Showbiz411

It’s Grammy week! Neil Portnow and Ken Ehrlich are putting together what I suspected would be a hot show. They announced that Sting, Rihanna and Bruno Mars are performing together. Hmmmm…..Bruno’s song, “Locked in Heaven,” sounds very Sting-ish– in fact people wonder whether it’s a cover. I’m told their segment may feature that song turning into a Sting song. There may be some Bob Marley thrown in to give it a reggae theme. That could be the highlight of the night.

Meantime, Kelly Clarkson is said to be performing the lifetime tribute to the late Patti Page and to Carole King. A medley of “How Much Is that Doggie in the Window?” and “I Feel the Earth Move.” Maybe. Ehrlich was mentored by the late great Pierre Cossette, and loves putting together interesting combinations of artists in one segment. So look out for more fascinating updates…

And Justin Timberlake is doing a show after the Grammys at the Hollywood Palladium. This follows a similar marketing scheme to Timberlake’s 2006 release, “FutureSexySongs.” He played a show at the Roseland Ballroom in New York right before the album was released. A Timberlake tour is planned for late June onward. I am told, by the way, that there’s a version of “Suit and Tie” somewhere on the net without Jay Z. If anyone can find it, please send a link.

Roger Friedman

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. Friedman previously wrote the Intelligencer column at New York Magazine, He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of a film about R&B Music called “Only the Strong Survive,” which was released by Miramax in 2003 and was a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.