A spokesperson for Franklin said that the 71-year-old singer will reschedule her two dates from May 20th in Chicago and May 26th in Connecticut and pick up the remainder of her tour in July.

Franklin announced the canceled dates earlier this month to seek medical treatment under doctor’s recommendations for an unspecified health issue. This isn’t the first time the Queen of Soul had to postpone shows due to medical reasons in recent years. Franklin previously canceled a tour in 2010 to undergo surgery for a pain her side, which sparked rumors that she was seeking treatment for pancreatic cancer.

Though her health has posed some interference with shows in the past, Franklin has never been interested in divulging specific details of her health with the media. After her surgery in 2010, Franklin told Jet magazine that she doesn’t “talk about my health with anybody other than my doctors” and only revealed that “the problem has been resolved.”

Last week, Franklin appeared in good health when performing on the season finale of American Idol via satellite singing a medley of her greatest hits with the female finalists.

– Britt Bickel, K-EARTH Los Angeles  

From the booth at Williamsburg, Brooklyn, nightclub Output, the 73-year-old spins a tale of recording “Love to Love You Baby” with Donna Summer, kicking everyone out of the studio and dimming the lights so she would feel inspired enough to moan just right.

And soon enough, he says the words that so many on the floor came to hear: “My name is Giovanni Giorgio, but you can call me Giorgio” (just slightly different than how he phrases it on the record). With that, the beat for Daft Punk’s “Giorgio by Moroder” drops, and the staggeringly brutal sound system at Output carries Giorgio Moroder into the future.

On the eve of Random Access Memories’ release, it seemed odd to be celebrating an Italian producer whose connection to the record was at most tangential, if influential. But his influence on disco and funk (and subsequently, Daft Punk) is undeniable, evidenced by the rousing cheers for his spin of the aforementioned Donna Summer classic.

The party that hosted Giorgio is called Deep Space, a Monday night jam hosted by Paradise Garage and Studio 54 veteran Francois K that’s become a fixture in Manhattan’s West Village. This particular event was put on by the Red Bull Music Academy, and the crowd skewed young — a room filled with twenty- and thirtysomethings gawking at a senior citizen who made the records their parents got wild to in the discotheques. The music had transcended generations.

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Last February, Bolder revealed that the recent surgery he had undergone was for pancreatic cancer, not for a heart attack, as originally speculated. Bolder seemed hopeful the surgery had done its job, and that after chemotherapy he would be able to return to work.

Bolder had been the bassist for Uriah Heep since 1983, following a stint with the hard rock band starting in 1976. Though Uriah Heep’s commercial success had lessened by the time Bolder joined the group, he was still a valuable member, even producing 1991′s Different World.

But Bolder may have been best known to audiences for his work in Spiders From Mars, David Bowie’s early backing band. The U.K. native joined the group in 1971 and appeared on Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Aladdin Sane and Pin Ups, a stretch of four albums up until 1973 before Spiders From Mars were disbanded.

On his website, Bowie paid tribute to “a great man,” calling Bolder “a wonderful musician and a major inspiration for whichever band he was working with.”

“Trevor was a ‘World Class’ bass player, singer and songwriter, and more importantly a World Class friend,” said Uriah Heep’s Mick Box on the band’s website, where his death was announced. “He will be sadly missed by family, friends and rock fans all over the world. We are all numb to the core.”

-Kevin Rutherford, Radio.com

Crossfire Hurricane isn’t the first Rolling Stones documentary, of course. There’s been more than a few, from the recently-released documentary of their 1965 tour Charlie Is My Darling through the perennial favorite, 1972′s C***sucker Blues, and Martin Scorsese’s Shine A Light just from just five years ago. Though Morgen is a life-long Stones fan, he says that even he wondered if a new Stones film was necessary.

“At first I was a bit ambivalent, because there have been a dozen Rolling Stones documentaries,” Morgen told Radio.com. “And it sort of reeked of ‘Best Buy Presents: The Rolling Stones’ 50th Anniversary.’ Which I didn’t have any interest in. To the first point, I realized there was only one documentary that sort of traced the evolution of their story, (the 1993 film) 25×5: The Continuing Adventures Of The Rolling Stones, which has been out of print for years. That film was a completely different style from what I did… without saying anything bad about it.”

As for his vision, Morgen explained: “I don’t think that music documentaries should be history lessons. My goal is to make the film the embodiment of the subject matter.”

And Crossfire Hurricane does that. It uses lots of footage shot for C***sucker Blues, but is leagues more coherent than that film. And from the beginning of Crossfire Hurricane, it’s clear that this isn’t a Stones film that doubles as a promotional vehicle for their new album or tour. There’s an early scene where Mick strips naked backstage, and another where he clearly sniffs a powdery substance off of a knife blade. Jagger isn’t known for narcotic use as Richards, Wood and the band’s late guitarist Brian Jones, so it’s kind of a surprising moment.

Morgen says that he and Jagger discussed the latter scene quite a bit.

“One of the things I told him was that it was important that we had to create a covenant with the audience from the beginning; so they would know they were going to see a side of the Stones that they hadn’t seen before,” Morgen explained. “If you establish that up front, hopefully there will be a lot of good will to carry you through the rest of the film. That shot, which has been getting a lot of attention, wasn’t there just for exploitative purposes, it served a larger purpose in announcing the type of film we would be making.”

Another aspect of the film that has the been the subject of some discussion, is that the eighty hours of interviews that Morgen did with the band members propels the film. Yet, there’s no footage of those interviews in the final cut. You never see the current-day Stones until the credits roll (when footage from Shine A Light is shown). Morgen says that he recorded all of the interviews but didn’t actually film them. By keeping the interviews to himself, the interviewee and a microphone, there was a level of intimacy that couldn’t be reached with a film crew hovering around. Indeed, longtime Stones fans will be hard-pressed to find interviews where Jagger and Richards address such personal topics as their reactions to the disastrous Altamont concert or the death of Brian Jones.

At two hours, there’s only so much history that fit into the film, which ends in the early ’80s with the Tattoo You tour. There is an argument to be made, though, that the documentary could have extended at least through the end of the decade, with the group’s reunion and triumphant stadium tour. Morgen agrees.

“In the perfect narrative, we would have taken it to [1989 album] Steel Wheels. The problem was, getting from Tattoo You to Steel Wheels involves ‘World War III,’” he said, referring to the mid-’80s spat between Jagger and Richards. “And that would have taken the film in a whole different direction at a late point in the film. Towards the end, the film already starts jumping years rather dramatically. The reason I think Steel Wheels would have been a nice place to land is that the band were all sober at that point, and Mick was finally able to realize this vision of being able to put on this incredible show. That’s where he really wanted me to get to.”

However, Morgen points out that as the film’s director, he had the final call.

“In my narrative, which is about how the band goes from being outcasts to respectable, they’d arrived at that point in 1981,” he said.

So, not only does the film skip three decades of Stones history, it also gives very little screen time to Ron Wood.

“We talked about that as we started getting to the end of production,” Morgen said. “Maybe we should call this ‘Part 1.’  There was a lot of discussion of ‘Part 2.’ Now that it’s all said and done, I really do feel  that they need to do a ‘Part 2′ to give Ronnie his due.  Ronnie wants parts two, three and four! It needs to be done.”

However, he says that he won’t likely be the man to helm a sequel, though he hopes that the band produces it. Morgen’s next project is a documentary on the late Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain, which has been in the works for years. But he also may not be up for the challenge: “I feel the second part would be much more challenging in terms of locking down the narrative.”

– Brian Ives, Radio.com 

Titled Rolling Stones: 50 Years Of Satisfaction, the exhibit will chronicle the band from the very beginning to present through artifacts from private collections and band members.

Carl Harp from our sister station WNCX in Cleveland took a tour of the exhibit earlier this week; here is his report:

“As visitors exit the escalator on the museum’s 4th floor, they are greeted by several video screens with around 100 still photos and music on a 9-minute loop.

The entrance to Rolling Stones: 50 Years of Satisfaction on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum’s 5th floor. (Photo Credit: Carl Harp / 98.5 WNCX

Visitors then move up the stairs to the fifth floor, where a giant mouth with drapes for a tongue mark the entrance to the exhibit. Among other things, you’ll see vintage photos of Rolling Stones members, memorabilia from the band’s late keyboardist/road manager Ian Stewart, and records from Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters on display in the “roots section.”

MORE: See a full photo gallery from the Rolling Stones exhibit.

Digital installations are placed throughout the exhibit giving visitors the opportunity to interact and learn more about the band, their place in music history, and innovative impact. iPads programs enable you to dig deeper into the music, explaining Jagger/Richards’ songwriting approach and describes how the Stones were able to take popular techniques and styles of various time periods, like disco and funk, and convert them to their formula. During the press-only tour, the museum’s Director of Education, Jason Hanley, demonstrated the interactive iPads by showing off a video presentation and “Guitar Hero-like” graphics that dissect individual songs.

The Rolling Stones’ Mellotron on display in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum. (Photo Credit: Carl Harp / 98.5 WNCX)

The items on display on the fifth floor move throughout the Stones’ early years, ending right around 1970. Visitors will see how the band transitioned from playing mostly cover music, to originals. Featured artifacts include signed merchandise like toy guitars, a Brian Jones dulcimer used on Aftermath‘s “Lady Jane” and “I Am Waiting”, a Sgt. Pepper-esque military jacket, the Mellotron (an early analog predecessor to the synthesizer) used on “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” drawings from the Stones’ drummer and art director Charlie Watts, the red shirt worn by Keith Richards when the band played Altamont, and a poem written by Jim Morrison following the death of Brian Jones.

Rehearsal song lists from the 2002-2003 Rolling Stones Licks Tour on display in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum. (Photo Credit: Carl Harp / 98.5 WNCX)

As visitors move up the spiral staircase to the sixth floor, various takes on the “tongue and lip design” are pasted on the walls – one with spikes or thorns on the tongue, another with a nail driven through it, and the standard design are included. More memorabilia line the walls of the top floor where the exhibit starts where the fifth floor left off and moves to present day. You will see where Ronnie Wood was made a member of the band after the departure of Mick Taylor, the Lotus flower stage design from the 1975 tour, various clothing worn by Jagger and Richards, instruments, and even the rehearsal song lists on dry erase boards from the 2002-2003 Licks Tour.

Fans and visitors are asked to contribute to a fan-generated interactive exhibition through photos of memorabilia, artwork, Rolling Stones concerts and more. The content will populate a multimedia display in the Rolling Stones exhibit and online. You can contribute to the submission feed by uploading original photos and using the hashtag #rockhallsatisfaction on Twitter and Instagram.

The exhibit opens May 24th and runs through March 2014.

- Carl Harp / 98.5 WNCX

The properties are solid money makers — 36 years after Elvis’ death and 32 year’s since Ali’s last fight, the assets generate roughly $60-million annually, which by one measurement is a 38-percent cash flow.

It’s not clear why Core Media, which also owns the TV programs “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance”, wants to cash out. But the story hints that more money could be generated by Graceland, which draws more than half-a-million tourists a year. Per capita spending by visitors is said to be relatively modest and plans for an adjacent hotel have never come to pass.

There is still a family connection to the legacy of both icons — Lisa Marie Presley still owns 15-percent of Elvis and the Ali family has a 20-percent share of the champ’s trademarks and image.

Six years ago, to celebrate the Doors’ 40th anniversary, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum presented “Break on Through: The Lasting Legacy of the Doors,” which Kramer worked on. When asked about his initial thoughts about Ray’s passing, Kramer took a deep breath and said, “I was deeply saddened. I worked with Ray on the Doors exhibit and I spent a lot of time with him and his wife Dorothy. I went to their home, and I feel like I got to know him and his brother Rick.” He continued, “I had no idea he was sick and it really caught me by surprise.”

Certainly considered more than a friend, Howard dug deeper into his relationship with Manzarek and the influence of the Doors.

“Ray was really talented and insightful guy. I think the Doors are often lumped together with a lot of other groups from ‘67, or became popular in ’67, like the (Grateful) Dead or the (Jefferson) Airplane, and that sort of thing. But they were very different. They were rooted in blues and rhythm and blues a lot more than those other bands, their contemporaries, particularly the San Francisco bands. They were truly an product of Los Angeles, not a product of San Francisco. And that’s one of the reasons I think they stuck out.”

“Their music had a different type of root than the people who are considered their contemporaries.”

The Doors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, when, for the first time, the ceremony was held in Los Angeles – the Doors’ hometown. Twenty-years later, Kramer recounted the ceremony, even though he has only seen video.

“I was a pretty interesting thing. It was one of the last times that the three surviving guys played together. Having Eddie Vedder there, who in many people’s estimation, certainly filled the mantle that Morrison had in terms of being a charismatic front man.”

Visitors to the Rock Hall can still see Manzarek’s VOX keyboard and a drum head cover from Rick & The Ravens, the band Manzarek played in prior to the Doors. A photograph and biography will be added in the “In Memoriam” section on the museum’s 4th floor.

– Carl Harp / 98.5 WNCX

KDKA-TV says the township has ordered Ansell to remove the decorations by May 29th or face a $3,000 fine. But Ansell says his neighbor, who complained about the lingering Christmas decorations, is guilty of worse infractions. Ansell says this guy has failed to cut down weeds and even has a shed falling down on his property. He says and I quote: “That ain’t right.”

No word on whether Ansell will comply with the order or pay the fine but he says it’s clearly a case of the township taking sides.

This whole thing kind of reminds me of WOMC’s Bobby Mitchell. Two years ago I drove by his house in May and they still had a Christmas wreath on their front door! He swears it wasn’t an Xmas wreath but I’m sure it was. I should have snapped a picture of it as evidence!

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He says he had no idea it would reach the top spot. “That’s the great glory of the business I’m in. Everything is wonderfully unpredictable.” We’ll find out tomorrow how well “Time” sold in its first week in the U.S. and where it debuts on the “Billboard” chart.

Rod Stewart, with special guest Steve Winwood, performs at the Palace of Auburn Hills October 26th.

Although the Doors effectively ended in 1971 after the death of Jim Morrison, Manzarek spent a good amount of his life maintaining the band’s legacy. Other than his tours with Doors guitarist Robby Krieger, he also worked on keeping the band’s recorded work in the marketplace through a series of reissues, best-ofs and box sets.  The most recent release was the live concert film, Live At The Bowl ’68, which shows the band at the peak of their powers.

Manzarek was beaming through the phone as he told Radio.com about the show in a late 2012 interview. He said that some of his, and the band’s, favorite artists had played that stage, so it meant a lot for  to be booked at the Hollywood Bowl. “It was momentous. That was the granddaddy of all venues in Southern California. Igor Stravinsky conducted there! The Beatles played there! And we were playing at the same place. But up to that point, very few rock bands played there. We were very honored.”

With their second No. 1 single under their belt (“Hello, I Love You”; the first was “Light My Fire”) the band was on top of the world, having realized all their dreams of becoming rock stars in just a few short years.

“The best laid plans of mice and men had not gone astray yet,” Manzarek mused. “We dreamed of putting a rock and roll band together on Venice Beach in the summer of 1965. This is now the summer of 1968 and we had attained the goal. We wanted to be as big as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and we had arrived at that place.”

Indeed, at that time, The Doors — Manzarek, Krieger, drummer John Densmore and  Jim Morrison — had a powerful grip on their audience; Manzarek himself exclaimed that, in that moment in 1968, “Those four guys were the four horsemen of the apocalypse!” After the Hollywood Bowl gig, the Doors became even more popular and eventually headlined Madison Square Garden. Had Morrison lived a longer life, would they, like the Stones and Paul McCartney, have upgraded to football stadiums? “I’m not sure if you are still a rock and roll band or if you turn into a circus at that point,” Manzarek said.

However, Manzarek noted that if the Doors had been popular enough, they most likely would have tried to play the largest venues possible: “It would have been a theatrical challenge to do something like that. The Rolling Stones do it on a grand scale. So what would The Doors have done on a grand scale? All things would have been possible, unfortunately Jim didn’t make it.”

Referencing the massive popularity the band still enjoys decades after Morrison’s passing, he said, “The Doors were an underground band, out of the mainstream. That’s where Jim and I always wanted to be.”

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– Brian Ives, Radio.com