• Three backup dancers sued Cher on Thursday, claiming they were wrongfully fired from her current tour and the singer engaged in racial discrimination to prevent another black dancer from joining her onstage. The dancers claim Cher remarked that her successful "Dressed to Kill" tour had "too much color" and instructed choreographer Kevin Wilson not to hire any more dark-skinned dancers. Wilson, who also danced onstage on the tour, was fired in July along with two other dancers who claim they were discriminated against. Wilson and dancer Suzanne Easter, who are both black, are suing Cher along with former colleague Jacquelyn Dowsett Ballinger, claiming they were wrongfully fired after complaining to managers that another dancer assaulted an unidentified woman in a hotel room while on tour. Wilson and Easter say race was a motivating factor in their dismissal, while Ballinger, 42, is alleging age discrimination. "The accusations are ridiculous," Cher's publicist Liz Rosenberg said Thursday. "They couldn't be further from the truth." The 68-year-old singer-actress had to postpone three weeks of shows due to a viral infection earlier this month.
• Leonard Cohen, who returned to performing after a 15-year hiatus in 2008, says touring has improved his mood. "Well, getting back on the road has improved my mood considerably because I was never good at civilian life," says Cohen, who turns 80 next week. The Canadian songwriter spoke Thursday at a listening event in New York City for his new album, Popular Problems, to be released Tuesday. The "Hallelujah" performer was full of good cheer at Joe's Pub, providing laughs for the small crowd of journalists and music industry players. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, best known for his dark, poetic lyrics, discovered in 2004 that most of his retirement fund had disappeared in a disputed case of mismanagement. His solution was to return to touring. Cohen, who vowed to start smoking when he turned 80, told the crowd when asked if he would start next week: "Yes, does anybody have a cigarette?" His new album was produced by Patrick Leonard, best known for working with Madonna. He said he didn't originally plan on releasing Popular Problems the same week of his birthday. "It was a happy accident," he said. "In my family, we have a very charitable approach to birthdays -- we ignore them."
A Section on 09/20/2014