Classic Hits

Billy Idol has a chance to nab an Oscar nomination.

The rocker’s song “Dying to Live,” from his documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead, has earned a spot on the Oscars short list for best original song.

The tune, written by Idol, J. Ralph, Steve Stevens, Tommy English and Joe Janiak, is one of 15 tracks to make the short list, with the category to be narrowed down to five songs.

Another track making the short list is the Diane Warren song “Dear Me,” from her documentary Diane Warren: Restless. Warren has been nominated 16 times before, but has never won, although she did receive an honorary Oscar in 2022.

Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced Jan. 22.

Billy Idol Should Be Dead had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival in June. The film, directed by Jonas Åkerlund, is expected to be released in theaters and on streaming services in early 2026.

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The first-ever video for George Harrison’s classic tune “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” has just been released, directed by Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard.

It took a team of 20 stop-motion artisans to create the stop-motion clip, which is set in the gardens of Friar Park, the Victorian mansion Harrison purchased in 1970. The video is described as “an homage to his love of gardening.”

“To work with the Harrison family and bring this video to life with a team of incredible young Canadian artists has been a great honor,” says Wolfhard. “It’s hard to put into words how grateful I am for this opportunity. George Harrison has and will continue to be a huge inspiration to me, and his work will live on forever.”

Harrison’s son, Dhani Harrison, who was an executive producer on the clip, notes, “Finn is one of the sweetest and most talented people I know of his generation, and he is the perfect person to direct a video for my dad.” He adds, “My dad would have loved this, and I hope his wonderful, creative, heartfelt ideas help this song reach another generation.”

“Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” was the opening track and lead single off Harrison’s 1973 album, Living in the Material World, which went to #1. The song topped the chart as well, becoming Harrison’s second #1 after “My Sweet Lord.”

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Disco queen Donna Summer has been posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Summer, who wrote her hits like “Love to Love You Baby,” “Bad Girls,” “On the Radio” and “She Works Hard for the Money,” was celebrated Monday at a ceremony in West Hollywood, California. Summer’s husband, Bruce Sudano, and their daughters Brooklyn Sudano and Amanda Sudano Ramirez were in attendance.

“It’s important to me because I know how important it was for Donna,” Bruce Sudano said at the ceremony. “The backstory is, with all the accolades that she received over her career, being respected as a songwriter was always the thing that she felt was overlooked. So for her to be accepted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, I know that she’s very happy … somewhere.”

Summer passed away in 2012 at age 63. She sold an estimated 150 million records worldwide and was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.

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Billy Joel is going to be the focus of New York City entrepreneur Michael Dorf’s annual Music Of concert series, and the lineup of artists celebrating Joel has just been announced.

This year’s concert is March 12 at Carnegie Hall, with a lineup that includes Joel’s daughter Alexa Ray Joel, Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas, Train’s Pat Monahan, Gavin DeGraw, OAR’s Marc Roberge, Matt Nathanson, country star Tanya Tucker, Americana artists The War and Treaty and Mary Chapin Carpenter and singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright, with more artists to be announced.

Joel’s eight-piece touring band will also be on hand for the celebration, serving as the evening’s house band.

For the first time ever, the show completely sold out before the lineup of artists was announced. Tickets remain for a live rehearsal show at City Winery on March 11.

The Joel concert will be the 21st Music Of tribute put on by Dorf. Since the series launched in 2004, the concerts have raised over $2 million for charity.

This year’s honoree was Patti Smith, with previous concerts celebrating the music of Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, The Rolling Stones, Prince, R.E.M., Crosby, Stills & Nash and more.

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Items from The Beatles, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan and more are part of a new Marvels of Modern Music auction being put on by RR Auctions.

Among the highlights of the auction is an extremely rare EMI mono acetate pressing of The Beatles’ track “Please Please Me,” which was cut at Abbey Road Studios. There’s also an acetate of an unreleased version of “She’s a Woman,” which, according to the description, “offers a rare window into The Beatles’ studio experimentation at the height of Beatlemania.”

Other items in the auction include Ringo’s 1964 Gold record for A Hard Day’s Night; a vintage pressing of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, signed by Ringo, Paul McCartney and George Harrison; a Bob Dylan mixed media painting, Side Tracks; and a signed 1968 document by the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

More info on the auction, which closes on Thursday, can be found at rrauction.com.

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If all you want for Christmas is an item used by Mariah Carey, luck may be on your side. The singer, who is the MusiCares Person of the Year, has launched a charity auction in partnership with the nonprofit and Julien’s Auctions.

Up for auction on Feb. 1, 2026, will be a pink 1950s-style Thunderbird convertible used as a prop during Mariah’s performance of “Dreamlover” at her Number 1 to Infinity Las Vegas residency. The car is estimated to sell for anywhere between $6,000 and $8,000.

Also used during the same Vegas run is the gold jet ski Mariah entered in to perform her 1997 song “Honey.” It’s projected to go for up to $2,000.

The residency at The Colosseum at Caesars in Las Vegas ran from May 2015 to May 2017. Other items up for sale will be announced at a later date.

The Julien’s MusiCares Charity Relief Auction will take place Feb. 1, 2026, two days after MusiCares’ 35th annual Person of the Year benefit gala, where Mariah will be honored as the Person of the Year. The auction will run from 11 a.m. PT to 1 p.m. PT via juliensauctions.com and the Recording Academy in Santa Monica, California. 

Proceeds will “help industry professionals recover from emergencies, including hardships brought on by the wildfires earlier this year,” as well as “disaster relief, mental health services, addiction recovery programs, and essential living expenses for music people and their families,” according to a press release.

Fans must register for access to participate; registration is available online via the Julien’s Auctions website and in person on the day of the event.

Bids can be placed online, over the phone, in person or via an absentee bid.

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Styx has announced a string of tour dates with special guest Cheap Trick.

The two bands will team up for five shows, starting May 16 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and wrapping May 24 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

Styx already has a busy 2026 ahead of them. Their next show is Jan. 7 in Tucson, Arizona. They are also set to return to Las Vegas for a five-show residency starting Jan. 23 at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, where they’ll play their 1978 album, Pieces of Eight, in its entirety, along with other classic hits.

Then this summer they’ll hit the road with Chicago on The Windy Cities Tour – All The Hits … Your Kind of Tour, which starts July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

A complete list of dates can be found at StyxWorld.com.

As for Cheap Trick, they’ll launch their All Washed Up Tour Jan. 24 in Madison, Wisconsin. For a list of shows, go to CheapTrick.com.

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David Bowie’s longtime pianist Mike Garson is set to celebrate his music with a trio of special shows, where he’ll be joined by an A-list lineup of rockers.

Bowie’s Piano Man: A Decade in the Stars will take place at the Sun Rose West Hollywood in Los Angeles Jan. 8-10. It will not only celebrate Bowie’s birthday, but also mark the 10th anniversary of his death.

Garson, who was Bowie’s longest-serving band member, will be joined by a lineup that includes Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, The Struts’ lead singer Luke Spiller and Bowie touring bassist Carmine Rojas.

“David Bowie was one of the closest people in my life,” says Garson. “Nothing brings me more joy than honoring 10 years since his passing and his birthday by collaborating with this all-star lineup to carry his legacy forward.”

Information on tickets can be found at thesunrosehotel.com.

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Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” may be the #1 song in the U.S. right now, but the #1 song in the world is a different Christmas tune.

For the first time ever, “Last Christmas” by Wham! has topped the Billboard Global 200. The 1984 hit by the British duo is only the second Christmas song to top the Global 200 since the chart began in 2020. The first was, of course, Mariah’s song.

Meanwhile, on the Hot 100 “Last Christmas” has reached a new peak of #2. It’s also #1 in the U.K.

The estate of the late George Michael, who died on Christmas Day 2016, wrote on Instagram about the song’s continued success, “George adored Christmas, and he would have truly loved seeing WHAM! back at Number 1 this year.

“It fills our hearts that this brilliant, timeless song continues to resonate with audiences while captivating new listeners around the world.”

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George Harrison’s classic tune “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” is getting an official video.

Harrison’s official Instagram page gave fans a preview of the animated clip, which has been directed by Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard. 

The video is being released on Tuesday at 9 a.m. PT.

“Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” was the opening track and lead single off Harrison’s 1973 album, Living in the Material World, which went to #1. The song topped the chart as well, becoming Harrison’s second #1 after “My Sweet Lord.” The tune actually knocked his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney and Wings’ “My Love” out of the top spot.

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