Kylie eyeing concert return

NEW YORK - Australian Pop star Kylie Minogue is hoping to return to the concert stage by the end of 2006, about a year-and-a-half since she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Minogue's Showgirls tour was due begin last May - tickets from those postponed shows will be honoured next year, but fans can also collect refunds from points of purchase.

"Fans that hold onto their tickets will be part of a tour that they won't ever forget," promoter Michael Gudinski said in a statement. "Kylie's been thinking about these shows a lot over the past months, and they're going to be something special."

Meanwhile, Minogue will on December 25 release a digital single featuring a live version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Santa Baby." Early next month, kylie.com will also begin selling eight live audio tracks and three video clips drawn from the DVD "Kylie: Showgirl -- The Greatest Hits Tour."

- REUTERS