BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ENDORSES BARACK OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT

Bruce Springsteen has publicly endorsed Senator Barack Obama in an open letter on his website brucespringsteen.net.

Springsteen's endorsement reads:

"Dear Friends and Fans: Like most of you, I've been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest. He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President. He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where '...nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone.'"

"At the moment, critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships. While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man's life and vision, so well described in his excellent book, Dreams From My Father, often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our Constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment."
"After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans. Over here on E Street, we're proud to support Obama for President. Bruce Springsteen."
In 2004, for the first time in his career, Springsteen endorsed and campaigned for a Presidential candidate, supporting Senator John Kerry's unsuccessful run for the presidency. That same year, Springsteen was one of the many artists who performed on the Vote For Change tour, which unofficially hoped to inspire audiences to rally for Kerry in the November polls.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform tomorrow night in Sunrise, Florida at the Bank Atlantic Center.

LEONA LEWIS MAKES CHART HISTORY

British singer Leona Lewis made chart history this week when her debut album, Spirit, opened at Number One on the Billboard 200. The distinction makes her the first U.K. solo artist to land at the top of the chart with a debut set. Spirit sold 205,000 copies thanks to the success of Lewis' hit single "Bleeding Love." Lewis is the first British female solo performer to top the chart since Sade did so in 1986 with Promise. Meanwhile, George Strait's Troubadour album was in second place this week, followed by country singer James Otto with his effort, Sunset Man. The NOW 27 hit song collection came in at four, and the soundtrack to Alvin and the Chipmunks was in the fifth spot.

Lewis' "Bleeding Love" has sold 1.1 million copies since U.S. downloads became available in late December.
Lewis made it big in the U.K. after she was discovered on Simon Cowell's The X Factor TV show in Britain. She gained momentum with her first single, a cover of Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This" and then set a Guinness world record by selling 50,000 downloads in just 30 minutes and nearly 600,000 copies in the first week. Cowell told E! Online, "What Leona has achieved is simply incredible. This is the hardest market to crack and for her debut album to go in at Number One is unbelievable."
Lewis will do a guest performance on American Idol April 23rd. She'll also stop by Dancing With the Stars on May 13th.

JOHN MELLENCAMP HITTING THE ROAD IN JULY

John Mellencamp is heading out on the road for a summer tour which kicks off on July 8th in Philadelphia and runs through August 2nd in Berkley, California.  Lucinda Williams will open most of the dates on the tour.

On July 15th Mellencamp releases his latest album, called Life, Death, Love And Freedom, which is his first for the Starbucks-owned label Hear Music.
John Mellencamp tour dates (subject to change):
July 8 - Mann Music Center - Philadelphia, PA
July 10 - Wantagh , NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
July 11 - Holmdel , NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
July 14, 15 - Boston , MA - Bank of America Pavilion
July 18 - Clarkston , MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
July 22 - Chicago , IL Charter - One Pavilion at Northerly Island
July 23 - Cincinnati , OH - Riverbend Music Center
July 25 - Oklahoma City , OK - Ford Center
July 27 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
July 30 - Santa Barbara , CA - Santa Barbara Bowl
July 31 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
August 2 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre

REPORTS SPECULATE ROMANCE BETWEEN JOHN MAYER AND PUSSYCAT DOLL

Ladies man John Mayer's most recent conquest is reportedly Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger. The New York Post claims that the pair was flirting during a recent night out in Los Angeles, and left a club together. Mayer's rep had no comment about the alleged hook-up.

Mayer has been previously linked to Jessica Simpson, Minka Kelly, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Cameron Diaz.
Recently, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton claimed he and Mayer made out on New Year's Eve of 2006.
Meanwhile, Mayer has again hooked up with BlackBerry for sponsorship for a summer tour, which will kick off July 2nd at Milwaukee's Summerfest, according to Billboard.com. The singer/songwriter will bring along Colbie Caillat and Brett Dennen as support for the outing, which wraps August 2nd at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion just outside Houston.