Hank Williams Jr. lashes out at media in new song

By Tim Ghianni

NASHVILLE, Tenn | Mon Oct 10, 2011 5:48pm EDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) - Country singer Hank Williams Jr., whose theme song was pulled from "Monday Night Football" after he compared President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler, lashed out at the media on Monday with a topical song called "Keep the Change."

The track, which borrows its title and certain themes from another song released by Williams' daughter, Holly, in 2009, was offered as a free download on his website.

Williams sparked an uproar when he appeared on the Fox News Channel show "Fox & Friends" on October 3 and said Obama's pairing with Republican House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner in a June golf summit was "like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu."

He also referred to Obama and Vice President Joe Biden as "the enemy." That day, ESPN publicly rebuked Williams and dropped his "All My Rowdy Friends" song as the opening theme for its weekly "Monday Night Football" broadcast.

He subsequently issued a statement saying he was sorry for anyone who took offense, but the Disney-owned sports channel and Williams later said they were parting company after an association of more than 20 years. Williams had introduced "MNF" since 1991 on both ABC and ESPN.

In his new song about the controversy, Williams took aim at both ESPN and Fox News.

"So 'Fox & Friends' want to put me down/Ask for my opinion/Twist it all around/Well two can play that gotcha game," he sings on the track.

Williams, a longtime supporter of Republican causes, also sings that the United States is becoming "socialist" and takes a dig at Obama's 2008 campaign theme of "change."

"I'll keep my freedom, I'll keep my guns/Try to keep my money and my religion too ... Keep the government out of my business/ and y'all can keep the change," he sings.

The song ends with the 62-year-old Williams, nicknamed Bocephus by his country music legend father, urging fans to join him in a boycott.

"Yeah you can keep 'Fox & Friends' and ESPN out of your homes too. 'Cause Bocephus and all his rowdy friends and his song is out of there," sings Williams, who is selling "Hank Jr. for President" T-shirts on his website.

Fox News declined to comment on the song, and a representative from ESPN could not be reached for comment.

The new Williams track borrows its title from a song called "Keep the Change," which released by his daughter, Holly Williams, in 2009.

While Holly Williams did not write the song, her version gained solid radio play with lyrics that present a more subtle but still biting critique of the Obama administration.

Hank Williams Jr. is slated to hit the TV talk show circuit on Tuesday, including appearances on the ABC daytime program "The View" and the conservative Fox News show "Hannity."

(Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Steve Gorman)

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Day after wedding, McCartney announces tour dates

LONDON | Mon Oct 10, 2011 5:49pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - The day after he tied the knot with American heiress Nancy Shevell, ex-Beatle Paul McCartney announced 11 extra dates for his "On the Run" tour ending in his native town of Liverpool, England, on December 20.

His third marriage looks unlikely to slow the 69-year-old down, with his first ever gig in the UAE on November 13 to coincide with the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 race.

McCartney then travels to Italy, France and Germany, heads back to Britain for a night at London's O2 Arena on December 5, takes in Sweden, Finland and Russia before ending the year with a concert in Manchester on December 19 and Liverpool the next day.

"Playing live is one of the most exciting parts of my job," the musician said in a statement released Monday.

"My audiences seem to get better each year and the band and I love the buzz and feedback that they give us. I can't wait to see you all for some wild nights of rock n' roll and partying."

McCartney married Shevell, 51, Sunday in London and the newlyweds celebrated with a low-key reception at his home in the city.

The "Hey Jude" singer also recently unveiled his first ever ballet score, "Ocean's Kingdom," in New York.

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

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Michael Jackson's legacy survives odd trial revelations

By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES | Mon Oct 10, 2011 8:00am EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In the final weeks of his life, Michael Jackson slept with a toy doll on his bed, was so heavily drugged that he sometimes slurred his speech and his big comeback tour was plagued with problems.

That was the picture that has emerged of the King of Pop's private life during the first two weeks of the manslaughter trial of Jackson's in-house physician, Dr. Conrad Murray.

As bizarre as some of the revelations might be, they may add to Jackson's legacy as a genius whose stature has risen since his death in June 2009 at age 50, pop culture experts said.

Jackson's odd, sometimes pathetic demeanor -- largely forgotten in the worldwide grief over his death but on display again during Murray's televised trial -- may make him even more beloved by his fans.

"Lets face it, we're interested in this case because it is about Michael Jackson," said Bob Thompson, a professor of pop culture at Syracuse University.

"But the fact that he is gone also considerably changes how people perceive and emotionally engage in this kind of thing. The dead are the ultimate underdogs," Thompson said.

The most dramatic development in the trial so far has been a recording played for jurors in which Jackson speaks almost incoherently and slurs his words.

Prosecutors say Murray made the recording after giving Jackson a drug treatment as a sleep aid. Medical examiners found the singer's death resulted from an overdose of the anesthetic propofol combined with sedatives.

"I think that has introduced an element of pathos to Michael Jackson," Thompson said. "That slurred speech, he was saying, 'I was deprived of my childhood. I want my money to go to a children's hospital.' How do you argue with something like that?"

DOLLS AND BABIES

When prosecutors showed the jury a photo of a doll on the bed where Jackson's lifeless body was found hooked up to an IV, it made headlines.

Photos of Jackson's bedroom show he had several pictures and a poster of babies. The singer, who often said he was drawn to children because he never had a childhood himself, was tried and acquitted in 2005 of molesting a young boy.

Stacy Brown, co-author of a book called "Michael Jackson: The Man Behind the Mask," said the singer had collected dolls for years and had many at his Neverland Ranch in central California, where he also had theme park rides and a zoo.

"In the grand scheme of things, especially as it relates to him, I don't find it to be odd to have that doll there," Brown said. "If anything, I would expect there to be more."

But for Jackson's fans, a more disturbing revelation may be that the perfectionist "Thriller" singer appeared to be struggling during the strenuous preparations for his sold-out, 50-date London comeback tour -- his first for 12 years.

Jackson missed rehearsals in Los Angeles and those close to him had concerns about his health a week before he died. Tour director Kenny Ortega testified that on June 19, Jackson was too weak to rehearse and that he needed psychological help.

Brown said the picture of Jackson painted at trial "has only added to what's been going on since his death.

"And that is his image has been rehabilitated -- something that he might not have been able to do had he been alive."

(Editing by Jill Serjeant)

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Ex-Beatle McCartney says "I Do" for third time

By Mike Collett-White

LONDON | Mon Oct 10, 2011 8:28am EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - Paul McCartney married for the third time on Sunday, exchanging vows with American heiress Nancy Shevell at the same London register office where the former Beatle wed his first wife Linda in 1969.

The beaming couple emerged from the grey-stone Old Marylebone Town Hall to confetti and cheers from dozens of fans who had waited hours to catch a glimpse of the music legend and his new wife.

Brunette Shevell, 51, wore a knee-length, long-sleeved white dress which reports said was designed by McCartney's fashion designer daughter Stella.

The bride also had a white flower in her hair and carried a small posy of roses, while "Hey Jude" singer McCartney wore a dark suit and light blue tie. One newspaper had a headline saying: "Yes-today", in a reference to the famous Beatles song.

Despite his huge wealth as a key songwriter and frontman for the world's most successful pop band, 69-year-old McCartney chose a modest civil ceremony before a small group of family and friends.

Ringo Starr, the only other surviving member of the "Fab Four", and his wife Barbara Bach were among the guests at the wedding. Ex-Beatle John Lennon, who was assassinated in New York in 1980, would have been 71 on the day of the wedding.

After the ceremony, which lasted just over an hour, the newlyweds returned to McCartney's home in St. John's Wood for an evening reception.

The property in the upmarket area of north London is just a few streets away from the Abbey Road Studios where the Beatles recorded many of their most famous songs.

Asked how he felt after marrying for a third time, he told reporters: "Terrific, thank you. I feel married. I feel absolutely wonderful."

SWEET SERENADE

Rock'n'roll royalty including Starr, Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood and guitarist Jeff Beck attended the reception, as did model Twiggy and artist Tracey Emin.

Late Beatle George Harrison's widow Olivia turned up to the soiree, which was also designed to be a low-key affair.

McCartney's spokesman declined to divulge any details of the wedding day, but celebrity-hungry tabloids in Britain, where the affectionately named "Macca" is hugely popular, have been poring over every detail.

According to reports, McCartney composed a song for Shevell especially for their big day.

He was also expected to perform "Let it Be", which he sang to Shevell on one of their first holidays together three years ago, and her favorite "Let Me Roll It", the Sunday Mirror said.

McCartney was married for 29 years to American photographer Linda until her death from breast cancer in 1998. He said at the time that he and Linda had spent just 11 nights apart during their marriage.

McCartney's marriage to former model and charity campaigner Heather Mills was less happy.

The couple wedded in 2002 in a lavish ceremony at Castle Leslie in Ireland estimated by celebrity magazines to have cost around $3.2 million.

But four years later they confirmed they had separated, blaming media intrusion into their private lives, and in 2008 the couple divorced.

A judge had to rule on the size of the divorce settlement after the couple failed to reach agreement themselves, and Mills was awarded 24.3 million pounds ($38 million), ending one of the most acrimonious breakups in showbusiness history.

She had claimed 125 million pounds and said McCartney was worth 800 million pounds, although a judge found his fortune was worth half that amount.

McCartney has a son, two daughters and a stepdaughter from his marriage to Linda, and a daughter from his marriage to Mills.

The independently-wealthy Shevell, who was married to an attorney for more than 20 years and serves on the board of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has a son.

(Additional reporting by Avril Ormsby; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

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