Coming Attractions!!!

Mel Brooks is coming to Pollstar! Don’t miss our exclusive interview with the man who gave the world “Blazing Saddles,” “The Producers,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Spaceballs,” and “History Of The World: Part 1.” It’s the incredible Mel Brooks, starting Monday, here at the ol’ Pollstar.com funhouse!

Here & There …

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Alicia Keys and Jordin Sparks headline Super Bowl – Associated Press

We can all rest easier knowing iPods don’t interfere with pacemakers – Reuters.

On the other hand, firmware update for iPod Classic is being blamed for harming headphones – TheStreet.com

Mika is as happy as he sounds – The Boston Globe

James Blunt does the ol’ Q&A – Seattle Times

Clueless use of P2P software blamed for security breach – CBC News

Dates, Dates & More Dates …

Staying true to form, Eric Clapton dates are leaking out one or two at a time. Of course, EC will release an extensive itinerary eventually, but right now his people are just teasing us with new show dates. Like today’s additions, specifically, June 20 in Cork, Ireland, and June 29 in Leeds.

Alejandro Fernandez maps out Europe and South America for April, May, June and July. April and May include gigs in Columbia and Spain, and then it’s back to SA for shows in Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru and Ecuador.

And we’re serving up new Jonas Brothers dates for Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Get ’em while they’re hot!

During the past couple of hours we also trashed a few keyboards slamming dates into the system for Louis XIV, Kelly Bell Band, L.A. Guns, Johnny Sketch & The Dirty Notes, French Kicks, Gary Allan, Gina Sicilia, Gregory Isaacs, Guitar Shorty, Heart, Emil Bulls, Dokken, Destroyer, Colin Meloy, Builders & The Butchers, Bon Iver, Black Mountain, Blake Shelton, Ace Frehley, Phosphorescent, Melissa Ferrick, Testament and Year Long Disaster.

But don’t even think that’s all there is. More dates, more info coming up in Your Latest Update, scheduled for around 3 pm (PST), from Pollstar.com!

This Day In Music History … (from Associated Press)

In 1949, RCA Victor introduced the 45 rpm record. It was designed as a rival to Columbia’s 33-and-one-third rpm long-playing disc, introduced the previous year. The two systems directly competed with each other to replace 78 rpm records, bewildering consumers and causing a drop in record sales. By the end of 1949, all the major companies, except RCA, had committed themselves to the LP record, seemingly putting an end to the 45. Even RCA itself announced it would issue its classical library on 33-and-one third rpm discs.

In 1963, 17-year-old Neil Young performed his first professional date at a Winnipeg country club.

In 2004, Justin Timberlake tore off a portion of Janet Jackson’s leather gladiator outfit during the Super Bowl halftime show to reveal her right breast, covered only by a sun-shaped nipple shield.

Timberlake claimed it was “a wardrobe malfunction.” But the display coincided exactly with Timberlake singing the lyric, “I’m gonna have you naked by the end of this song.” Jackson later apologized, saying it was “a last-minute stunt” that she hadn’t intended “to go as far as it did.” A Jackson spokeswoman says the singer’s breasts were supposed to remain covered by a red lace garment.