Kelly Rowland collapsed onstage in Nigeria on Sunday during the ThisDay Music Festival as a result of dehydration, a spokesperson from her label, Columbia Records, said Monday (July 16). Rowland was taken to a nearby hospital in Lagos and is said to be in good condition. She's scheduled to return to the States on Monday; Shakira, Rihanna, Ne-Yo, John Legend and Diddy were also scheduled to appear at the second edition of the annual festival. ...
Snoop Dogg is getting real. The rapper has signed a deal with E! Entertainment Television to appear in a "hilarious and heartwarming" reality show that will show him juggling his hip-hop and parenting responsibilities. The Associated Press reported that the show will debut in late 2007. ... Wanna get your hands on Gwen Stefani? Huckleberry Toys is releasing 150 limited-edition dolls of the No Doubt frontwoman at San Diego's Comic-Con July 25-29. But if you can't get to SoCal, the toymaker will take phone orders beginning Monday (July 16) for the $100 doll. Call (818) 363-4500 for your own mini-Gwen. ...
Justin Timberlake's Southern charm — i.e. the Memphis-style restaurant, Southern Hospitality, that the singer is opening in New York with pals Trace Ayala and Eytan Sugarman — will open for business on Wednesday. ... Britney Spears has been reaching out to some of the hottest songwriters to work on her comeback album -- but she probably shouldn't give Pink a call. The punky pop star says she would never write a song for Spears, MSNBC reports. "[It's] not because I don't like [Spears] -- I do think she's crazy enough to do one of my songs," Pink said. "But it's very hard for me to let go of my songs and the only people I write for are real singers -- not that she's not a real singer, but she's more of an entertainer." Pink named Lauryn Hill, Faith Hill and Amy Winehouse as examples of who she'd like to write for, "because you need serious attitude to carry off the dumb stuff I write about." ...
Michael Jackson just can't seem to evade his creditors. The singer is being sued yet again for failure to pay, this time for approximately $30 million owed in commissions and fees for a $330 million loan. Transitional Investors claims in a suit filed in San Francisco on Friday that Jackson stiffed the company after it arranged to bail the pop star out of his financial mess, which began with Bank of America loaning Jackson $200 million in 1998 and another $72.5 million in 1999, secured by Jackson's interests in his own songs and the Beatles' catalog. In January 2005, Jackson received another loan of $330 million, which included a $3 million breakup fee for the larger loan, and 9 percent of the $330 million. Transitional is asking for the money owed as well as punitive damages for breach of contract, misrepresentation, unjust enrichment and fraudulent transfer. ...
In other legal news, Los Angeles DJ Samantha Ronson is suing blogger Perez Hilton for $20 million over his claims that she set up her pal Lindsay Lohan. In a post on his Web site, Hilton implied that Ronson had tipped off photographers for those infamous snooze shots, in which the open-mouth actress was asleep or passed out in the back of a parked car in May, and that Ronson allegedly planted the cocaine found in the car when Lohan was arrested. The suit also targets the paparazzi photo agency Sunset Photo and News. In the lawsuit, filed Thursday in L.A., Ronson claims that Hilton's depiction of her as a "disloyal, dishonest friend who 'sold out' and 'set up' her friend Lohan for personal financial gain" is nothing but libel. ... It looks like ABC's "The View" has been missing a taste of controversy since Rosie O'Donnell left the show. The answer? The always-entertaining "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul. The "Hey Paula" star will join the "View" ladies as a guest host on Thursday's show. ...
If voting for "American Idol" isn't enough for you, how about wearing it? In February, the production house behind the show will launch a line of clothing for girls and tweens consisting of denim jeans, T-shirts, dresses and vests in the $10-$40 range, according to a Reuters report. The line, Lyrix by Lyric Culture, will come with pink, white and black logos embroidered or painted onto the fabric, including a pair of jeans with a microphone cord snaking up the leg and other pieces with lyrics from songs by winners of the show. ... This has to be a "Jackass" prank, right? Steve-O announced on his MySpace page Saturday that he's working on a rap album. "To anyone that chooses to be critical of my decision to make this rap album, I've got bad news for you, it's a great album," Steve-O wrote in the blog post. "I've been recording it with the producers of the one and only G-Unit and it is, indisputably, incredible and made by the most talented people in rap music." ...
Sony BMG has filed a lawsuit against the company that made the "rootkit" software that caused the label so many headaches last year. The $12 million suit against Arizona-based Amergence Group claims that the company's MediaMax anti-piracy software — which was surreptitiously included on 32 Sony BMG releases and caused some users to suffer computer problems — ended up costing Sony nearly $6 million when it had to compensate users for those problems, according to a BBC News report. ... Web radio stations that said they were facing certain death if new royalty rates kicked in as scheduled on July 15 got a stay of execution last week: Royalty collector SoundExchange agreed to hold off on implementing the new rates while negotiations continue, BusinessWeek.com reported. The stations, which say the much higher rates will force them out of business, have already gotten at least one major concession, with SoundExchange agreeing to cap a new minimum royalty rate at $50,000 per station per year. This is instead of the $500 per music stream that was originally proposed, which would have charged them that amount for each stream created by each user.
07.13.2007
Do you want to be the next Fonzworth Bentley? Diddy is looking for a new assistant, and he's taking his search online. The music mogul posted a video on his MySpace page asking wannabe lackeys to upload a video of themselves explaining why they deserve the gig (college degree required, he specifies). Diddy will put the hiring process in the fans' hands once he has a pool of finalists. Check out the clip to upload your application video. ...
They've done gone and did it. They wiped the smile off Usher's face. In an open letter written by the singer and posted on People magazine's Web site Thursday, he denied reports that he harassed and threatened some people in the media; said he wanted to keep details about his upcoming marriage to Tameka Foster and the birth of their child private; and asked his fans to not believe all the rumors that have been floating around about him. "It's disturbing that the media and bloggers (under the guise as 'fans') continuously speculate on the personal aspects of my life, therefore making assumptions and wrong insinuations that my fans are subject to believe," he said in his letter. "I am happy, excited, completely clear and independent on my direction, feelings, decisions and I am NOT BEING LED," he added, responding to rumors that Foster has Usher on a short leash. "Some media and bloggers have been totally intrusive, they have misconstrued aspects of my personal life and, because of this, my 'true' fans are not sure about what is fact and what is fiction." ...
In other Usher news, the R&B superstar appears in the August issue of Stuff, and he tells the lad mag that he's growing up. "I used to be the guy who tore off his shirt during every show. Now I'm a little more comfortable in my skin, and I don't have to show my chest or my stomach every time I take a picture," he said. "As for the shirtless guy at the club, maybe he's having fun, but the real players and ballers, you don't see them coming. That guy who's in the back chilling, he's the one who always leaves with the hottest chick. And that's his reason for being out in the club anyway, right?" ...
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department launched an internal investigation on Thursday into whether Paris Hilton received special treatment during her time at Lynwood, California's Century Regional Detention Center, the Los Angeles Times reports. The department's union, which has clashed with Sheriff Lee Baca in the past, said deputies have complained about Hilton's access to a cell phone (while other inmates waited in line for pay phones) and her new jail uniform (while many inmates receive recycled ones). ... Janet Jackson is leaving Virgin Records for Island Def Jam, according to her boyfriend, music producer Jermaine Dupri. He confirmed to Billboard that Jackson was lured to the label by L.A. Reid, who previously recruited Dupri to his current post at Island Urban, a division of Island Def Jam. Dupri had been an executive at Virgin but resigned his post after Jackson's last album, 20 Y.O., failed to live up to expectations. Dupri executive-produced the project and blamed Virgin for the album's poor promotion. Dupri has said Reid would largely work with Jackson on her next album. ...
One of Marilyn Manson's bodyguards has won a court battle against a photographer who claimed he was beaten up at a concert. A Los Angeles judge has ruled that Ruben Navarrete failed to present enough evidence that he was injured by the security guard at a Manson show in 2004. Navarrete alleged the bodyguard "grabbed him and put him in a chokehold" and then demanded he "erase the portions of his videotape that contained the images of Marilyn Manson." The photographer initially named Manson as a defendant, but, according to TMZ.com, the judge threw that part of the case out. ... The countdown to Posh and Becks' takeover is over. Victoria and David Beckham arrived in the U.S. to throngs of paparazzi on Friday (July 13), and America may never be the same. W magazine is welcoming the power pair in its August Issue with a revealing article and equally revealing photo spread. (Check out the sizzling cover here.) Victoria says she wants to change Americans' perception of her ("I think they have this impression that I'm this miserable cow who doesn't smile"), while new Los Angeles Galaxy player David wants to change Americans' perception of soccer ("I do believe I can take it to another level"). The issue hits newsstands July 20. ...
Lindsay Lohan was cleared of any wrongdoing in a 2005 crash in which she hit a van, TMZ.com reports. A Beverly Hills judge dismissed the case when the van's owner didn't show up to court. The owner had sued Lohan for $3,624.84 in damages following the October 4, 2005, incident. ...
Nelly is coming out swinging. The St. Louis rap icon has titled his new album Brass Knuckles. Universal has set a release date of September 18. ... In its August issue, Blender magazine has an interview with Kelly Clarkson in which she reveals details surrounding her face-to-face confrontation with music legend Clive Davis over her album, My December. "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell had a chat with TV's "Extra" and shared some advice for Kelly and Clive: "Kiss and make up, decide what's best, get on with it!" About Clarkson's comments in the magazine, Cowell added, "Clive Davis at 80 is better than 99 percent of the people in the music business in their 20s, 30s and 40s. And he's not 80, he's less than 80." Cowell admits that Clarkson is "one of the best, and she always will be" but that Davis is "the boss of the record company and it's his job to advise." ...
And in yet another magazine article, Kanye West talks about his style ("Everything about me is pop and luxury."); his swagger ("I'm really shy. ... Why do you think I'm so cocky?"); and meeting his fiancee, Alexis Phifer ("I had on this throwback jersey, and the first thing I said to her, because I could tell she was stylish, was, 'I don't normally dress like this!' ") in the August issue of Harper's Bazaar, on newsstands July 24. ... Everyone knows that kids love Harry Potter — but did you know about the boy wizard's huge senior-citizen following? A retirement community in Silver Springs, Maryland, launched the resident-based blog Golden Wizard, where residents speculate about the outcome of the final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," and debate different theories on the series. ...
On July 28, ex-Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler and former guitarist Tracii Guns will perform at Hollywood's Key Club, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the release of 1987's Appetite for Destruction. ... Canadian metal act 3 Inches of Blood have hit a snag, just one date into this summer's Ozzfest. "We are unfortunately one member short," the band said in a statement. "[Frontman] Jamie Hooper has been experiencing problems with his voice and thus his ability to sing. Under the recommendation of doctors, Jamie has been advised not to perform until his voice has healed. As a result, Jamie will not be appearing with us on Ozzfest. [Guitarist] Justin Hagberg will be pulling double duty, playing guitar and singing most of Jamie's parts. We hope Jamie's recovery is as painless as possible and is back in the fold by the fall."
