Led Zeppelin guitar legend Jimmy Page is set to be part of the closing ceremony of the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing on Sunday July 24. Page will perform with British pop sensation and Simon Cowell protege Leona Lewis.

Selecting someone to perform with one of the most recognizable rock legends of all time may have presented a challenge for the people that are charged with making such decisions, but Leona Lewis is likely to be very widely recognized as well, considering that her album reached all the way to number one on at least three continents and nine countries.

This is all part of the Olympic tradition, where the country that is set to host the next Olympic Games performs an 8-minute show during the closing ceremony. With London set to host the 2012 Summer Games, Jimmy Page and Leona Lewis were selected to represent their country, and give the world a chance for a sneak peek at the kind of spectacle the world might expect from the U.K. in 2012.

I’m loving every minute of the Olympics (except Beach Volleyball), but I can’t wait for the closing ceremonies. If it’s anything like the opening ceremony, it should be spectacular.

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This story is just too cute!  As you all may be aware, Paul McCartney and his current girlfriend Nancy Shevell have been scampering across the USA on a little road trip to just cut loose and hang together.  Well it seems that trip has been cut short and our Paulie is the one doing the snipping.  And for good reason too!  His oldest daughter Mary, 38, just gave birth to her third child, a little boy fathered by her lover Simon Aboud.  She has two other children from her ex-hubby Alistair Donald. Apparently when Paul found out about the birth of the newest addition to the McCartney clan, he grabbed Nancy and hopped the next flight to London.   A source told Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper…

“Paul is over the moon and couldn’t wait to jump on a plane.  It’s a very personal thing meeting a new grandchild for the first time, but he loves Nancy so much that he wanted her to be there.”

The trip across America isn’t cancelled though, just temporarily put on the back burner.  Once he’s through catching up with the family he intends on picking up where he and Nancy left off.  Gee, I wonder where he stashed the Ford Bronco they’re using for their road trip?   Well I hope when they Get Back to the USA, they can carry on with their plans and continue the fun and games. Congratulations to Mary McCartney and to proud new grandpapa Paul!

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The prospect of a Led Zeppelin world tour is “dead in the water”, say reports.

According to Millennium Stadium manager Gerry Toms, there is no chance that the veteran rockers will play the Welsh venue in 2009.

He told NME:

“It’s dead in the water. Because the concert ( at London’s O2 arena last December) was a success there was hope of a tour, but that was a lot of speculation. It would be great if they would, but as far as we know that is dead in the water.”

Something tells me that the rumors will continue.

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Let’s not hold our breath for that eagerly anticipated Led Zeppelin reunion tour. It appears that Robert Plant’s partnership with bluegrass singer Alison Krauss has been so successful, that the duo has decided to add dates to their concert tour, which has been in progress for awhile now. Those dates will extend into early October, which means that any such tour planned by Led Zeppelin will have to wait until Plant is finished with his current project and becomes available.

So, it could very well be that this tour will not become a reality until who knows when. Well, we’ve waited this long; a little longer shouldn’t make any difference, right?

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Last year’s re-issue of Led Zeppelin’s The Song Remains the Same will be released on vinyl on July 22nd. Now comes the announcement that Led Zeppelin have arranged for the manufacture of a very special limited-edition white vinyl version of the album. There are only 100 of these being made available for sale, with only 200 in existence. The only way you stand a chance of getting hold of this rare version is to pre-order it through LedZeppelin-dot-com. It will be sold to customers who are picked at random.

Originally released in 1976, the four-album set documents Led Zeppelin’s three-night stand at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 1973. It has been re-mastered and contains six additional songs not featured on the original : ‘Black Dog’, ‘Over the Hills and Far Away’, ‘Misty Mountain Hop’, ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’, ‘The Ocean’, and ‘Heartbreaker’. It also includes a 12-page oversized full-color booklet with liner notes by Cameron Crowe and dozens of previously unpublished stills from the film.

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Led Zeppelin’s legendary guitarist Jimmy Page was awarded an honorary doctorate by The University of Surrey in the UK. Page was made a Doctor of the University for his services to the music industry. Page was also made an honorary citizen of Rio de Janeiro and awarded an Order of the British Empire in 2005 for his charity work with the children of Brazil’s slums.

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Led Zeppelin has earned millions of dollars, and according to Portfolio magazine, a large chunk of it comes from just one song - Stairway to Heaven. Music executives, along with those in advertising and entertainment industries, were asked to come up with some numbers, real and potential, for the value of the classic tune. The estimated total the song has brought in from publishing and sales of the master recording is in excess of $560 million . It has the potential to earn more than $10 million more if licensed for use in commercials, TV shows and movies. Stairway to Heaven was never released as a single and was first available on 1971’s Led Zeppelin Four.

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Jason Bonham has admitted he would do a Led Zeppelin tour ‘in a heartbeat’.

The drummer, 41, is the son of the band’s original drummer John Bonham, who passed away in 1980. Jason Bonham played with the band at their London arena reunion gig in December of 2007. Speaking about the reunion concert, Bonham said,

“It was a fantastic night, it was emotional, it was everything I wanted, and hoped it would be.”

On the prospect of a world tour, he added,

“Who knows? All I can say is that it was better than I could have imagined.
My fingers are crossed and I would do it in a heartbeat.”

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It looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer than expected for the long anticipated Led Zeppelin tour. Guitarist Jimmy Page has stated that band members were ready to reunite and perform more live events, but that any tour would have to wait until 2009, as band members would have to finish up individual projects.

So let’s not hold our breath on this one. It’s anyone’s guess right now when and if Zep will tour.

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3 Members of Led Zeppelin (Robert Plant can’t make it, he’s touring America now so you figure out who will be there) will join David Grohl and his band The Foo Fighters when they play Wembley Stadium in London this week-end. Seems that Grohl was so awestruck by seeing Zep back in November at 02 Arena and he was determined to perform with them. After some collaboration between the two bands, they came to an agreement for Zep to perform 3 of their songs onstage with The Foo Fighters.

I just think this is so great of Zep to do this, and I’m thrilled that David Grohl is living out his childhood dream. I would love to be there for this and I can’t wait to hear how it all went down. Stay tuned….

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