Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine recently announced during a BBC interview that the Jackson 5 are working on a new album. He claims they will also tour in support of the release. In 2001, the Jackson 5 performed at a concert that honored Michael's 30 years in music. In other Michael Jackson news, the pop star has spoken out about the government's proposed law to make Internet song swapping a felony. "I am speechless about the idea of putting music fans in jail for downloading music. It is wrong to download, but the answer cannot be jail," He said.
Gloria Estefan is finishing work on her first English-language album in six years. Sony Music plans to release Unwrapped on September 23. The set includes duets with the Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde and Stevie Wonder. It's described as an intimate collection of songs, written mostly by Estefan, with a lush acoustic sound. In October, she'll promote the album with a series of concerts at The Coliseum at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. U.S. and European tours are planned for 2004.
Nominations for the U.K.'s 2003 Mercury Music Prize have been announced. The list includes albums by Coldplay, Radiohead, the Darkness, the Thrills, Dizzee Rascal, Athlete, Terri Walker, Floetry, Soweto Kinch, Martina Topley-Bird, Eliza Carthy and Lemon Jelly. This year's Mercury Music Prize will be handed out on September 9 in London. Last year's winner was Ms. Dynamite's album, A Little Deeper.
The film Bad Boys 2 earned $46.5 million its first weekend in U.S. theaters. Adding to that success, first week sales of its soundtrack reached 324,000 copies to debut at Number One on the Billboard 200 chart. The album contains tracks by Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, and others. Three other new releases debut in the Top 10 the week ending August 2. Country singer Pat Green enters at Number 10 with Wave On Wave, Brooks & Dunn debut at Number 4 with Red Dirt Road, and rapper Chingy comes in at Number 2 with his first album Jackpot.
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July 30, the Rolling Stones will headline the Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto concert. Also on the bill are AC/DC, Justin Timberlake, Rush, the Guess Who, Flaming Lips, Kathleen Edwards, and others. The show was organized as a tourism booster for the city, which experienced an economic slowdown after the SARS outbreak. First-day ticket sales numbered 150,000. Organizers will allow 500,000 through the gates, but they say ticket sales will likely peak at 430,000. A portion of the proceeds will go to Toronto's Health Care and Hospitality Workers Relief Fund.
R. Kelly, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, India.Arie and the Isley Brothers are among the acts performing at the 3rd annual Detroit Music Festival. The event will take place August 1 and 2 at the city's Comerica Park.
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August 2, rock veterans Aerosmith and KISS will kick off a co-headlining tour in Hartford, Connecticut. The outing marks the first time the two group's have shared a stage in almost 30 years. Thirty-six shows are on their itinerary through October 18, but Aerosmith's guitarist Joe Perry says they'll likely stay on the road through December.