Executive producer of the show, George Stevens Jr, said he was taken by surprise by the eagerness of stars to perform once he was given the go-ahead by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. "On that first day, we asked Springsteen, Bono and Garth Brooks within a period of 45 minutes and got three 'yeses'," Stevens told the Associated Press. The artists have been asked to perform songs suited to the occasion, rather than their own hits, including A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke. Singers Sting and Elvis Costello are heading another all-star line-up at a charity concert marking Obama's inauguration on 20 January at Washington's Harman Center of the Arts.
On Merseyside - Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture finished as it began with a massive firework display to mark the end of its reign. The historic waterfront was lit up for the People's Celebration, which saw city officials hand over the Capital of Culture mantle to Linz, Austria. A total of 7,000 events featuring more than 10,000 artists have been staged across Merseyside as part of the year of culture. Millions of pounds have been poured into the city and although some plans never made it off the paper, other buildings will have a lasting impact on the city's landscape.
Creative director Phil Redmond said: "The most important fact is we've got every child in Liverpool involved in Capital of Culture. I think what we've done this year is change the perception within the city of itself. The goal is to keep bigging ourselves up." Liverpool City council leader Warren Bradley, added, "We set out to change the perception of the city outside of the city. People who thought Liverpool was a downtrodden, godforsaken place have seen Liverpool in a completely different light and Liverpool people are walking around 50ft tall."
Eurovision Countdown - US songwriter Diane Warren will write the lyrics to Andrew Lloyd Webber's music for this year's UK Eurovision entry, it has been announced. Warren, whose songs include Toni Braxton's Un-Break My Heart and How Do I Live by LeAnn Rimes, said she was thrilled to be working with a "legend". Meanwhile, singer Damien Flood has become the first act to be thrown off BBC One show Your Country Needs You. The act which wins the series will represent the UK in Russia in May.
Farewell - British pop star Dave Dee has died at the age of 65, following a three-year battle with cancer. The singer continued playing gigs with band members Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich until close to the end of his life. He performed his last gig in Eisenburg, Germany on 20 September last year. He did much good work for charity. In the 1970s he was a founding committee member of the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy charity and was actively involved in fundraising and increasing the profile of the organisation for more than 30 years.
(Jim Evans)
