Media mogul Rupert Murdoch takes to Twitter

LONDON (AP) — Rupert Murdoch has begun the new year by setting up in a new field of communications — he's started tweeting.

The media mogul, who is recovering from perhaps his most difficult year in the business, is posting on Twitter under the handle rupertmurdoch, spokeswoman Daisy Dunlop at News International confirmed Monday.

The account was opened over the New Year's holiday, but many doubted its authenticity because Murdoch, 80, has generally tried to stay out of the spotlight as his media empire comes under increased scrutiny because of widespread phone hacking at his U.K. newspapers.

Murdoch faced harsh questioning in Parliament last summer and may face additional questions from the wide-ranging Leveson Inquiry into media practices later this year, but he makes no mention of these troubles in his tweets, which include the News Corp. chief's New Year's resolutions.

"My resolutions, try to maintain humility and always curiosity," he tweets. "And of course diet!"

Murdoch had attracted more than 46,000 followers by Monday morning, just two days after he started tweeting. His wife Wendi Deng has also started tweeting — she's wendi_deng.

She refers to the setbacks of the last year in her tweets: "A lot of bad things happened in 2011 but I hope in 2012 we can put them all behind us and sail on to a bright future for everyone Wxx."

She also gently reminds fellow tweeters to spell her first name with an "i'' at the end, not a "y."

The Murdochs' entry into the world of Twitter was met with some bemusement and some hostility by its denizens.

John Prescott, former U.K. deputy prime minister, came up with one of the wittier responses to Murdoch's unexpected surfacing at the very public, very popular micro-blogging site.

"Welcome to Twitter," he writes to the mogul, whose reporters were skilled at hacking into telephone messaging systems. "I've left you a Happy New Year message on my voicemail!"

Others express fears that the wealthy Murdoch will buy the Twitter site.

Murdoch also deleted a tweet in which he suggested that Britons might have too many public holidays for a country facing tough times.

At times in his tweets Murdoch sounds bored with his New Year's holiday. He complains that there are "too many people" on the island of St. Bart's, an exclusive Caribbean hideaway.

"Back to work tomorrow," he says. "Enough idling!"

Murdoch also tweets that some of his friends are "frightened" by what he might say.

He also praises Mike Bloomberg, the Republican mayor of New York City, and Rick Santorum, a Republican presidential candidate.

Murdoch tweeted his wishes for a happy new year and said it would probably exceed expectations.

"Happy 2012," he says. "May it be better than all experts predict. Has to be! Must must change everything to create jobs for all, especially young."

His Twitter profile is accompanied by a snapshot showing Murdoch grimacing. He is wearing a casual white T-shirt with a light blue sweater.

Murdoch was forced to close the News of the World last year because of widespread phone hacking at the tabloid. The victims included celebrities, sports stars, and a murdered teenager whose voicemails had been hacked.

The scandal has damaged Murdoch's financial holdings and raised doubts about whether his family can retain control of the company, which has substantial interests in newspapers, magazines, movies, television and book publishing.

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Online: http://twitter.com/rupertmurdoch

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Miller takes artist of year at Americana Awards (AP)

By CHRIS TALBOTT, AP Entertainment Writer Chris Talbott, Ap Entertainment Writer – Fri Oct 14, 6:48 am ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The members of the Americana Music Association love Buddy Miller, and they reaffirmed that again Thursday night, naming him artist of the year in something of an upset over collaborator Robert Plant.

Miller also took instrumentalist of the year, making him the night's big winner at The Ryman Auditorium.

Miller, a beloved Nashville player, beat out the Led Zeppelin frontman for the artist award after the two co-produced Plant's "Band of Joy," which won album of the year. That award goes to Plant alone despite Miller's role in the sound booth and as band leader.

"This is not right ...," Miller said after winning artist of the year.

Plant got the night's biggest cheers, but the love for Miller was there throughout and should come as no surprise. He's now won or shared with his wife, Julie Miller, 12 Americana Awards, including two artist of the year trophies, and serves as the awards show's band leader.

"I love this awards show, but I think we should change the name to The Buddys," Emmylou Harris joked.

Plant was embraced by the Americana community, a loose confederation of roots rockers, alt-country players and wayward folkies, when he won album of the year for Raising Sand" with Alison Krauss. He reaffirmed his passion for the style of music when he released "Band of Joy" last year. With Miller's help, he put together a crack team of Nashville musicians and paid homage to early rock `n' roll, blues and folk music.

Plant and Miller were the night's top nominees with Elizabeth Cook at three apiece. Along with his work with Plant, Miller also teamed with guitarists Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot and Greg Leisz to release "Majestic Silver Strings" during the qualifying period.

Plant first encountered Miller during a Harris concert in Dublin, Ireland.

"I saw the consummate player of all the licks and the beauty and soliloquy of great American music that I'd ever heard in my life, all put together in one guy with a hat on, and I was flabbergasted," Plant told the crowd.

The two met again when Miller joined the "Raising Sand" touring band. Plant enlisted his aid with "Band of Joy" when a planned second album with Krauss fell through.

"I said to the forces that be, `We can't go anywhere without Buddy Miller," Plant said, "and I don't ever want to go anywhere without Buddy Miller."

Justin Townes Earle's "Harlem River Blues" won song of the year, Mumford & Sons won new/emerging artist and The Avett Brothers won duo/group of the year for the third time.

The AMA presented lifetime achievement awards to Lucinda Williams for songwriting, Gregg Allman for performance, dobro player Jerry Douglas as instrumentalist and famed Muscle Shoals producer Rick Hall as an executive. British broadcaster Bob Harris was honored as a trailblazer.

The night included several strong performances. Harris and Krauss began with a salute to the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack's 10th anniversary. They sang "I'll Fly Away" accompanied by Miller on guitar, Douglas on dobro and Don Was on standup bass.

Cook and Hayes Carll, the other two artist of the year nominees, performed their song of the year nominations — Cook's "El Camino" and Carll's "KMAG YOYO." The Civil Wars got a standing ovation for their breakthrough "Barton Hollow," Williams sang her newest song "Blessed" and Jessica Lea Mayfield performed "For Today" with the Scott and Seth Avett, who returned to play "Once and Future Carpenter."

Allman, who received a liver transplant last year, performed "Sweet Melissa" after a nine-week break from performing.

"I've been in the hospital for awhile, but I made it," Allman told the crowd.

___

Online:

http://www.americanamusic.org

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Jagger takes a risk with SuperHeavy (AP)

NEW YORK – Mick Jagger and Eurythmics founder Dave Stewart acknowledge that they took a gamble when they decided to form their all-star band, SuperHeavy. They had no idea if all the group's members, which include soulful singer-songwriter Joss Stone, Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman and reggae singer Damian Marley, would even have chemistry.

"We were just making music and if we didn't like it, we wouldn't use it," Stewart said. "We just did it because we wanted to do an experiment, and that got developed and more and more developed until in the end, this record appeared."

The result is a 12-track, self-titled album with a sound the group's members say cannot be placed into any specific genre. Jagger's legend was formed with the Rolling Stones and other successful musical collaborations, but he says none of that can be compared to his experience with SuperHeavy.

"Every time you get into a room even with the same people, it is different because people come up with different things. It was a really interesting collaboration. To be honest it was easy. It was really easy because we got things straight away. You are very soon encouraged," he said.

Jagger, Stewart, Stone and Rahman recently sat down for an interview with The Associated Press, where they discussed everything from writing together to egos and joked about sex, drugs and rock `n' roll.

AP: What were you looking for in picking members of this group?

Jagger: One thing serious that we did think about, we didn't want people with loads of entourages and that would have too big of egos. ... It is very quickly how human beings sort of adjust to each other's temperaments and creativity. It is just like being in a cocktail party with a group of people. Either the cocktail party is going to go well or it doesn't. It depends on the vibe.

Rahman: I don't know why they called me, first of all. I thought maybe they wanted my piano playing or my keyboard, or a string arrangement.

AP: Musically, you were all pushed, working outside of your usual genres. Mick, you rapped?

Jagger: I was just copying Damian. I do a little bit. I went toasting, we call it, but it is the same thing (as rap). Damian was doing this really good toasting, West Indian rapping, so I thought, "I could do that. It can't be that difficult." It actually was quite difficult. With a bit of practice, it is all right. It is a laugh.

Stone: It is funny. Sometimes listening to Damian talk would give me a melody. ... It helped when I couldn't come up with anything, I would just listen to Damian and have a little chat in the corner.

AP: What was that first recording session like, getting all of these people together with different sounds from different backgrounds?

Jagger: The night before I said to Dave ... "Is this really stupid?" We always have songs going into projects. We make up songs when we are there. That is great, but we always have songs finished going in. I said, "We are going into this thing we have talked about for the last three months or whatever, and we don't have any finished songs." Dave said, "I know. It is really worrying." But then Dave created this whole raison d'etre why we didn't have songs. The raison d'etre for why we didn't have songs was because if we had songs ... people would feel that it wasn't their project as much. People wouldn't participate and give as much, which is true. So we were all thrown in the deep end.

Stewart: What is unusual is having five writers who are songwriters, known for songwriting, all writing in the same room together at the same time. Writers are often known to be on their own, looking at the sea, out the window, with a pen or playing piano on their own. Then you have five people all staring at each other that are all used to writing songs, but that have to do it in front of each other now.

AP: With all of these people writing, where there any divas? Who wins out?

Jagger: Joss and I did quite a lot of duets, so Joss would have a verse and then we would sing the chorus together and Damian would have a rap and we would come back together for the chorus. This is quite conventional so we followed those — in some places we followed those conventions, or we made up our own conventions.

AP: All these musicians working together — was there sex, drugs and rock `n' roll?

Jagger: For Joss there was lots of sex (laughs). She is the only woman so she has her pick. That is the sex part. Rock `n' roll, yes. There was definitely rock `n' roll and drugs. I leave that mostly to Dave and A.R. I think.

Stone: A.R. was big on the drugs. Damian was tame. He was in there doing yoga and drinking wheatgrass or whatever it is called (laughs).

___

Online:

http://www.superheavy.com

___

Alicia Quarles is the AP's global entertainment editor. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com

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Cranky Miss Blankenship takes Randee Heller to the Emmys (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Randee Heller is walking the Emmy red carpet for the first time this year, but hoping that her many fans -- some of whom created a Facebook page in her honor -- won't recognize her.

That's because the "Mad Men" actress is nominated for her guest role in the 1960s TV drama as the cantankerous, racist, octogenarian secretary Miss Blankenship -- a character that added 20 years and hours of make-up to Heller's real self.

Heller, 64, talked and laughed with Reuters ahead of the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony on Saturday about the brief life (and hilarious death) of Miss Blankenship, and how 10 years ago she almost gave up working as an actress.

Q; What were you told about the character of Miss Blankenship when you were first cast on Season 4 of "Mad Men"?

A; "Literally nothing. (Creator) Matt Weiner approached me and said, 'first of all we are going to make you look terrible. Is that okay?' and I said 'sure, have fun'. The first thing I knew is that they were really going to age me up. That process took a couple of hours. They aged my skin, put on brown age spots, and then the wig and glasses.

"They wanted a very strong New York accent -- which is not difficult for me to do -- and they just said, she is very loud, and I said to myself she probably has a hearing problem and she has been in the office for decades and nobody intimidates her. As the weeks progressed they would tell me little bits here and there -- that she was the 'Queen of Perversions' and I was like WHAT? So it was fun, kind of a surprise."

Q: How big a shock was it when you learned Miss B. was going to be killed off?

A: "I had no idea she was going to die. I was so disappointed, but they said you are going to have the greatest death of all time (Laughs). In retrospect, I really did understand this was the best arc for her because you couldn't really push it any further. She's not going to sleep with Don Draper! So it was perfect. It was a great smattering of her character."

Q: How many takes were there of that scene of you falling over dead on your desk?

A: "I hit that desk at least 15 times!. They had a little sponge the size of a quarter (on my head). It was like a high dive into a very small pool. But the glasses kept banging into my eyes. After a few times, they padded up my arms. It was fun though. We knew it was going to be hilarious and kind of touching."

Q: You've played all sorts of parts on the stage, TV and in movies like "The Karate Kid". How different was Miss Blankenship?

A: "I have never had that experience of having to inhabit the body of someone who looked at least 15 years older than me. It was very freeing. You didn't have to care what you looked like. If you had bags under your eyes in the morning, that was good!"

Q: How did you react to news of your Emmy nomination?

A: "I thought it was impossible for me to get nominated. I was like, WHAT?! I couldn't believe it. I said, it's got to be a mistake. I was absolutely thrilled and totally surprised."

Q: So will we recognize you on the red carpet without all the Miss Blankenship make-up and costume?

A: "Probably not. I hope not! That's what I am thinking. If they do I, am going to be very depressed (laughs). Maybe I should wear the glasses or the wig."

Q: Has your success on "Mad Men" opened more doors for you in Hollywood?

A: "Right after, I did 'Grey's Anatomy' and I did a recurring role on 'Plain Sight.' And I just did a role on the upcoming season of 'Desperate Housewives'. I hope there are a lot of things that are going to happen from this. It's a hard age. I dropped out of the business for 8 years and I taught English as a second language. Then I decided to go back to acting and I got 'Mad Men'. It was really amazing because when I was in my 50s, it was very hard to get work.

"But to my surprise I have an Emmy nomination, and I have never even been to the Emmys! So it's like I am Cinderella. But actually having thought about it, I am Cinder-elder!."

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Cranky Miss Blankenship takes Randee Heller to the Emmys (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Randee Heller is walking the Emmy red carpet for the first time this year, but hoping that her many fans -- some of whom created a Facebook page in her honor -- won't recognize her.

That's because the "Mad Men" actress is nominated for her guest role in the 1960s TV drama as the cantankerous, racist, octogenarian secretary Miss Blankenship -- a character that added 20 years and hours of make-up to Heller's real self.

Heller, 64, talked and laughed with Reuters ahead of the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony on Saturday about the brief life (and hilarious death) of Miss Blankenship, and how 10 years ago she almost gave up working as an actress.

Q; What were you told about the character of Miss Blankenship when you were first cast on Season 4 of "Mad Men"?

A; "Literally nothing. (Creator) Matt Weiner approached me and said, 'first of all we are going to make you look terrible. Is that okay?' and I said 'sure, have fun'. The first thing I knew is that they were really going to age me up. That process took a couple of hours. They aged my skin, put on brown age spots, and then the wig and glasses.

"They wanted a very strong New York accent -- which is not difficult for me to do -- and they just said, she is very loud, and I said to myself she probably has a hearing problem and she has been in the office for decades and nobody intimidates her. As the weeks progressed they would tell me little bits here and there -- that she was the 'Queen of Perversions' and I was like WHAT? So it was fun, kind of a surprise."

Q: How big a shock was it when you learned Miss B. was going to be killed off?

A: "I had no idea she was going to die. I was so disappointed, but they said you are going to have the greatest death of all time (Laughs). In retrospect, I really did understand this was the best arc for her because you couldn't really push it any further. She's not going to sleep with Don Draper! So it was perfect. It was a great smattering of her character."

Q: How many takes were there of that scene of you falling over dead on your desk?

A: "I hit that desk at least 15 times!. They had a little sponge the size of a quarter (on my head). It was like a high dive into a very small pool. But the glasses kept banging into my eyes. After a few times, they padded up my arms. It was fun though. We knew it was going to be hilarious and kind of touching."

Q: You've played all sorts of parts on the stage, TV and in movies like "The Karate Kid". How different was Miss Blankenship?

A: "I have never had that experience of having to inhabit the body of someone who looked at least 15 years older than me. It was very freeing. You didn't have to care what you looked like. If you had bags under your eyes in the morning, that was good!"

Q: How did you react to news of your Emmy nomination?

A: "I thought it was impossible for me to get nominated. I was like, WHAT?! I couldn't believe it. I said, it's got to be a mistake. I was absolutely thrilled and totally surprised."

Q: So will we recognize you on the red carpet without all the Miss Blankenship make-up and costume?

A: "Probably not. I hope not! That's what I am thinking. If they do I, am going to be very depressed (laughs). Maybe I should wear the glasses or the wig."

Q: Has your success on "Mad Men" opened more doors for you in Hollywood?

A: "Right after, I did 'Grey's Anatomy' and I did a recurring role on 'Plain Sight.' And I just did a role on the upcoming season of 'Desperate Housewives'. I hope there are a lot of things that are going to happen from this. It's a hard age. I dropped out of the business for 8 years and I taught English as a second language. Then I decided to go back to acting and I got 'Mad Men'. It was really amazing because when I was in my 50s, it was very hard to get work.

"But to my surprise I have an Emmy nomination, and I have never even been to the Emmys! So it's like I am Cinderella. But actually having thought about it, I am Cinder-elder!."

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Cher takes to Twitter to defend Chaz Bono on DWTS (AP)

By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen, Ap Entertainment Writer – Wed Aug 31, 9:13 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – Cher is taking to Twitter to defend her son Chaz Bono.

The superstar posted several tweets Wednesday defending his participation on the upcoming season of "Dancing With the Stars." Bono is the first transgender competitor on the hit ABC show.

Cher says her son, who was born female and underwent surgery to become a man, is being "viciously attacked" on blogs and message boards since the new cast was announced Monday.

"This is Still America right? It took guts 2 do it," Cher wrote, adding that she supports him no matter what he chooses to do.

"Mothers don't stop Getting angry with stupid bigots who (mess) with their children!" the 65-year-old singer wrote.

Bono, 42, is paired with pro dancer Lacey Schwimmer on the reality show, where celebrities and their professional partners perform various ballroom dances for judges' scores and viewer votes.

"Dancing" fans have posted both angry and supportive comments on the show's message boards. One called the casting choice "disgusting" and said "ABC should be ashamed of theirselves for harassing mainstream Americans and Christains."

Another wrote: "I never and mean NEVER watch DWTS but will this season to support/vote for (Chaz)."

On his own Twitter page, Bono described himself as "the luckiest guy around" and thanked his fans for their support. He also thanked Cher.

"Thanks for all your support mom," he wrote. "The haters are just motivating me to work harder and stay on DWTS as long as I possibly can."

The 13th season of "Dancing With the Stars" is set to premiere Sept. 19.

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http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_mu/storytext/us_people_cher_chaz/42776535/SIG=10tplka6j/*http://www.twitter.com/Cher

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_mu/storytext/us_people_cher_chaz/42776535/SIG=1119rg4j5/*http://www.twitter.com/ChazBono

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AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen can be reached at http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_mu/storytext/us_people_cher_chaz/42776535/SIG=110jsho8l/*http://www.twitter.com/APSandy.

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Redmond O'Neal takes plea on drug charge, gets rehab (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Redmond O'Neal, the troubled son of the late Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal, pleaded no contest to drug and weapons charges on Wednesday and was ordered to spend a year in a live-in rehabilitation program.

O'Neal, 26, was arrested in Los Angeles earlier this month after police found heroin and marijuana in his car following a routine traffic stop for running a red light.

After his arrest, police searched O'Neal's home and discovered a handgun, which he is not allowed to possess because he is still on probation for a 2009 drug conviction. Back then, he was ordered to spend one year in a drug treatment program and given three years probation.

On Wednesday, O'Neal entered pleas of no contest to one count of possessing heroin and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. In addition to the year in rehab, a judge also sentenced him to five years probation.

It was the latest trouble for O'Neal, who has battled drug dependency in the past and who saw his mother die after a long, public battle with cancer in 2009.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant)

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Paris Hilton's ex takes DUI plea deal in Vegas (AP)

LAS VEGAS – Paris Hilton's ex-boyfriend was fined $585 and ordered Wednesday to stay out of trouble as he settled drug charges stemming from a Las Vegas Strip traffic stop with the celebrity socialite last year.

Cy Waits, 35, was sentenced after pleading no contest to misdemeanor driving under the influence of drugs. Felony and misdemeanor drug charges were dropped.

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Bill Kephart ordered Waits to attend DUI and "victim impact" classes, gave him a 30-day suspended jail sentence, and warned him not to make the same mistake twice.

"If you are arrested for another DUI during the pendency of this case, I don't care if it's alcohol or drugs, you will do six months in the Clark County jail," the judge said. He set a Nov. 23 date to review Waits' case.

Waits emerged from the courtroom with his lawyer, Richard Schonfeld, and said he was glad to have the case behind him.

The former Las Vegas nightclub manager declined to talk about his relationship with Hilton, calling it a "chapter in my life that's closed."

Waits was arrested Aug. 27, 2010, after a Las Vegas police officer reported a "vapor trail" of marijuana smoke wafting from a black Cadillac Escalade with Waits at the wheel.

Hilton, a passenger in the vehicle, was arrested after police said a small bag containing 0.8 gram of cocaine fell from her Chanel purse as she reached for a tube of lip balm.

The 30-year-old celebrity heiress pleaded guilty last September to misdemeanor cocaine possession and obstruction charges. She is serving a year of probation, with a Las Vegas judge set to review her case Sept. 20.

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Zac Brown takes it to new level with 3-day fest (AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Zac Brown Band's first thought has always been the fan when it comes to live music, but this time they say they're taking it to another level with a "huge shindig."

The band is hosting a three-day food and music festival Oct. 21-23 at Riley Park in Charleston, S.C., that will feature a new experience for a couple hundred VIPs.

"This is a big statement for us," Brown said. "This is a sign of the future, of how we're going to be approaching our fans and our shows and our Southern Ground festivals."

Brown said the stage will extend to the right and to the left of general admission and stage boxes will be set up on each side. Fans in these areas will be served food prepared by chefs throughout the day. Brown's also taking over all the concessions in the park.

"This is real wine and real food," Brown said. "It's not just what's cheap. It's not a $12 bag of nachos with some Cheez Whiz on them."

Jack Daniel's will have a presence at the festival under a new partnership with the band. It's the first formal sponsorship deal with a music act in more than a decade for the whiskey maker.

"What we liked about the Zac Brown Band in particular was they are someone who could play the Ryman one night and Bonnaroo or Coachella the next night," said Jeff Arnett, Jack Daniel's master distiller.

A lineup and more details about the festival will be released at a later date.

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Sheen takes batting practice at Chase Field in AZ (AP)

PHOENIX – Charlie Sheen got some batting practice then asked for ice for his elbow before an Arizona Diamondbacks-New York Mets game at Chase Field.

Sheen later watched the Sunday game from a suite. Pictures showed his right elbow wrapped with a bandage.

Sheen had a pre-existing elbow injury that flared up, Diamondbacks President Derrick Hall said Monday.

It was the team's understanding that Sheen is trying to get back into shape for a possible sequel to the "Major League" movies, Diamondbacks spokesman Casey Wilcox said.

However, Sheen publicist Larry Solters said he wasn't aware of any "Major League" sequel but he didn't necessarily rule it out.

Former major league player Todd Zeile had asked if he and Sheen could take batting practice.

They hit balls for 30 minutes before the stadium gates opened.

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Sheen takes batting practice at Chase Field in AZ (AP)

PHOENIX – Charlie Sheen got some batting practice then asked for ice for his elbow before an Arizona Diamondbacks-New York Mets game at Chase Field.

Sheen later watched the Sunday game from a suite. Pictures showed his right elbow wrapped with a bandage.

Sheen had a pre-existing elbow injury that flared up, Diamondbacks President Derrick Hall said Monday.

It's the team's understanding that Sheen is trying to get back into shape for a possible sequel to the "Major League" movies, Diamondbacks spokesman Casey Wilcox said.

Former major league player Todd Zeile had asked if he and Sheen could take batting practice.

They hit balls for 30 minutes before the stadium gates opened.

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Country's Luke Bryan takes fans home on "Tailgates" (Reuters)

NASHVILLE (Reuters) – Country singer Luke Bryan admits he enjoys being a goof and a cut up. Much of his music shows the fun side of Bryan, and his latest album, "Tailgates and Tanlines," is no exception as he returns to fond memories of growing up in Georgia.

"Tailgates" landed in record stores and on music websites on Tuesday with "Country Girl (Shake It For Me)" sitting at No. 7 on Billboard's country music song chart, and the award-winner Bryan told Reuters that his fans should be hearing plenty more of the songs as the radio-friendly CD begins its roll-out.

"It has country songs on it, songs that reference how I grew up in Georgia and then songs that are no doubt radio songs. So there's a little bit of everything, and I'm ready to get it out there to see what people think about it."

Bryan is the rare singer/songwriter whose talent seemed evident when he arrived on Nashville's country scene a decade ago. He was signed as a songwriter within months and landed a recording deal a few years later with Capitol Nashville.

Ironically, his first No. 1 was not his recording, but the "Good Directions" smash hit sung by Billy Currington, a tune Bryan co-write with Rachel Thibodeaux.

That song reached radio shortly before Bryan released his 2007 debut single, "All My Friends Say," about the consequences of seeing one's former love while out on the town.

From that tune on, Bryan's slow southern drawl and easy smile earned him numerous fans who like his good-timin' songs.

RISIN' UP THE CHARTS

His first album, 2007's "I'll Stay Me," reached No. 2 on country charts, and his second, 2009's "Doin' My Thing," went certified gold with two No. 1 country hits, "Rain Is a Good Thing" and "Someone Else Calling You Baby." He was named top new artist at 2010's Academy of Country Music Awards and new artist of the year by the Country Music Association.

When asked how his wife reacts to women fawning over the 35-year-old at his shows and on city streets, Bryan laughs.

"This whole thing has been an amazing ride, and to have fans react like that is still a surprise to me," he said "Caroline loves it. She has a big smile on her face watching everybody have a good time."

"Tailgates and Tanlines" features a number of party songs, among them "Drunk on You" and "I Don't Want This Night To End," and Bryan also takes fans back home to his Georgia roots.

"Songs like 'Muckalee Creek Water' and 'Harvest Time' were written from growing up in my hometown," he said. "I played 'Harvest Time' for some farmer buddies of mine back home and, man, a big ol' tear welled up in their eyes."

Muckalee Creek, he said, is where he fished as boy and around it is a swamp and forest where he hunted. He likened the area to any sort of woodsy, country setting a kid might have growing up in a rural U.S. town.

While Bryan's live act rocks, he is quick to point out that his band is one of the few country touring acts with a traditional fiddle and steel guitar because he wants to maintain "the integrity of country music."

The single "You Don't Know Jack" off the new CD shows his appreciation for his country roots. "This one lets everybody know that as far as me being country, I'm not going anywhere," Bryan said of the song about an encounter with a homeless man.

Bryan wraps up Tim McGraw's Emotional Tour the middle of August, then goes into rehearsals to headline the 10th annual CMT on Tour with Lee Brice, Josh Thompson and CMT's "Next Superstar" winner, Matt Mason, which kicks off on September 15

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Mitch Winehouse takes rehab case to UK parliament (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) – In the wake of singer Amy Winehouse's death, her father Mitch went to Westminster on Monday to press politicians to do more for young people needing help with drug and alcohol problems.

"This isn't about Amy because we were in a fortunate position of being able to fund Amy to go into private rehab -- this is about people that can't afford it," he told reporters.

Amy Winehouse struggled with drinking and drug problems throughout much of her career before being found dead in her north London home last month.

The cause of her death at the age of 27 has not yet been determined and officials await results of toxicology tests.

Former taxi driver Winehouse, 60, was meeting Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, and Home Office minister James Brokenshire.

Britain's only National Health Service (NHS) rehabilitation center for young people, Middlegate, in Lincolnshire, closed last year, leaving young addicts facing either waits of up to two years for NHS treatment or hefty bills at private clinics.

"Rather than money being wasted through the criminal justice system, there could be a reallocation of funds," Winehouse said.

"There was one rehab center for juveniles and that's just shut down through lack of funding so we need to look at that. We need to be able to help our children."

Newspaper reports said Winehouse, who gave evidence on drug abuse to Vaz's committee in 2009, plans to win backing for a rehab unit to be named after his daughter.

Her best-known album "Back to Black" shot back to the top of the British albums chart Sunday in the wake of her death.

(Reporting by Stephen Addison)

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Ryan Gosling takes on comedy to cure the blues (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Ryan Gosling claims that after his last film, the moody "Blue Valentine," it took him several months to "acclimate out of the experience" and he paid a visit to the doctor.

"He wrote me a prescription and I looked at it and it said, 'Do a comedy'," the 30-year-old Canadian actor said, adding the story he has been repeating to reporters while promoting his new comedy, "Stupid, Crazy, Love," is absolutely true.

It's hard to tell at times when Gosling is joking, telling such stories while wearing a perpetual, evasive smirk. Yet he is transparently playing for laughs in his first comedic role opposite "The Office" star Steve Carell that has gained strong buzz ahead of its release in the United States on Friday.

The reason for the turnabout for an actor who has so far mostly stayed away from big-budget Hollywood movies after impressing critics with serious indie dramas, was Carell, he said.

"He makes everyone funny. So selfishly I knew that if I was going to ever do a comedy, if I was going to lose my comedic virginity, I wanted to lose it to Steve," a softly-spoken Gosling told Reuters in an interview.

"Crazy, Stupid, Love" shows off Gosling as a suave seducer of women who tries to help the despondent, shabby character played by Carell regain his machismo after separating from his wife, played by Julianne Moore. Also co-starring Emma Stone and Marisa Tomei, the romantic comedy is a big box office summer hope for studio Warner Bros.

Gosling described himself as "nervous" to act in what he sees as his first real comedy, spending much of the film dropping unsubtle lines to women in bars, dressing in designer clothes and even ripping off his shirt to reveal a body so appealing it leaves Stone exclaiming it must have been digitally enhanced.

"It's like a James Cameron program called Avatar and you wear a motion-controlled suit," he joked, explaining his impressive abdomen for the scene. But he did not use a body double. "I had to exercise a lot."

Initially, he said, he wanted to base the role on Mike "The Situation" Sorrento from the TV reality show "Jersey Shore". But producers balked at the idea -- "I thought it would be funny, and they thought it wouldn't be."

He also claims he figured out how to play this character -- and indeed each role he plays -- by working out "the percentage of Bugs Bunny versus Daffy Duck."

He explained: "Like Dean in 'Blue Valentine' was 80 per cent Daffy and 20 per cent Bugs. And with this (role) I finally got to just play Bugs Bunny -- that helped me to think of it in those terms. And Steve was Daffy."

CHOOSING FILMS LIKE DANCING

Cartoon characters aside, Gosling, who is now regarded as one of the top actors of his generation, speaks seriously about why he didn't cash in on his Oscar nomination for "Half Nelson" in 2006 or the popularity of the romantic drama "The Notebook" in 2004 with a big Hollywood movie.

"I felt like I was cashing in, but just not financially. I was able to get more freedom in each next part that I played. So I just kind of gravitated toward that freedom. Money gives you freedom too, it's just what kind of freedom you want."

He did take home a bigger paycheck for "Stupid, Crazy, Love," but "my reasons for wanting to do it were the same. It's like when a song comes on, you want to dance and you don't know why. It just makes you want to dance. That's how I feel and I felt that way about 'Blue' and I felt that way about this."

After starting out at an early age as a dancer on "The Mickey Mouse Club" variety TV show alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake -- Aguilera was then the most impressive, he said -- he landed parts in a number of TV shows, including one with Carell that was canceled.

He went on to observe acting titans such as Denzel Washington in his first small movie part in "Remember The Titans," but says Carell has been one of the best.

That may soon change. He will soon be seen in the George Clooney film, "The Ides of March" among several upcoming titles, but said he doesn't have any serious career plan.

"I just try to take it one step at a time," he said.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant)

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Drogba takes malaria fight to native Africa (Reuters)

BANGKOK (Reuters) – After six years braving England's frigid winters, a tropical disease was the last thing Chelsea's injury-prone striker Didier Drogba thought would keep him on the sidelines of the Premier League.

Since contracting malaria last year, Drogba's fight against the disease has gone from the Chelsea treatment room to the wilds of West Africa, where he is building a hospital and providing thousands of mosquito nets in an effort to cut the infection rate of one of the world's biggest killers.

There are 225 million cases a year of malaria, a mosquito-borne disease which can damage the nervous system, kidneys and liver. There were 781,000 deaths due to malaria in 2009, nine out of 10 were in Africa, according to the World Health Organization.

"I had malaria, I know exactly what it feels like and it's something that I want to stop," Drogba told Reuters on Saturday, handing out hundreds of nets bearing his face to a foundation in Thailand during Chelsea's Asian tour.

"That's why we're giving these nets to kids and people who can't afford treatment. These are good options, they're efficient and they save lives."

Drogba has been active in his native Ivory Coast in raising funds and donating his own sponsorship earnings to building a hospital in the capital Abidjan worth more than $4 million.

The 32-year-old fell ill with malaria in September but continued playing, a decision he said was foolish in retrospect and delayed his recovery.

DANGEROUS MOVE

The towering forward still does not know where he picked up the illness, which the club did not reveal until two months later.

"It was very dangerous and cost me fitness for almost two months," he said. "But I kept playing, I wanted to help my team, but I really should not have."

Drogba's hospital project has been delayed due to a four-month conflict in Ivory Coast that killed thousands of people following an election intended to unite the former French colony that plunged it back into civil war.

The country is now in recovery following April's ouster by French-backed rebels of former President Laurent Gbagbo, who had refused to cede power. Drogba said he would return to his homeland in the next few weeks to get his hospital project started.

"The situation in Ivory Coast has meant it's difficult for people to receive treatment, but the country is trying to survive, slowly things should get back to normal," Drogba said.

"I want this money to go to the right place, to try to help my people and give back to them what they gave to me.

"They've always been supporting me, so I really want to help them."

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Tom Petty takes on Bachmann over "American Girl" (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – It's not even 2012 yet but election season is in full bloom.

And with it comes a new political ritual: First, a Republican candidate attempts to score cultural points by choosing a popular song for a political commercial or a rally. Next, a musician complains about such unauthorized use. Finally, politician says, "Sorry!"

Up first in the 2012 war is a developing dispute between singer-songwriter Tom Petty and Michele Bachmann. On Monday, Bachmann officially announced her candidacy for U.S. president. She left the stage as Petty's "American Girl" blared over the loudspeaker. Uh-oh.

Petty's camp is unhappy with Bachmann's choice of exit music and will ask the campaign not to use the song, according to an NBC News report. (Petty's manager was not immediately available for comment, an employee said.)

Petty previously sent George W. Bush a cease-and-desist letter over his presidential campaign's use of the song, "I Won't Back Down." Bush backed down, of course. But the former president is not alone.

In the past couple of years, musicians have enjoyed great success in getting politicians to see the error of their ways.

After the 2008 campaign, John McCain was forced to make an apology to Jackson Browne to settle a lawsuit over the use of his song, "Running on Empty." A few months after that, California senatorial candidate Chuck DeVore went on bended knee to settle claims made by Don Henley over use of the songs "Boys of Summer" and "All She Wants to Do is Dance."

And most recently, Florida governor Charlie Crist did the mea culpa to David Byrne over use of the song, "Road to Nowhere." Crist's apology on YouTube set the standard here.

None of these cases went to trial. No appellate circuit has yet ruled on such issues as fair use and the validity of the implied endorsement claim. Nevertheless, the DeVore case came the closest to a final ruling in favor of musicians and against politicians when the judge rejected DeVore's defenses in the pre-trial phase.

However, DeVore used music in a political campaign ad. A dispute over music played at a campaign event, like the developing Petty vs. Bachmann sued, is an entirely new legal debate. Arguably, so long as a campaign purchases a license from the performance rights organization ASCAP, it should stand on solid ground. On the other hand, Petty could still claim that such music constituted an implied endorsement of the Republican candidate.

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Dave Matthews takes break from road, not concerts (AP)

NEW YORK – Dave Matthews has just started a telephone interview when the shrieks of a child interrupt his thoughts and he has to go to another room to escape the commotion.

"It's not easy to find a quiet place in my house," quips the leader of the Dave Matthews Band. "There's a lot of action."

But it's that kind of action with his 3-year-old son and two 9-year-old daughters that Matthews was craving when he decided last year, after spending 20 years on the road, to take a hiatus from touring.

However, the 44-year-old rocker's love of music couldn't keep him away from the stage for long, and this summer, the band — which includes Carter Beauford, Boyd Tinsley and Stefan Lessard — is performing in four cities — three nights in each city — in a "caravan" of concerts.

The concerts in Atlantic City, N.J.; Chicago; New York; and George, Wash., features the Dave Matthews Band as headliners and includes acts like the Flaming Lips, Ray LaMontagne, the Roots and Dispatch. The acts will vary in each city.

"I hope that people will go away from it, probably a little exhausted, but feeling like they had a really special experience," Matthews said.

AP: When you ended your tour, people assumed that was it for a while. What made you decide to do the "caravan"?

Matthews: There's some different reasons. A lot of the guys wanted to play and I love playing with this band. I've just been wanting to take a break from being on the road. ... I'm not as up for the crazy tour schedule this year ... but I still love playing music. It does seem like a good way not to live on a bus and go to someplace and see some good musicians play, and then work a little bit.

AP: What have you been doing during your time off?

Matthews: I've just been with my family and nothing else. ... Last year I spent was away from my family a lot. It's hard for me to leave my kids, and it's harder on me than it is on them. It's funny, I get a little quieter with time. I don't want to chase my tail and one day repeat myself and repeat myself and one day have kids going to college and not have memories that I should, because I was too busy doing my thing. ... I'm always playing music and trying to make new sounds, but mainly, it's been trying to hear theirs.

AP: Do you think your break might be a little bit more extended, or do you not want to put a timetable on it?

Matthews: I'd like to get into writing again and I think a lot of it for me is just trying to figure out how I can do both, and a lot of people have done it. ... It's a hard switch, but I'm working on trying to figure out how to do it. I don't want to stop — I don't think I really can stop making music. ... I'm not planning going into the studio for a specific month or anything like that. But I imagine I am going to. I don't see an end to that.

AP: There's a new book, "So Much to Say: Dave Matthews Band — 20 Years on the Road." What are some of the things included in the book that might surprise people?

Matthews: You know what's going to make you laugh? My mother told me there was some book out about us, and that's the first I heard of it. ... I had no idea. I am so in the dark about everything, which is OK. I've always kind of been, I've never really kept up with the culture around me, so it's not surprising that some book came out and I was oblivious about it. ... I have yet to see it. ... I have a pretty good idea of what happened in the last 20 years, and there's a lot of books out there that are about other things that I would much rather read than read a book that has details of my life.

AP: You have talked about trying to do things that might better the world. What are some of the projects you'd like to tackle?

Matthews: I think it's always on my mind and all of our minds, especially when I became a father, about what kind of planet I'm leaving for my children, and so that preoccupies me a little bit, and then opportunities tend to come up because there are people that are more directly focused on more specific ways into improving or sustaining a healthier direction for the planet.

____

Online:

http://www.davematthewsband.com

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Eminem takes the big stage as rap rules Bonnaroo (AP)

By CHRIS TALBOTT, AP Entertainment Writer Chris Talbott, Ap Entertainment Writer – Sun Jun 12, 3:46 am ET

MANCHESTER, Tenn. – After a little more than an hour of a hard-as-nails set that had the bikini-clad rumps shaking at Bonnaroo, Eminem thanked the crowd and left the stage.

Nearly 80,000 fans chanted "Shady! Shady! Shady!" in a thunderous roar for five minutes until hip hop's angry king returned to the stage for a triumphant encore of "Lose Yourself," capping the day rap took over Bonnaroo.

Saturday kicked off with Big Boi and Lil Wayne laying down early morning sets — inexplicably overlapping — shortly after Arcade Fire's Friday night finale, and the takeover continued with Wiz Khalifa on the big stage during a hot afternoon set before Eminem destroyed his Bonnaroo debut.

These weren't the first rappers at the four-day festival down on the farm in Tennessee. The event is known more for its granola-flavored ethos than its urban cool, but Jay-Z turned in one of the most memorable sets in the festival's 10-year history in 2010 and expectations were high for Saturday's takeover — the most concentrated collection of star MCs at Bonnaroo.

Big Boi mixed in his own songs with Outkast favorites. Lil Wayne played it naughty with the crowd and debuted tracks from his forthcoming album "Tha Carter IV," rattling the port-a-potties with a thunderous bass well into the morning.

And Khalifa kept the crowd sky high by preaching the gospel of weed to a willing choir that included a man who wore a "Marijuana Cures Racism" T-shirt, dancers with flowers in their hair and joints in their hands, and girls in bikinis crowd surfing.

The day was full of odd juxtapositions. Khalifa dropped his hit "Black & Yellow" while just a few hundred yards away Mumford & Sons tore through a set of fiery folk rock as fans watched over a nearby fence and from atop ATMs. The sold-out crowd appeared to be evenly split among the two rising stars of their genres.

Later in the evening, a reunited Buffalo Springfield set up Eminem's show with a fiery rendition of Neil Young's "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World." Fans rushed into the festival's largest compound as Young's echoing guitar died away, entering another world.

Eminem opened with "Won't Back Down" and "3 a.m." and never let up, featuring a mix of hits and new songs from his 2010 return to the top, "Recovery."

"It's been a minute since I been to the South," he shouted. "Did y'all miss us?"

Eminem was in top form, fast and angry as he stalked the stage in long camouflage shorts and a black t-shirt. He thanked his fans for standing by him before launching into "Not Afraid."

Bonnaroo's crowd may be a hippie enclave, but you wouldn't have known it Saturday night as most fans rapped right along with Eminem, brightened the sky with lighters to the Slim Shady and Royce Da 5'9"`s "Lighters" and played along to a naughty call-and-response before "Love the Way You Lie."

After the show the debate shifted from whether hip hop belongs at Bonnaroo to Shady 2011 or Hova 2010?

___

Online:

http://www.bonnaroo.com

___

Contact Chris Talbott at www.twitter.com/Chris_Talbott.

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Amos Lee takes diverse sound to 2 Bonnaroo stages (AP)

MANCHESTER, Tenn. – Tucson isn't the first place you think of when the topic of musical journeys comes up. The Arizona town felt just right for a little self-exploration to Amos Lee, though.

The Philadelphia singer was on a quest of sorts when he started recording his fourth album, "Mission Bell," and he found just what he was looking for in the desert home of producer Joey Burns and his band Calexico.

"I've listened to a lot of Calexico's records, and I love how Joey and John (Convertino) and everybody else in the band just work with — I don't really like using this terminology but it's the best I can come up with — the sonic landscape that they create. It's rich and it's deep, but it's also subtle and simple at the same time. I've always really appreciated the way they make sound move."

And the way they helped Lee with the multiple flavors and colors of "Mission Bell" has kicked the former second-grade teacher's career into a higher orbit. His first three albums were well-received, and he was already a popular collaborative partner. But he's in even higher demand, opening for Adele, working with artists as diverse as Zac Brown Band and James Gadson, and holding down two slots at this year's Bonnaroo — Saturday's acoustic performance and a full-band set Sunday.

"It is definitely the busiest I've been with all the stuff I've done, just with the press, the TV, the trips back and forth to Europe," Lee said while standing in the meager shade of a tent backstage at Bonnaroo. "I've had stretches where I've probably done more shows, but I've never been busier and I've never had a more intense experience that I've had this time."

Part of that success is due to the inventiveness of "Mission Bell," an album that marks a blossoming for the 33-year-old singer. Burns and his Calexico mates helped Lee break out of a neo-soul niche that had begun to chafe. Lee was looking for a way to reacquaint himself with the things that had made music so exciting back when he was playing open mic nights in neighborhood bars.

"You get stagnant, and I felt like some ways as a performer I was not feeling the same way about performing as I did before," Lee said. "So I had to find and am still looking for new ways to open myself up even more to the experience of playing for people and to open that energy up more that comes between the audience and the performer."

Burns, Convertino and Calexico have a reputation for taking collaborators places they've never been before. They've worked previously with Iron & Wine, Neko Case, Nancy Sinatra and My Morning Jacket's Jim James on a powerful version of "Going to Acapulco" for Todd Haynes' Bob Dylan film "I'm Not There," among many others.

They're known for a Southwestern-flavored blend of Americana that's lush, vibrant and haunting. After meeting briefly in Europe while on tour, Lee and Burns were reintroduced by Willie Nelson's harmonica player, Mickey Raphael, while Lee was looking for a producer and quickly decided to work together.

Burns was intrigued by the "transitioning" Lee was undertaking and thought he might be able to help.

"I think he's been pursuing that for a while, trying to figure out what he does and what he does well," Burns said in a phone interview from Tucson. "He can do so many different things so well, I think he's really now applying the ability to distill everything together into his sound and his identity in his songs and his music. So I think it is an exciting time as a fan of Amos and his music."

Lee scheduled a trip to Tucson last year to see if things would work out, and after recording a few songs, he came away convinced. Lee immediately felt like a kid let loose in the toy store at Wavelab studios, where everything he could imagine, from unique guitars and amps to glockenspiels and vibraphones, were laid out in a big room.

"It really does give you a chance to delve a little deeper into what you want to do, I guess, sonically," Lee said. "As an acoustic guitar player I really haven't spent a lot of time doing it and I really loved it. The atmosphere is just wide open."

Lee says "Mission Bell," which features appearances by Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams and Sam Beam, has a live feel that comes from everyone gathering in a big room and throwing out ideas. The group would set aside one song to work on another that felt more urgent, sometimes nailing a track in a take or two.

Along the way they layered on little details and highlights that pushed the sound into three dimensions. The Spanish-flavored horns on "El Camino," for instance, sit in the distance and create a different mood than you might find in a soul song. A haunting pedal steel guitar line by Greg Leisz helps push "Windows Are Rolled Down" along like a sunny Sunday drive. And then there's the final moments of "Violin," a one-take wonder that breaks down into a fuzzy guitar feedback coda as Lee quietly sings, "Oh, God. Oh, God."

All this adds up to something more than soul, folk, jazz and all those other tags that have overburdened Lee.

"There's been comparisons to Bill Withers, which is great, I love that," Burns said. "But it's more than that, too. He's got other influences. He really kind of confuses definitions, which is really interesting to me because I'm a fan of that kind of music where it's just not blatantly one thing, but it expands into other areas and other things."

____

Online:

http://www.amoslee.com

___

Contact Chris Talbott at http://twitter.com/Chris_Talbott.

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Eminem takes the big stage as rap rules Bonnaroo (AP)

By CHRIS TALBOTT, AP Entertainment Writer Chris Talbott, Ap Entertainment Writer – Sun Jun 12, 3:46 am ET

MANCHESTER, Tenn. – After a little more than an hour of a hard-as-nails set that had the bikini-clad rumps shaking at Bonnaroo, Eminem thanked the crowd and left the stage.

Nearly 80,000 fans chanted "Shady! Shady! Shady!" in a thunderous roar for five minutes until hip hop's angry king returned to the stage for a triumphant encore of "Lose Yourself," capping the day rap took over Bonnaroo.

Saturday kicked off with Big Boi and Lil Wayne laying down early morning sets — inexplicably overlapping — shortly after Arcade Fire's Friday night finale, and the takeover continued with Wiz Khalifa on the big stage during a hot afternoon set before Eminem destroyed his Bonnaroo debut.

These weren't the first rappers at the four-day festival down on the farm in Tennessee. The event is known more for its granola-flavored ethos than its urban cool, but Jay-Z turned in one of the most memorable sets in the festival's 10-year history in 2010 and expectations were high for Saturday's takeover — the most concentrated collection of star MCs at Bonnaroo.

Big Boi mixed in his own songs with Outkast favorites. Lil Wayne played it naughty with the crowd and debuted tracks from his forthcoming album "Tha Carter IV," rattling the port-a-potties with a thunderous bass well into the morning.

And Khalifa kept the crowd sky high by preaching the gospel of weed to a willing choir that included a man who wore a "Marijuana Cures Racism" T-shirt, dancers with flowers in their hair and joints in their hands, and girls in bikinis crowd surfing.

The day was full of odd juxtapositions. Khalifa dropped his hit "Black & Yellow" while just a few hundred yards away Mumford & Sons tore through a set of fiery folk rock as fans watched over a nearby fence and from atop ATMs. The sold-out crowd appeared to be evenly split among the two rising stars of their genres.

Later in the evening, a reunited Buffalo Springfield set up Eminem's show with a fiery rendition of Neil Young's "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World." Fans rushed into the festival's largest compound as Young's echoing guitar died away, entering another world.

Eminem opened with "Won't Back Down" and "3 a.m." and never let up, featuring a mix of hits and new songs from his 2010 return to the top, "Recovery."

"It's been a minute since I been to the South," he shouted. "Did y'all miss us?"

Eminem was in top form, fast and angry as he stalked the stage in long camouflage shorts and a black t-shirt. He thanked his fans for standing by him before launching into "Not Afraid."

Bonnaroo's crowd may be a hippie enclave, but you wouldn't have known it Saturday night as most fans rapped right along with Eminem, brightened the sky with lighters to the Slim Shady and Royce Da 5'9"`s "Lighters" and played along to a naughty call-and-response before "Love the Way You Lie."

After the show the debate shifted from whether hip hop belongs at Bonnaroo to Shady 2011 or Hova 2010?

___

Online:

http://www.bonnaroo.com

___

Contact Chris Talbott at www.twitter.com/Chris_Talbott.

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