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Tuesday

Sep042012

Bobby Brown's Wife Hospitalized After Suffering Seizure

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Image courtesy of Bobby Brown Jr.Bobby Brown's wife suffered a seizure over the weekend.

According to People magazine, Alicia Etheredge-Brown suffered a seizure brought on by diabetes Saturday in a hotel room in Kissimmee, Florida, while Bobby was at a soundcheck for a New Edition concert in the area.

Bobby tweeted Saturday, "The report that my wife was rushed to the hospital is true. She is recovering and in good spirits. Please keep my family in your prayers."

On Monday, he provided a brief update: "Once again... Thank u, Thank U, THANK U.. My family is doing great!!!"

Tuesday, September 4, 2012 at 6:01AM

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Urban,

Tuesday

Sep042012

Green Day Cancels Italy Gig After Billie Joe Hospitalized; Band Mates Post Video Apology

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Image credit: Marina ChavezGreen Day was forced to cancel a concert in Bologna, Italy Friday night due to the hospitalization of frontman Billie Joe Armstrong.

Bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tre Cool wouldn't say what "illness" befell their band mate, but in a video posted to the band's official website, said they were "beyond devastated" to nix the gig. "We apologize profusely," Dirnt said, "but Billy got rushed to the hospital last night due to illness, and the doctors don't think it's a good idea for him to play today. This sucks. We were really, really looking forward to playing Bologna as the highlight of our tour."

Tre agreed, saying, "We're beyond devastated, we're sad as you guys are...and ah, we'll see you very soon."

Green Day's upcoming album trilogy, ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tré! will be rolling out in the coming weeks and months: ¡Uno! is set to arrive in stores on September 25, while ¡Dos! and ¡Tré! are slated for release on November 13, 2012 and January 15, 2013, respectively.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012 at 6:01AM

Tuesday

Sep042012

French President to Present Paul McCartney with Legion of Honor Award

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MJ Kim/MPL Communications Ltd.Paul McCartney will receive France's Legion of Honor award at a ceremony that will take place this Saturday. According to Italy's AGI news agency, the Beatles legend will be recognized as an Officer of the Legion of Honor by French President Francois Hollande, who reportedly is a big fan of the Fab Four. The award is the highest honor that the country bestows on civilians.

The Legion of Honor prize was created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte. An officer is the second highest of five grades with which honorees can be acknowledged.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012 at 6:01AM

Tuesday

Sep042012

Carly Rae Jepsen Reveals Super-Cute Track Listing for "Kiss"

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Image courtesy Carly Rae JepsenCarly Rae Jepsen is adorable, and so is the track listing for her upcoming album, Kiss. The singer posted a photo of the track listing on Twitter, and the handwritten list looks like something a schoolgirl would've doodled during a boring math class.

The 16-track album includes her hits "Good Time" and "Call Me Maybe," of course, but also "Guitar String/Wedding Ring," which she's been performing at her live dates lately. Each song title is accompanied by a tiny drawing or doodle -- for example, the "C" in "Call Me Maybe" is a telephone receiver, while the song "Drive" has a little car drawn next to it. A song called "Tonight I'm Getting Over You" has the moon and stars drawn around the word "You." There's also a song called "This Kiss," which inspired the album title, and it has a little pair of lips next to it.

As for which one of these songs is Carly's long-rumored duet with Justin Bieber, it's apparently the song "Beautiful." Justin tweeted a note on Saturday reminding fans that back in July of 2011, he'd posted these lyrics: "What makes you so beautiful is that you don't know how beautiful you are...to me." He then added the hashtags #KISS and #Sept18.

Here's the full track listing for Carly Rae's Kiss, which will be in stores September 18:

"Tiny Little Bows"
"This Kiss"
"Call Me Maybe"
"Curiosity"
"Good Time"
"More than a Memory"
"Turn Me Up"
"Hurt So Good"
"Beautiful"
"Tonight I'm Getting Over You"
"Guitar String / Wedding Ring"
"Heart Is a Muscle"
"Drive"
"Wrong Feels So Right"
"Sweetie"
"Almost Said It"

Tuesday, September 4, 2012 at 6:01AM

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Tuesday

Sep042012

Paris Jackson Tweets She’s "Moving to Africa" if Romney Wins

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Noel Vasquez/Getty ImagesParis Jackson has thrown in her two cents about the presidential election, tweeting that if Mitt Romney wins, she’s “moving to Africa.”

Jackson, the 14-year-old daughter of the late Michael Jackson, is an avid Twitter user, with more than 900,000 followers. Sunday, she tweeted her thoughts on President Obama, and his challenger, Republican Mitt Romney.

“k i hate politics , but at least i care about this country…if Obama wasn’t president , America would be flushed down the toilet#voteobama” Jackson tweeted Sunday morning.

The outspoken teenager urged her followers to vote for Obama, blaming former president George W. Bush for the problems facing the country.

Shortly after tweeting that she would move to Africa should Romney win the election, she tweeted that she’s not sorry for airing her political opinions. She wrote, “spoke my mind, said my opinions.. don’t reeeallyy care if you disagree with me… #sorrynotsorry #voteobama”

Tuesday, September 4, 2012 at 5:59AM

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Monday

Sep032012

Starship Guitarist Mark Abrahamian Dead at 46

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Facebook.com/StarshipControlMark Abrahamian, the lead guitarist for Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas, died Sunday following a performance by the band in Norfolk, Nebraska, reports KTIV.com. According to Abrahamian's official website, the rocker, who joined the group in 2000, was 46.

Starship has posted a Facebook message paying tribute to Abrahamian that reads, "We are all shocked and saddened at the sudden loss of our guitar player…Mark was a kind, thoughtful and innovative soul. He was also a friend and family member. Mark also happened to be one hell of a guitar player. We are devastated by the loss of our brother and just dealing with it the best we can."

In the wake of Abrahamian's passing, Starship canceled its scheduled show Monday in Orem, Utah.

Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas was founded by the Starship vocalist in 1992, a few years after the original group disbanded.

Monday, September 3, 2012 at 5:54PM

Monday

Sep032012

Seal vs. Ex Heidi Klum in Infidelity War of Words

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Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagicSeal and Heidi Klum seemed to be a match made in heaven, so when the couple announced they were splitting up in January, many were left shocked and wondering what went wrong. On Friday, seven months after what seemed like an amicable split, Seal let loose, uttering a comment that made it sound as though he was accusing his supermodel ex of cheating.

“I preferred Heidi would have showed a little bit more class and at least waited until we separated first before deciding to fornicate with the help,” Seal told TMZ in a video. “I guess you now all have the answer that you’ve been looking for the past seven months."

Friends say since the split, Klum and her bodyguard of four years, Martin Kirsten, have become “very close,” TMZ reported. The Project Runway host and Kirsten were spotted in New York a few weeks ago and on the beach in Sardinia with her children.

Klum denied Seal’s charge through her representative, saying, “It is sad that Seal has to resort to false accusations.”

Seal then responded that his comments to TMZ had been misconstrued. His rep told Us Weekly magazine, "Seal would like to clarify that he was not implying his wife was cheating while they were together, but he was merely pointing out that their separation and divorce were not final and they are still legally married."

An insider told the magazine that Seal was "exhausted" when TMZ got those initial comments out of him, saying, "These guys bombarded him and were in his face. He was exhausted, which is why he wants to clarify what he said. . . He doesn't like now being made into the bad guy here -- he always loved and cared for Heidi."

On Monday, Klum released a statement to People magazine, saying, "I cherish all of the great memories Seal and I created together over the years." She adds, "Our separation was based on issues between the two of us. Seal has moved on and so have I. My priority has and continues to be protecting and providing for our children."

Monday, September 3, 2012 at 11:41AM

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Monday

Sep032012

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr Featured in Sir George Martin Documentary Trailer

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Eagle Rock EntertainmentPaul McCartney and Ringo Starr appear in the trailer for the Sir George Martin documentary Produced by George Martin that will be released on DVD on September 11. Martin interviews the two surviving Beatles in the clip which also features the late British actor Peter Sellers. Martin produced comedy records for Sellers prior to signing The Beatles in 1962.

Several artists who recorded with Martin, including Jeff Beck, are also interviewed in the film which was originally broadcast in 2011 on the BBC. The DVD version contains more than 50 minutes of additional interviews not included in the BBC television version.

Martin, who has sometimes been referred to as the fifth Beatle, produced all of the group's studio albums. He was inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

Monday, September 3, 2012 at 6:00AM

Monday

Sep032012

Bill Withers Box Set Due Out October 30

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Facebook.com/BillWithersA new Bill Withers box set is being released in October featuring 91 songs spanning his career from 1971-1985.

According to Legacy Recordings, the collection consists of nine of his albums -- Just As I Am, Still Bill, Bill Withers Live at Carnegie Hall, +'Justments, Making Music, Naked & Warm. Menagerie, 'Bout Love and Watching You Watching Me.

The track listing includes his Grammy Award winning hits "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Grandma's Hands" as well as "Lean On Me" and "Lovely Day." Withers wrote a personal introduction and author Michael Eric Dyson also composed an essay, "Hello Like Before," for the set.

Bill Withers: The Complete Sussex and Columbia Masters will be released October 30.

Monday, September 3, 2012 at 6:00AM

Monday

Sep032012

Kanye West, Meek Mill and Alicia Keys Album Releases Among "EW"'s Most Anticipated

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Mike Marsland/WireImageFall means superstar album releases, and there are plenty to choose from in the coming months. Entertainment Weekly has put together a gallery of its 12 most anticipated releases -- it's called "12 Albums We Can't Wait to Hear" -- and in the number two spot is Kanye West for the collection of new music from his G.O.O.D. Music label, Cruel Summer, due September 18.

Meek Mill snags the number seven spot on the list for his October 30 release Dreams & Nightmares. Meek says Dreams & Nightmares, the follow up to his earlier Dreamchasers mixtape, "[is] gonna be different beats, different lyrics, different topics... I did Dreamchasers when I was hanging in the hood. Now I'm on the road more -- I understand life, seeing different things."

Alicia Keys' Girl on Fire, due November 27, is also highly-anticipated by EW. Alicia tells the magazine, "I wanted to write these insane songs that could live on their own, that people couldn't deny." Look for a possible cameo from her almost two-year-old son, Egypt. ''He may have a little feature on one song,'' Keys hints. ''We'll see."

So who tops the list? Keeping the mic-grabbing-rivalry alive, it's Taylor Swift with her October 22 release, Red.

Monday, September 3, 2012 at 6:00AM

Urban,

Monday

Sep032012

Taylor, Alicia, Carly Rae Top "EW"'s "Albums We Can't Wait to Hear" List

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Big Machine RecordsFall means superstar album releases, and there are plenty to choose from in the coming months. Entertainment Weekly has put together a gallery of its 12 most anticipated releases -- it's called "12 Albums We Can't Wait to Hear" -- and unsurprisingly, Taylor Swift tops the list with her October 22 release, Red. Why? Because, as she said when announcing the record, "I ended up being inspired by a lot of crazy zero-to-100-then-it-hits-the-wall-and-then-explodes relationships." We're all dying to know which of her famous exes she'll skewer next.

No Doubt's comeback album Push and Shove, due September 25, gets a mention by EW. Guitarist Tom Dumont tells EW that the disc is one part ''ska-reggae-dancehall vibe" and one part ''new wave," adding, "That's what makes us No Doubt.''

And, of course, everyone's eager to hear Carly Rae Jepsen's debut, Kiss, if only to reassure themselves that she's more than a "Call Me Maybe" one-hit wonder. Carly Rae tells EW, "The theme of the album is all based on love and flirtation and the excitement of beginnings."

Monday, September 3, 2012 at 6:00AM

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Monday

Sep032012

Taylor, Ke$ha, Alicia & Carly Rae Top "EW"'s "Albums We Can't Wait to Hear" List

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Another album on EW's list is Ke$ha's official sophomore release, which still doesn't have a release date or title, but is intriguing because it apparently includes collaborations with punk legend Iggy Pop and alt-rock weirdo Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips. Ke$ha tells EW of the disc, "It's definitely a great evolution."

No Doubt's comeback album Push and Shove, due September 25, gets a mention. Guitarist Tom Dumont tells EW that the disc is "one part ''ska-reggae-dancehall vibe" and one part ''new wave," adding, "That's what makes us No Doubt.''

Ellie Goulding, who's done so well with her song "Lights," is included for her album Halcyon, which is coming out October 9. She describes the disc as "way more epic" than her debut, also called Lights.

Alicia Keys' Girl on Fire, due November 27, is also highly-anticipated by EW. Alicia tells the magazine, "I wanted to write these insane songs that could live on their own, that people couldn't deny."

And, of course, everyone's eager to hear Carly Rae Jepsen's debut, Kiss, if only to reassure themselves that she's more than a "Call Me Maybe" one-hit wonder. Carly Rae tells EW, "The theme of the album is all based on love and flirtation and the excitement of beginnings."

Monday, September 3, 2012 at 6:00AM

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Hot AC

Monday

Sep032012

Green Day, No Doubt, Mumford & Sons Make List of "Entertainment Weekly"'s Most Anticipated Albums

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Facebook.com/GreenDayUpcoming albums from Green Day, No Doubt and Mumford & Sons have all made Entertainment Weekly's list of the "12 Albums We Can't Wait to Hear."

¡Uno!, the first of Green Day’s album trilogy, gets the #5 slot on the list, while No Doubt’s first album in about a decade, Push and Shove, checks in at #4. Mumford & Sons is the highest-rated rock act on Entertainment Weekly's list: their sophomore album, Babel, commands the #3 spot.

All three albums will arrive at all the usual outlets on September 25.

Monday, September 3, 2012 at 6:00AM

Monday

Sep032012

Country Stars Talk Worst Jobs and Work Ethic This Labor Day

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MCA NashvilleThis Labor Day, two country stars look back on their crummiest jobs ever while another rising star talks about the work ethic that goes into launching a country career:

-- Kip Moore spent time laying sod in South Georgia before pursuing his country career. The heat made the job rough, but getting hit with a heavy patch of sod made it even worse. Sometimes one of his co-workers would throw the patch to him when he wasn't ready to catch it yet.

Kip explains, "You got your back turned, and all of the sudden that big old piece of sod hits you right on the back. You got nowhere to clean up. You're just stuck with sod on your back for the rest of the day."

-- Luke Bryan works hard on stage for his fans every night, but he's used to less glamorous labor out on his father's peanut farm in Georgia.

He describes it as "just awful, just driving tractors through cotton fields all day, and spraying pesticides that eventually would turn your hair green."

Luke went back to work for his father on the farm spraying and hauling fertilizer around until he eventually moved to Nashville to launch his music career.

-- Newcomer Thomas Rhett has been putting in a lot of long hours getting his career off the ground lately. Though he's having the time of his life playing music on Toby Keith's tour, Thomas still has to take care of business while on the road.

"A lot of people don't understand that it really is a job," Thomas tells ABC News Radio. "Especially, when you're on the road, you're waking up at 10, and you're going to the radio station. Then you gotta do sound check, and then it's a lot of hurry up and wait. You spend all your day waiting to play 30 minutes or an hour."

Monday, September 3, 2012 at 6:00AM

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Sunday

Sep022012

Legendary Songwriter Hal David Dead at 91

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Brian To/FilmMagicLegendary songwriter Hal David, who with Burt Bacharach wrote some of pop music's most enduring classics, has died, the Songwriters Hall of Fame has confirmed. He was 91. He passed away at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles from complications from a stroke.

With Bacharach, David scored his first success with "The Story of My Life," for country singer Marty Robbins. They went on to pen hits for Perry Como, Gene Pitney and Bobby Vinton, but when they teamed with a young vocalist named Dionne Warwick in 1962, they created musical magic. Their string of hits for Warwick included “Don’t Make Me Over,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” “Walk on By,” “A House Is Not a Home,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Message to Michael,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” Alfie” and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.”

Other legendary tunes penned by David and Bacharach include the #1 Oscar-winning hit "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," recorded by B.J. Thomas for the movie Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid; "What the World Needs Now Is Love" by Jackie DeShannon, "This Guy's in Love with You" by Herb Alpert, 'What's New Pussycat" by Tom Jones and “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” by The Carpenters.

In May of 2012, President Barack Obama presented the prestigious Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song to David and Bacharach. David was also Chairman and CEO of the Songwriters Hall of Fame from 2001 to 2011. The Hal David Starlight Award, presented each year by the Hall of Fame, has been awarded to such young songwriters as Taylor Swift, Jason Mraz, Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, Alicia Keys and John Mayer.

Sunday, September 2, 2012 at 10:43AM

Sunday

Sep022012

Beatles' Beverly Hills LSD Party House on Sale

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Photo by Evening Standard/Getty ImagesA Beverly Hills home The Beatles rented for a LSD party is now on sale for more than three million dollars. According to real estate agency Zillow.com, The Rolling Stones and Cary Grant are among the celebrities who also rented the property at 2850 Benedict Canyon Drive.

Zsa Zsa Gabor owned the home in 1965 and rented it to the Fab Four for five days in August of that year. It featured four bedrooms, six bathrooms, two wet bars, patios off all the bedrooms, a fireplace in the kitchen, a guest house, a six-car garage and views of the canyon.

According to The Beatles Bible, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison used LSD. but Paul McCartney abstained.

The web site quotes John Lennon recalling the occasion for Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner: "Peter Fonda came, and he kept on saying, ‘I know what it’s like to be dead.’ We said, ‘What?’ And he kept saying it, and we were saying, ‘For Christ sake, shut up, we don’t care. We don’t want to know.’ But he kept going on about it. That’s how I wrote 'She Said She Said.'"

It also quotes George Harrison as remembering, "I had a concept of what had happened the first time I took LSD, but the concept is nowhere near as big as the reality, when it actually happens. So as it kicked in again, I thought, ‘Jesus, I remember!’ I was trying to play the guitar, and then I got in the swimming pool and it was a great feeling; the water felt good.”

Sunday, September 2, 2012 at 6:01AM

Sunday

Sep022012

Snoop Dogg Makes List of Most Influential Marijuana Users

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Kevin Mazur/WireImage via ABCThe Marijuana Policy Project -- a drug policy reform organization -- has named Snoop Dogg, aka Snoop Lion, to its list of the "Top 50 Most Influential Marijuana Users."

Snoop is in the number 19 slot on the group's list. Though Snoop's been pretty upfront about his appreciation of the plant, the organization responsible for the list cites a 2008, expletive-laced interview from Esquire magazine in which Snoop says, "It makes me feel the way I need to feel."

The list features public figures -- mostly actors and musicians -- who are known to have tried marijuana at least once. Others on the list include well-known marijuana advocates like country singer Willie Nelson, the comedy duo of Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin, as well as actors Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Matt Damon and Robert Downey Jr. Number one on the list is President Obama.

The group stated in a press release that it’s "not concerned with an individual's popularity, or even whether he or she supports marijuana policy reform." Rather, the Top 50 Most Influential Marijuana Users list "is meant to identify people who have used marijuana and achieved high levels of success or influence."

Sunday, September 2, 2012 at 6:01AM

Urban

Sunday

Sep022012

Stevie Wonder Denies He's a Genius, Talks Obama & Gun Control

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Universal MotownStevie Wonder is one of President Obama's strongest celebrity supporters, and now the music legend is blasting other celebrities who have changed their mind about campaigning for Obama's reelection.

Stevie tells the British newspaper The Guardian, "Those who have turned against him, it's because they're ignorant or it doesn't serve their own interest, which probably has to do with money." He adds, "But the reality is, your money is only as good as you're able to help others with it."

In the same interview, Stevie also calls for stricter gun control, but says the Aurora massacre in July is just one example of a nationwide problem.

"I'm concerned about how accessible guns are," he tells The Guardian. "I'm talking about in the 'hood. That [incident in Colorado] was also very sad, but this is an occurrence almost every week in various cities. No politician wants to confront it. The right to bear arms? What about the right to live?"

When the topic switches to himself, Stevie tells the paper that he never take time out to look back on all the amazing things he's done in his career, explaining, "That's a waste of time. I enjoy listening to the stuff I've done, but that's it." And as for the fact that many consider him to be a musical genius? He's not down with that.

"No, [I'm not a genius]," he says. "I was just blessed to have ideas. The genius in me is God -- it's the God in me coming out."

Sunday, September 2, 2012 at 6:01AM

Sunday

Sep022012

Gavin DeGraw, OneRepublic, Will.i.am & More to Appear on MDA Show of Strength Labor Day Special

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Frazer Harrison/Getty Images via ABCA star-studded lineup will grace the Muscular Dystrophy Association's annual Labor Day weekend special this year.

Gavin DeGraw, OneRepublic, Hot Chelle Rae, Jessie McCartney, Pitbull, Will.i.am, Eva Simmons, B.o.B, Alanis Morissette, Paula Abdul, All-American Rejects, Karmin, Carrie Underwood and more will either appear or perform on the three-hour program, now called MDA Show of Strength. Good Charlotte's Benji & Joel Madden and Glee star Max Adler are also on the bill.

MDA Show of Strength will air Sunday, September 2 at 8 p.m. ET/PT from Hollywood, Nashville and New York on over 150 stations nationwide. Check local listings to find out which station will air the special in your area. If you'd rather not watch it on TV, the event will stream at MDA.org.

Sunday, September 2, 2012 at 6:01AM