Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Brit's Back: "Womanizer" Tops Charts, Record Books (E! Online)

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Britney Spears' Circus is coming to town, and "Womanizer" looks to be the main attraction.
The lead single from Spears' birthday-targeting album, opened at No. 96 based on airplay alone last week. This week, digital sales and expanded radio rotation helped "Womanizer" rewrite the record books with a historic jump to the top of the charts.

The song's 95-spot jump to No. 1 is the biggest in Billboard history and marks the third time the record's been broken in the past seven weeks. T.I.'s "Live Your Life" made a 79-spot jump to the top last week and his "Whatever You Like" made a 70-spot jump in late August. Before that, Maroon 5's "Makes Me Wonder" held the record for 15 months after leaping 63 spots to No. 1 in May 2007.

"Womanizer" also set a record by selling 286,000 digital copies. That not only tops the singer's 179,000-copy debut for 2007's "Gimme More," it's also the biggest digital debut for any female artist since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking digital sales five years ago. Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body" previously held the record.

For all her success, Spears had topped the Hot 100 just once before, with her debut single, "…Baby One More Time," in January 1999. Her albums, on the other hand, have consistently topped the charts with 2007's Blackout being the lone exception. Blackout bowed in at No. 2 behind the Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden.

Spears will drop Circus on Dec. 2, her 27th birthday. She's also set to hit the road again in spring, marking her first tour in over four years.

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Brits Back: Womanizer Tops Charts, Record Books <br />    (E! Online)




Jesse McCartney Finally Hits Big Screen In ‘Keith’ — But Is He ‘The Next Leonardo DiCaprio’?
‘Bangkok Dangerous’ Tops Fizzling End-Of-Summer Box Office
T.I. “Likes” Making Hot 100 History
(E! Online)

Britney Spears Ready to Hit the Road (E! Online)

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Britney Spears is one step closer to going on tour.
While the comeback pop princess revealed last month she was planning on hitting the road next year, a source now tells me that things are getting serious. Spears just signed a deal with the megahuge live entertainment company AEG to produce the whole shebang, my source says.

No word on when an official announcement will be made or when tickets will go on sale, but Spears revealed during an interview with New York radio station Z100 in late September that she's hoping for a worldwide tour, not something limited just to the United States.

Reps for Spears did not return calls or emails.

Now let's hear from you. Do you want to see Britney back on the stage? Or would you just as soon skip it? Leave your comments below.

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Britney Spears Ready to Hit the Road <br />    (E! Online)




Madonna’s Striptease Tribute to Britney Spears
(E! Online)

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Country star Tim McGraw rips label over hits CD (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Embarrassed country star Tim McGraw on Tuesday accused his label of releasing an unauthorized hits collection in order to delay his plans to jump to a new home.
"Greatest Hits 3" went on sale last Tuesday, a little over two years after Curb Records released "Greatest Hits 2." Earlier this year, Curb released a "limited edition" package of his first two hits albums.

McGraw said in a statement that he had wanted to release a studio album that he has been working on for over a year, but the Nashville-based label opted to release "Greatest Hits 3" in order to keep him at the label a little longer.

"I had no involvement in the creation or presentation of this record," he said. "Sure I love the songs and I don't want to take anything away from all the creative people who were a part of making those records. But the whole concept is an embarrassment to me as an artist. In the spirit of an election year, I would simply say to my fans 'I'm Tim McGraw and I don't approve their message.'"

A spokeswoman for McGraw said he has "probably one or two" studio albums left on his contract, and that "one could assume" he would then jump to a new label. He hoped to release a studio album early next year, although nothing was fixed, she said.

She added that McGraw has "a history of discontent" at Curb, saying that the previous hits albums were also released at times McGraw would have preferred to release new material.

"Greatest Hits 2," released in March 2006, went on to sell 2.2 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Since then, McGraw has issued just one studio album, "Let It Go," which debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. pop chart in April 2007 and has sold 1.4 million copies to date. Curb released his first hits set in 2000; that has sold 5.9 million copies.

A Curb statement did not address McGraw's allegations, and instead indicated that his concerns were more commercial than artistic, saying "We share Tim McGraw's disappointment with the first week's sales levels" in a tough economic climate. Sales data will be published on Wednesday. The label is run by veteran music impresario Mike Curb, a one-time state politician in California.

Curb Records was engaged in a bitter legal dispute with another act, LeAnn Rimes, earlier this decade. After she sought to nullify her contract in 2000, Curb released a studio album the following year without her approval. As with McGraw, she issued an apologetic statement distancing herself from the album. The underlying lawsuit, part of a messy family dispute, was resolved in Curb's favor.

Another Curb artist, Lyle Lovett, said earlier this year that he had "never made a dime" from album sales during his two-decade career, although it was not clear if he had sold enough albums to pay back his advance from Curb.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant)


Country star Tim McGraw rips label over hits CD <br />    (Reuters)




New Kids On The Block hope new album has right stuff
(Reuters)

‘Twilight’ Exclusive: Paramore To Contribute Two New Songs To Film’s Soundtrack
Metallica prevails over Ne-Yo to remain No. 1
(Reuters)

Beastie Boys add dates to Obama tour (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Billboard) - The Beastie Boys have added three shows to their swing state tour in support of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. The "get out the vote" trek will now begin October 27 in Charlotte, N.C., with Sheryl Crow and Santogold on the bill.
Crow, Ben Harper and Norah Jones will support two nights later in Youngstown, Ohio, while Crow and Harper will play October 30 in Dayton, Ohio.

Jack Johnson, Tenacious D and David Crosby and Graham Nash are on board in various incarnations for previously announced shows on October 28 in Richmond, Va., November 1 in St. Paul, Minn., and November 2 in Milwaukee.

Reuters/Billboard


Beastie Boys add dates to Obama tour <br />    (Reuters)




Jada Pinkett Smith Says She Would Play Michelle Obama In A Biopic ‘Any Day’
Colombian singer Shakira lends support to Obama
(AP)

‘Twilight’ Tuesday: Cam Gigandet Talks Bad Guys, Fight Scenes And Sneaking Up On You Opening Night
Bruce Springsteen sings for Obama in Michigan
(Reuters)

Monday, October 13, 2008

Oscar loosens rules for music categories (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Reversing a year-old regulation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has approved the use of CDs of songs and scores in campaigns for the music Oscars.
Last year, in its annual tweaking of campaign rules, the Academy banned campaigners from sending specially-produced CDs, as well as sheet music and music videos, to its members as part of an effort to force voters to focus on how music is used within a film rather than how it sounds in isolation.

But that triggered an outcry from many members of the music branch, and so this year the Academy has revised that revision.

Under the new campaign regulation for the 81st annual Academy Awards, which will be handed out February 22, CDs of eligible scores may be distributed to voting members of the music branch anytime prior to the nominations announcement on January 22. Once the nominees are announced, the nominated scores may be distributed to all voting members of the Academy.

The campaigns can't send out commercial soundtrack CDs, though. Instead, they must used specially prepared CDs, and each music track must be titled, include the name of the composer or composers and be identical to the music used in the finished film.

The CD may contain only music written by the eligible composer. Music written by other composers, licensed music or music that is otherwise ineligible for award consideration is not permitted.

Songs are treated slightly differently. Distribution of eligible songs prior to the nominations announcement is not permitted, though as a result of a rule change announced in June, the Academy itself will be sending DVDs containing film clips featuring the songs to music branch members during the nominations balloting phase. The DVDs will contain the same clips to be screened at the annual voting event at which branch members may cast their nominations ballot in person. Once the nominations are announced, CDs of the songs may be sent to all members.

Music videos and sheet music remain off limits.

The changes in the music regulations are the only changes in the Academy's campaign regulations that have been made for the 81st season.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter


Oscar loosens rules for music categories <br />    (Reuters)




Megan Fox, Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron And More Make Moviefone’s ‘Hottest Young Stars’ List
Coldplay and Duffy lead MTV Europe nominations
(Reuters)

‘Twilight’ Exclusive: Paramore To Contribute Two New Songs To Film’s Soundtrack

Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hospital (E! Online)

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Looks like Meat Loaf came down with a case of the Janet Jacksons.
The classic rocker has been discharged from a London hospital after undergoing three days of "testing and evaluation" for an undisclosed ailment…not that it was all that undisclosed earlier in the week.

The Bat Out of Hell singer was admitted to the London Clinic on Monday night, going directly to the private hospital after a literally trippy appearance at the Q Awards, where he was honored with the Classic Song gong for his 1979 hit.

"I've got to go to the doctor right after this is over," Meat Loaf, who at one point during the show nearly fell off the stage, told press on the red carpet before entering the ceremony.

"I suffer from vertigo. I woke up this morning in a spinning vertigo. When you wake up and the room starts moving around on you, you know you're in trouble."

While keeping quiet on any potential diagnosis, the 57-year-old star's publicist, Kirt Webster, said that the singer has nevertheless been cleared by doctors to travel to the U.S., where he's due to perform at a handful of gigs in Florida next week.

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Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hospital <br />    (E! Online)




Rocker Meat Loaf hospitalized for 3 days in London
(AP)

‘The Midnight Meat Train’: Blood On The Tracks, By Kurt Loder
Mystery Illness Forces Janet Jackson to Nix More Shows
(E! Online)

‘Ghost Town’: The Go-Between, By Kurt Loder

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Lisa Marie Presley gives birth to twins (AP)

LOS ANGELES - Lisa Marie Presley is a mom again. A publicist says the 40-year-old singer gave birth Tuesday to twin girls, whose names were not released. One baby weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces and the other came in at 5 pounds and 2 ounces.
A statement released Saturday says Presley gave birth by Caesarean section. She lives in the Los Angeles area and the publicist says the births took place somewhere on the West Coast but won't provide details.

The statement says "babies and mom are happy and healthy and resting at home."

Presley is the daughter of Elvis Presley and is married to music producer Michael Lockwood. She has a 19-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son by a previous marriage.


Lisa Marie Presley gives birth to twins <br />    (AP)




Travis Barker Still in Recovery Mode
(E! Online)

‘Rachel Getting Married’: All In The Family, By Kurt Loder
DJ AM Released From Hospital, Back in L.A.
(E! Online)

Lil' Kim Sued and Silenced (E! Online)

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Lil' Kim has a big problem on her hands.
A New York judge has temporarily barred the Hardcore rapper from recording any new material in light of a breach-of-contract lawsuit filed by her latest label, Brookland Media.

The upstart company accused Kim (real name: Kimberly Jones) of making diva-esque demands and then backing out of a deal, after Brookland had paid Atlantic Records $200,000 to get her out of her previous contract, spent $240,000 to produce eight songs and shelled out $12,000 per month in rent for a pad near Kim's Alpine, N.J., home.

Per the lawsuit, Brookland had planned to spotlight Kim as its debut artist.

Which, if you ask Kim, could still happen—although, if it doesn't, it's no fault of hers.

"We think they're wonderful people and we expect to do business with them," Kim's attorney Londell McMillan told the New York Daily News. "But they did not honor the terms of the agreement."

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Lil Kim Sued and Silenced <br />    (E! Online)




Final ‘Twilight’ Trailer, Shot By Shot: Romance, Violence … And Prom!
Aerosmith’s Tyler sues over blog impersonations
(Reuters)

‘Ghost Town’: The Go-Between, By Kurt Loder

R&B trio Labelle back in spotlight with new album (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Old school can still command attention -- just ask Tina Turner, who recently launched a sold-out world tour at age 68. Hoping to sashay its way into that zeitgeist is futuristic '70s rock-soul-funk trio Labelle.
Best-known for the 1974 No. 1 R&B and pop hit "Lady Marmalade," Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash return October 21 with their long-awaited reunion album, "Back to Now" (Verve).

Several mini-reunions have transpired since the group's last studio album, 1976's "Chameleon." The trio recorded dance hit "Turn It Out" in 1995 for the movie "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar" and two TV specials. In 1999, the group -- originally known as the Blue Belles in the '60s, with fourth member Cindy Birdsong -- received the Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award. Then the trio sang the Hendryx-written theme song for the 2006 film "Preaching to the Choir."

As talk about a Labelle reunion repeatedly surfaced through the years, it was always waylaid by the members' individual careers -- and by Patti LaBelle's trepidation.

"I really didn't know if we still had the vocal power," LaBelle says. "But after we did the first song, I knew we were still some hot mamas."

That song was "Dear Rosa," a moving tribute to civil rights activist Rosa Parks that Hendryx co-wrote and produced. The group worked on the track at the same time it recorded the "Preaching" title theme, finally getting the ball rolling on "Back to Now."

"Dear Rosa" is one of 10 songs on the album. The selections run the gamut from Cole Porter ("Miss Otis Regrets," a 1970 live Labelle recording with Who drummer Keith Moon) to Wyclef Jean (who's featured on uptempo lead single "Roll Out"). In addition to Jean, "Back to Now" includes production by Lenny Kravitz and the legendary Gamble & Huff, who signed LaBelle to their Philadelphia International label in the '80s.

Hendryx segues back into her role as Labelle's primary songwriter, contributing the funk-infused "Candlelight" and the aggressive "System" -- two then-unfinished songs set to appear on a new album that was later scrapped when the group disbanded in 1976.

"Thank God we taped our rehearsals back then," Dash says. "After we decided to come back together last year, we thought those songs were a good place to start."

Besides featuring "Without You in My Life" and other tracks co-written by all three women, "Back to Now" adds a contemporary vibe without taking away from the funkiness that longtime fans remember. The key ingredients of its sound -- LaBelle's soaring sass, Hendryx's rock-edged stance and Dash's earthy accents -- remain intact.

"Labelle was a group that set your mind, spirit, body and soul free," Hendryx says of the group's legacy. "We're 60 years young and still willing to go to the edge."

Reuters/Billboard


R&B trio Labelle back in spotlight with new album <br />    (Reuters)




Pink notches first solo No. 1 single
(Reuters)

Pink’s “So What” tops British pop charts
(Reuters)

Paramore’s ‘Twilight’ Song ‘Decode’ Premieres On Stephenie Meyer’s Web Site

Dell expands music tie-ins on festival circuit (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Billboard) - At the Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival in Texas at the end of September, sandwiched between a stage and a small recycling center stood a white dome decorated with colorful cloud patterns. Inside the air-conditioned structure, visitors could get customized T-shirts, temporary tattoos and a mixtape of songs by artists performing at the festival.
It was computer maker Dell's Summer Rocks Dome, which the company also parked at other rock festivals as part of a push to bolster its brand's ties to live music.

Dell has been a presenting sponsor on the festival circuit for years, but 2008 marked the first time that the company had established such a prominent physical presence on-site. In addition to ACL, Dell erected its dome-like pavilions at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival in San Francisco, the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore, Bumbershoot in Seattle and the Monolith Music Festival at Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver.

It is all part of Dell's efforts to expand its toehold in the consumer products market, which accounts for less than 20 percent of its global revenue, the lion's share of which still comes from direct sales to business customers.

"Our consumer business is still growing, and because we were direct for so long, we didn't have these indirect ways to connect with customers," senior manager of communications Bob Kaufman said. "We've now hit this stride, where we can connect with customers how they want."

An expected addition to Dell's consumer product line would be of particular interest to music fans. The just-concluded festival promotions come at a time when the Round Rock, Texas-based company is believed to be preparing the launch of a new line of portable music players. Dell pulled out of the market in 2006, after its hard drive and flash players failed to gain traction in an arena dominated by Apple's iPod.

Dell's announcement in August 2007 that it had agreed to buy Zing, a Mountain View, California, technology company whose software enables handheld devices to receive streaming audio and video feeds wirelessly, spurred speculation that the company was considering a return to the music player market. Press reports began emerging during the summer that Dell was preparing to unveil new digital music players late this year or early next year.

Dell representatives declined to comment on specifics, but expectations are high that the company has its sights set once again on the digital music market. "I think it's fair to say that it's part of the 'personalization' story that we're interested in helping customers get the content that they want," Kaufman said.

Dell, which sponsored part of Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveShow tour in 2007, has been focusing recently on grassroots marketing.

Dell held a band competition during the summer that culminated in Austin band the Steps performing at a Dell-sponsored stage during ACL. The company's other recent music tie-ins have included its sponsorship of the Plug Independent Music Awards and a partnership with Paste magazine to present music videos at its Dell Lounge Web site.

Reuters/Billboard


Dell expands music tie-ins on festival circuit <br />    (Reuters)




‘Twilight’ Sneak Peek To Premiere At International Rome Film Festival
Norway consumer body challenges Apple over iTunes
(Reuters)

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Foos Fighting With McCain (E! Online)

Los Angeles (E! Online) - The Foo Fighters have taken a break from their hiatus to announce that John McCain is not their hero.
The Grammy-winning rockers have issued a statement demanding the GOP presidential contender stop using their 1998 hit "My Hero" at campaign rallies—saying they don't approve his message.

"This isn't the first time the McCain campaign has used a song without making any attempt to get approval or permission from the artist. It's frustrating and infuriating that someone who claims to speak for the American people would repeatedly show such little respect for creativity and intellectual property," the Foos said in a statement.

"The saddest thing about this is that 'My Hero' was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential. To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song. We hope that the McCain campaign will do the right thing and stop using our song—and start asking artists' permission in general!"

A rep for McCain's camp was unavailable for immediate comment.

The Foo Fighters previously hit the campaign trail in 2004 on behalf of John Kerry.

Van Halen, John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne and Heart are among the artists to grouse about McCain and running mateSarah Palin using tunes without permission.

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Foos Fighting With McCain <br />    (E! Online)




Paramore’s ‘Twilight’ Song ‘Decode’ Premieres On Stephenie Meyer’s Web Site
Sting Can Be Your Hero, Baby
(E! Online)

‘Twilight’ Exclusive: Paramore To Contribute Two New Songs To Film’s Soundtrack

Rocker Meat Loaf hospitalized for 3 days in London (AP)

LONDON - A publicist for Meat Loaf says the 57-year-old rocker was hospitalized in London for three days following an awards ceremony earlier this week.
Publicist Kirt Webster says Meat Loaf was admitted to a private hospital in central London on Monday, immediately after winning Q Magazine's "Classic Song" award for his rock epic "Bat Out of Hell."

Webster said in an e-mail Friday that Meat Loaf stayed at The London Clinic for three days for "testing and evaluation." The reason for the hospitalization wasn't disclosed.

Webster says Meat Loaf has been cleared to travel back to the U.S. He's set to perform in Clearwater, Florida, on October 17 and Pompano Beach, Florida, on October 18.


Rocker Meat Loaf hospitalized for 3 days in London <br />    (AP)




‘The Midnight Meat Train’: Blood On The Tracks, By Kurt Loder
Busta Rhymes wins UK legal bid to perform
(Reuters)

‘Tropic Thunder’ Rolls Over Box-Office Competition For Second Week

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Guns N' Roses to release new album next month (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Billboard) - More than a decade after its conception, Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" will finally see the light of day before year's end, sources close to the situation told Billboard.
The set will be a Best Buy exclusive and will be available Sunday, November 23, rather than the usual Tuesday.

In the run-up to release date, album track "Shackler's Revenge" will debut in the video game "Rock Band 2," while a portion of "If the World" is playing over the end credits in the new Leonardo DiCaprio/Russell Crowe film "Body of Lies."

In addition, GNR's seminal 1987 full-length debut, "Appetite for Destruction," will be reissued on vinyl on October 28 via Interscope.

The band's last new studio albums were the simultaneously released "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II" in September 1991. A covers set, "The Spaghetti Incident?," followed in 1993, and featured some of the last GNR recordings from original guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan.

This spring, soft drink manufacturer Dr Pepper offered to send a free can of the beverage to "everyone in America" (excluding ex-GNR members Slash and Buckethead) if "Chinese Democracy" were to arrive anytime during the calendar year 2008. A Dr Pepper spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

Reuters/Billboard


Guns N Roses to release new album next month <br />    (Reuters)




Paramore’s ‘Twilight’ Song ‘Decode’ Premieres On Stephenie Meyer’s Web Site
50 Cent Drops ‘Before I Self Destruct’ Trailer
Best Buy Snags Guns N’ Roses album exclusive
(Reuters)

Bruce Springsteen sings for Obama in Michigan (Reuters)

YPSILANTI, Michigan (Billboard) - Bruce Springsteen concluded his three-day barnstorming tour in support of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Monday night with a 50-minute acoustic set for about 5,000 people in Ypsilanti.
"Hello, Michigan. Hello, Ypsilanti -- glad to be here. I don't know how to spell it, though," Springsteen told the crowd at Oestrike Stadium on the campus of Eastern Michigan University.

The blue-collar set kicked off with "The Promised Land" and also included "The Ghost of Tom Joad," "Thunder Road, "Devils & Dust," "Used Car," "No Surrender," "The Rising" and Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land."

Earlier in the show, Springsteen said: "I was on the campaign trail four years ago. This time we're winning." And before "The Rising," he made a long speech similar to those he delivered Saturday in Philadelphia and Sunday in Columbus, Ohio (the text is posted on his official Web site (http://www.brucespringsteen.net/news/index.html)).

Springsteen finished the show leading the crowd in a rhythmic chant of Obama's campaign slogan, "Yes we can."

He isn't finished with his Obama activism yet. On October 16, he will join Billy Joel and John Legend for a fund-raiser on behalf of the candidate at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom.

Reuters/Billboard


Bruce Springsteen sings for Obama in Michigan <br />    (Reuters)




Jay-Z Gets Out Vote for Obama; Boss Adds Shows
(E! Online)

Bruce Springsteen Preps for the Big Game
(E! Online)

‘Bangkok Dangerous’ Tops Fizzling End-Of-Summer Box Office
Jada Pinkett Smith Says She Would Play Michelle Obama In A Biopic ‘Any Day’

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Travis Barker Still in Recovery Mode (E! Online)

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Travis Barker may have been released from Georgia's Joseph M. Still Burn Center last month, but his ongoing treatment is far from over.
E! News has confirmed that the plane crash survivor has been receiving care, including surgery, at a Los Angeles-area hospital.

A source says the former Blink-182 drummer remains in the facility and his condition has been "up and down" since he returned to Southern California.

The 32-year-old rocker was released Sept. 29 from the Augusta, Ga., hospital where he and Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein were taken in the immediate aftermath of the takeoff crash of a Learjet that left the other four people on board dead.

Barker suffered second- and third-degree burns in the Sept. 19 accident but, along with Goldstein, is expected to make a full recovery.

—Additional reporting by Ken Baker

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Travis Barker Still in Recovery Mode <br />    (E! Online)




TRVSDJAM: Loud, Proud Collaboration of Cool
(E! Online)

‘The Midnight Meat Train’: Blood On The Tracks, By Kurt Loder
DJ AM Released From Hospital, Back in L.A.
(E! Online)

T.I., Jennifer Hudson Dominate Charts (E! Online)

Los Angeles (E! Online) - T.I.'s Paper beats Metallica's rock.
The legally embattled Georgia rapper got some good news for a change as his new Paper Trail debuted at No. 1, selling a career-high 568,000 copies and ending the three-week reign of Metallica's Death Magnetic.

Jennifer Hudson, Robin Thicke, James Taylor and Kellie Pickler all landed albums in the Top 10.

This gives T.I. histhirdNo. 1 in three years, following 2006's King (522,000 first-week copies) and 2007's schizophrenic T.I. Vs. T.I.P. (468,000).

Paper Trail also features the rapper's first songs to top the Hot 100."Whatever You Like" started a long run at No. 1 in late August. On tomorrow's chart, "Live Your Life" is set to bounce "Whatever You Like," thanks in part to 296,000 legal downloads.The ascent of the track, which features Rihanna, makes T.I. first artist to replace himself atop the singleschart since Usher's "Confessions Part II" bested "Burn" in summer 2004.

While Metallica tumbled to No. 5, the band did get a consolation prize. The weekly sales of 86,000putDeath Magneticover the 1 million-copy mark and onto the year's Top 10 bestsellers' list at No. 9, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Meanwhile, American Idol contestant and DreamgirlsOscar winnerHudson debuted at No. 2, selling 217,000 copies of her long-awaited eponymous debut. That trumps both albums by the woman whowon season three, Fantasia.

Thicke followed at No. 3 selling 137,000 copies of his Obama-loving Something Else. The Grammy-winning singer, whose dad is Alan Thicke of Growing Pains, peaked at No. 5 with his 2006 sophomore album, The Evolution of Robin Thicke.

Taylor's Covers nabbed the No. 4 spot selling 95,000 copies. The album, featuring new spins on the likes of Leonard Cohen, Buddy Holly and the Temptations, was self-released through Starbucks' Hear Music label.

Jack's Mannequin scored its first-ever Top 10 bow as The Glass Passenger sold 49,000 copies at No. 8.

Pickler, the season-five American Idol contestant turned country singer, followed at No. 9 selling 43,000 copies of her self-titled sophomore album. This matches her debut position for 2006's Small Town Girl.

Just missing the Top 10, Ben Folds' Way to Normal sold 40,000 copies at No. 11, while Anberlin's New Surrender sold 36,000 copies at No. 13.

Other notable new entries include Trivium's Shogun at No. 23 and the Nightmare Revisited soundtrack at No. 31. Rage Against the Machineguitarist Tom Morello finished way down at No. 179 with his Nightwatchman album The Fabled City.

While T.I. topped the Digital Tracks chart, there were two other big Top 10 bows worth nothing. Christina Aguilera sold 144,000 copies of "Keeps Getting Better" at No. 3 while David Cook's "Light On" sold 109,000 copies at No. 8.

Thanks to all the Top 10 action, album sales were up 16 percent from last week but down a similar percentage compared to the same week in 2007, when Bruce Springsteen's Magic topped the charts.

Here's a rundown of the Top 10 albums:

1. Paper Trail, T.I.

2. Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Hudson

3. Something Else, Robin Thicke

4. Covers, James Taylor

5. Death Magnetic, Metallica

6. Year of the Gentleman, Ne-Yo

7. Rock N Roll Jesus, Kid Rock

8. The Glass Passenger, Jack's Mannequin

9. Kellie Picker, Kellie Picker

10. Fearless, Jazmine Sullivan

Watercooler 101: Get today's most commented stories now at www.eonline.com


T.I., Jennifer Hudson Dominate Charts <br />    (E! Online)




Andre 3000’s ‘Good Deed’: Helping To Bring The Seattle Riots To The Big Screen
Slipknot Strangles Game’s Shot at No. 1
(E! Online)

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Eddie Van Halen Pops the Question (E! Online)

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Forget teacher. Eddie Van Halen's hot for Janie.
The guitar god hasgotten engaged to longtime girlfriend Janie Liszewski.

The 53-year-old Van Halen mastermind dropped to one knee and popped the question to the 38-year-old publicist in a private room at a Tiffany & Co. store while vacationing in Hawaii, according to People. They will reportedly tie the knot next June.

It will be Van Halen's second attempt at nuptial bliss. He and Valerie Bertinelli were married for 26 years before separating in 2001 and finalizing their divorce last year. They have a son, 17-year-old Wolfgang, who has been playing bass in the family band.

This will be the first matrimonial go for Liszewski, an actress and stuntwoman who became Van Halen's publicist in 2007, just in time to promote the hugely successful Van Halen reunion tour with David Lee Roth.

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Eddie Van Halen Pops the Question <br />    (E! Online)




‘Lakeview Terrace’ Reigns Over Slow Box-Office Weekend
Mystery Illness Forces Janet Jackson to Nix More Shows
(E! Online)

Jessica Biel’s Potty Mouth, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Cackle And More From The Toronto Film Fest

Mystery Illness Forces Janet Jackson to Nix More Shows (E! Online)

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Janet Jackson's concert cancellations are adding up as fast as concerns about her health.
In an email sent late Saturday, her publicist said that a doctor in Greensboro, N.C., advised the 42-year-old singer not to perform that night since it was "evident" she wasn't fully recovered from an illness that left her briefly hospitalized last week.

Tonight's show in Atlanta and Tuesday's show in Fort Lauderdale have also been postponed so that Jackson can recuperate at home from an undisclosed ailment.

The R&B diva was rushed to a hospital in Montreal Sept. 29, forcing that night's show and two others in Boston and Philadelphia to be scrapped.

She has asked fans to keep their tickets for the postponed shows, which will be rescheduled.


Mystery Illness Forces Janet Jackson to Nix More Shows <br />    (E! Online)




Janet Jackson parts ways with Island Def Jam
(Reuters)

‘Twilight’ Tuesday: Peter Facinelli Reveals On-Set Pranks, Says He’s On Team Edward
‘Surfer, Dude’: Wipeout, By Kurt Loder
Janet Jackson delays 3 more shows due to illness
(AP)

Pink's "So What" tops British pop charts (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) - American singer Pink has toppled Kings of Leon from the peak of the British pop charts with her single "So What," the Official UK Charts Company said on Sunday.
Taken from her upcoming album "Funhouse," the single is the second British number one for the Pennsylvania 29-year-old, whose real name is Alecia Moore.

Tennessee rockers Kings of Leon slid to second place after a three-week reign with "Sex on Fire," but had the consolation of seeing their "Only by the Night" top the album sales listings for a second week.

Manchester rock band Oasis were the highest new singles entry at number three with "The Shock of the Lightning," taken from their album "Dig Out Your Soul."

All-female trio the Sugababes were four places higher at number four with "Girls."

Also new at number five was "Love You Anyway" from reformed Irish boy band Boyzone.

In the album charts Pop Idol winner Will Young was one of four new entries in the top ten with "Let It Go" starting at number two.

English singer James Morrison's "Songs For You, Truths For Me" debuted at number three, while Scottish soprano Andrew Johnston was new in fourth place with "One Voice."

American blues singer Seasick Steve was the final new entry at number nine with his album "I Started Out With Nothin' and I Still Got Most of it Left."

(Reporting by Tim Castle)


Pinks So What tops British pop charts <br />    (Reuters)




Rapper Lil Wayne at work on “Tha Carter IV”
(Reuters)

Pink notches first solo No. 1 single
(Reuters)

Megan Fox, Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron And More Make Moviefone’s ‘Hottest Young Stars’ List

Delta museum is a tribute to bluesman B.B. King (AP)

INDIANOLA, Miss. - Translucent images of long ago, of black men and women, backs bent, picking cotton under an unforgiving sun, are artistically displayed on standing glass panels in a museum carved out of an old brick gin mill in the Mississippi Delta.
They're a reminder of those who labored by day in a segregated society. But at night they escaped to Indianola's Church Street to be entertained by a young man later known as B.B. King, who would throw his hat on the ground to catch coins as he conjured devil's music from his guitar.

More than a half-century after King left Indianola in search of fame, the $15 million B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretative Center has opened in his hometown and is as much a tribute to him and his blues music as the culture that inspired it.

King's museum is the latest attraction for the state's blues tourism industry, which ironically thrives because so little has changed in the predominantly black Delta since King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Robert Johnson got their start there. Enthusiasts from across the nation and overseas vacation in the flatland region, known for fertile soil, its past racial strife and its lingering, unfathomable poverty.

King, an 83-year-old multiple Grammy winner who still plays about 120 gigs a year, says he's honored the story of the blues is being told through the prism of his life.

"It's going to be educational to people, young and old, because it's going to talk about the origins of the blues. I'm just one who carried the baton because it was started long before me," he says.

The details may be different, but the narrative of his life is similar to blues musicians who came before him.

He was born poor and black as Riley B. King in 1925. His parents split, leaving his grandmother to raise him before she died while he was still a young boy. He grew up, and as most blacks did in the Delta, he got a string of plantation jobs. His last was at the cotton gin in Indianola. Somewhere in between, he began developing his playing style, described by some as a mix of Delta, Memphis and Texas sounds.

King started with gospel, but he noticed the spirituals drew more pats than tips at his perch on Church Street.

"I made more Saturday evening than I did all week driving a tractor," King says.

He became known as the Beale Street Blues Boy and then had the nickname Blues Boy, which he shortened to B.B. His career took off in 1948 after performing on a radio program in West Memphis, leading him on a path that would make him an international icon and put him in a class by himself as the only living blues artist with his own museum.

With its sleek, linear design, the 20,000-square-foot museum carved out of the old cotton gin is a convergence of old and new. A touch-screen interactive allows visitors to choose topics of interest, ranging from King's childhood to facts about the Delta Flood of 1927. Music lessons are given through another interactive computer program with King instructing on a video as visitors finger chords on a guitar.

Elsewhere, vinyl blues records by Bobby Blue Bland and Blind Lemon, are hung near decades-old, yellowing contracts signed by musicians, who are now largely forgotten. A Panoram Soundies nearby broadcasts a Cab Calloway performance.

The museum also houses rare photos of Elvis Presley, King's draft card and, of course, Lucille, the storied guitar King used on such hits as "The Thrill Is Gone," "To Know You Is to Love You" and "Sneakin' Around."

The significance of the museum in the blues world cannot be overstated, says Mark Camarigg, publications manager of Living Blues Magazine, believed to be one of the oldest blues magazines in the United States.

"You can't overestimate his impact and what he represents. He's virtually transcended blues music in a lot of people's minds. He's on the level of a Sinatra or Willie Nelson," Camarigg says. "Because of his age, it's a great way for people to get a connection to him. Other than Robert Johnson, he's probably the most important person in blues music."

Organizers are betting on King's appeal to draw $8 from at least 40,000 visitors each year to keep the museum afloat. Connie S. Gibbons, the museum's executive director, says fundraisers also will be held and grants sought to generate money.

"Our mission is education," Gibbons says. "What we've done is use B.B. King's life and his experiences to talk about life in the Delta. It's his values, it's his work ethic, it's his commitment to work excellence that provide the inspiration for the message and the story we want to tell."

The museum is to be the centerpiece of the state's blues tourism effort that also includes a developing blues marker trail stretching from Memphis Minnie's grave in Walls, near the Tennessee border, to Farish Street in downtown Jackson, a historic black business district and home of the Alamo Theatre, where artists performed live. The blues trail is a project of a state commission created to market the Mississippi's blues heritage in a region that flourished because of cotton before mechanization eliminated the need for most plantation jobs.

"What state can boast they have two kings — Elvis and B.B.," says Steve Martin, a spokesman for the Mississippi Development Authority, the state's economic development arm. "Just in the last two years, we've really capitalized on our blues heritage. In terms of economic, we see a lot of businesses sprouting up."

Tourism generated $1.3 billion in a 14-county region of the Delta in 2007, according to MDA. The bulk of the money, $1.1 billion, was spent in Tunica County, which has become a major market for casino gaming.

Carver Randle, an Indianola attorney who is also on the museum's board of directors, says the museum can be an instrument to improve the Delta on several levels. It has already been a "blessing in that it brought people together who ordinarily would not have come together," referring to the six years blacks and whites in the region worked together on the project.

King says much has changed since he left Indianola years ago, specifically fewer people working the land. But the area surrounding his museum suggests otherwise. Ramshackle homes line narrow streets and small groups of people stand on street corners drinking beer not far from where King once played.

"No better thing could have happened to our town," Joyce Poore, manager of the Double Quik convenience store, says of the museum, adding that it stands as a symbol for the youth. "By him being a black man and to build the museum in his honor, that's progress."

Indianola Mayor Arthur Marble hopes the museum will "have a profound impact on the local economy," in his town of 12,000, a town that is 70 percent black. He says he's trying to establish a partnership with the city of Clarksdale, the location of the Delta Blues Museum and actor Morgan Freeman's nightclub, Ground Zero.

Marble is convinced that the blues tradition is what will help the Delta survive.

"I think we don't have a choice," Marble says. "It's the common thread we've got to exploit.


Delta museum is a tribute to bluesman B.B. King <br />    (AP)




What Do ‘Sex And The City’ Stars Want From A Sequel? ‘Lots More Men’
Has ABBA museum met its Waterloo?
(Reuters)

‘Ghost Town’: The Go-Between, By Kurt Loder

Monday, October 6, 2008

Vallenato duo bring Colombian genre to U.S. fans (Reuters)

MIAMI (Billboard) - Vallenato, the traditional, accordion-anchored music of Colombia's Caribbean coast, has long been seen as a poor cousin of tropical music in the United States.
Although vallenato's influence can be heard in many Latin music recordings, the music in its traditional form is very much a niche genre in the States.

Now, Colombian vallenato duo Jorge Celedon & Jimmy Zambrano are embarking on an unprecedented 16-date romp that is the most extensive U.S. vallenato tour in recent memory, and the only tour that's taking this music to theaters.

The Que Bonita Es Esta Vida (This Life Is Beautiful) tour, named after Celedon and Zambrano's hit song of the same name, kicked off October 3 with a concert at the Arsht Center in Miami that featured a symphony orchestra. From there the tour moves on to other locales with Celedon's and Zambrano's 14-piece band.

The tour follows the May U.S. release of "De lo Nuevo lo Mejor," an album that includes eight hits plus three new songs.

It's the most ambitious tour to date to be produced and promoted by Day One Entertainment, the artist development arm of Sony BMG Latin.

"Prior to this, our promotion (in the States) was very timid," Celedon said. "We needed that label support, and now we have it."

"We've long been discussing taking vallenato to another level," Sony BMG vice president of tropical promotion Carlos Perez said, "to take it out of the nightclubs and expand it. We saw it not only as a way to promote Jorge and Jimmy, but also to open up the doors for the genre here."

Sony BMG has long been the major label with the largest vallenato presence in Colombia, with a roster that includes such stalwarts as Diomedes Diaz and Binomio de Oro.

But with Celedon and Zambrano, the label has tapped into a youthful audience that has embraced the genre and given it new life. Their song "Que Bonita Es Esta Vida," an uplifting anthem that extols the joys of life, spent 50 weeks at No. 1 on Colombia's vallenato chart and 10 weeks at No. 1 for all genres, according to B&V Marketing, which compiles Colombia's radio charts.

That wave of popularity came hand in hand with a recent surge of Colombian patriotism. After former Colombian presidential candidateIngrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages were rescued in July after more than six years of captivity, they said during their first press conference that they would celebrate with "Que Bonita."

Reuters/Billboard


Vallenato duo bring Colombian genre to U.S. fans <br />    (Reuters)




Colombian singer Shakira lends support to Obama
(AP)

Norway consumer body challenges Apple over iTunes
(Reuters)

Placido Domingo sings at Mexico pyramid (AP)

CHICHEN ITZA, Mexico - Tenor Placido Domingo's choice of a classical program peppered with local music and help from Mexican pianist and crooner Armando Manzanero appeared to smooth the controversy surrounding his Saturday concert at the Mayan pyramids of Chichen Itza.
The Spanish-born Domingo grew up in Mexico, and enthusiastic fans in the southern state of Yucatan erupted in applause on Saturday at his "Concert of 1,000 Columns." Many here see it like a homecoming; one of Domingo's first performances was in Yucatan in 1957.

The singers were dwarfed by the hulking mass of the site's main pyramid, eerily illuminated in red against a black sky, and the performance began with Mayan-style music from by The Monumental Chorus of the Mayab, accompanied by Indian drums.

Despite intermittent drops of rain, Domingo opened masterfully with the inspiring "O Souverain" from Massenet's Le Cid.

Domingo and local hero Manzanero won a standing ovation for a duet — which the Mexican sang party in Mayan — on Manzanero's love ballad "Adoro."

"It is marvelous to be here," Domingo said during a break.

The estimated 4,000 fans attending seemed unconcerned about complaints that the concert and others like it exploit or misuse the 1,200-year-old Mayan ruins. The concert's name is a reference to a temple platform at Chichen Itza crowned by rows of columns.

"It is an honor for us to have a concert like this," said Armando de Leon from the nearby city of Merida.

Herman Segovia came all the way from San Antonio to hear Domingo, whom he called "an artist of high quality."

"I don't think the site will be damaged. This is a controlled event," Segovia said.

Karen Eddy, originally of Toronto, Canada, traveled to the concert from her current home in Mexico City because "I though it would be magical, just magical" to see Domingo sing in front of the towering main pyramid.

Archaeologists and activists have complained that concerts like Saturday's expose ruin sites to additional damage and degrade their cultural significance by treating them as mere backdrops.

Mexico's federal government turns down most requests to hold concerts at ancient temples. But it faces increasing pressure from state governors to promote ruins which, critics argue, are already swamped with tourists.

Officials did impose limits on stage and seating structures and the number of spectators for Domingo's concert, ensuring that it would be smaller than tenor Luciano Pavarotti's 1997 appearance at Chichen Itza, which drew 18,000. Since then, more than a half dozen concerts have been held at or near the ruins.

Domingo planned to pepper the program with Zarzuela from his native Spain as well as music from Mexico. He even hinted he would sing in Mayan, the ancient language still spoken by about 1 million people in Yucatan and neighboring states.

The program also includes the melancholy, melodic "Lamento di Federico" from Francesco Cilea's "L'Arlesiana," and the soaring "Gia nella notte densa" from Verdi's Otello.

Manzanero — along with a Yucatan orchestra and choral group — will accompany Domingo on several numbers. Manzanero, a Yucatan native, is best known for his interpretation of ballads such as "Contigo Aprendi" and "Nada Personal."


Placido Domingo sings at Mexico pyramid <br />    (AP)




Janet Jackson delays 3 more shows due to illness
(AP)

Jay-Z Gets Out Vote for Obama; Boss Adds Shows
(E! Online)

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Colombian singer Shakira lends support to Obama (AP)

CHICAGO - Colombian superstar Shakira says Democrat Barack Obama is the best candidate for president, citing his leadership skills.
In a statement Saturday, the Grammy-winning pop artist said Obama can restore peace and the world's confidence in the United States. Obama faces Republican presidential nomineeJohn McCain in the Nov. 4 election.

Obama said he was honored to receive the singer's endorsement. The Illinois senator praised Shakira as a role model for young Latinas in the U.S. and beyond.

Shakira encouraged U.S. Latinos to vote in November.

The United States "has a profound importance to me, and I think to the whole world as well," she said.


Colombian singer Shakira lends support to Obama <br />    (AP)




Jada Pinkett Smith Says She Would Play Michelle Obama In A Biopic ‘Any Day’
The Dead Raise for Obama
(E! Online)

Jay-Z Gets Out Vote for Obama; Boss Adds Shows
(E! Online)

Janet Jackson delays 3 more shows due to illness (AP)

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Janet Jackson has postponed three more shows because of an undisclosed illness.
Her publicist said in an e-mail late Saturday that Jackson was postponing a Saturday show in Greensboro, N.C., one on Sunday in Atlanta and a third on Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale.

A statement from Jackson said she arrived in Greensboro, N.C., hoping to perform there Saturday, but a local doctor advised that she not perform after it became "evident" she was not fully recovered.

Representatives for the 42-year-old singer say she became "suddenly ill" and was hospitalized Monday night in Montreal shortly after she arrived for a show. She also canceled concerts in Boston and Philadelphia on Wednesday and Thursday.

Jackson's publicist did not elaborate Saturday, only saying she was "recuperating." The note said Jackson will return home, at her doctor's direction, for further treatment.

In the note Jackson asked people to keep their tickets for the postponed shows, and said the promoter is working to reschedule dates.

Jackson is on her first North American tour in seven years.


Janet Jackson delays 3 more shows due to illness <br />    (AP)




Janet Jackson parts ways with Island Def Jam
(Reuters)

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Burning Qs: Miley's Poll Numbers & LOL Religion (E! Online)

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Why does the media think the general public cares about Miley Cyrus?
—S. Worton

Because the general public cares about Miley Cyrus. Sure, the media makes stuff up. But it doesn't make that stuff up.

"Yes, the public definitely care about Miley Cyrus," says Gerry Philpott, CEO of E-Poll Market Research. In fact, among Americans over age 13, 60 percent knew who she was even before she posed for that desperate Vanity Fair spread.

And it only got worse after that. "After Vanity Fair and her tour last year, Miley is now at 70 percent awareness," Philpott tells me. "People are still interested in her, no doubt."

Well, heck. At least she's pure.

Is Lindsay Lohan really dating a woman?

—Christine, East Haven, Conn.

She says she is.

Good piece on Hollywood getting religion wrong. We are waiting with bated breath for Bill Maher's Religulous to come out, "we" meaning the Coexist Comedy Tour—a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist and an Atheist walk into a bar. Hope you can make it to one of our shows!

—Cheers, Tapan Trivedi, The Hindu

Mmm. Depends. Is the bar hosted? I'll take a whiskey and holy water.

Hey Answer B!tch and B!tchling. I was wondering what you guys thought about the singer Kerli and her new song "Walking on Air." Thanks!

—Leah, Alberta, Canada

I think that someone wishes she were Rihanna.

Got a question about Hollywood? ASK IT: answerbitch@eonline.com

Oh, and be my fan on Facebook, 'kay?


Burning Qs: Mileys Poll Numbers & LOL Religion <br />    (E! Online)




TRVSDJAM: Loud, Proud Collaboration of Cool
(E! Online)

Jonas Brothers: No Mandates Against Fan Dates
(E! Online)

Megan Fox, Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron And More Make Moviefone’s ‘Hottest Young Stars’ List

Rapper Lil Wayne at work on "Tha Carter IV" (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Billboard) - His latest album, "Tha Carter III," has been out only since May, but rapper Lil Wayne is already recording its follow-up.
According to his blog on ESPN.com, the rapper is in the studio working on "Tha Carter IV" as well as a new mixtape.

The latter, "Dedication 3," will fall under DJ Drama's "Gangsta Grillz" series and "you can expect (it) real soon," Wayne said.

In a nod to his well-recognized prolific output, Wayne said that immediately after "Dedication 3" comes out, he'll re-release it "with 20 extra songs for free on my Web site."

"Tha Carter III" is far and away the best-selling album of 2008, having shifted 2.5 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Lil Wayne is also collaborating with T-Pain for a highly anticipated duet album, "T-Wayne," which is slated for 2009.

"We've got three or four songs we've finished," T-Pain told Billboard. "They don't really have titles. We're just doing music and however it comes out, it comes out."

The singer said the tracks won't sound like his current Wayne-featuring single, "Can't Believe It," but will have the collective flair shown on tracks like "Got Money."

Wayne will take a break from recording later this month to play the Voodoo Music Experience on October 25 in his New Orleans hometown, and will drop by Power 105.1's Powerhouse concert three days later in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Reuters/Billboard


Rapper Lil Wayne at work on Tha Carter IV <br />    (Reuters)




Paramore’s ‘Twilight’ Song ‘Decode’ Premieres On Stephenie Meyer’s Web Site
Rapper T.I. back atop singles chart
(Reuters)

Andre 3000’s ‘Good Deed’: Helping To Bring The Seattle Riots To The Big Screen

Friday, October 3, 2008

Jay-Z Gets Out Vote for Obama; Boss Adds Shows (E! Online)

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Jay-Z is temporarily trading Beyonc for Barack.
The hip-hop heavyweight announced he'll perform two free shows this weekend in Detroit and Miami as part of a voter-registration drive on behalf of the Democratic presidential nominee.

Saturday's concert will take place at Motor City's Cobo Arena; Sunday's show is at Miami's Bayfront Park.

The Blueprint MC, a fixture on Obama's iPod, is expected to encourage voters to register and vote for the Illinois senator on Nov. 4.

Michigan and Florida both have Oct. 6 registration deadlines. They also happen to be two of the key battleground states.

Separately, the Obama campaign announced today that Bruce Springsteen has signed on to play an acoustic concert Monday at Oestrike Stadium at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich.

Springsteen will also play get-out-the-vote gigs for Obama this weekend in two other important states. Saturday he will perform at a rally in Philadelphia and Sunday he will play Ohio State University.

"Sen. Obama speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music," Springsteen said, "a country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit."

The Boss will also team with Billy Joel for their first-ever joint concert Oct. 15 at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom on Oct. 15 as part of an Obama fundraiser.

(Originally published Oct. 1, 2008 at 3:12 p.m. PT.)


Jay-Z Gets Out Vote for Obama; Boss Adds Shows <br />    (E! Online)




Bruce Springsteen Preps for the Big Game
(E! Online)

‘Twilight’ Tuesday: Peter Facinelli Reveals On-Set Pranks, Says He’s On Team Edward
The Dead Raise for Obama
(E! Online)

Jada Pinkett Smith Says She Would Play Michelle Obama In A Biopic ‘Any Day’

Kingston Trio's Nick Reynolds, 75, dies in SD (AP)

SAN DIEGO - Nick Reynolds, a founding member of the Kingston Trio who jump-started the revival folk scene of the late 1950s and paved the way for artists such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, has died. He was 75.
Reynolds had been hospitalized with acute respiratory disease and other illnesses, and died Wednesday in San Diego after his family took him off life support, said son Joshua Reynolds.

"Dad was so happy he turned people onto music in a way that people could really approach it, in a simple and honest way," Josh Reynolds told The Associated Press. "He was a very gracious and loving performer. He was a devoted family man."

The Kingston Trio's version of the 19th century folk song "Tom Dooley" landed the group a No. 1 spot on the charts in 1958, and launched the band's career.

Born on July 27, 1933, in San Diego, Nicholas Reynolds demonstrated an early love of music and did sing-alongs with his two sisters and their Navy captain-father, who taught him to play guitar.

He graduated from Coronado High School in 1951 and attended the University of Arizona and San Diego State University before attending Menlo College, a business school near Palo Alto. He graduated from Menlo in 1956.

It was during the mid-1950s that Nicholas Reynolds met Bob Shane, who introduced him to Stanford student Dave Guard. Guard and Shane knew each other from playing music in Guard's native Hawaii. The three formed the Kingston Trio.

In 1958, "Tom Dooley" earned Reynolds, Guard and Shane a trophy for best country and western performance at the first Grammys. The group, defined by tight harmonies and a clean-cut style, went on to win a Grammy the next year for best folk performance for its album "The Kingston Trio At Large."

Later member John Stewart joined the group in 1961, replacing Guard. Stewart died in January, also in San Diego.

After leaving the Kingston Trio in 1967, Reynolds moved to Oregon, where he stayed until the 1980s and took a break from music to raise his family, his son said.

Reynolds moved back to California in the mid-1980s and rejoined Stewart for one album. In 1991, Reynolds rejoined Shane in a reconstituted version of the Trio. He remained with the group until retiring in 2003, his son said.

Reynolds is survived by his wife Leslie, sons Joshua and John Pike Reynolds, daughters Annie Reynolds Moore and Jennifer Reynolds, and his two sisters.

___

On the Net:

http://www.kingstontrio.com


Kingston Trios Nick Reynolds, 75, dies in SD <br />    (AP)




‘House Bunny’ Stars Katharine McPhee, Emma Stone, Rumer Willis Claim They’re Awkward On The Inside
‘Eagle Eye’ Sets Sights On Box-Office Crown
Norway consumer body challenges Apple over iTunes
(Reuters)

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Bruce Springsteen Preps for the Big Game (E! Online)

Los Angeles (E! Online) - New Jersey is going to the Super Bowl.
The Garden State's own Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band has been announced as the entertainment during the Super Bowl XLIII Halftime at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The big game will air Feb. 1 on NBC.

The halftime gig, made infamous in 2004 by Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, has in recent years become the opportunity to bring out venerable rock acts to the estimated 148 million or so people watching. Recent performers have included the Rolling Stones, U2, Prince, Paul McCartney and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, all rocking out to an adoring crowd and a five-second delay, in case anything spontaneous happens.

Aside from what should surely be a top-notch performance by Springsteen, fans can at least feel safe that no wardrobe malfunctions are likely occur with this bunch.

That is, unless Little Steven's head scarf gets blown off. Then things could get ugly.


Bruce Springsteen Preps for the Big Game <br />    (E! Online)




‘Bangkok Dangerous’ Tops Fizzling End-Of-Summer Box Office
Springsteen ends world tour at Harley celebration
(AP)

Jennifer Hudson's old dream, music, is a new dream (AP)

NEW YORK - Two years ago, the biggest question surrounding Jennifer Hudson's career was whether she could act.
Everyone knew she could sing; after all, it was her soaring, gospel-inflected voice that made her famous during her finalist run on "American Idol" in 2004. The question was whether her considerable talent extended to acting when she was cast in the drama-filled role of Effie in the movie adaptation of the musical "Dreamgirls."

An Oscar win for best supporting actress answered that handily, and roles in the summer blockbuster "Sex and the City" and the upcoming "The Secret Lives of Bees" have only reaffirmed her newfound gift. But as Hudson puts the focus back on her singing with her self-titled debut CD, she has to answer more questions — like whether winning an Academy Award last year has made it easier or harder for her to be seen as a singer.

"Harder!" she declares with a laugh.

"The pressure is more on the music than on the film side, which is odd," Hudson muses. "It's like everything is expected to be big coming from me and so it's like, 'OK, we know this is going to be huge too.' So it's magnified, and a lot of attention on it and from what I hear it's extremely anticipated — so it's like, (sighs) 'OK!'"

But Hudson is hardly harried about the release of "Jennifer Hudson," out this week. She's used to defying expectations.

"I don't believe in limits so I wasn't allowing myself to be limited and I wanted to show other sides of me, and to say 'Well, if you like this side of Jennifer, let me introduce you to another side,'" says Hudson. "I used to consider my voice a tree with many branches and that's what to me this album displays, all these different sides of me."

Those sides were obscured her during acting ascent: While she had spent most of her adult life singing, once her acting career took off, she shelved her dream of making an album while making movies.

"If I'm acting I'm acting, if I'm singing I'm singing," says the Chicago native. "There's no doing both, because I don't wanna split my focus ... so one had to give way for the other."

Once she finally found time to revisit her music career, Hudson had to figure out how she wanted to reintroduce herself as a musician. While Hudson counts Whitney Houston among her chief influences, she was careful not to make a CD full of torch songs to showcase her powerful voice: "I didn't want to be typecast as just a big ballad singer."

While "Jennifer Hudson" does contain soaring ballads and even her devastating rendition of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from "Dreamgirls," it also features a rap verse from Ludacris, a collaboration with T-Pain, production help from Ne-Yo and Timbaland and even a duet with fellow "American Idol" alum Fantasia.

"With her, she has such an amazing voice, you can pretty much pick any song, and she can sing it," said Harvey Mason Jr., one of the songwriters and producers on the CD who also worked with Hudson on the "Dreamgirls" soundtrack. "It really gave us a freedom to be really creative."

Still, Hudson doesn't necessarily have a voice or sound that neatly fits on radio playlists. She doesn't fit the gritty soul diva role like a Mary J. Blige or Keyshia Cole, or the glamour queen part like Beyonce, or the lithe singer type of a Rihanna or a Ciara.

Mason acknowledges Hudson's straight-ahead singer approach may be out of sync in today's music market.

"I'm not sure how it's going to happen, I don't know how radio is going to receive her, how people are going to receive her," he says. But he adds: "It might be a great breath of fresh air. It's going to be to her benefit that she doesn't sound like the typical singer who's a dancer."

So far, the first single from the CD, the midtempo "Spotlight," has been a solid hit for Hudson, peaking at No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100 R&B/Hip Hop Chart. But it was a slow rise, and it hasn't had much crossover traction.

With no movie projects firmly in place, Hudson says music will be her main focus once again, with plans for a tour in the nearby future. But it won't be her sole focus — she recently became engaged to David Otunga, the reality star better known as "Punk" for his stint on the VH1 show "I Love New York."

While Hudson was sporting her gigantic engagement hardware, it's so new she's still getting used to her future as a married woman, quickly correcting herself though giggles as she changes from "I" to "we" when talking about her upcoming nuptials.

"We don't have a date yet, but I guess that's part of my future plans!"

___

On the Net:

http://www.jenniferhudsononline.com/


Jennifer Hudsons old dream, music, is a new dream <br />    (AP)




R. Kelly says he was betrayed during porn probe
(Reuters)

Six nominations give Cafe Tacuba ‘great joy’
(AP)

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Norway consumer body challenges Apple over iTunes (Reuters)

OSLO (Reuters) - A Norway consumer agency said it aims to take computer group Apple to court over what it calls unfair barriers to playing music from the iTunes music store on devices other than Apple's iPod.
Consumer Ombudsman Bjoern Erik Thon told Reuters he hoped other countries would follow the Norwegian example and file their own cases against the U.S. computer giant.

Thon said on Tuesday that iTunes -- Apple's online store for music downloads -- had not met its demands to change its digital rights management (DRM) system to make its music available for all music players.

"I want them to make their services interoperable so that you can play music bought on iTunes on other devices, including mobile phones," Thon told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Apple's attorney in Norway declined to comment, and Apple officials did not respond to repeated phone messages and emails.

"The consumer's freedom of choice in the online music market is an important right," he said in a statement on Monday.

A dialogue with iTunes over the past two years had led to some improvements in contract terms for downloading music, but on the main issue of availability of iTunes music on devices other than iPod "there has not been much movement," Thon said.

Thon's office, which is an independent government agency, has worked together with consumer protection bodies in Scandinavia, Germany and France to put pressure on iTunes.

"Next we will try to gather a number of countries to support this case, although this case will be brought in front of the Norwegian Market Council and handled according to Norwegian law," Thon said.

The council serves as a court for consumer complaints.

"It is important to show that we have a broad alliance of consumer bodies backing us, and if we win this case, I hope they will follow in our footsteps and take action," he said.

The consumer ombudsman said that consumers must be able to choose which music device they wish to use to listen to music bought from iTunes.

"It's a consumer's right to transfer and play digital content bought and downloaded from the Internet to the music device he himself chooses to use," Thon said and added: "iTunes makes this impossible or at least difficult, and hence, they act in breach of Norwegian law."

iTunes has until November 3 to respond, before the case goes to the Market Council, the ombudsman said.

(Reporting by John Acher; Editing by Andrew Callus)


Norway consumer body challenges Apple over iTunes <br />    (Reuters)




Janet Jackson parts ways with Island Def Jam
(Reuters)

Pink notches first solo No. 1 single
(Reuters)

Busta Banned in the U.K.? (E! Online)

Los Angeles (E! Online) - On the bright side, at least he'll be able to keep the frequent-flier miles.
Busta Rhymes was temporarily refused entry this morning to the U.K., where he had been scheduled to perform at a benefit concert, because authorities were concerned about his U.S. rap sheet. And we're not talking the musical kind.

Immigration officials stopped the "Gimme Some More" artist at London City Airport due to several "unresolved convictions," according to the hip-hopster's British promoter.

His lawyer, Philip Trott, presented papers indicating Rhymes has a valid work permit, had played two shows in Great Britain earlier this year, has never served any time in prison and completed community service for his convictions.

But according to Sky News, that didn't appease the immigration folks, who decided to hold the rapper in a 7-foot-by-8-foot room under the watchful eyes of five armed policemen.

The authorities then booked Rhymes on a flight to Amsterdam, which would have prevented him from performing at Orange RockCorps' inaugural charity gig scheduled for Friday at the Royal Albert Hall.

Before authorities could ship him out, however, Rhymes' camp won a temporary victory, obtainingan injunction from a High Court judge blocking the rapper's deportation.

Justice Julian Flaux ruled by telephone that the MC's detention was illegal and ordered him to be released from custody.

Flaux ordered a hearing, most likely to take place Friday afternoon, to determine whether Rhymes can stay.

No word yet if Rhymes will rejoin the lineup if he's permitted to remain in Britain. A rep for the rapper could not be reached for immediate comment.

As a contingency, the youth-based volunteer group staging the event announced it had tapped Rhymes' friend and fellow rap star Ludacris to fill in. (Ludacris is not without his own problems; it was reported today that a fire destroyed a pool house at his suburban Atlanta mansion.)

Over the last two years, Rhymes has had several run-ins with the law, the most egregious coming in 2006. First, he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a fan who spat on his car, and months later for beating up a former driver who was seeking back pay.

Rhymes, born Trevor Smith, eventually struck a deal in both cases, pleading guilty to third-degree assault. In turn he was sentenced to three years' probation, 10 days of community service and fines.

Rhymes has been an avid supporter of RockCorps, having joined the lineup of three previous concerts staged by the charity in the U.S. alongside such acts as Kanye West, Nas, Kelis, Nelly and Panic at the Disco.

Other performers on the London bill include John Legend, Feeder and the Automatic. About 5,000 RockCorps members, who donated hours of their time to service, will be in attendance.

Rhymes' latest album, B.O.M.B., hits stores Dec. 9.

(Originally published Sept. 25, 2008 at 11:02 a.m. PT.)


Busta Banned in the U.K.? <br />    (E! Online)




Busta Rhymes wins UK legal bid to perform
(Reuters)

Sacha Baron Cohen Detained By Italian Authorities After Crashing Catwalk
T.I.’s Baby Mama Sues for Child Support
(E! Online)

Andre 3000’s ‘Good Deed’: Helping To Bring The Seattle Riots To The Big Screen