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Caleb Johnson has been crowned the winner of American Idol Season 13! The 23-year-old was pitted against 17-year-old Jena Irene but was successful in his efforts on Wednesday (21st May). 

Caleb Johnson won American Idol season 13.

As USA Today reports, this is the third time Johnson auditioned for American Idol but the first time he got past the audition rounds. Yet third time's a charm and Johnson has proven critics wrong by winning the 13th season of American Idol. 

Continue reading: On The Red Carpet At 'American Idol' Season 13 Finale [Pictures]

Paul Stanley, the frontman of rock band Kiss, has discussed his musical influences, his early interest in music and his connection to the Phantom of the Opera in his upcoming autobiography, Face the Music: A Life Exposed.

Paul Stanley in his stage make-up performing in 2013.

The 62-year-old musician recently spoke to the Wall Street Journal and discussed the content of his autobiography which is due to be released on May 8th. Born in New York in the early fifties, Stanley, has been a member of one of the longest running and most successful heavy mental groups on the planet, Kiss. He is barely recognisable, much like his other band members, owing to the layers of monochrome make-up which have obscured his features for the last four decades. 

Continue reading: Paul Stanley Of Kiss Feels Closely Connected To The Phantom Of The Opera

Kiss reunite on stage to be honored at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. All original members of the iconic rock group put aside their ugly feud on Thursday night (April 10th) to be inducted at the prestigious ceremony.

KISS were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Thursday night 

Since news broke of their induction a bitter rivalry formed, but the four rockers stood on the stage, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley on one side and Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, on the other as KISS, and then spoke to the audience of the history of the four original band member's.

Continue reading: KISS Reunite On Stage To Be Inducted Into Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

"#RIPPeaches": So went the hashtag that thousands of Twitter users used to pay tribute to the late Peaches Geldof, who was found dead in her Kent home on Monday with her baby son playing nearby. It's still not known how the 25 year-old mother-of-two suddenly passed away but her distraught family, including father Bob Geldof, have been given the body to plan a funeral whilst the toxicology test results come back. The Boomtown Rats star also lead the tributes to his "beautiful" daughter - read here. Peaches Geldof: 1989 - 2014.

Farewell Mickey Rooney: Screen legend and former child star Mickey Rooney passed away last Sunday at home in California after a long illness. Known for his unforgettable roles in Night at the Museum, Breakfast at Tiffany's and National Velvet, the 93 year-old was still making plans to appear in more movies and lived up to his positive "Don't retire - inspire" mantra. An ugly dispute over Rooney's burial and will has erupted since the death but will hopefully soon be calmed so that Hollywood can honour one of its most prolific figures. Read our obituary here. Mickey Rooney: 1920 - 2014.

Continue reading: A Week In News: Peaches Passes, 'Captain America' Crushes Competition, Rockers Roll Into The History Books

Thursday’a Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was an emotional event in more ways than one. Not only was the late Kurt Cobain inducted into the hall of fame (with former bandmates Dave Grohl and Chris Novoselik present), but the members of Kiss, all four of them, found it an appropriate time to finally kiss and make up, pun intended.

The induction aptly coincided with the 20th anniversary of Cobain's death.

According to the NY Daily News, it was Gene Simmons, who initiated the touching moment during his speech. “I’m just here to say a few kind words about the four knuckleheads who made this,” said Gene Simmons, as the three others looked on, happily. At least it seemed so at the time. You’d think the feud between Simmons and Paul Stanley, and the other original players, Ace Frehley and Peter Kriss would end there, right? Wrong. It was a nice first step, but the band still didn’t perform together, which means there’s probably some more making up to do.

Continue reading: Kiss And (Almost) Make Up At Nirvana Hall Of Fame Induction

Today's the day! A new year's worth of rock royalty will tonight be ushered into the coveted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. Nirvana, Kiss, Peter Gabriel, Cat Stevens, Linda Ronstadt, Hall And Oates, the E Street Band, Andrew Loog Oldham and Brian Epstein are hours away from becoming the newest members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Former Nirvana Rockers Dave Grohl & Krist Novoselic Will Be Performing At Tonight's Ceremony.

Stevens, now called Yusuf Islam, is going to perform alongside the E Street Band, who are being inducted b Bruce Springsteen, as well as Gabriel. Emmylou Harris, Carrie Underwood, Stevie Nicks and Bonnie Raitt will reportedly be singing a tribute to Ronstadt. SPIN is reporting that Joan Jett will sing the Nirvana tunes, which has ignited rock fan's imagination more than any other rumour.

Continue reading: 'Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame' Tonight: Joan Jett To Step In For Kurt Cobain?

Paul Stanley, frontman of the glam rock outfit Kiss, has released a new memoir in which he details some of the more private aspects of his life and reflects upon his career fronting one of the world's biggest bands. From fairly humble beginnings and with a little hard work, Kiss became one of the highest selling rock n' roll acts of all time, with more than 100 million records sold worldwide.

Paul Stanley Releases Memoir, 'Face The Music: A Life Exposed.'

Life hasn't always been plain sailing for Stanley, 62, who is also known by his stage name The Starchild, owing to the black star he paints over his right eye. Born in Manhattan and raised in Queens, the child afflicted with microtia, a facial deformity which prevented his right ear from forming properly and left him deaf on the right side, didn't have an easy ride at the hands of his peers.

Continue reading: Kiss' Paul Stanley Unleashes His Wrath In Scathingly Raw New Memoir

Kiss fans rarely get treated to news this good these days – the 70s heavy metal band will perform at the NHL game at Dodger Stadium on Jan. 25. On Thursday, the National Hockey League announced that KISS have been booked to perform during the pre-game festivities and first intermission of the Stadium Series game between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks.

After being out of the spotlight for a while, KISS are back with a vengeance.

"Los Angeles is the premier hub for sports and entertainment in this country and we are honored to be part of an event that fuses both by rocking the first-ever outdoor NHL game in LA," said Gene Simmons in the NHL announcement. "Fans can expect a spectacle at Dodger Stadium, similar to the one we will be creating at the Honda Center this season with our new Arena Football team, LA KISS."

Continue reading: Iconic Rockers KISS To Perform At Dodgers Stadium For NHL Stadium Series

The inductees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2014 have been chosen, with Nirvana, Kiss, Peter Gabriel, Hall And Oates, Cat Stevens and Linda Ronstadt all being honoured in the latest induction. As well as these, the E Street Band will be presented with the Award for Musical Excellence at the ceremony, with Beatles manager Brian Epstein and original Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham also being honoured as non-performers.

Nirvana have been honoured at the first time of asking

For Nirvana, their induction comes at the first time of asking, with the band only becoming eligible for induction this year. According to the rules of the Hall of Fame, an artist only becomes eligible for recognition 25 years after the release of their first album or single. For Nirvana, their first single came in 1988 with the release of 'Love Buzz,' with their induction coming as "no surprise" to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Joel Peresman or many other people for that matter.

Continue reading: Nirvana, KISS And Peter Gabriel Among This Year's Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees

Former-Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley has suffered an unwelcomed holiday surprise after his home in the New York suburb of Yorktown Heights erupted in flames on Saturday (14 Dec.) afternoon. The property belonging to the axe-man was ravaged by a blaze that ran through most of the house, with The Journal News first reporting the fire.

Frehley has either worked as a soloist or part of various bands since leaving KISS

Fortunately, Frehley was not at home when the fire began, with his whereabouts still unspecified. A neighbour told the paper that a caretaker had been living in the house whilst Frehley was away, however it hasn't been reported whether the caretaker was in the NY house at the time of the blaze. The house had also been used by the Red Cross as an emergency residence whilst Frehley wasn't at home, but it is believed that the house was unoccupied at the time of the fire.

Continue reading: KISS Guitarist Ace Frehley's NY Home Goes Up In Flames

The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame will induct it's class of 2014 in April next year and earlier this week the nominees for the coveted place among rock's elite was announced to the public. For only the second time, the ballot for the inductees will be made available for public voting, and already there are some stand out favourites that look as though they have a good chance of being among the next hall of famers.

Nirvana are already the early favourites to be inducted

The early favourites, according to the public voting poll, are currently Nirvana, Kiss, Deep Purple and Yes, all of whom have over 10% of the current votes. Nirvana, who make their debut on the nominees list, currently stand as the out right favourites for induction, with the R&RHoF policy only permitting artist who have existed for a quarter of a century or longer as eligible for nomination. Their cover of Shocking Blue's 'Love Buzz' was released as their first single in 1988, which means they are finally able to be taken into consideration.

Continue reading: Nirvana, KISS & Deep Purple Emerge As Early Favourites For Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction

90s rock band Nirvana are one of 16 acts nominated for entry into the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Owing to the rule that only acts who released their debut album of single 25 years ago are eligible for the honour, this will be the first time that Nirvana have been considered.

Dave Grohl & Krist Novoselic May Soon Be Honoured With A Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Entry.

More than 600 industry personnel will vote to select next year's inductees, who will be announced in December. Also nominated are prog rockers Yes, disco pop band Chic, glam rock band Kiss, classic rockers Deep Purple, rap artists N.W.A and LL Cool J, and folk legend Cat Stevens, AKA Yusuf Islam.

Continue reading: Nirvana Finally Eligible For Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Honour

Kiss - Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Tommy Thayer

Hard rock four-piece Kiss hit Sydney, Australia midway through their expansive 2012/2013 world tour.

As part of their highly anticipated tour, seventies rock band Kiss played a seminal show at the Allphones Arena in Sydney on Sunday (March 10th 2013). Appearing on stage in all their shock rock glamour were rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley (aka The Starchild), bassist Gene Simmons (aka The Demon), lead guitarist Tommy Thayer (aka The Spaceman) and drummer Eric Singer (aka Catman) and there was no sense of age even with their declining record sales over recent years as they gave it their all on the Australian stage. 

Continue reading: KISS Rock Out On Sydney's Allphones Arena Stage In Their Major 2012-2013 World Tour (Photos)

Before he had a stroke and a heart attack in 2007, Dick Wagner played with rock giants such as Alice Cooper, Aerosmith and Kiss. Afterwards, it seemed as though his career in music was in serious jeopardy, Yahoo report. 

Yet more tragedy would befell Wagner though, plunging his future into even further doubt, as a fall by his swimming pool precipitated a blood clot and surgery. "I woke up from a coma after two weeks with a paralyzed left arm," said Wagner, now 70 and living in Arizona. "My profession as a guitarist, I thought was over." In Wagner's case, it wasn't the initial stroke that deprived him of his musical ability, but NPH (increased pressure in the brain due to abnormal accumulation of fluids), which took away his coordination and timing. "The stroke he suffered usually produces relatively mild deficits, and over time patients are able to resume most normal activities," Dr. Joseph M. Zabramski - his neurosurgeon - said. "Dick cannot raise his left arm as well as he used to, but his fine motor function in his left hand is excellent.

Thankfully, though, this is a story with a happy ending. Wagner was able to have a surgery to undo the effects of NPH by having a shunt put into his head with a tube to drain the fluid in the brain to the abdomen, it will remain in his brain for the rest of his life. Now, Wagner is back on tour with a band in Denmark. "I am like a new man almost overnight," he said. "For five years, I couldn't even pick up a guitar -- I didn't have the strength or the coordination."

Dick Wagner, the rock star’s dementia was a mystery to him, until doctors managed to find a cure for it and get him back in tune with his guitar playing. Dick Wagner is best known as a close cohort of Alice Cooper (he co-wrote most of Cooper’s biggest hits, including ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’) and has also played lead guitar for the likes of Aerosmith and Kiss.

In 2007, however, his career hit the rocks when he suffered a stroke and a heart attack, Yahoo news reveals. “I woke up from a coma after two weeks with a paralyzed left arm,” says Wagner. Although he worked hard at rehabilitation, there was something stopping him making a full recovery. He suffered from a “mental fuzziness” as well as balance issues, which created further problems, when they caused him to fall and injure himself. In 2011, though, he was finally diagnosed with NPH (normal pressure hydrocephalus), a build up of spinal fluid in the brain’s ventricles.

NPH often mimics the symptoms of other illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Doctor’s determined that it wasn’t the stroke that had removed his ability to play guitar, but the NPH. Now, aged 70 and living in Arizona, the effects of NOH have been reversed, with the aid of a spinal tap, to drain fluid from the brain. Doctors placed a ‘shunt’ in his head to redirect the fluid, via a tube, under the skin to his abdominal cavity, removing a small amount of fluid every day for the rest of his life. Finally, Wagner has regained the ability to play guitar and do what he loves the most. “I am like a new man almost overnight,” said the rocker.

Vinnie Vincent, formerly of legendary rock band 'Kiss', has explained himself regarding the arrest he received for aggravated assault in May, 2011. His address came with the intention of shutting down the rumours that police allegedly found dead animals strewn all over his home when answering the 911 call his wife made.

Related: When Slow Club Met Kiss (Sort Of)

Vincent John Cusano played guitar for the band, and was arrested on 22nd May, 2011. His official statement criticises the police for their "irresponsible reporting" and his depiction in the coverage of the event. According to police reports, officers investigating the Tennessee home of the Cusanos uncovered four dead dogs stored within plastic containers. This led to an investigation from animal cruelty officials.

Continue reading: Kiss Guitarist Denies Animal Abuse Claims