Birthday cake, champagne and dope beats: Two hip-hop moguls held big birthday bashes for their friends Tuesday night in Manhattan, New York. The 40/40 Club was poppin', as Jay-Z called on Roc-A-Fella family members Freeway, Memphis Bleek and the Young Gunz to help celebrate longtime Roc artist Beanie Sigel's b-day. Sigel isn't letting it be known if he's still signed to Jay-Z's label, but from the looks of all the smiles Tuesday night, it didn't matter. Tyrese, model Melyssa Ford, Dres of Black Sheep and of course Beyoncé came out as well. Over at PM, Diddy was in the house for high-ranking Bad Boy executive Harve Pierre's birthday party. Cassie, Mario Winans, DJ Tony Touch, Joe Budden, D-Nice and former Bad Boy hitmaker Stevie J. were all there. ...
Jennifer Hudson is about to become the new Avon lady, Reuters reports. The Oscar winner will be the spokeswoman for the perfume company's Imari brand and new scent, Imari Seduction, it was announced Wednesday (March 7). ... Christina Aguilera's fan club closed down Thursday, according to an announcement posted on the singer's Web site. Former Baby Jane members can log in to the messageboards with their existing username and password, and new users may register for the boards for free. ... Lance Bass will open up about his life, music and sexuality in "Out of Sync," an autobiography due in October, The Associated Press reports. ...
Carrie Underwood is returning to "American Idol" Thursday to perform her latest single, "Wasted." The show will determine the coveted final 12 and is also expected to feature a major announcement from host Ryan Seacrest. Theories are rampant, but it could have something to do with a show executive producer Nigel Lythgoe told MTV News he pitched Fox earlier this year. The program would bring back former "Idol" champs to sing songs written by the finalists of the songwriting competition for this year's finale song. "Let's see Constantine Maroulis again, let's see Ace Young, let's see Tamyra Gray and all of the great people that we voted for over the years," Lythgoe said. "I'd love to do that. And with good reason at the end of the day for doing it, which is to produce the song that the next 'American Idol' is going to sing." ... In other "Idol" news, along with producing Travis Tritt's new album and managing Van Hunt and Nikki Costa, Randy Jackson is launching an independent label and plans to release a jazz-inspired solo record this summer. Jackson compared the project to collaborative efforts released by Quincy Jones. "He had more concept records where he had a bunch of different artists doing a bunch of things," Jackson said. ...
Britney Spears will have a big career comeback if Timbaland has anything to do with it. The producer told Entertainment Weekly that he'd like to work with Spears on new music — and his frequent collaborator (and Britney's ex) Justin Timberlake may be onboard as well. "I'm the type of person who tries to save the world," Timbaland said. "I just want to take her away, go overseas and work [it] out. ... I asked Justin, 'How would you feel about me working with Britney?' ... 'Would you do it with me?' " Timbaland told the magazine that JT was willing to get involved. "She's just gotta be serious."
Hawthorne Heights won a key court battle this week against their now-former label, Victory Records, when a federal judge ruled that Victory does not have an exclusive right to the band's services. "The band is free to record and release material either on their own or with any other record company," said Hawthorne attorney Rhonda Trotter. In an attempt to get out of its contract, the band sued Victory in August, claiming owner Tony Brummel's "scheming" actions had seriously damaged Hawthorne's reputation. Though the court ruled that their contract with Victory was nonexclusive, the judge asked for more time to decide whether HH or Victory own the copyrights to the band's first two albums. Lawyers for Victory filed a motion on Tuesday asking the judge to reconsider the ruling. Trotter said the band is reviewing its options but has not yet decided how it will release its next album. ...
Sacha Baron Cohen bum-rushed the White House last year as part of a publicity stunt for his "Borat" movie, but now his character might be finding an unlikely ally in Condi Rice, of all people. According to Reuters, Borat is cited in the State Department's annual human-rights report, which criticizes Kazakhstan — where Borat supposedly hails from — for numerous abuses, including increased restrictions on free speech. Among the abuses the report points out was the Kazakhstan government's revocation of Borat.KZ, a site it deemed offensive. ... Jimi Hendrix's family is suing a vodka seller for what, in a press release, it calls the "unauthorized, tasteless promotion" of the late guitarist's name in a marketing campaign. Experience Hendrix, the Hendrix family company, filed a federal lawsuit against Seattle businessman Craig Dieffenbach for using trademarked material to market Hendrix Electric Vodka and other products. ... Angelina Jolie will be united in three months or sooner with the Vietnamese boy she is adopting, an adoption official from the country has told AP. ...
After masquerading as the New Pantheon award for all of one year, the Shortlist Music Prize is back, and recently announced its panel of nine listmakers and the initial "long list" of nominees for the award. Panic! at the Disco, Franz Ferdinand, KT Tunstall and Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne are among the artists who have submitted lists of their favorite records of the past year, all of which have been compiled into an initial list of 61 nominees — including Beck's The Information, Hot Chip's The Warning, the Raconteurs' Broken Boy Soldiers and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Show Your Bones. That list will be whittled down to 10 finalists in April, with the Shortlist winner to be announced later this spring. Any album released during 2006 was eligible for the Shortlist, so long as it had not been certified gold (500,000 copies shipped) during the calendar year. Previous winners include Sigur Rós, TV on the Radio and Sufjan Stevens. ...
Tool have rescheduled the 10 tour dates they recently postponed after drummer Danny Carey tore his bicep. The band will play Reno, Nevada, on April 30; San Diego on May 2; Las Cruces, New Mexico, on May 5; Tucson, Arizona, on May 6; Albuquerque, New Mexico, on May 8; Southaven, Missouri, on May 15; Oklahoma City on May 19; San Antonio on May 21; Corpus Christi, Texas, on May 22; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on May 24. Additional tour dates are expected to be announced shortly. ... "American Idol" contestants aren't safe from judge Simon Cowell, even when they're long off the show. At the Museum of Television and Radio's 24th annual Paley Festival in West Hollywood, California, last week, Cowell targeted Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson and "Idol" champ Taylor Hicks. "Hudson said 'American Idol' was a 'stepping stone' for her," Cowell said. "Stepping stone? It was her big opportunity to become noticed and she got noticed and she got 'Dreamgirls,' " he said, adding, "The reason people come on the show is because all the doors have been slammed in their face." As for "Idol" winner Taylor Hicks, "Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson loved him," Cowell said. "I couldn't stand him. Just because you win the show doesn't mean you will sell a lot of records. [Chris Daughtry] is the one who sold the albums, not Taylor." ...
A new law proposed by Connecticut legislators would require social-networking sites such as MySpace to verify users' ages and get parental consent for minors, AP reports. The bill was presented Wednesday, a day after a Connecticut man was sentenced to 14 years in prison for using MySpace to meet an underage girl he'd planned to have sex with. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal estimated that 10 to 20 other states are considering similar laws. "The technology is available," he said. "The solution is financially feasible, practically doable. If we can put a man on the moon, we can check ages of people on these Web sites." ... The future of many Internet radio stations could be in jeopardy thanks to a ruling Tuesday by an obscure panel of federal copyright judges. The decision by the Copyright Royalty Board significantly increased the royalties paid to musicians and record labels for streaming digital songs online, ending a discounted fee for small Internet broadcasters that some say could put them out of business, according to a Los Angeles Times report. Per the board's ruling, the current rate of 0.08 of a cent each time a song is played would more than double by 2010, resulting in fees that many small broadcasters say they cannot afford.
03.06.07
Mariah Carey shot a "Tennessee" scene featuring her rendition of the Willie Nelson-penned track "Right to Dream" on location late last week. Nelson's harmonica player, Mickey Raphael, accompanied Carey on the song. ...
Mayor Richard Daley declared Tuesday (March 6) "Jennifer Hudson Day" across Chicago to honor the city's Oscar-winning "Dreamgirls" hero, The Associated Press reports. Hudson performed a song outside the Chicago Theatre and visited her former high school, Dunbar Vocational Career Academy. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich previously honored the singer/actress with a statewide "Jennifer Hudson Day" on February 26. ...
Jay-Z has reached an agreement to sell his Roc-A-Wear clothing line to the Iconix Brand Group for a reported $204 million in cash, the companies announced Tuesday. As a part of the deal — which could be worth up to $400 million through sales incentives — the Def Jam president and rapper will retain his role in product development and also enter into a new deal to launch the Shawn Carter Collection, an upscale luxury brand set to debut in 2008. ...
Ashlee Simpson, busy writing her next album, said fans should expect a more soulful sound. "I'm from Texas, I come from that background," she said. "It's cool because on my last two records I was writing with the same people and now I'm writing with a bunch of different people. I'm writing with my guitar player Ray [Brady] and just seeing where it goes." Simpson is eyeing an October release. ...
Kevin Federline can't get enough of Las Vegas these days. After taking his sons with Britney Spears — Sean Preston and Jayden James — there over the weekend, he's planning to return to Sin City for a birthday bash on March 24 (after holding a similar one in L.A. three days beforehand). Fans can win VIP tickets to the parties via SearchWithKevin.com. ... Lily Allen will continue infiltrating the U.S. via a spring headlining tour that begins March 16 in Houston. The jaunt ends at New York's Irving Plaza on April 11, although the singer is also planning to perform at Austin, Texas' South by Southwest festival (March 14-15); Los Angeles radio station KCRW's A Sounds Eclectic Evening (April 14); Indio, California's Coachella fest (April 29); and Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee (June 15). ...
Red Hot Chili Peppers have sent a message of condolence to the family of a fan who was killed while waiting in line for tickets to the band's upcoming New Zealand gig. Sang Je Lee, an 18-year-old South Korean exchange student, died Monday after being hit by a car early that morning in a parking lot in Whangarei while waiting for concert tickets to go on sale, The New Zealand Herald reports. The driver of the vehicle did not stop, and police are asking anyone with information to come forward. ... A wide array of artists ranging from Taylor Hicks to the Decemberists to Stephen Marley are set to promote this year's Earth Day. The second annual Green Apple Music & Arts Festival will encompass 60 venues in three cities from April 20-22: Hicks, Edwin McCain and New Riders of the Purple Sage will perform at assorted venues in New York; the Decemberists, Kaiser Chiefs, Walkmen, Disco Biscuits, Mad Professor and RJD2 will take over Chicago; and Marley, Bob Weir, Electric Six, Trans Am and Yonder Mountain String Band will hit San Francisco. ...
"Laguna Beach" star Jason Wahler was sentenced to 60 days in county jail and 36 months' probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor-battery charges on Tuesday, CBS News reports. Over the weekend, Wahler was arrested at a nightclub in Greenville, North Carolina, and charged with drinking and resisting a public officer. ... Yoko Ono is blocking the world premiere of "Three Days in the Life," a documentary about late husband John Lennon, AP reports. A viewing of the film scheduled for Tuesday night at a private school in southern Maine was canceled by Ono's lawyers, with the widow saying she had not yet authorized a public viewing of the film. After executive producer Ray Thomas was unable to get an artist release from Ono — whose lawyers say she has copyright interest in the movie — he decided to air free screenings at high schools and colleges, but Ono's lawyers say that is also forbidden. ...
Bright Eyes will support their sixth studio album, Cassadaga, due April 10, with a spring-theater tour kicking off April 22 in Milwaukee. The trek ends with a seven-night stay at Town Hall in New York. ... Are Mastodon sick of touring with metal bands? The Atlanta heavy-rockers have taken to the road with Slayer, Converge and Priestess in the past year, but now they're joining forces with punks Against Me! and indie faves Cursive for at least 19 shows in May. The fun begins at Los Angeles' Wiltern LG on May 1 and concludes at Atlanta's Tabernacle on the 26th, with more dates to be added. ... Clap Your Hands Say Yeah — whose Some Loud Thunder is one of the year's best-considered albums among critics so far — will hit 20 clubs throughout April and early May to boost the release. The stint starts April 10 in Providence, Rhode Island, and ends May 3 in Indianapolis. ...
Snow Patrol's former bassist Mark McClelland will make his musical return with his latest project, Little Doses. McClelland, who left the band in early 2005 citing "creative differences" between himself and frontman Gary Lightbody, formed the band with girlfriend Kirsten Ross on vocals, and former Degrassi drummer Michael Branagh. "We spent six months rehearsing and another six months playing without leaning on the projects we'd been involved in," McClelland said. There's no word yet on when Little Doses plan to release any material, but we'll keep you posted. ... Paul van Dyk will close the second night (March 24) of the ninth annual Ultra Music Festival, to be held at Miami's Bicentennial Park. The Cure will headline the first day (March 23). ...
Bad news for four of the country's biggest radio companies is really good news for indie musicians and labels. Under terms of a settlement in a federal investigation into payola, Clear Channel Communications Inc., CBS Radio Inc., Entercom Communications Corp. and Citadel Broadcasting Corp. would pay one of the largest fines ever levied by the FCC, $12.5 million, to answer claims that they allegedly received money, airline tickets, clothing and other gifts from major record companies to play certain songs, according to the Los Angeles Times. In a separate agreement, the radio companies agreed to set aside 8,400 half-hour segments of free airtime over the next three years to devote to local and independent artists; those segments would have to air between 6 a.m. and midnight. ... Harvey Danger aren't just making their new album available online — the "Flagpole Sitta" gang is making their new album available online for free. "Given our unusual history, and a long-held sense that the practice now being demonized by the music biz as 'illegal' file-sharing can be a friend to the independent musician, we have decided to embrace the indisputable fact of music in the 21st century, put our money where our mouth is, and make our record, Little by Little ..., available for download via BitTorrent, and at our Web site," the band said in a statement on HarveyDanger.com. The already-available physical version of the album comes with a bonus CD.
