Mary J. Blige Considering 'Rock of Ages' Role

The latest musical luminary to be affiliated with the upcoming film version of the Rock of Ages musical might raise a few eyebrows: Mary J. Blige.

Citing "spies," Vulture is reporting that the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul "is all in" to take on the role of Justice Charlier, owner of the show's exotic-dance venue the Venus Club. Tom Cruise's proposed starring role in the film reportedly also remains under discussion, although he is now said to be considering the role of bad-guy singer Stacee Jaxx instead of club owner Dennis Dupree.

Blige might seem like a left-field choice, but she's been inching into rock territory in recent years. She covered U2's "One" with Bono on her 2005 LP The Breakthrough, and, more surprisingly, earlier this year she teamed up with Travis Barker, Steve Vai and others for a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" that aired on Idol Gives Back — and Blige managed to take liberties with Robert Plant's melody and delivery without deviating too far from the original.

Mary J. Blige in Talks to Join Rock of Ages Movie [Vulture.com]

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Song Stories

“Piano Man”

Billy Joel | 1973

Billy Joel’s first hit, “Piano Man,” was – ironically – an autobiographical lament about how his first album wasn’t a hit. When Cold Spring Harbor didn’t take off, Joel briefly became a lounge pianist in Los Angeles, and this song, about that experience, expressed his frustrations and fears at the time: “And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar/And say, ‘Man, what are you doing here?’” “It was all right,” Joel said later, about the gig. “I got free drinks and union scale, which was the first steady money I’d made in a long time.”

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