SAMMY HAGAR & PAUL STANLEY: Welcome new Rock Hall members
Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Sammy Hagar and Paul Stanley are on the same page when it comes to welcoming the recently announced 2018 inductees into the Rock Hall.
Both of them sent tweets congratulating the entire class -- Bon Jovi, The Cars, Dire Straits, The Moody Blues, and the late Nina Simone and Sister Rosetta Tharpe -- and each was critical of the institution the artists will be joining at the April 14th ceremony.
Hagar wrote, "Congratulations to all the inductees especially @BonJovi who was kept off the ballot for so long and when nominated swept the votes unanimously! It just goes to show the people are the ones that should always control the vote."
Stanley congratulated the entire class in capital letters, then added, "Great to see the RRHOF with little choice while choking on it’s own stagnant, toxic air, except to open it’s eyes, ears and doors to survive by reluctantly becoming what it was meant to be all along."
KISS: Gene Simmons sued
Gene Simmons of KISS is being sued for making "unwanted sexual advances" by a veteran San Bernardino, California disc jockey.
The lawsuit alleges that during an interview at an event held at the local Rock & Brews -- one of a chain of restaurants Simmons co-owns with bandmate Paul Stanley -- Simmons grabbed the plaintiff [who is referred to as Jane Doe to protect her identity] by the hand and "forcefully placed it on his knee."
The suit says the plaintiff took her hand away, "feeling that this was an unwanted sexual advance," but Simmons kept reaching for it. She also claims Simmons made "sexual innuendos" while answering interview questions and touched her buttocks while they were posing for promo photos.
She wants a "money judgment for mental pain and anguish and severe emotional distress, humiliation and embarrassment" in addition to punitive damages. Simmons has denied the accusations and said in a statement that he plans to defend himself "against any alleged charges you may have been reading about in the media."
Simmons says , "For the record, I did not assault the person making these accusations in the manner alleged in the complaint or harm her in any way. I am conferring with my lawyers with the aim of vigorously countering these allegations. And, I look forward to my day in court, where the evidence will prove my innocence." (Rolling Stone)
OLIVIA-NEWTON JOHN: Update on her recovery
Olivia Newton-John says she has “no pain and life is wonderful.” Interviewed Friday on Australia's Channel 7 Network, the Grease icon was very positive about her second battle with cancer. She tells the network's morning show:
"I'm doing really well, thank you. It's... in June that I... was diagnosed. I'd had sciatic, I thought, for a long time. And it turned out it was something else. But I'm doing great, I'm feeling well. In fact, I just finished a tour on the weekends. So I've been working again. I have no pain and life is wonderful."
After doing a few shows this fall, Olivia is taking it easy. She plans to spend Christmas in Australia and then take January and February off before returning to performing.