Tom Jones International

UPDATE: NOVEMBER 28: In an “exclusive” story today The Sun says that, “As TV Biz [The Sun's column] predicted, Pop Idol champ Will Young, Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am, Welsh legend Tom Jones and pop princess Jessie J have all said they’ll appear.” Although The Sun seems to be sure of this information, other news outlets are less so. Of course, you know the drill — it’s not official until you see it on OFFICIAL Tom Jones.

Tom ends his winter tour with a 7 pm show tonight, Monday, November 28, in St. Petersburg, Russia. It’s very cold there so one hopes the crowd is very warm. This is the last show scheduled (thus far) this year and there is nothing yet made public on his schedule for 2012. Hopefully, he will be back home and can drop by Las Vegas for a show before the end of the year. Sir Tom being a coach on The Voice.

Playing catch-up: On November 17, when Tom played in Bucharest, Romania, Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton — there filming a History Channel mini-series about the Hatfield-McCoy feud — attended his concert. According to observers, they came into the hall quietly and sat about 20 meters (65 feet) from the stage.

Sir Tom Jones named Wales’ Greatest Living National Treasure

WalesOnline | November 25, 2011 | By Jessica Flynn

We may never see a £1m bank note in circulation but if there was one then Sir Tom Jones should feature on it – according to a national survey.

Sir Tom pipped the likes of Sir Anthony Hopkins, Dame Shirley Bassey and Catherine Zeta-Jones to be named Wales’ Greatest Living National Treasure and will now be featured on a unique Christmas £1m note.

The nationwide poll by The EuroMillions’ Millionaire Raffle National Treasures was commissioned to celebrate Millionaires Month, with 50 Brits guaranteed to win £1m between November 25 and December 23.

More than 4,000 adults took part in the poll which asked the public to vote for the person they believed to be our greatest national living treasure and best represent the nation on a unique £1m note.

A shortlist of national icons was compiled by a panel led by former Heat magazine editor Mark Frith.

The shortlist focused on living luminaries and included names representing every region of the UK in a comprehensive study of living national icons.

The overall winner and the names judged to be the greatest national treasure in each of the nation’s 13 regions will be honoured on the special notes.

Pontypridd-born Sir Tom, 71, who has enjoyed chart success with classics including Green, Green Grass of Home and It’s Not Unusual, received 25% of the votes in the Welsh poll.

The rest of the top five were Sir Anthony Hopkins (17%), Dame Shirley Bassey (13%), Holyhead-born Dawn French (7%) and Catherine Zeta-Jones (5%).

A EuroMillions spokesperson, said: “Sir Tom Jones rightfully holds a place in the nation’s hearts and is considered one of the greatest entertainer of all time, as well as being considered to be our greatest living Welsh treasure.

“With 50 new millionaires being made before Christmas it would make life much easier if we could just hold a stock of notes adorned with Sir Tom Jones’ image. Until then we are going to have to rely on giant cheques.”

When it came to the national vote of 4,000 adults from all over the UK, Sir David Attenborough was named as Britain’s Greatest Living National Treasure with 24% of the votes, followed by Stephen Fry with 13% and Sean Connery who had 8%.

Financial forecaster and statistician Geoff Ellis predicts that based on the current rate of inflation we will have to wait until the year 2170 before the £1m note will be in circulation.

A Small Public Service Announcement: This is a big weekend for movies and, as a movie reviewer, I’ve seen them all. I’d like to recommend Hugo (possibly the best film of this year or many years), The Descendants, The Muppets, My Weekend With Marilyn, among others. (The Muppets, by the way, is best for kids of 10 or 12 and up, as little ones don’t know the characters and the humor may be above their heads.) You can read my reviews at Living Las Vegas.

---

To all in the USA (and a belated wish for the same to our Canadian friends) TJI hopes you each have a glorious Thanksgiving.

Last year I posted this audio clip and, in the spirit of the day, am reposting it for those who missed it or who want to hear it again. It’s from a 33 record sent to US disc jockeys (remember them?) to play in order to promote the release of Daughter of Darkness. It was called Just For You: For US Fans.

I am very thankful to Peter, who saw Tom in Budapest. This is one of — if not the — best-written fan reviews I’ve ever read (and I didn’t edit it at all!). I am very impressed with Peter’s command of English.

Peter wrote: The show was fantastic as always, thank God he got back to the high-energy, classical “greatest hits” setlist he used to do, only 2 songs were from Praise and Blame.

The intro was lacking the build-up and anticipation I had seen before, because all of a sudden, at 8.10 the house lights went down, the band came onstage and kicked in with Give a Little Love, and Tom just walked out without any warning or announcement. He smiled and winked at the audience while some people were still outside in the hallway or looking for their seats. I kinda missed that more grandiose stage entrance he has been known for, because my heart was not pounding as it did during the previous 4 shows I had seen him. He was there but the “orgasm” barely happened. That was my only disappointment, but believe me, I quickly got over it.

From then on it was magic and that Voice simply exploded the Arena. Hit after hit, She’s a Lady, Thunderball, What’s New Pussycat, and the rest, the setlist was the same as in Zagreb the night before. It was not the dancing and jumping kind of experience, Tom’s beyond that level of entertainment. You just sit and watch him: smiling and acknowledging, that you are looking at a legend, a last of his kind, a Las Vegas veteran, a pop icon and he still has it. Absolutely incredible. It’s not a simple concert, it’s an event, it’s a celebration of his life and cult status. Whatever he does is magical, and you just forget he’s actually 71.

Looking at some young women standing in front of the stage he noticed: “Oh, there’s some beautiful young ladies here. I wish I was two years younger…” People burst out laughing.

What a showman, what a singer, what a legend. He told the audience that when he worked as a glove salesman, he worked for Hungarians (his employer was called Pali – which is a nickname for Paul in Hungarian), and they were very nice people. The wonderful thing was to see that he still gets a kick out of performing live, and loving to do what he does. He was in top form and I will certainly go see him again because there’s no sign of him stopping anytime soon.

To Peter’s review, Sabine — who always tells TJI about the shows she sees — added additional observations (and the photo at right). Thanks to her, too. She said:

He looked fantastic and his voice was strong.

BUT 2 years ago the audience was enthusiastic there, everybody was on their feet and danced but this time it was very calm.

When he said “Now you can dance” (at the beginning of You Can Leave Your Hat On) only me and 9 other women went in front of the stage…

He was really great, joked with us and I can not understand why the others were so calm.

---

The Dubrovnik Times
ROCK LEGEND IN ZAGREB
Tom Jones presented with Croatian cross

Rock legend Tom Jones is well known for his love of jewelry and now he can add a specially designed Croatian pendant to his collection. After his concert in the Zagreb Arena on the 21st of November the Welsh singer was presented with a cross of white gold by the jewelers Križek.

“Our jewelry has been worn by a number of world celebrities including Morgan Freeman, Mickey Rourke, Gillian Anderson and many others, and it is a great honor for us to present our product to stars like Tom Jones” commented co-owner Viktor Križek. “I sincerely hope that every time he wears our jewelry he remembers our beautiful country and the enthusiastic Croatian audience” he concluded.

---

If you missed the 44+ minutes of video of Tom performing 11 songs in Croatia linked in the post below, and have some time, be sure to check it out. (And, TJI must — admittedly immodestly — note, that the error on “OFFICIAL Tom Jones” noted in the post below yesterday has been corrected. It’s nice to know that people pay attention to TJI even if they would never acknowledge that fact publicly.)

In the photo at left, used in the news story, Tom is with a group of Yeomen Warders, popularly known as Beefeaters), guardians of the Tower of London. Looking at the photo in 2007 (given to TJI by our beloved Mary Muratore) Tom commented that all the Beefeaters gathered around him that momentous day he was knighted were Welsh.

Singer Sir Tom Jones is granted his own coat of arms
Sir Tom Jones, the veteran singer, has chosen a coat of arms featuring a Welsh dragon and a leek.

The Telegraph | Richard Eden | 7:28AM GMT 20 Nov 2011

For a member of the aristocracy, it’s not unusual to have a coat of arms. For the son of a coal miner who grew up in a terrace house in Pontypridd, it is, however, something to sing about.

Mandrake hears that Sir Tom Jones has applied for his own armorial bearings. “He has been granted arms in the last year,” says David White, Somerset Herald at the College of Arms.

“The crest features a demi red dragon holding an inverted leek. The shield features a key upright, in between two trees, a play on his real surname, Woodward.”

Sir Tom, 71, whose hits include Delilah and Green Green Grass of Home, was unavailable to comment on the honour. The singer, who was knighted in 2006, is not the first pop star to become armigerous.
In 2002, Sir Paul McCartney was granted a coat of arms featuring a guitar and a Liver Bird symbolising his music career and Liverpool roots. The motto was Ecce Cor Meum, or Behold MyHeart, which was the title of an oratorio written by the former Beatle during the illness of his first wife, Linda.

Anyone willing to pay at least £3,500 can apply for a coat of arms. There are no fixed criteria for eligibility, but awards and honours from the crown, civil or military commissions, university or professional qualifications, as well as eminence or good standing in national life, are taken into account. There are around 150 recipients a year.

The College of Arms was given a charter by Richard III in 1484, and in 1530 anyone considered a gentleman had to register at the college.

---

According to the Royal College of Arms website, Sir Tom was granted his crest on August 3, 2011. It was granted to “Sir Thomas Jones Woodward, OBE of Remenham Hill, Oxfordshire.” That’s where his son’s home is. He’s still in LA but, probably, needed a UK address for the College.

---

With the dearth of news these days, I believe it’s fun to find and post videos like this one.

It’s from The London Palladium Show broadcast on Friday, October 2, 1966. It was shown in color on NBC in the US and in black and white on ITV in the UK.

That week, the show was hosted by Kate Smith (1907-1986), a singer most famous in the 1930s through the 1960s. Her best-known recording was the Irving Berlin song, God Bless America. Among her other hits was Dream A Little Dream, later a huge hit for Mama Cass Elliot in 1968. Late in her life, Smith sang before home games of the Philadelphia Flyers ice hockey team.There is a statue of her in front of the Spectrum, the team’s home arena. And, baseball maven Alan Rubin tells me her version of God Bless America is played in Yankee Stadium during every seventh inning stretch. (Those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about can look up “seventh inning stretch, a great baseball tradition.)

Smith introduces Tom (check hos she pronounces the word “discotheque”) and he sings Mem>Not Responsible and Once There Was A Time. Then, he and Smith duet of the traditional folk song, It Takes A Worried Man from Tom’s 1965 album, Along Came Jones.

You’ll find the video in the TJI.com Video Library. Please bear in mind that it’s a recording from 45 years ago so it’s not the same quality as a newer recording would be. Enjoy this 26 year-old Tom Jones!

The calendars, I’m happy to report, are at the printer! .

---

With no real news to post, I’ve simply updated the latest entry. There is a video file and an audio file just below this article. There was video floating around of Tom singing Chills and Fever and Sex Bomb in Sofia but, while the video was good, the audio was awful. Hopefully, by the end of this winter tour, there’ll be good video so TJI can post a lot more. As I watched it, though, I wondered (and don’t get angry) if Tom feels a bit odd singing Sex Bomb these days. Anyway….

From the Sofia, Bulgaria News Agency before his show there:

Tom Jones to Entertain Bulgaria for 1st Time on Friday

Prominent British singer Tom Jones will have his first concert in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia on Friday.

Sexbomb, Delilah and Mama Told Me Not to Come are among the hits the excited Bulgarian audience is expected to hear. Some 20 songs will be included in Tom Jones’ 2-hour-long concert.

The gig will be held at the newly opened Arena Armeets hall in Sofia, with a starting time of 8 pm. It is organized by Sofia Music Enterprises.

Tom Jones is one of the most productive and sold artists in the history of modern music. Among his most well known hits are songs like It’s Not Unusual, Kiss, Delilah, What’s New Pussycat, I’ll Never Fall In Love Again and If I Only Knew, among others.

Although his songs have an unmistakeable pop catchiness, they retain a deep rock and blues sensibility as their fundament.

Tom Jones’s career spans over 46 years, his latest full-length album being 2010′s Praise & Blame.

---

Now, here’s Tom in Bulgaria Thursday night. Click here to see him perform You Can Leave Your Hat On and click here to listen to him sing Delilah in Bulgaria November 17.

---

Tom Jones proves social highlight of Dubai Air Show

16/11/11 | The Moodie Report

Leading entertainer Sir Tom Jones was the big social highlight of the Dubai Airshow Gala Dinner last night – an event which was jointly hosted by Dubai Airports, Emirates Airline and Dubai Duty Free. It attracted 3,200 people.

The Dubai Airshow Gala Dinner was hosted at the Meydan, home of the world’s richest horse race. Jones flew in to Dubai on Emirates to perform exclusively for an invited audience at the event.

During the evening, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman of Dubai Duty Free and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, made the opening address and welcomed guests to the event which he described as a celebration of aviation, a celebration of Dubai and a celebration of the UAE’s 40th anniversary.

For the rest of this article and the article and photos from Beirut and a local MTV video about Tom’s visit, along with video of Tom singing there, please click here to (more…)

Calendar orders will close at the end of the day this Wednesday, November 16! So, if you wish to order, now is the time! Just click on the right.

---

If you missed the post just below, with 20+ minutes of fun video, don’t forget to check it out.

---

Apparently, Sir tom’s performance in Beirut Sunday night was a smash and, as he said in his promo clip for the show (post below) he must have had a grand time. Here’s a story about the show, written by a reporter who seems to have an inordinate interest in who wrote the songs and she says his performance of Kiss “stank” of sensuality. Yuck. Also seems he’s dropped the Praise and Blame stuff. Too bad.Tonight is a private performance in Dubai. Wonder if we’ll hear about that.

Tom Jones’ youthful performance wows Beirut

November 15, 2011 01:12 AM | By Chirine Lahoud | The Daily Star

BEIRUT: In the midst of his world tour, 71-year-old Welsh superstar and living legend Tom Jones stopped by Beirut for a one-night stand at the Forum de Beyrouth Sunday evening.

For two hours, on his first trip to Lebanon, the elegantly dressed Jones delivered a powerful and charismatic performance, playing some of his most famous tunes – Sex Bomb, It’s Not Unusual, Delilah and She’s a Lady.

A pop culture icon since the mid-1960s, Jones – aka Sir Thomas John Woodward – has sold over 100 million records. He acquired international fame after recording many number-one hits and taking advantage of his musical versatility that allows him to pole vault from pop and rock to country and blues to, well, Prince.

At the Forum Sunday Jones demonstrated that, even after 46 years, he still knows how to take a large audience in hand. Young and old, the full house sang and danced to Jones’ lead. Some even waved a Welsh flag in tribute.

Unlike some great performers and artists, Jones took the time to adorn the spell betweens some tunes with anecdotes. He explained how, in the summer of 1964, the public discovered him thanks to his first single Chills and Fever. When the first notes echoed through the hall, the audience came to its feet in a fury of applause.

For the rest of this bizarre review, please click here to (more…)

Sir Tom had a very busy summer. Two venues — Newmarket Racecourse and Gandia, Spain — have issued financial and attendance reports.

At Newmarket in his native UK, he set attendance and profit records. The Newmarket Journal reported today:

THE visit of Welsh crooner Tom Jones to Newmarket’s July racecourse in August was the course’s most profitable ‘racing plus music’ night in its 25 years of hosting them.

The news was revealed by the course owner, The Jockey Club, which also announced that it had seen a record total attendance to its programme of racing plus music events in 2011 across its courses nationwide.

The fixtures, which saw competitive racing followed by performances from a music act such as Sir Tom Jones, Scissor Sisters and Blondie, welcomed 302,032 people in 2011. This compares with 297,750 attendees in 2010.

Paul Fisher, group managing director of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “Our 2011 music programme has generated a seven-figure return on our investment, which we are directing straight into our sport, in line with The Jockey Club’s mission to act for the good of British horseracing.

“Despite a very tough marketplace for music festivals and events, this was our third most profitable year ever from racing plus music fixtures.”

Sir Tom Jones, who joined other top acts to celebrate Newmarket Nights’ 25th anniversary, attracted a crowd of 21,980 – the course’s most profitable music night ever.

In Gandia, Spain, on August 16, Tom attracted a larget crowd than Julio Iglesias did on August 14. Tom’s tickets were €95, €75 and €25. Not sure what Iglesias’ tickets were but, Euro Weekly reports that, with 812 attendees, as opposed to Iglesias’ 729 attendees, Iglesias’ concert brought in more than three times what Tom’s concert did”

“REVENUE from Julio Iglesias’ concert in Gandia this summer was more than double that of the Tom Jones concert.

While Julio Iglesias brought in €190,000 out of 729 attendees, Tom Jones brought in just €65,000 from 812 attendees.

Of the proceeds, €12,000 is set to be donated; split between the soup kitchen ‘Buñoleres sense Fronteres’ and Alzheimer’s association ‘L’Associacio de Familiars de Malalts d’Alzheime.

I am told, and it makes great sense, that the difference, of course, is the fee paid to the performers.

Saw on Twitter and on one blog that the Olympic Gala last night (very odd night to schedule such an important event) was grand and Tom was “smashing.” Looking for moere news. If you were there or see anything, please email me privately using the link below on the right.

There’s been a lot of discussion here and elsewhere of Tom’s Canadian TV show, which was heavy on country music, and his country recordings. Now, I am prejudiced because I really like good country music — Waylon, Willie, Merle, Johnny, Hank (Hank senior, not junior — especially since 2008), Loretta, Dolly, etc. So, going back 30 years, to July 17, 1981, here’s the Associated Press story about Tom’s foray into country.

I found the part about fans throwing things amusing. That’s because, while some things change, the remain the same.

(Photo left is the one the AP sent out with the article.)

If you have trouble reading the article, just go to “zoom in” on your browser’s View menu.

One of my favorite of Tom’s country songs is his version of The Tennessee Waltz, done with the Irish group The Chieftans on their album The Long Black Veil. It is called ennessee-Waltz-_-Tennessee-Mazurka. The latter, if you didn’t know, is a Polish folk dance melody along the lines of a polka.

Click here to listen to Tom Jones and The Chieftans singing Tennessee Waltz – Tennessee Mazurka

If you are a Gleek be sure to watch Tuesday evening’s premiere episode of Glee to see Blaine, the lead Warbler, sing It’s Not Unusual. It’s getting a lot of press.

Call for fan photos of Tom & photos of fans with Tom! It is time for the 2012 TJI.com Fan Calendar. If you have a photo of Tom that you or someone you know took — not a professional photographer — and would like it included, please send a high-resolution copy (at least 300 dpi) to me. Be sure to include information on where/when/by whom it was taken. If your photo is chosen for one of the calendar pages, you will get a free calendar. Also, if you have a photo of yourself with Tom — a recent one or one from back in the day — that you’d like to see on the back cover of the calendar with other fan photos, please send that, too. It also must be at least 300 dpi. No free calendar, just the satisfaction of seeing your photo there. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Chris Hutchins was for a while Tom’s publicist. After he stopped working with Tom, he published a tell-all newspaper series that was highly embarrassing and personal. Tom and Gordon Mills lost a court action to prevent him from writing more. When he wrote this article for the April 6, 1968 issue of NME, Hutchins was on Tom’s payroll, a fact NME clearly didn’t think was worth mentioning. The story below is from New Musical Express (NME), the British music publication.

CAPTION FOR PHOTOS: When he went to see Tom Jones, Elvis wore a Carnaby Street-style dark blue jacket. For their meeting backstage afterwards Tom had changed from his stage suit into a brown polo-necked pullover and slacks. “This is ridiculous” commented Presley. “You look American and I look like something straight out of a London store.” With them is Priscilla, Elvis’ wife.

ELVIS LED STANDING OVATION FOR TOM!

A full and exciting account of the meeting of TOM JONES and ELVIS PRESLEY in Las Vegas recently by former NME News Editor and now publicist CHRIS HUTCHINS, who also reported the Beatles-Elvis meeting for NME.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA. — This town is still talking about the explosive night America’s most legendary pop singer, Elvis Presley, came to see the world’s new super star, Britain’s Tom Jones!

Presley didn’t sneak into a seat at the back of the room when the lights were down and slip away unnoticed at the end of the performance. He didn’t even happen to be in the area at the time.

He traveled nearly four hundred miles from Los Angeles, walked to a table directly in front of the stage before the show started and, when the lights were still up, reacted just like the rest of the audience at Tom’s explosive act and stood up at the end to lead the audience in a standing ovation.

For the entire story, click here to (more…)

Note for Friday: Many of us saw the story — that Sir Tom’s management has inexplicably linked to on Facebook — when it was published on Monday, August 29.

It’s from The Spoof.com and includes a tasteless reference to Tom’s late mother (whose voice they say he heard in his delirium) and to the fact that he took a liking to “a few younger” nurses at the hospital. Whether or not it’s funny is a matter of individual taste. And, were TJI.com or any site to make even a passing reference to Tom liking “a few younger ones” we’d be sure to get an email from his team ordring us to take that reference down. (Full disclosure: TJI has not and will not carry that kind of material, but I have received such emails at times. I don’t work for them, so I’ve only removed one item in almost six years. That was two paragraphs with photos and about his management.) Even though thespof.com carries a bold-faced disclaimer in red type, I am, frankly, shocked that they’d post that, what with that whole image-change thing.

In addition, by posting that story his management gives credibility to a website that has “fun” spoofs about how Tom is an 84 year-old man who had a sex change and is now a 22-year-old woman, how he looks Egyptian enough to be that country’s president, how he exploded because he went for a high note….and so on. If dignity is what’s been ordered, then then people who run things should be more careful. Check out this search of thespoof.com (Scroll down to the middle of the page.) Why are they giving credibility to a site that constantly portrays — for the sake of “humor” — Tom Jones as a womanizing creep?

---

One news source says Tom is recuperating “at his London home.” They must not mean his home, as that’s in LA. It is surely a reference to his family’s home in London.

Note: Because of the long end-of-summer Labor Day holiday weekend in the US, the TJI.com Question of the Month will be posted Tuesday, September 6. Meanwhile, look for some music on Monday, Labor Day.

On June 18, 2009, Tom Jones was given an award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHoF) for his hit-making ability over the years. At the time the chairman of the SHoF was Hal David, who wrote most of his hits with Burt Bacharach. David was succeeded as chair by Jimmy Webb, whose music — whether or not you are aware that it’s actually his music — has been part of the soundtrack of our lives for 40+ years.

When I was in Australia, I had the pleasure and privilege of seeing Webb perform, do a question-and-answer session and I was able to interview him.That interview is finally posted in the Huffington Post. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read it. When you do you’ll find out where Webb got his most famous/notorious lyric — it’s the line in MacArthur Park that says, “Someone left the cake out in the rain.” Please check it out.

And, of course, like just about every other singer around, Tom jones has performed Webb’s music. Here, you can listen to him do Do What You Gotta Do.

Next, check out his version of Wichita Lineman.

Finally, here’s Tom singing that song Mr. Sinatra called the greatest torch song ever written and that Tom, in his spoken introduction, calls “outstanding,” By The Time I Get To Phoenix.

Please click here to (more…)

In a statement, Tom’s official site says, “Sir Tom was released from hospital yesterday and is now in very good health. A very big Thank You to all for your concern, your messages and wishes have been very thoughtful.”

Sometimes it’s especially nice to be right. This is one of those times. TJI had this story first (see post below) and I am proud of that.

Please understand, I am a journalist who loves her work and have been fortunate enough to win lots of awards for doing it. Many people and organizations regard journalists as enemies, blindly refusing the understand and acknowledge that journalists can actually be helpful. One reason I’ve been good at my work is because I know how to source (find and verify) information and I know how (and when and if) to use it. This is one of the issues the management team has with TJI, with me. But, in the end, there are some things people want to know and, to a point, have a right to know. This was one of them and if anyone doesn’t understand that, I am sorry. Understand, too, I don’t print or post anything that has not been confirmed by reliable sources.

Your dozens of comments and emails to me about this latest incident are a reflection of how you care and of the feelings people have for Sir Tom. Couple this with the 800+ news stories and you have a man about whom the world really cares. It’s very nice, isn’t it?

Stupid headline/story of the Day: Put this on my FB page but it is so dumb, it has to go where more people will likely see it. It’s from a strange website called TinyMixTapes.com. It carries on old photo and is by Nat Towson. The story says:

Tom Jones cries while praying every night of three-month tour, cancels final date due to extreme dehydration

Iconic singer and sideburn aficionado Sir Thomas John Woodward, known to the public as Tom Jones, was admitted to a Monaco hospital late Saturday, forcing him to miss the final date of his recent “Praise and Blame” tour. Jones, now 71, appears to be in the midst of a phase of repentance, indicated at the very least by the track choices on his 2010 record of the same name (Praise and Blame, not “Tom Jones”). Will the wounded knight be forced to repent for missing his repentance, throwing him into a never-ending repentance cycle? Sources close to Jones say “definitely”.

Jones denied early reports by sneaky members of the British press that he had suffered some form of heart episode, instead attributing his Princess Grace Hospital visit to dehydration. “There are no heart problems,” he declared, in a statement on his official website. “Only a fool breaks his own heart…” he elaborated, decades earlier.

On the other hand, unlike so many who should know better, he did get Tom’s name right. So that’s a tiny point in his favor.