Foo Fighters and Jimmy Fallon have been billed to make live performances for the 44th U.S. President Barack Obama, according to Rolling Stone. They are plotted to sing on the South Lawn of the White House this Saturday, July 4 as part of the Independence Day festivities.

Another musical guest tapped to take the stage for the upcoming event is Michelle Branch. As for its attendants, more than 1,200 U.S. troops and the military family members are expected to come to the bash.

Foo Fighters have released six studio albums with the latest one "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace" being dropped in 2007. A year later, frontman Dave Grohl revealed temporary timeout for the band. After that announcement, bassist Nate Mendel reunited with his old band Sunny Day Real Estate, and Dave reportedly had a side project with Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme.

As for Jimmy Fallon, the comedian/actor/musician has released one studio effort "The Bathroom Wall" in 2002. And, he is currently hosting NBC's popular talk show "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon".

REM have announced the sale of a digital live EP ahead of the release of a full concert album later this year.

The band digitally launch the four-track Reckoning Songs From The Olympia on July 7 and will release the full-length 2CD set in October.

A statement on the group's official website read: "Exactly two years ago, the band spent five nights at the venerable Olympia Theatre rehearsing new songs for what would eventually become Accelerate, while also rolling out a dizzying array of older numbers."

REM Live From The Olympia will feature tracks recorded during the residency at the Dublin venue and will include over 30 songs.
REM, who recently released deluxe editions of their first two LPs, have revealed that they are recording demos for an album of new music.

Access Hollywood is reporting that prior to the public funeral being held for Michael Jackson, family and close friends will attend a private ceremony to remember the famous singer and icon.

Location and time details have not yet been released, but are supposed to be confirmed late Friday afternoon. Reportedly Grammy’s producer, Ken Ehrlich, has been asked to produce the Jackson memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.

Ehrlich told reporters that the service open to the public will consist of “some types of performances.” He made sure to tell reporters that the ceremony will not be an “extravagant tribute concert.” “It will be a memorial service reflecting the dignity of what the family wants. It will be a fitting memorial to Michael Jackson—no dance numbers,” the producer stated. The public funeral will be held on Tuesday at the Staples Center.

Body insecurity is one of the personal topics that Taylor Swift addressed during a recent interview with Glamour Magazine for its August 2009 issue, to which she admitted "I get insecure about my eyes." Revealing the reason, she explained, "... because I once read a blog comment that said, 'Her eyes are so small.' I thought, Are my eyes small? Oh no - they are!"

Asked if she does read blog comments despite the fact that many celebrities claim to avoid them, Taylor opened up, "I've stopped reading the comments below news articles and on gossip blogs because those are the ones that'll ruin your day in a second." She was quick to add, "But I read my MySpace comments because they're awesome. You just have to be careful and filter the information you give yourself. Do you want to open the slam book today? Nope."

Addressing on weight insecurity which has become something common among Hollywood celebs, Taylor told Glamour Magazine, "I think the reason a lot of celebrities feel insecure and want to stop eating altogether is because they see so many pictures of themselves on a daily basis. It's unhealthy how many times you see your own image - it's just constant. When you see something enough, you're going to tear it down to the point where some days you feel like you're not even pretty."

The younger siblings of Miley Cyrus and the JONAS BROTHERS have teamed up for a new animated movie. Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas will voice a goldfish and a young boy, respectively, in filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s acclaimed new film "Ponyo." The movie has already been a hit in the Far East and producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy are hoping to secure the project's success in America by redubbing the movie with familiar voices.The movie, which closed the Los Angeles.

Film Festival on Sunday (28Jun09), is a loose adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale "The Little Mermaid." It has already made over $180 million (£120 million) globally and is released in the U.S. in August (09).

The American release will feature the voices of Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett and Liam Neeson, as well as Noah Cyrus, who plays the title character, and the young Jonas brother, who is known as 'the Bonus Jonas' among fans of his brothers' pop group. Miyazaki's films are always acclaimed - he is the only anime filmmaker to have won the animation Oscar, for "Spirited Away." His 2005 film "Howl’s Moving Castle" was also Oscar nominated.