Late News - A new Michael Jackson album, featuring eight new tracks from the late artist's archive, will be released on 13 May. Titled Xscape, the track listing was chosen by Epic Records chairman LA Reid, who trawled through four decades of Jackson's demos and off-cuts. The tracks were then updated by the likes of Timbaland, who works with Justin Timberlake, and Stargate, who have produced Rihanna and Beyonce. Reid called the process of reworking the songs "contemporizing". "Michael left behind some musical performances that we take great pride in presenting through the vision of music producers that he either worked directly with or expressed strong desire to work with," said Reid.
Woolf Works - A ballet inspired by Virginia Woolf will be the centrepiece of the 2014/15 season at the Royal Opera House. Woolf Works - based both on her life and the novels Orlando, The Waves and Mrs Dalloway - will premiere in summer 2015, choreographed by Wayne McGregor. McGregor told the BBC the piece would "break the rules" of narrative ballet. The season will also include new works by Hofesh Shechter and Philip Glass, whose chamber opera The Trial is based on the Kafka novel of the same name.
Phoenix Rising - The Phoenix Theatre and Studios in Lewes, East Sussex has been destroyed by a fire that took 70 firefighters more than three hours to bring under control. Sean O'Kane, who created the venue and manages the resident Lewes Repertory Company, told The Stage that the loss of the space was "a severe blow that has destroyed 10 years of sets, costumes, scripts". He added that it had happened just as the venue was about to announce details of a new tour and summer season. "But we didn't call it the Phoenix for nothing - this won't be the end of the theatre or the company," he said.
Movie News - Madonna is to direct her third film, an adaptation of Rebecca Walker's debut novel Ade: A Love Story. It tells the story of an American student who falls in love with a young Muslim man on an idyllic island off the coast of Kenya before the clash of cultures complicates the relationship. Walker, daughter of The Color Purple author Alice, will co-produce the film.
Happy Birthday - Sixty-five years ago this week, RCA Victor launched a small, round, plastic green disc on to the listening public - the 45 rpm single. Rock on!
(Jim Evans)
