Rather than commemorating the late drummer on his death anniversary this month, the band frontman urges fans to celebrate his birthday early next year.

Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows is urging fans to celebrate the life of tragic drummer Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan on Tuesday, December 28 – one year after the musician’s death. The band members were left devastated when Sullivan died from a drug overdose on December 28, 2009. He was 28.

Shadows admits he still struggles to deal with the grief, but he’s urging his band mates and their fans to celebrate the rocker’s life on the day that marks the tragedy. He tells Kerrang! magazine, “It’s a daily struggle since Jimmy’s death. There are good days and bad days – days where you don’t think about it so much, and then there are days where you sit there and just can’t believe it. We’re just trying to move forward and live our lives as best we can, and we’re just happy to be here right now.”

“We’re going to celebrate his birthday (February 9, 2011) and not necessarily his death. But I think I’ll want to get together (with the rest of the band) and watch his tribute video and talk about him. We do that every day anyway, but (today) I just want to keep it chilled and remember the guy for how f**king awesome he was.”

Avenged Sevenfold recruited Sullivan’s favorite drummer, Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy, for their summer shows. Portnoy was dismissed from the group earlier this month.

Source: aceshowbiz

Based on the recommendation from the band’s longtme studio drum tech, Arin Ilejay of Confide is to join the band and replace stand-in Mike Portnoy and the original drummer The Rev.

Rockers Avenged Sevenfold have hired former Confide star Arin Ilejay as their new drummer, after parting ways with Mike Portnoy. Portnoy was drafted in to replace tragic Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan, who died from a drug overdose in December 2009 – but he was never a perfect fit.

The band let the former Dream Theater star go in December after he suggested in press interviews he would be staying in the band for the foreseeable future. The rockers released a statement saying, “We’re not ready to add a permanent member – and we don’t know if we’ll ever be. If we do, it will be someone who;s not only a brilliant drummer but someone we’ve gotten to know well, and who the fans get to know and hopefully accept. Mike and the band agree it can’t be him.”

Now the stars have chosen Ilejay as their latest stand-in. A new statement reads, “We recently asked several friends who knew Jimmy (Sullivan) and his style, and also knew our music and each of our personalities to suggest drummers to tour with us starting this year. Our longtime studio drum tech, Mike Fasano, recommended Arin Ilejay.”

The ‘Greatest Hits’ collection is going to be made available for purchase next month, listing singles from the ‘American Idol’ winners and contestants.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, “American Idol” is going to drop its first-time-ever “Greatest Hits” compilation. Scheduled to make its way out in the United States on March 15, the CD will feature 12 songs from the past winners and some notable contestants.

The nine winners ranging from the first season’s champ Kelly Clarkson to the most recent Lee DeWyze are all listed. Solo songs from each one of them are chosen for the compilation, except for “No Air” which is a duet between Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown.

As for the three vacant slots in the 12-song album, they are filled by Clay Aiken from season 2, DAUGHTRY from season 5, and Adam Lambert from season 8. Clay has “Invisible” on it, Chris Daughtry has his band’s “Home”, and Lambert has “Whataya Want From Me”.

“American Idol 10th Anniversary – The Hits: Vol. 1″ tracklisting:

1. Kelly Clarkson – “Since U Been Gone”
2. Ruben Studdard – “Superstar”
3. Clay Aiken – “Invisible”
4. Fantasia Barrino – “When I See U”
5. Carrie Underwood – “Before He Cheats”
6. Taylor Hicks – “Takin’ It to the Streets”
7. DAUGHTRY – “Home”
8. Jordin Sparks (duet with Chris Brown) – “No Air”
9. David Cook – “Light On”
10. Kris Allen – “Live Like We’re Dying”
11. Adam Lambert – “Whataya Want From Me”
12. Lee DeWyze – “Sweet Serendipity”

Source: aceshowbiz

After releasing a mini acoustic album in December last year, Adam Lambert is now preparing to drop a live album. The 2009 runner-up of “American Idol” compiles footage from his recent Glam Nation tour into a 12-track CD/DVD with a bonus cut.

He is going to make it available for purchase across the country on March 22. Cover art of the effort has been unwrapped, revealing a close-up shot of the singer wearing feather ensemble and sporting his trademark eye make-up and fingerless gloves.

The footage was shot in Indianapolis, Indiana at Clowes Hall on August 31, 2010 and directed by Doug Spangenberg. It will include his most beloved performances such as “Ring of Fire”, “If I Had You” and the Grammy-nominated single “Whataya Want From Me”.

Starting Friday, February 11, Lambert will showcase clips from the “Glam Nation Live” on VEVO. Pre-order for the upcoming release and an exclusive “Glam Nation Tour Pack” has been opened on his official website.

1. “Voodoo”
2. “Down the Rabbit Hole”
3. “Ring of Fire”
4. “Fever”
5. “Sleepwalker”
6. “Whataya Want From Me”
7. “Soaked”
8. “Aftermath”
9. “Sure Fire Winners”
10. “Strut”
11. “Music Again”
12. “If I Had You”

Encore

13. “20th Century Boy

Source: aceshowbiz

Jimmy Fallon showcased his mellow version of Willow Smith’s fun-loving dance track “Whip My Hair” on his late-night show. Sporting a long wig, the comedian twisted the up-tempo beat of the R&B song into Rick Price’s ballad “If You Were My Baby”.

As if that twisted version was not enough to surprise audience, Fallon appeared on stage impersonating Neil Young. He sat on a high chair with a guitar and harmonica. Audience laughed at him but then applauded him as he went along with his rendition. Near the end of the performance, Bruce Springsteen joined him.

Beside singing with Fallon, Springsteen also performed “Because the Night” and “Save My Love” with Steven Van Zandt and The Roots. During his visit to the “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”, he received a thank-you from the comedian for letting him using his song “Born to Run” for 2010 Emmy Awards opening number.

Janelle Monae will hit the road with Amy Winehouse in Brazil next year as the British singer makes her official comeback. The “Rehab” star is set to perform four live shows in South America, including three dates as part of the touring Summer Soul Festival between January 8 and January 15 – and quirky soul star Monae will join her.

The concerts will mark Winehouse’s first full live shows since 2008, when she was forced to pull the plug on several high-profile gigs due to illness.

Amy Winehouse is also in the middle of recording the follow up to her Grammy-winning debut album. A cover of Lesley Gore’s 1963 classic “It’s My Party” has leaked earlier this month but the Mark Ronson-produced song is intended for Quincy Jones’ soon-to-be released tribute album “Q: Soul Bossa Nostra”.

Sir Tom Jones has offered his singing services to Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton – insisting he’d be thrilled to perform a set of songs at their wedding. The second in line for the British throne announced on Tuesday, November 16 he had proposed to his longtime girlfriend last month.

Welsh crooner Jones is thrilled by the happy news – and he’d love to provide the entertainment at the royal couple’s reception party. He tells the Press Association, “People all over the world are excited about the royal wedding and I’m one of those people.”

“I’ve always been a royalist and I always will be. If they invite me along to the wedding I’d happily come and sing a few songs.” The pair will walk down the aisle next year.

Beside attending red carpet events, Christina Aguilera also does TV performances to support her upcoming movie “Burlesque”. In a recent visit to “The Jay Leno Show”, the depicter of Ali Rose belts out “Bound to You”, one of the movie soundtracks.

On the November 17 episode, she also had a chat with Jay Leno about her life now that she is a single mother. “It’s hard, definitely. It’s hard just even being a working mom and trying to balance and juggle everything on your plate,” she admitted.

She continued, “I like to be the first thing [my son Max] wakes up to in the morning and the last thing he goes to bed at night seeing and singing him his lullabies before bed, it means the world to me to be able to do that.”

The soundtrack compilation has been in stores Stateside since November 16, but the movie will not hit theaters across the country until a week later on date 24.

Kelly Osbourne has shown off her bikini bod for the first time on the cover of Shape magazine for its December issue. The daughter of rocker Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne bared her stunning bod in red two pieces swimwear, admitting that wearing a two-piece for the photo shoot brought her to tears.

“I’ve never worn a bikini in my whole life… I’m so nervous… After being called ‘cherubic and chubby,’ I’m rocking a bikini! I feel silly, but I think I’m going to cry,” Kelly told the mag. “Being on the cover of Shape is the biggest victory I could ever hope for.”

Kelly, who relished her new toned figure thanks to her vigorous dance routines and eating sensibly, said she has learned to love her looks. “I would look at myself and think, ‘Ugh!’ I was miserable. To get to the gym – when you already don’t like yourself – is really hard. So I had to make it fun. I started wearing cute outfits and putting on a little bit of makeup. And as vain as it sounds, it really helped me because eventually I stopped hating the way I looked,” she shared.

Kelly also claimed being bullied in the media for her weight broke her heart and ruined her self-esteem. “It sets you up to hate yourself in a huge way. I was so angry about the things people said about me,” she said. “I truly believe it’s the main reason I turned to Vicodin and ended up in rehab three times. I just hated myself.”