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Kinks rocker, Ray Davies, has announced that Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi will be among the guests on a forthcoming album of duets.

Davies told NJ.com that the duets album will revisit Kinks classics and that the Springsteen and Bon Jovi collaborations were recorded last month. Springsteen will feature on “Better Things” and Bon Jovi on “Celluloid Heroes.”

The possibility of a Kinks reunion was also addressed and Davies hinted that it might be on the cards, depending on his brother’s health status. Dave Davies had a stroke six years ago.

Ray Davies launches an acoustic tour at the Borgata in Atlantic City tonight (Friday, 26 February). The show will feature some hidden gems, alongside new tracks from his last few solo albums, the classics and some unplayed tracks. Davies will be joined onstage by his guitarist, Bill Shanley. There is also a UK/Ireland tour scheduled for May.

Ray Davies 2010 tour dates

Neil Young won his first-ever Grammy and Springsteen won his 20th at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards ceremony tonight (31 January). The biggest winner was Beyonce who took away a record six Grammys, including song of the year for “Single Ladies.”

Young won the Grammy for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package for ‘Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972),’ and he shared the award with his co-art directors Gary Burden and Jenice Heo.

Gary Burden, Jenice Heo and Neil Young accept the Grammy

Young was also nominated for best solo rock vocal performance, but lost out to Bruce Springsteen, who won for “Working on a Dream.” The other nominees for best solo rock vocal performance were Bob Dylan for “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’, John Fogerty for “Change In The Weather” and Prince for “Dreamer.”

Springsteen has now received 20 Grammy awards and has been honoured at the last eight ceremonies. His first Grammy was best male rock vocal performance for “Dancing in the Dark” in 1985. “Working on a Dream” is the title track of Springsteen’s latest album and has become a popular song in concert.

Bruce Springsteen - “Working on a Dream”

Not suprisingly, this year’s ceremony also saw Michael Jackson honoured with a lifetime achievement award, which was accepted by his children Prince Michael and Paris Jackson. This was preceded by a performance of Jackson’s “Earth Song,” with a recording of Jackson accompanied by live performances from Celine Dion, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Smokey Robinson and Jennifer Hudson.

Record of the year went to Kings Of Leon for “Use Somebody.”

Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder will be among the performers on the bill for the two-hour “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon tonight. The event will benefit victims of the Haiti earthquake by raising funds for a number of organisations, including Oxfam America, the Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Program, Partners in Health, the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, and Yele Haiti.

The two-hour telethon, which will be hosted by George Clooney, will be shown on all the major US television networks and also on YouTube, M Hulu, MySpace, Fancast, AOL, MSN, Yahoo!, Bing.com, BET.com, MTV.com, CNN.com, VH1.com and Rhapsody.

Other artists due to appear include Madonna, Sting, Sheryl Crow, Beyonce, Kid Rock, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Coldplay, Bono, Jay-Z and Rihanna. There will also be appearances from Hollywood stars such as Clint Eastwood, Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Halle Berry, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Nicole Kidman, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hanks and Will Smith.

The event is due to start at 8.00pm. Check the live stream at:
http://www.youtube.com/hopeforhaitinow

Donate to UNICEF’s Haiti Earthquake Children’s Appeal at:
http://www.unicef.org.uk/give/index.asp?page=32

“I’m the President, but he’s The Boss” joked President Obama as he presented Bruce Springsteen with a Kennedy Center award for his contributions to US culture.

Obama congratulates Bruce Springsteen (AP Photo)

The 32nd annual Kennedy Center Honors was a two-day celebration, with recipients attending a dinner on Saturday hosted by Hillary Clinton, a Sunday reception with President Obama at the White House, and a gala performance at the Kennedy Center on Sunday night.

This year’s other recipients were Robert De Niro, Mel Brooks, Grace Bumbry and Dave Brubeck. Others in attendance at the White House reception included Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the First Lady, Martin Scorsese and Aretha Franklin.

The gala performance will be televised on CBS on Dec 29 and featured appearances by Herbie Hancock, Sting, Meryl Streep and Aretha Franklin.

The honorees pose with Hillary Clinton at the State Department (AP Photo)

Speaking at the White House reception, President Obama said:

“These performers are indeed the best. They are also living reminders of a simple truth - and I’m going to steal a line from Michelle here - the arts are not somehow apart from our national life, the arts are at the heart of our national life.”

President Obama paid tribute to each of the recipients in turn. Watch his tribute to Bruce Springsteen

President Obama’s full speech can be viewed here

Congratulations to Bruce Springsteen. What a great year he is having.