Downton Abbey and THE ROLLING STONES (SUN)

Hatisfaction ... Mick, Keef, Ron and Charlie as cast of Downton Abbey

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By PETE SAMSON
Published: 12 hrs ago

THE Rolling Stones like telly’s Downton Abbey so much they finish rehearsals early in order to watch it.

The band’s love of the period drama was revealed by Ronnie Wood to leading man Hugh Bonneville.

The pair are close friends and Hugh, who plays the Earl of Grantham, told co-star Laura Carmichael of their Sunday evening obsession.

She said: “Hugh has been hanging out with Ronnie and they have been having a great time. They met doing charity work and Ronnie told Hugh how much they loved Downton.

“Apparently they were stopping rehearsals on Sunday nights in time to get back to watch it.” Laura, 26 — Lady Edith in the hit ITV show — revealed how Mick Jagger, 69, even managed to ruin one of the storylines for Ronnie, 65.

She said: “When Sybil passed away, Mick said to Ronnie, ‘Sad to hear about the girl’. Ronnie replied, ‘I haven’t seen it yet — I recorded it.’ ”


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/4916587/rolling-stones-finish-rehearsals-early-to-watch-downton-abbey.html#ixzz2SW5pgt1E

Review: The Rolling Stones rock Staples in first gig of tour (L A TIMES)

The Rolling Stones -- Ron Wood, left, Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Keith Richards -- perform at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Friday night. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times / May 3, 2013)

The Stones -- Jagger, Richards, Watts, Wood and a six-piece support group -- are celebrating 50 years as a band, and did so at a capacity arena with a typical combination of power, nuance and versatility.

That the group only stumbled a few times, most notably when No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani attempted to duet with Jagger on “Wild Horses,” is a testament to both the enduring power of their creations and their continued ability to deliver renegade spirit. After all, these rich men could be relaxing in mansions, going on drunken benders or -- as Richards once memorably did -- falling out of coconut trees.

They are the last band standing, let alone prancing, shaking, shimmying or prowling.

Their cockroach-like survival stands to reason. This is durable music, after all, built on solid foundations that have supported and moved entire cultures. Songs such as “Tumbling Dice,” “Miss You,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” -- all of which they played on Friday -- have fired the neurons of billions of brains.

Or, as Richards eloquently explained in his 2010 autobiography, “Life,” the band offered repeated proof of achieving the ultimate goal of a musician: “to stretch yourself into other people’s hearts.” Richards wrote of the craft as being “almost an obsession,” adding that “to write a song that is remembered and taken to heart is a connection, a touching of bases. A thread that runs through all of us. A stab to the heart.”

The Stones stabbed hearts over and over on Friday. Among the more celebrated victims at the gig were Jack Nicholson, Eddie Murphy, Nicole Kidman and husband Keith Urban, James Caan, Babyface, Melanie Griffith and longtime Stones producer Don Was. During “Brown Sugar,” Nicholson pumped his arms like a teenager along with the other 19,000 fans.

READ MORE: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-review-the-rolling-stones-rock-staples-on-first-stop-of-tour-20130504,0,1829043.story

Rolling Stones struggle to sell tickets, forced to release low-priced seats ahead of L.A. concert (NEW YORK DAILY NEWS) REUTERS

Mick Jagger (l.) and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones will kick off their North American tour at L.A.'s Staples Center Friday night.

Wild horses couldn't drag many of the most die-hard of Rolling Stones fans to the kick-off of the band's North American tour - at least not at prices of up to a whopping $600 a ticket.

Three weeks after tickets went on sale, and a day before the British band take the stage on Friday, the Los Angeles Staples Center was far from sold out for the "50 and Counting" gig.

Secondary ticket sellers StubHub had more than 500 tickets available 24 hours before the May 3 show, Good Seat tickets said they were slashing re-sale prices by 40 percent, and Epic Nation rolled out a 10 percent discount code.

The veteran rock band announced on their official website this week that they were releasing an additional number of tickets at a modest $85, the only price point that quickly sold out for the May 3 concert.

According to the website, some of the $85 seats will be among the best seats in house in the "Tongue Pit," with others spread around the arena. Buyers will be notified of their seat location on the day of the show.

Concert promoters AEG denied they were cutting prices, saying tickets once thought to have an obstructed view had come to light after the tongue and lip shaped stage was set up.

"Seeing (the stage) in this setting for the first time, we were able to determine that seats previously thought to have obstructed views were in fact unobstructed and could immediately be offered to fans for $85 each," AEG said in a statement.

On Thursday, seats at prices ranging from $250 to $600 were still available, according to the AXS website operated by AEG, which owns the Staples Center arena that seats about 19,000 people.


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/rolling-stones-struggling-sell-concert-tickets-article-1.1334165#ixzz2SHMyoWpe