Briefly: Kanye West, Fergie, Dispatch, Diddy, Nelly Furtado
Kanye West , Fergie and John Legend are scheduled to perform for an upcoming VH1 broadcast dubbed "The Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash," which is part of the run-up to this year's Super Bowl.
Scheduled to take place Feb. 1 in Miami at the NFL Experience, a venue set adjacent to Dolphin Stadium, the taped-for-broadcast concert will premiere Feb. 3 on VH1, according to the network.
Despite being mostly unknown to mainstream music fans, indie-rockers Dispatch have sold out two back-to-back shows at New York City's Madison Square Garden, and have now added a third night to their stand at the famous Big Apple venue.
Set for July 15, the new show is currently set to cap the band's three-night stand. Tickets go on sale to the public Saturday (1/20) via Ticketmaster, according to a press release from the group. (Ticketmaster is LiveDaily's parent company.)
As previously reported, Dispatch is planning to hit the stage for the first time since July of 2004; the trio is now booked for a July 13-15 stand at the venue, proceeds from which will "go towards fighting disease, famine and social injustice in Zimbabwe," according to a press release. Additional information is available at the group's website.
Open auditions for "Making the Band 4," the MTV reality series in which rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs helps create and launch new musical acts, will take place in Los Angeles, Houston, Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit and New York over the next few weeks, according to MTV. Hopefuls who can't attend an audition in person can vie for a spot by uploading a videotape of themselves performing a song.
Additional details are posted at the show's website.
Canadian singer Nelly Furtado has signed on to host her homeland's upcoming 2007 Juno Awards, which are the equivalent of the US Grammys. The ceremony takes place April 1 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and will air on CTV, Canada's largest private broadcaster. Nominees will be announced Feb. 6, according to organizers.
"The Juno Awards are part of the Canadian fabric and to be asked to host is a privilege I'm charmed to accept," Furtado said in a prepared statement. "Hosting The Juno Awards is a dream come true and I look forward to carrying on this rich Canadian tradition."
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Brad Paisley, Jack Ingram and Kellie Pickler
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