Hugh Jackman to return to Broadway with old songs (AP)

NEW YORK – The title says it all — "Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway."

The Tony Award-winner plans to bring his one-man show to the Broadhurst Theatre on 44th Street from Oct. 25 to Jan. 1.

Jackman will be accompanied by an 18-piece orchestra and will perform his favorite musical numbers. He's already fine-tuned the show in San Francisco and Toronto.

Jackman was in Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!" at the National Theatre in London and made his Broadway debut portraying the 1970s singer-songwriter Peter Allen in "The Boy From Oz," for which he received the 2004 Tony.

The actor, who plays Wolverine in the "X-Men" movie franchise, was last on Broadway in 2009 with Daniel Craig in "A Steady Rain."

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The songs they are a'changing for The Dylan Project (Reuters)

CROPREDY, England (Reuters) – When a band of veteran British rock musicians took to the stage with a different take on Bob Dylan's music at the weekend, they were so good someone in the crowd even shouted "Judas."

The reference to the infamous moment when Dylan turned electric was tongue-in-cheek. The musicians concerned make no pretensions about being acoustic folkies.

Slide guitar, driving bass and drums is what they are in this persona. More blow the house down than "Blowin' in the Wind."

The Dylan Project is fronted by Steve Gibbons, who like Dylan turned 70 earlier this year -- a happy coincidence given that he claims Dylan's music changed his life.

Gibbons is one of those musicians who is well known in certain die-hard music circles, making a critically successful career for years without achieving widespread celebrity.

The eponymous Steve Gibbons Band is said to be the first rock band from the West to have been invited to tour East Germany in the early 1980s when the Berlin Wall was still up. It has toured with The Who and shared the stage with a plethora of rock names.

But when friends got together to celebrate Gibbons's big birthday in Austria in July, it was The Dylan Project that tuned up.

The band is a side project for various musicians from the British folk-rock or roots-rock scene, notably bassist Dave Pegg of Fairport Convention and slide guitarist PJ Wright of Little Johnny England.

It plays Dylan. But it is no tribute band, more an homage to the man Wright describes as inventing rock music.

"We have our own take on Bob's songs. We don't do core versions," Pegg said backstage after the Project played at his other band's annual Fairport's Cropredy Convention festival in rural north Oxfordshire.

That much was evident from the Cropredy set, a crowd-pleasing performance that focused on a lot of lesser-known Dylan numbers as well as the likes of "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Like a Rolling Stone."

Gibbons, it has to be said, can sound eerily like Dylan -- at least on the latter's good-voice days -- which threatens at times to slip into parody.

But the music overcomes any similarity.

Each song is an interpretation. The overall effect is jazzier and bluesier that the originals, exemplified by a particularly haunting "Ballad of a Thin Man."

The Dylan Project plays around a dozen gigs a year -- mainly in Britain and continental Europe -- and there appears to be no great desire to extend the touring.

This is mainly because it is a side project for the musicians, most of whom can afford to keep it that way.

"We do it for the craic," Wright said, using an Anglo-Irish expression for entertainment. "We do it for fun."

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Sad songs bring joy to bluegrass star Alison Krauss (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – It's tempting to look at Alison Krauss' new album and speculate how many Grammy awards the bluegrass star will add to her vast collection next year.

Six, like the number she won with her hit 2008 collaboration with Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant? Or maybe just four, like her previous album with her long-time band Union Station?

Krauss, who turns 40 next month, is already the most honored singer in Grammy history, with 26 awards. She needs just six more to surpass classical conductor Georg Solti at the top. The only living artist with more awards is Quincy Jones, who started building his collection of 27 statuettes in 1964.

But don't try to engage Krauss in a guessing game about the prospects for "Paper Airplane" at next February's ceremony. Holding forth in a hotel room in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley recently, the Midwestern diplomat just laughed when some numbers were tossed at her.

Another tack is called for. If a reporter was a guest in her Nashville home, and pocketed one of her Grammys would she ever notice? Another dead end.

"We don't have 'em out," she replied. "We put them where they're not on display. I like home to be about home."

Like most artists, Krauss is driven more by creative energy than a crushing need to hoard more hardware. Every song she tackles goes through a rigorous quality-control process.

"I love reading lyrics and I love reading a line and I'll emphasize different syllables to see how the meaning changes with that line," she said.

BAND ANIMAL

Krauss is not spending too much time at home, anyway. Along with Union Station, she is currently on a North American tour that runs through the end of September.

The fiddle-playing prodigy with an angelic voice has been performing pretty much all her life. After wowing crowds at local bluegrass shows across her native Illinois, she signed with Rounder Records when she was 14 years-old, and released her first album in 1987.

Her 1989 follow-up marked the first group collaboration with Union Station, a combo of crack musicians who keep busy with other musical projects. She alternates between solo and band recordings, but is a band animal at heart.

"If I am remembered for my musical contribution, it will be with these guys," she said.

Her 2007 collaboration with Plant for "Raising Sand" sold millions worldwide and won the coveted album of the year Grammy. Their efforts to record a sequel were "premature," Krauss said. She doesn't rule out another attempt.

For now, the focus is on "Paper Airplane," a collection of songs about heartbreak, death and regret, which debuted at No. 3 on the U.S. pop chart in April. It marks her first album with Union Station since 2004's "Lonely Runs Both Ways."

It did not start out with a bleak theme, or with any theme at all. But Krauss, a single mom, was going through a break-up at the time and gravitated to darker material.

"I was terribly sad," she said. "Personally, it was really tough." (Despite their onstage chemistry, she said she was never romantically involved with Plant).

Reliving melancholy sentiments in her songs night after night is not as excruciating as it would seem, since Krauss finds beauty in moments of sadness.

"There's something so raw going on. It's what people fight wars about. It's real. Through all this stuff and music and those sad places, you may get so sad but you also experience incredible joy at the same time. This is an interesting life."

One thing Krauss is not too sad about is turning 40. She will be playing a show in Massachusetts on her birthday, July 23, and hopes there won't be any fuss made.

Needless to say -- but it had to be asked -- the slim siren has no plans to follow in Sheryl Crow's footsteps and mark the milestone by posing in skimpy clothing for a "laddie" magazine cover story. "I don't think so," she said with a laugh. "It's funny though!"

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

(To read more about our entertainment news, visit our blog "Fan Fare" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/)

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German hackers convicted of stealing Lady Gaga songs (AFP)

BERLIN (AFP) – Two young hackers were convicted in Germany Thursday of stealing new songs from stars such as Lady Gaga and Mariah Carey and offering them for sale on the Internet, a court said.

The local court in the western city of Duisburg found the defendants, aged 18 and 23, guilty of dozens of counts of violating copyrights and hacking confidential data, a spokesman said. Their names were not released.

The teenager was handed an 18-month sentence at a young offenders' institute while the older defendant received an 18-month suspended sentence.

The two used Trojan horse software to gain access to the computers and e-mail accounts of the managers of high-profile artists, took unpublished songs and offered them for sale or download in 2009 and 2010.

The new material came from top-selling stars including Carey, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Leona Lewis and Kesha, the court said. Prosecutors say the two earned more than 15,000 euros ($21,000) with the scheme.

In addition, the 18-year-old downloaded explicit private photos from Kesha's computer and blackmailed her to give him an audio "shout out" which he could use to boost his own status in the hacker scene.

"The court considered the fact that both defendants are attested to be highly addicted to the Internet to be a mitigating factor," the spokesman told AFP, adding that full confessions given to the court had also counted in their favour.

Defence attorneys had asked the court to call the affected artists as witnesses but the judges rejected the bid.

The 18-year-old, identified in the German press only as Deniz A., had sent a letter of apology to Lady Gaga in December that was published in the daily Bild.

"Dear Lady Gaga," Deniz A., who reportedly called himself DJ Stolen, wrote.

"I am ashamed of what I have done. I did not think about the consequences."

The court said it would review his detention within six months and consider converting it to a suspended sentence.

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Brad Paisley is hero to sons for songs on "Cars 2" (Reuters)

NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) – Brad Paisley's star shines brighter in the eyes of his young sons for writing two songs for the soon-to-be released animated movie "Cars 2."

Huck, 4, and Jasper, 2, are thrilled their 38-year-old father can recite tidbits about the making of the Disney movie and provide access ahead of its June 24 opening in theaters.

Paisley's songs for "Cars 2" are polar opposites of his album, "This Is Country Music," which tops the "Billboard" country album chart.

"My friend John Lasseter, who directed the movie and runs Pixar, called me and asked if I'd mind stepping out of my comfort zone and write a song for the movie with British pop star Robbie Williams," Paisley told Reuters.

"It really was out of my comfort zone, more like Led Zeppelin or The Who, but it was really fun," said Paisley, who won a Grammy in 2008 for Best Male Country Performance for his hit "Letter to Me."

In the movie, Lightning McQueen (a race car voiced by Owen Wilson) and tow truck Mater (Daniel Whitney, known as Larry the Cable Guy) head overseas to compete in the first World Grand Prix. Nothing goes as planned, and Mater discovers some things are not as they seem in this tale of intrigue.

"The theme of the movie encompasses spies, cars, international intrigue and comedy, which is really a 'Collision of Worlds,' so that's what we called the song," said Paisley.

A second song, "Nobody's Fool," was also a change for the singer-songwriter whose hits include "American Saturday Night," "Alcohol," and "Online."

"It's me doing more of an Eric Clapton-type blues ballad about the saddest part in the film, when Mater realizes that since people think he's playing the part of a fool, he is a fool. But Mater also realizes that's just who he is, and that was inspiring to me."

The soundtrack from Walt Disney Records arrived in stores on Wednesday.

WHEELING JAMBOREE

As for his regular job, Paisley's latest offering, "This is Country Music," honors the music that he grew up singing and playing in the small town of Glen Dale, West Virginia. At 13 he began performing on radio's "Wheeling Jamboree."

A major thrill was to record with his musical heroes, the group Alabama, on a tune Paisley wrote called "Old Alabama."

Randy Owen, lead singer of that group, recalled how nervous Paisley was when cuing up the final mix of the song.

"His hand shook when he turned the CD player on, and I thought how neat that someone respects the music and the people who had gone before him to be nervous about playing me the song," Owen said.

"I really did grow up playing more of their music in those venues I played in the Ohio Valley than anybody else," Paisley said of Alabama. "When I played Randy the song for the first time, I wanted him to feel the magic that I felt."

"We learn from the people we like," Paisley said, of the model for his "H20II: Wetter and Wilder" tour.

"I remember Randy and Alabama hauling those semi-trucks down the road, and putting on a show at the Civic Auditorium in Wheeling with all these lights and a set like nobody had ever seen before ... they were this gargantuan group that rewrote the book. So yeah, I aspire to that grand scale of touring."

Fans have learned to expect the unexpected from the Country Music Association's reigning "Entertainer of the Year." Paisley lives up to his reputation with sizzling guitar solos, innovative stage antics and hit after hit.

His opening acts are hot as well: Blake Shelton is one of the judges of NBC's show "The Voice," and Jerrod Niemann has a recent hit in "One More Drinkin' Song."

The tour includes an afternoon of music from artists Sunny Sweeney, Brett Eldredge and Eden's Edge, along with water rides and a simulator where fans race alongside Brad in his Corvette.

(Editing by Andrew Stern)

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Brad Paisley is hero to sons for songs on "Cars 2" (Reuters)

NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) – Brad Paisley's star shines brighter in the eyes of his young sons for writing two songs for the soon-to-be released animated movie "Cars 2."

Huck, 4, and Jasper, 2, are thrilled their 38-year-old father can recite tidbits about the making of the Disney movie and provide access ahead of its June 24 opening in theaters.

Paisley's songs for "Cars 2" are polar opposites of his album, "This Is Country Music," which tops the "Billboard" country album chart.

"My friend John Lasseter, who directed the movie and runs Pixar, called me and asked if I'd mind stepping out of my comfort zone and write a song for the movie with British pop star Robbie Williams," Paisley told Reuters.

"It really was out of my comfort zone, more like Led Zeppelin or The Who, but it was really fun," said Paisley, who won a Grammy in 2008 for Best Male Country Performance for his hit "Letter to Me."

In the movie, Lightning McQueen (a race car voiced by Owen Wilson) and tow truck Mater (Daniel Whitney, known as Larry the Cable Guy) head overseas to compete in the first World Grand Prix. Nothing goes as planned, and Mater discovers some things are not as they seem in this tale of intrigue.

"The theme of the movie encompasses spies, cars, international intrigue and comedy, which is really a 'Collision of Worlds,' so that's what we called the song," said Paisley.

A second song, "Nobody's Fool," was also a change for the singer-songwriter whose hits include "American Saturday Night," "Alcohol," and "Online."

"It's me doing more of an Eric Clapton-type blues ballad about the saddest part in the film, when Mater realizes that since people think he's playing the part of a fool, he is a fool. But Mater also realizes that's just who he is, and that was inspiring to me."

The soundtrack from Walt Disney Records arrived in stores on Wednesday.

WHEELING JAMBOREE

As for his regular job, Paisley's latest offering, "This is Country Music," honors the music that he grew up singing and playing in the small town of Glen Dale, West Virginia. At 13 he began performing on radio's "Wheeling Jamboree."

A major thrill was to record with his musical heroes, the group Alabama, on a tune Paisley wrote called "Old Alabama."

Randy Owen, lead singer of that group, recalled how nervous Paisley was when cuing up the final mix of the song.

"His hand shook when he turned the CD player on, and I thought how neat that someone respects the music and the people who had gone before him to be nervous about playing me the song," Owen said.

"I really did grow up playing more of their music in those venues I played in the Ohio Valley than anybody else," Paisley said of Alabama. "When I played Randy the song for the first time, I wanted him to feel the magic that I felt."

"We learn from the people we like," Paisley said, of the model for his "H20II: Wetter and Wilder" tour.

"I remember Randy and Alabama hauling those semi-trucks down the road, and putting on a show at the Civic Auditorium in Wheeling with all these lights and a set like nobody had ever seen before ... they were this gargantuan group that rewrote the book. So yeah, I aspire to that grand scale of touring."

Fans have learned to expect the unexpected from the Country Music Association's reigning "Entertainer of the Year." Paisley lives up to his reputation with sizzling guitar solos, innovative stage antics and hit after hit.

His opening acts are hot as well: Blake Shelton is one of the judges of NBC's show "The Voice," and Jerrod Niemann has a recent hit in "One More Drinkin' Song."

The tour includes an afternoon of music from artists Sunny Sweeney, Brett Eldredge and Eden's Edge, along with water rides and a simulator where fans race alongside Brad in his Corvette.

(Editing by Andrew Stern)

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Lady Gaga to debut songs on online game FarmVille (AP)

By RYAN NAKASHIMA and BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Business Writers Ryan Nakashima And Barbara Ortutay, Ap Business Writers – 29 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – Lady Gaga is turning to an unusual method to cultivate her fan base: The pop icon is releasing songs from her new album on a section of the popular online game "FarmVille" before they can be heard anywhere else.

The singer, known for her outrageous styles and hits such as "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance," will allow singles from "Born This Way" (due out May 23) to be heard within a specially-created farm, called "GagaVille," in the game. Players will have to complete tasks to hear one exclusive new track per day streamed online from May 17 to 19. Starting on May 20, players will be also able to unlock additional songs that aren't exclusive.

"FarmVille" is one of the most popular games on Facebook, played by about 46 million people worldwide each month. It lets players tend to virtual farms by harvesting crops, tending to livestock and decorating cottages to earn points. Its creator, Zynga, makes money by selling virtual items, such as seeds or cows or farm sheds, in the game.

"GagaVille" will be short-lived. Zynga says it's running the special only until May 26 to celebrate the debut of "Born This Way." The company wouldn't say whether Lady Gaga picked "FarmVille" to debut her songs or if Zynga concocted this unusual promotion, which will feature magical unicorns, sheep on motorcycles and other Gaga-inspired items on "GagaVille."

Zynga spokeswoman Amy Sezak said "FarmVille" has massive appeal, just like Lady Gaga, whose first single from the new CD, also titled "Born This Way," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Many people who play "FarmVille," it turns out, are also fans of Lady Gaga on their Facebook pages.

The parties wouldn't disclose any financial terms, or even comment on whether money was being exchanged. Clear Channel Radio, which is also part of the promotion, will stream the songs in "FarmVille" through its iHeartRadio service, which will pop up once players unlock the special songs.

"GagaVille" is a sign that artists are going where the fans are, and that is on Facebook, Twitter and playing online games. By being part of the Gaga deal, Clear Channel is trying to ensure it won't be left behind. As part of the promotion, the company plans to announce special codes on 148 of its radio stations that will unlock Gaga-inspired virtual items in "FarmVille."

"We know that our listeners are spending a lot of time with social games, and we're going to be wherever our listeners are. So this kind of social, immersive experience is a great way for us to further engage with our listeners," said Bob Pittman, chairman of media and entertainment platforms for Clear Channel.

This is the first time Zynga has received exclusive tracks from artists in a game and the first time it's created a whole farm dedicated to an artist. In December, the company partnered with Dr. Dre to release a track from his album "Detox" in the game "Mafia Wars."

The San Francisco startup is no stranger to Lady Gaga. Earlier this year the artist (along with Dr. Dre and others) helped Zynga raise money to support earthquake relief in Japan and she donated $1.5 million of her own money to add to what players raised.

"Lady Gaga is as passionate about her fans as we are about our players," said Zynga's Raquel DiSabatino, director of entertainment and media, who described the relationship with the pop star as a partnership. "This really was a great meeting of the minds to create an innovative and playful experience for those folks."

Zynga is also giving away a download of the full album to fans who buy $25 game cards through electronics retailer Best Buy Co. Inc. Buyers will also be entered into a drawing to attend Lady Gaga's next video shoot and get a virtual unicorn to decorate their farms.

The company is also offering virtual Lady Gaga goods to players who earn points in its other games, as well as offering a chance to receive concert tickets and signed albums through one of its games.

___

Barbara Ortutay reported from New York.

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"Songs for Japan" charity album raises $5 million (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) – A charity album featuring hits from the likes of Lady Gaga, Bob Dylan and Madonna has raised $5 million for the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the record labels involved said on Wednesday.

The album "Songs For Japan," a collaboration between the world's biggest record companies, was released a month ago and has been on sale in digital format and as a two-disc CD set. It was available from March 25 on iTunes and from April 4 as a CD.

Organizers said the Japanese Red Cross Society last month received $2 million on behalf of featured artists, songwriters, labels, publishers and iTunes, who waived their royalties and proceeds. A further payment of $3 million was made on Monday. More than 500,000 copies of the album have been sold so far in all formats. Songs For Japan featured 38 hits and classic songs, including "Imagine" by John Lennon, "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" by Elton John and "Pray" by Justin Bieber.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)

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"Songs for Japan" charity album raises $5 million (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) – A charity album featuring hits from the likes of Lady Gaga, Bob Dylan and Madonna has raised $5 million for the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the record labels involved said on Wednesday.

The album "Songs For Japan," a collaboration between the world's biggest record companies, was released a month ago and has been on sale in digital format and as a two-disc CD set. It was available from March 25 on iTunes and from April 4 as a CD.

Organizers said the Japanese Red Cross Society last month received $2 million on behalf of featured artists, songwriters, labels, publishers and iTunes, who waived their royalties and proceeds. A further payment of $3 million was made on Monday. More than 500,000 copies of the album have been sold so far in all formats. Songs For Japan featured 38 hits and classic songs, including "Imagine" by John Lennon, "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" by Elton John and "Pray" by Justin Bieber.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)

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