Superbowl?...

[From Fox News]

Super Bowl Show: Who Will Join Santana?

This should be some Super Bowl halftime show coming up on January 26th.

Yesterday came word that Santana, the Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain and No Doubt are all scheduled for the big show. This means huge ratings and visibility for all the acts.

But I've also been told that Arista Records is hoping for a duet by Santana with Whitney Houston, their other act with a record in the stores right now needing help. The label has been leaning toward releasing yet another single from Houston's Just Whitney album called "Tell Me No," which was supposed to feature Carlos Santana on guitar. That was scuttled at the last minute.

Of course, Houston is capricious about her scheduling, so a live show (that's live as in alive, in case Ashanti is confused) is problematic. Houston was an hour late for her live to tape appearance on Good Morning America last month. That should give the NFL producers pause.

The NFL, producer Joel Gallen and co-producer Jimmy Iovine of Universal Music Group originally wanted Madonna on the show but couldn't convince her to do it, I'm told. Their next idea was a "divas" concept with Jennifer Lopez and the other ladies joining Bono from U2 on stage. Some surprise form of that may still occur, especially if it's impossible to lock Houston down. (Honestly, they'd have to make her sleep in the stadium overnight to ensure that appearance.) The NFL had been in negotiations with Madonna, a source tells me, but that deal fell apart.

Most of these artists will come to the Super Bowl courtesy of Universal Music Group's Iovine, who has a first look deal with the National Football League. That's why he's able to put all of his artists on the show. Last fall the deal bore its first fruit when Iovine convinced the NFL to showcase Bon Jovi on the special pre-season launch show. The result was a best-selling album for the long in the tooth group and now, voila!, a Grammy nomination.

Iovine is also said to be engaged in a turf war over at the music giant, which comprises Universal Records, Island Def Jam, Mercury, Geffen/A&M, Motown. Roc-a-Fella, Murder Inc and some other labels. Last month, sabers rattled at UMG when a story popped up in the press accusing Island Def Jam, a division of the company, of double-scanning CDs and double scamming SoundScan. No one knows who planted the story, but some are thinking it was an inside job designed possibly to scare the unscare-able Lyor Cohen , who runs Island Def Jam.

Whitney's Label Claims Platinum Record

And yet, Arista Records is now claiming the album, Just Whitney , is about to be certified platinum by the Record Industry Association of America. Platinum is for 1 million units sold, but here's the rub: Arista is claiming 1 million copies shipped to record stores. It doesn't matter if no one buys them and they're returned. That's the spin. Nice, huh?

Just Whitney has been available since October 21st on the internet, but has done little in the way of sales. Two singles have already failed, but a third one is being planned. Houston, as I reported here recently, took a $20 million cash advance from Arista last year against future royalties. Considering massive layoffs this week at Bertelsmann Music Group, Arista's parent company, this figure should come back to haunt some executives soon.

NEWSFILE: 9 JANUARY 2003