as Jennifer Hudson and Usher. Basketball stars Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson will also participate in the ceremony.

Earlier it was announced that memorial service would be visited only by Jackson’s family and close friends, such as Elizabeth Taylor and Diana Ross.

The ceremony itself will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles today, on July 7. 11,000 free tickets for the memorial service were raffled through the Web, as well as an additional 6,500 tickets to Nokia Theatre, where the service will be shown on video screens. The ceremony will be also broadcasted live all over the world.

The event was staged by Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich and Kenny Ortega, the director of the Michael Jackson’s series of concerts in London.

Music for Twilight movie was praised as the most downloadable soundtrack of the last 12 years in a special research by Nokia. Recently released Avatar has reached the second place, followed by Quentin Tarantino’s film Inglourious Basterds.

Most of the music for Twilight was written by famous Hollywood composer Carter Burwell. The soundtrack also features songs by Muse and Linkin Park – according to Stephenie Meyer, she listened to these bands while writing her book.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon – sequel for the movie – has got the fifth place. It also includes song by Muse, as well as by Radiohead, The Killers, Death Cab For Cutie, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and others.

Soundtrack for Slumdog Millionaire, which received Oscar awards for Best Original Song and Original Score at the last year’s ceremony, finished on eighth position.

Lil Wayne’s one year jail sentence was postponed for indefinite time once again. Famous rapper was set to go in prison yesterday, on March 2. But the New York court which he had to visit was caught in fire and stopped working for the rest of the day.

According to the police, the fire was accidental – it was caused by a blaze which broke out in the court’s boiler room.

Lil Wayne, in his turn, claimed that he was waiting for his imprisonment: «I’m ready, I’m all smiles. They can’t break my strength. They can only lock me up physically. They can’t lock up my mind. They can’t lock up my heart. They can only take my time because the law allows them to. Time is precious, but love is life. So therefore in the end my love will prevail».

Originally Lil Wayne was set to go in prison in February, but his sentencing was postponed until the next month so he could have a dental surgery.

Lil Wayne was arrested in July 2007, when police found a .40 caliber semi-automatic loaded handgun in his car. Rapper claimed he was not guilty, but during the hearing in October, he confessed that this gun belonged to him. At last rapper was sentenced to one year in jail.

Lil’ Wayne claimed that he has shot nine music videos in 48 hours while getting prepared to go in prison. Rapper filmed clips for upcoming singles from his recently released album Rebirth. The record, which features collaborations with Eminem, Blink-182, Lenny Kravitiz and Fall Out Boy, hit the stores in February. Lil’ Wayne also shot several music videos for upcoming album Tha Carter IV.

Smashing Pumpkins released new single titled A Stitch In Time. It is the third song in their so-called Teargarden By Kaleidyscope series. In September 2009 the band’s frontman Billy Corgan announced plans to release newly recorded songs one by one – 44 tracks in total.

All of them will also be released as albums. The first one of them, titled Songs For A Sailor, will hit the stores on April 20, 2010.

Speaking about new track, Corgan said: «The tune came in during a stream of consciousness moment while sitting backstage at a Smashing Pumpkins’ concert in those wee, still hours between soundcheck and the show. The lyrics came just as surprisingly fast as the music, and the whole process took about 20 minutes».

The first two songs in Teargarden By Kaleidyscope series, named A Song For A Son and Widow Wake My Mind, were released in December and January.

Gorillaz expressed their thoughts about upcoming album Plastic Beach. During the interview to the Xfm radio, bassist of the animated band Murdoc claimed that the record was devoted to the «whole world». «Plastic Beach would be to make it a worldwide collage, a map of the modern world», explained he.

Murdoc also spoke about Gorillaz’s collaborations on this record, for example, with Super Furry Animal’s frontman Gruff Rhys or Fall singer Mark Edvard Smith. «When you think about Gorillaz, it makes sense to have a Super Furry Animal on there, doesn’t it? I’m also really glad we got Mark Edvard Smith on the record, though I’m not sure he felt the same», said Murdoc.

Yesterday Gorillaz have premiered music video for their song Stylo, the first single from new album. The clip features famous Hollywood actor Bruce Willis, who is chasing the band’s members on a road.

Earlier Blur’s Damon Albarn, the creator of Gorillaz, claimed that the album would feature Syrian National Orchestra, as well as collaborations with The Horrors, Snoop Dogg and Lou Reed.

He also revealed that it would be a «very pop record». «I’m making this album the most pop record I’ve ever made in many ways, but with all my experience to present something with some depth to it», said he.

US rapper Dizzee Rascal announced plans to release a biography book this year. Titled The Dizzee Rascal Story, it will be published in October by Dirtee Books – recently established publishing brunch of the rapper’s Dirtee Stank label.

It is not clear if Dizzee Rascal will write the book himself or not. The official statement says: «Not only is Dizzee Rascal is one of the most talented and innovative musicians alive today, he is one of the most articulate and opinionated – as his lyrics testify… It promises to be a genuinely groundbreaking book».

The biography will be released in audiobook format. Hardback version is set to hit the stores in 2011, featuring exclusive photos and lyrics by Dizzee Rascal.

Dizzee Rascal’s last to date album Tongue N’ Cheek hit the stores in 2009.

Elton John is currently working on the new album in collaboration with famous US singer and songwriter Leon Russell and British poet Bernie Taupin. According to the official statement, the record is half-way done: «Basic tracks for new album have been recently completed and the gang is about to start vocals and overdubs immediately».

The same statement says that the record refers to different genres: «The trio has cut 15 songs ranging from The Rolling Stones-like rockers, country-tinged ballads, gospel and even a Sinatra-like weepy similar to something torn from the grooves of Frank Sinatra album In The Wee Small Hours».

It was also announced that upcoming album would feature a number of collaborations with other artists, such as Neil Young or R&B singer Booker T. Jones.

Elton John’s last studio effort, named The Captain & the Kid, hit the stores in 2006.

The musicians of Mumford & Sons can be freely called young, but promising artists. This year, their debut disc Sigh No More saw light. However, they are not actually new to the British scene, as they started performing in 2007 already – first, as the supporting and associated act with the more popular folk-artists. Nevertheless, due to their wonderful tunes and magnificent arrangements, the artists soon made their own way in the career stardom and decided to record a disc. Their music is the mixture of drive, emotions and diversity of instruments (including ethnic ones like dobro) in the interpretations of the songs. In spite of the title, in which the surname of the soloist and leader is used, the other members of Mumford & Sons are surely not his sons or even relatives. This title is the remembrance of the local family businesses of all kinds, in which the deal came from father to his sons generation after generation. They succeeded in this field for sure – take in consideration at least the fact that the artists resurrected the long ago dead interest of the big public to banjo. Although the musicians are mostly famous for their heart-grasping life performances, their first attempt Sigh No More will definitely cheer all the folk-music appreciators.

So many instruments and melodies on Sigh No More

From the first listen, the album Sigh No More strikes with its poly-sidedness – from the tunes to the arrangements. In this respect, we should never under appreciate the work of producer Marcus Dravs, who is known for his cooperation with such British and word stars as Coldplay and Bjork – he really assisted the artists to record a wonderful disc, worthy to state about it aloud. The disc opens with the tuneful track Sigh No More, which gave the title to the long-play and set the pace and to mood to it from the very beginning. It is followed by the decorated with horns folk-number The Cave, which gives way to the beautiful melody Winter Winds with the trumpet solo as the climax. In the motifs of such praiseworthy tracks as Roll Away Your Stone and Thistle & Weeds you can clearly here the Celtic roots, while the mournful songs White Blank Page and I Gave You All are the classical tales of the broken heart. It looks like the last two mentioned tracks are of autobiographical character for the soloist of Mumford & Sons. The single Little Lion Man has already become a hit in Great Britain, and it is of no wonder – it possesses a strong pop melody and infectious chorus. The bright and original track Timshel is the successful result of mixing bluegrass and gospel, while the motif Dust Bowl Dance is undoubtedly the strongest ballad on the disc and centers around the piano play. The album finishes with the pedestrian and tender elegy After The Storm.

The promising debut of Mumford & Sons

The disc Sigh No More must be definitely called a much promising debut. It possesses integrity – both in lyrical and musical relations. However, at the same time the album can boast of a pleasant diversity in the matter of sounds and arrangements. It is so easy-going and tuneful from the beginning to the end that it will win the attention of both the folk-lovers and other genres’ listeners. As it was said earlier, a special role in the creation of the disc was played by producer Marcus Dravs, who helped the musicians of Mumford & Sons show in the studio all that they are able for on the scene. He brilliantly managed the message in spite of the fact that sometimes first-rate life tracks sound colorless and uninteresting in the studio performance. Well, as for the recording place, we should also notice the headquarters that the artists chose for the work over Sigh No More – it is the Eastcoast Studios, where such performers as Arctic Monkeys, Brian Eno and Lora Marling recorded before Mumford & Sons. No wonder, that the sound of the disc is above all praises. Nevertheless, as almost every debut attempt, Sigh No More has its dark moments. Firstly, it goes about the lyrics – the artists should develop their narration skills. Secondly, the album has a couple of filling tunes, although they are pleasant and qualitative. Well, all these insignificant drawbacks are nothing in comparison to the merits of Sigh No More.

Ninelle Kazakoff