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Michael Mayer, the Tony Award-winning director of "Spring Awakening," is adapting the album -- which sold 12 million copies worldwide and won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album and Record of the Year -- for the Berkeley Repertory Theatre on Green Day's home turf in California. The production will run September 4 through October 11 to open the company's 2009-10 season, with tickets now on sale for early performances at www.berkeleyrep.org.

Mayer and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong collaborated on the script for "American Idiot," which follows the working-class subjects of the album's songs -- including Jesus of Suburbia, St. Jimmy and a female protagonist called Whatsername -- as they "express their individuality in a mass-media culture." The 19-member company will be choreographed by Olivier Award winner Steven Hoggett.

Armstrong said in a statement that Green Day has "been thinking of bringing 'American Idiot' to the stage but knew we needed to find the right partners ... We were so impressed with ('Spring Awakening') as well as (Mayer's) vision for 'American Idiot' that we knew we'd found the perfect collaborator." Having the musical staged by the Berkeley Rep, Armstrong noted, "was an obvious bonus."

The musical will make an already busy 2009 even more so for Green Day. The band is in the midst of a vinyl rollout of its entire catalogue, and its long-awaited follow-up to "American Idiot," another concept album called "21st Century Breakdown," will be released on May 15. Green Day is expected to start a North American tour supporting the album in July, with the reunited Blink-182 expected to open.

Green Day are to release their new album, "21st Century Breakdown", in May, the band have announced.

The follow-up to 2004's international best-seller "American Idiot" will be preceded by a single, "Know Your Enemy", which is out next month.

The record is reportedly split into three sections, entitled "Heroes And Cons", "Charlatans And Saints" and "Horseshoes and Handgrenades".

"21st Century Breakdown" is officially due for release on May 15.

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30 Seconds To Mars may release their next album for free.

The band are currently finishing work on 'This Is War' and frontman Jared Leto admits they are considering allowing fans to have the record for nothing because the group never make any money from their CD sales.

Jared told Rock Sound magazine: "Anything can happen, you never know what the future will hold. Maybe we will just throw our new album on the internet and see if anybody wants to take it. We have never made a penny from selling a record anyway so why would it matter to us?''

Last summer, Virgin/EMI announced they were suing the group for $30 million for failing to deliver three albums on time according to the terms of their recording contract.

(C) BANG Media International(from yahoo news)

 

 

Blink-182 have reformed.

The trio - who split up in February 2005 - ended months of speculation about their future at the Grammy awards this weekend by confirming they are to record music together again.

The 'All The Small Things' hitmakers -Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker - were at the ceremony to present the Best Rock Album award and as they took to the stage, Tom said: "We used to play music together and we decided we're gonna be playing music together again."

Mark added: "Blink-182 is back!"

The group later confirmed their intentions in a statement on their official website.

It read: "To put it simply, we're back.

"We mean, really back. Picking up where we left off and then some. In the studio writing and recording a new album. Preparing to tour the world yet again. Friendships reformed. 17 years deep in our legacy."

After the group went the separate ways in 2005, Mark and Travis went on to form +44 while Tom enjoyed success as frontman of Angels and Airwaves.

The band first sparked rumours of a reunion in November when it was revealed that they had put their bitter war of words behind them following Travis' near fatal plane crash in September.

Writing on his blog, Mark wrote: "In the midst of everything else that has happened lately, Tom, Travis and I have all spoken together, through a number of phone calls, and then a couple of weeks ago we all hung out for a few hours. They've all been great, very positive conversations. We're just reconnecting as friends after four years of not talking. It's a good thing."

(C) BANG Media International

copied from yahoo news