Rock Legend Chuck Berry, Top-Notch Short Story Writer

He tells fans he has no strength to continue

(NEWSER) - Rock-and-roll king Chuck Berry collapsed at a Chicago concert Saturday night and had to be helped off stage. Berry suddenly slumped head-first onto his keyboard mid-performance and didn't move for several minutes. Promoters said he was suffering from nothing more than exhaustion, but the rocker is pushing 85. The author of classics Johnny B. Goode and Roll Over Beethoven was "real confused," a local cop told the Chicago Sun-Times . He re-emerged later in the concert to tell his fans he didn't have the strength to continue. He appeared to have problems right from the start of the performance, according to witnesses. He was not taken to a hospital. More»

Dakota Fanning-Kristen Stewart vehicle divides critics

(NEWSER) - Critics praise the performances in The Runaways, about Joan Jett's seminal '70s band, but whether the flick succeeds is up for debate. Some takes:

• "Say what you will about the Runaways," Peter Travers writes in Rolling Stone , but "they never played it safe. The movie does." He wants more out of the verboten relationship between Dakota Fanning's Cherie Currie and Kristen Stewart's Jett. Still, "Fanning scores a knockout."

Star-studded NYC bash also honors Jimmy Cliff, Stooges

(NEWSER) - ABBA, the Stooges, the Hollies, Genesis, and Jimmy Cliff made their way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last night. "I'm very angry that Madonna got in before us," joked ABBA’s Anni-Frid Lyngstad; she and ex-husband Benny Andersson attended the New York ceremony while their former co-members stayed home. Another notable absence: Genesis’ first frontman, Peter Gabriel, PopEater reports. But “we've played without him for 30 years," said replacement Phil Collins. "We're used to not having him around." More»

Alexa Ray Joel took a homeopathic drug, source says

(NEWSER) - Alexa Ray Joel is out of the hospital and "is going to be fine," her father, Billy Joel, said last night. The 23-year-old singer-songwriter, reportedly distraught over a recent breakup, was treated at a New York hospital after overdosing on a substance a source identifies as a homeopathic drug. Her mother, Christie Brinkley, was with her at the hospital. Although she has had "moments of being despondent.” the source tells Entertainment Weekly , “Alexa is actually very happy and healthy." More»

Playful 60s love/music comedy is more party than plot

(NEWSER) - Critics agree that the soundtrack of Pirate Radio can't be beat, and the top-notch cast is a joy. So when it comes to the shaky plot and pacing, some can turn a blind eye:

• "There’s no denying the comic energy of the cast," Peter Travers writes in Rolling Stone. "Couple that with blasts of Brit rock from the Beatles and the Stones to Dusty Springfield and David Bowie, and the ship is unsinkable."