Reps Deny 'Idol' Rumors to Justin Timberlake and Elton John

The Hollywood Reporter yesterday that Justin Timberlake and Elton John have joined the list of potential Simon Cowell replacements on "American Idol" has been denied, according to Deadline. Timberlake and John have both representatives and said that reports of their involvement with "Idol" are unfounded due to the artists' hectic schedules.
'Idol' Pursuing Elton John, Justin Timberlake
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Timberlake rep has said that the star's blossoming film career, which includes upcoming turns in "The Social Network" and "Bad Teacher," makes the possibility of the pop singer becoming a permanent "Idol" judge "just silly."
Meanwhile, John's UK publicist Gary Farrow told Deadline that the rumor is "absolute rubbish" and has been since surfacing when season 9 of "American Idol" ended in May. "This story's three months old… Elton's got commitments right up until next year. At the moment as we stand, Elton has no plans to do that show."
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John and Timberlake were previously on "Idol" producer Simon Fuller's wish list of replacements for Cowell, which also includes Chris Isaak, Harry Connick Jr. and other music celebrities.

Elton John’s concert postpones blame his Food poisoning

Sir Elton John had food poisoning its blame to postpone his concert. A session of food caused this delay and postponing of the concert. In the popular Tucson Arena Elton was to appear and perform at a scheduled concert. The show was scheduled to take place on a Wednesday night.
Reportedly, the gig was sold out on Wednesday night. About 8,800 tickets were sold. According to the arrangers, the British performer would be performing the next day, that’s Thursday. A spokeswoman representing the Tucson concert venue says that Elton had apologized for the hassle caused due to his illness. The doctors as well as the medical personnel in charge of Elton’s health have confirmed that he will be able to perform on Thursday. Elton’s fans, who had bought the tickets shouldn’t be disappointed since the concert isn’t cancelled; it’s just postponed for 24 hours.

Elton John Cancels Concert

In Arizona sir Elton John has cancelled a concert, stating he is too ill to sing after contracting food poisoning.
Sir Elton John has cancelled a concert after falling ill with food poisoning.
The musician 63 year old who is recently touring America was due to perform to 8,800 fans at Arizona's Tuscon Arena last night (21.07.10) but was too ill to sing.
Kate Calhoun, a spokesperson for the venue, apologised to fans on the singer's behalf and said doctors have advised he should be better for tonight's replacement gig.
She explained: "Elton apologises for the inconvenience caused due to his illness, but doctors assure him he will be fine."
Singer Rufus Wainwright who was helped by the 'Rocket Man' hitmaker when he was struggling with an addiction to crystal meth in 2000 currently revealed despite his flamboyant persona, Elton is really very shy when it comes to performing in public.
He said: "I don't think people are aware of how shy he is. He's a bit like the Wizard of Oz. On the one hand there's this big pomp and circumstance, but really beneath it all there's this very sweet little guy who's constantly feeling very insignificant, which is ironic of course. What I'm saying is, he's quite shy."
After completing the North American leg of his tour, the iconic singer and songwriter will go on to perform in 16 European cities.

Police escort arranged concert for Sir Elton

In Yakima when Elton John steps off a plane Sunday, he'll be greeted by a member of the police force.
At the request of the fair board, the Yakima Police Department will be providing an escort for the legendary musician as he makes his way to the Yakima Valley SunDome for Sunday's 7:30 p.m. concert. An escort will also accompany John after the show.
The concert is sold out and arrangers expect 7,500 people to attend.
Police Chief Sam Granato said Friday that his department was asked Wednesday to come up with a plan to provide the escorts with on duty police personnel.
"There was the issue of whether or not that was legal to do for a private event," he said.
Granato expressed concerns over tying up city resources on an already busy weekend.
Granato said, "Its one thing to have a unit standing by for a minute, but it's another to tie up resources for a long period of time".
How the escorts would be paid for and by whom also needed to be worked out.
After a discussion involving representatives of State Fair Park and the city, both sides were able to come to an agreement.
The city will provide three police officers on overtime pay. The Fair Board will foot the bill, which Granato estimates will be around $500.
He said, "It had to be done in a way that the city would be reimbursed and the only way was through overtime".
One officer will escort John from the airport to the SunDome. The other two will escort him back to the airport after the show. Each will work the minimum three hours required for overtime.
City Manager Dick Zais said providing escort security for visiting major dignitaries is common practice. The city has helped to escort Rosa Parks, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Mexican President Vicente Fox.
"We are tremendously fortunate to have Sir Elton come here," Zais said. "We all want this to be safe for him and the crowds that are there."
In addition to helping the musician navigate through traffic, the officers will also assist the Rocket Man with any overzealous fans, should the issue arise.
Also taking place at the fairgrounds this weekend is CityFest, which expects to draw a crowd of 10,000. That event is not expected to require additional police staffing.

Adopt Child from South Africa to Elton John

It looks like the World Cup has inspired Sir Elton John in a very particular way. The 63 year old singer is ready to adopt a child from South Africa.
Really this is an older plan that the 'Rocket Man' and his partner Davis Furnish made after Elton performed there earlier this year. "Both he and David are desperate to have a child. They were devastated when they couldn’t get the baby last year. But after Elton went to South Africa as part of his tour, he realized the huge HIV problem out there and wants to help", friends revealed. Last year they tried to adopt a HIV positive child from Ukraine, but their plan failed because of their sexuality. The Ukraine's laws forbid same sex couples to adopt.

Elton John: Elton John is still rockin

Elton John's back at Copps with his greatest hits tour.

Elton John it would be an understatement to describe as one of the biggest stars in the history of pop music. In some ways, he is the biggest. In singles' sales, for example, In a walk Sir Elton wins top honours. His Candle in the Wind 1997 -- originally written in 1973 for Marilyn Monroe and re recorded as a tribute to Princess Diana -- is the greatest selling single ever.
It has sold a staggering 37 million copies, easily outdistancing two Bing Crosby seasonal favourites (White Christmas and Silent Night have stalled at 30 million each).
As far as solo acts go, Elton's total sales of 250 million worldwide rank him neck and neck with Madonna, behind only Elvis Presley (one billion) and Michael Jackson (750 million).
Throw in The Beatles (one billion), ABBA (370 million) and Queen (300 billion) and Sir Elton is tied for sixth overall in the category of bestselling acts of all time.
So it's easy to understand why Saturday's Elton John concert is very close to being sold out (a fresh block of seats went on sale yesterday). Even at the age of 63, John is still near the top of his game. And, with a new album expected later this year, his catalogue continues to grow.
Here are 15 interesting facts about one of the most popular singer songwriters in the world:
* Most fans know Sir Elton wasn't born with his now famous moniker, but how many know that his middle name is Hercules?
Reginald Kenneth Dwight was the name his parents -- Sheila and Stanley Dwight -- gave him on his arrival into the world March 25, 1947. At the age of 19 or so, "Reggie" began performing under the name Elton John, taking John from his English blues mentor Long John Baldry and Elton from Dean Elton, the sax player in Baldry's Bluesology band. It wasn't until the early '70s that Reggie legally changed his name to Elton John. That's when he added the middle name Hercules, taken not from the mythological strongman but from a horse in a children's TV show.
* Elton owes more than his name to Long John Baldry (who lived in Dundas for several years during the '70s). Elton has said that Baldry was the catalyst for the 1975 hit Someone Saved My Life Tonight. In 1969, Elton was planning on marrying Linda Woodrow, a secretary from Sheffield who had said she was pregnant. Baldry -- possibly aware of John's homosexuality -- talked him out of the marriage during a drunken evening at London's Bag O' Nails club. "(Baldry) actually did change the course of my life," Elton later said.
* Elton eventually did get married -- to recording engineer Renate Blauel on Feb. 14 (Valentine's Day), 1984, in Sydney. The marriage lasted just over four years.
* On Dec. 21, 2005, he entered a "civil partnership" with David Furnish, a Toronto born advertising executive and filmmaker. The party they hosted at their Berkshire mansion that night reportedly cost more than $2 million.
* Elton's wealth has been estimated at $265 million US by the Sunday Times Rich List.
* Last month, Elton performed at the fourth wedding of right wing broadcaster Rush Limbaugh. His appearance at the Palm Beach, Fla., ceremony shocked many observers because of Limbaugh's conservative views on homosexuality. News reports estimate John received $1 million for the gig.
* Elton has 10 godchildren, including Sean Lennon (son of Yoko Ono and John Lennon).
* John Lennon's final live performance was with Elton John at New York's Madison Square Garden on Nov. 18, 1974. The two sang Whatever Gets You Through the Night and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
* Elton's upcoming album, produced by T-Bone Burnett, is a collaboration with veteran rocker Leon Russell and longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin. Russell was a major influence on Elton's early career. He was in the audience at one of Elton's first U.S. shows at the Troubadour club in Los Angeles in 1970. Neil Young and Beach Boy Brian Wilson make guest appearances on the album. Elton has been performing one of the new songs -- Never Too Old to Hold Somebody -- at recent performances. The album, titled The Union, is scheduled for release in October.
* Elton's last show in Hamilton in 2006 broke the box office record at Copps Coliseum, raking in $1.76 million in ticket sales. The record stood until 2008, when Bruce Springsteen brought in $1.96 million.
* He is president of the Watford Football Club and has been on the board of directors of the soccer team since 1976.
* In more current years, Elton has become a baseball fan. He keeps a home in Atlanta and often attends Braves' games.
* He has won five Grammy Awards, one Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a Tony Award.
* In 1979, Elton became the first major western pop act to perform in the U.S.S.R.
* Sir Elton was a student of the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1959 to 1964. In 2002, the academy gave him an honorary doctorate.

Leon Russell For 'Mature' New Album with Elton John Teams

Elton John says his approaching collaboration with legendary singer, songwriter and sideman Leon Russell marks a new chapter in his recording career, saying: "I don't have to make pop records any more." Speaking at the launch of the album at the Electric Cinema in West London last night (July 5), John said: "I thought, 'The world isn't screaming for another Elton John record and I'm not screaming for it either unless it's going to be different. In the '70s, '80s and '90s, the record companies always said we had to have a single and I think I fulfilled my brief. But at 63, the singles chart isn't one I'm going to be in very often. To me now, it's all about writing albums and trying to be mature." John recruited Russell for the album, aptly entitled "The Union," after rediscovering Russell's music 40 years after they toured the United States together. Russell was a big name in the 1960s and 1970s, playing keyboards for the likes of Phil Spector and the Beach Boys, making solo records and writing songs including "A Song for You," "This Masquerade" and "Delta Lady." But he largely fell off the radar in the late 1970s and has suffered from poor health in current years, although he kept touring. John described Russell as his "idol" and working with him as a "humbling and moving experience." He hopes the exposure from the album will bring new attention to Russell's solo output. John said, "There's no point doing this record if it doesn't bring his work to light". "I want him to be comfortable financially. I want his life to improve a little." John and Russell worked with John's long time songwriting partner Bernie Taupin and producer T Bone Burnett on the collaborative project, which also features guest appearances from the likes of Neil Young and Brian Wilson. Journalists at the launch also heard a playback of the 16 track album, which has a rootsy, almost gospel sound, and was recorded live, with most tracks done "in one or two takes." In an entertaining Q&A session hosted by U.K.-based broadcaster Paul Gambaccini, John also held forth on Christmas albums ("My record company in America asked me to do a Christmas record and I just told them to fuck off"), videos ("I fucking hate videos") and even which of his songs would be the best introduction to his music for a 6 year old ("Just show him 'The Lion King'"). John said he plans to tour with Russell next year and hopes to make another record with him if "The Union" is a success. He also plans to do a solo covers album in the near future. "The Union" will be released Oct. 19 in the United States on Decca Records, and Oct. 25 in the United Kingdom on Mercury.