Fall Out Boy, Rejects to open for Blink-182

September 11, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

CLEVELAND — Fall Out Boy and All American Rejects will appear at the Sept. 30 Blink-182 concert at Blossom Music Center. The three bands originally scheduled to open the concert — Weezer, Taking Back Sunday and Chester French — will not appear, according to an announcement from LiveNation.

Jackson rehearsal footage to be shown at awards

NEW YORK — MTV says a trailer for a Michael Jackson film built around rehearsal footage left behind after the King of Pop’s death will debut at Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards. “Michael Jackson: This Is It” will be released for a limited two-week theatrical engagement worldwide on Oct. 28. Longtime Jackson collaborator Kenny Ortega is directing the film, which offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Jackson preparing for a series of London shows he was rehearsing when he died June 25.

Tribute is lacking talent

VIENNA — It was supposed to be a thriller. Now it just looks bad.

Jermaine Jackson promised some of the planet’s biggest stars would take the stage in front of a 17th-century palace in Vienna for what’s been billed as the major global tribute to Michael Jackson.

So far, though, he hasn’t delivered top acts such as Madonna for the Sept. 26 outdoor concert. And two of the supposedly confirmed headliners announced this week — Mary J. Blige and Chris Brown — apparently are out. Blige’s publicist says she has another commitment, a person close to the situation told The Associated Press in Los Angeles that Brown won’t perform either, and a spokeswoman for Natalie Cole suggested she, too, is iffy.

That leaves a smattering of B-list artists such as Sister Sledge, Akon and German boy band US5 — and unhappy fans who paid up to $745 for VIP seats have a stern message for organizers still scrambling for talent: Don’t stop ’til you get enough.

Fox to host ‘SNL’ opener

NEW YORK — Actress Megan Fox and U2 will give “Saturday Night Live” an attention-getting season opener when it returns Sept. 26.

U2’s third appearance on the NBC show comes just after two sold-out gigs at Giants Stadium on Sept. 23-24. Fox is known for her breakout role in “Transformers.” “Saturday Night Live” will open with four new shows in a row. Ryan Reynolds is the host on Oct. 3, with musical guest Lady Gaga. Drew Barrymore and Gerard Butler are hosts in the following two weeks. Regina Spektor and Shakira bring the music.

Cole returns to stage

LOS ANGELES — Natalie Cole has returned to the concert stage for first time since a successful kidney transplant. The 59-year-old singer performed Wednesday night at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Cole had the surgery in May.

She received a standing ovation from the crowd as she walked onto the stage in a purple jewel-studded gown by designer Lloyd Klein.

Today’s birthdays

Movie director Brian De Palma is 69. Guitarist Tommy Shaw of Styx is 56. Actress Virginia Madsen is 48. Actress Kristy McNichol is 47. Musician Moby is 44. Singer Harry Connick Jr. is 42.