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IS COOLIO ON "CRACK"????
LOS ANGELES – Authorities say they have arrested Coolio on suspicion of drug possession.
The rapper was arrested and booked after being stopped at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday morning.
Jail records indicate the 45-year-old rapper was being held on felony narcotics possession. Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was being held on $10,000 bail.
The arrest was first reported by the celebrity gossip Web site TMZ.com.
Coolio's manager, Susan Haber, said she had not yet spoken with the rapper and could not comment.
The rapper, who gained fame for his 1995 single "Gangsta's Paradise," was arrested in June on an outstanding misdemeanor warrant for driving with a suspended license.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
MICHAEL JACKSON SIGNS ON FOR 10 SHOWS IN LONDON
AP – US singer Michael Jackson announces that he is set to play ten live concerts at the London O2 Arena in …
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LONDON – Michael Jackson has returned to the spotlight after eight years marked more by scandal than by song and told a crowd of screaming fans that he would play a series of London engagements — his first concerts since 2001.
Wearing his trademark sunglasses and a silver-embroidered black military-style jacket, the King of Pop said his series of shows in July will be his "final curtain call" in the British capital.
"This is it," Jackson said in a brief statement punctuated by the squeals of fans who gathered inside the massive O2 Arena in southeast London on Thursday. "And when I say this is it, I mean this is it."
Although Jackson said the shows would be his last in London, his statement left the door open for further concerts elsewhere. Promoter AEG Live told the BBC the shows might be part of a bigger, final world tour.
An hour and a half late, Jackson appeared at the O2 — where the series of 10 concerts are due to be staged this summer — to announce the gigs.
More than 300 journalists had been marshaled to capture the event, even though news of the concerts had leaked out to the media days before. A telegenic army of screaming fans was there to greet their star — although many in the crowd said they were there to catch a live show due to play shortly after the announcement.
The hours spent waiting frayed some tempers and a few fans shouted obscenities at journalists being escorted in ahead of them for the announcement. But most were just happy to catch a glimpse of Jackson.
"I've always been a fan ever since I was really little — his music and the way he moves," said 21-year-old student Shellie Watson. When asked if Jackson — who was almost Watson's age when he released "Thriller" in 1982 — still had star power, she said "100 percent."
"Thriller" is still the best-selling album of all time, but Jackson — who has sold more than 750 million albums and won 13 Grammys — has not performed a major concert since 2001.
Tickets priced between 50 pounds and 75 pounds ($70 and $105), are expected to sell quickly for the shows, despite concerns the 50-year-old star may not be up for a return to the spotlight.
The King of Pop has been plagued by financial, legal, and medical woes for years, and a previous attempt to relaunch Jackson's career collapsed amid reports of ill health and court action.
Jackson has appeared in public rarely since being acquitted of child molestation in California in 2005, and he has struggled to pay his debts — last year, he was forced to give up the deed to Neverland, his 2,500-acre (1,000 hectare) ranch and miniature amusement park in California.
On Wednesday, Jackson launched a lawsuit against an auction house to stop the scheduled sale of more than 2,000 personal items from Neverland, including platinum and gold records, a customized Harley Davidson and a Rolls Royce limousine.
The O2 has become a venue of choice for big-name acts and comeback performers. Britney Spears is due to play there for eight nights in June, Prince did a 21-day series of shows at the arena in 2007, and Led Zeppelin played a one-off reunion gig there the same year.
The concerts — possibly followed by other gigs and a 3-D movie based on "Thriller" — could end up netting Jackson more than $400 million, Randy Phillips, the chief executive of AEG Live, was quoted by the BBC as saying.
That would be welcome news for Jackson, who has been entangled in lawsuits for years, but whether he is up for a world tour remains to be seen. Jackson's recent work has been uneven: His last live performance in Britain was at the 2006 World Music Awards, but only managed a few lines of "We Are the World" before leaving the stage.
A video of Jackson trying to record a new single, shown at a British court last year when Jackson was being sued for breach of contract, showed him struggling to keep up his powerful vocals.
Rebecca Kellner, 17, said it didn't matter really matter how Jackson sang — the fans would come.
"He's not the greatest singer and maybe not the greatest person," she said. "But he's Michael."
CHRIS BROWN FELONY:2
LOS ANGELES – Chris Brown has been charged with two felonies stemming from what a police detective describes as a brutal argument between the singer and his girlfriend, Rihanna, provoked by her discovery of a text message from another woman.
Brown is expected to be arraigned Thursday afternoon on charges of assault likely to cause great bodily injury and making criminal threats. The 19-year-old R&B singer remains free on $50,000 bail.
The felony complaint handed down in court Thursday morning identifies Brown's alleged victim only as "Robyn F." Rihanna's real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty.
If convicted, the possible sentence ranges anywhere from probation to four years and eight months in state prison, said district attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons.
According to a detective's affidavit, Brown and Rihanna got into a fight early Feb. 8 after the "Umbrella" singer checked her boyfriend's cell phone and found a text message from another woman.
Brown pulled his car over and tried to push Rihanna out, but she was still wearing her seatbelt, Los Angeles police Detective De Shon Andrews wrote. He said Brown pushed Rihanna's head against the window, punched her with his right hand, and then continued driving while hitting her, the affidavit states. He also bit his girlfriend on the ear, the affidavit states.
The affidavit was filed as part of a search warrant request for the phone records of Brown, Rihanna and her assistant.
Brown allegedly threatened to kill Rihanna after she pretended to leave a phone message with her assistant, telling her to have the police waiting at her house.
Andrews described Brown's blows as causing Rihanna's mouth to fill with blood. He also writes that Brown tried to choke Rihanna after she took the keys to his car away. Andrews wrote that Rihanna nearly lost consciousness but also tried to fight back while in the car, at one point trying to gouge at Brown's eyes.
Brown was arrested hours later and booked him on suspicion of making criminal threats. Police said at the time a woman identified Brown as her attacker during an early morning dispute in an upscale Los Angeles neighborhood.
A phone message left for Brown's attorney, Mark Geragos, was not immediately returned Thursday. Brown's publicist Tony Knight said any statement would likely come from Geragos after today's hearing.
Rihanna's spokesperson had no comment on the charges filed against Brown.
Brown issued a statement a week after the incident saying that he was "sorry and saddened" about the incident. Rihanna also later issued a statement, saying she wouldn't comment on the alleged beating at the request of authorities. She thanked fans for their support.
Brown's arrest has seriously damaged the "Run It!" singer's squeaky-clean image, and compelled sponsors to drop him or not renew his deals.
The alleged attack also came hours before the couple were scheduled to appear and perform at the Grammy Awards. Both were no-shows for event.
___
Associated Press Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
TYLER PERRY #1, JB # 2
LOS ANGELES – "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail" locked up $16.5 million in ticket sales to claim the top spot at the box office for a second straight weekend, beating out "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience."
The Jonas Brothers film, featuring the band on stage and off, took in $12.7 million, the second-biggest opening for a concert film behind 2008's "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert." That 3-D film, chronicling fellow Disney idol Miley Cyrus, premiered at the top of the charts after playing in just 683 theaters. "Jonas Brothers" opened in 1,271 theaters.
"'Hannah Montana' set a bar so high it's going to take forever to knock it off," said Chuck Viane, president of distribution for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. "Everything about it worked. She was coming off a great album and tour and three years on the Disney Channel. I don't think any set of circumstances will ever be quite what 'Hannah' had."
Feisty, pistol-packin' granny Madea remained unstoppable at the box office. The two previous films centering on Perry's foul-mouthed character — 2005's "Diary of Mad Black Woman" and 2006's "Madea's Family Reunion" — also debuted at No. 1, and they grossed more than $150 million total.
"We've been talking a lot lately about people going to the movies to escape," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Media By Numbers. "Usually, people want to escape from jail, but people keep wanting to escape to jail with Madea. That character has made a huge mark. If you've got 'Tyler Perry' or 'Madea' in the title, you've got a hit."
"Slumdog Millionaire," riding high after collecting eight Oscars last week, finished third with $12.1 million, bringing its total to $115 million and giving it the biggest post-Academy Awards weekend for a best picture Oscar winner in 10 years.
"I still run into people who haven't seen it," said Sheila DeLoach, senior vice president of distribution at Fox Searchlight. "I'm like 'Hello? Do you live on the planet?' But obviously, there were a lot of people who hadn't seen it yet or we wouldn't have gone up 45 percent this weekend, so it's really terrific."
The week's other new wide release, the video game adaptation "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li" distributed by 20th Century Fox, opened at No. 8 with $4.6 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail," $16.5 million.
2. "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience," $12.7 million.
3. "Slumdog Millionaire," $12.1 million.
4. "Taken," $9.9 million.
5. "He's Just Not That Into You," $5.8 million.
6. "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," $5.6 million.
7. "Coraline," $5.2 million.
8. "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li," $4.6 million.
9. "Confessions of a Shopaholic," $4.4 million.
10. "Fired Up," 3.8 million.
___
On the Net:
http://www.mediabynumbers.com
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Snoop Dogg is among several rappers attending the Nation of Islam's annual convention in a Chicago suburb.
Wearing sunglasses, a dark suit and a tie, Snoop spoke briefly in front of thousands on Sunday and praised the Chicago-based movement's Minister Louis Farrakhan.
Farrakhan has long held relationships with rappers and hip-hop artists. Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, called himself the leader of the "hip-hop community" and says he'll always seek out the minister.
Snoop gave a $1,000 donation to the Nation of Islam, then sat on stage as Farrakhan spoke for more than three hours. Rapper Doug E. Fresh also attended but didn't speak publicly.
Rapper T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, appeared via recorded video. He told followers that education is the key to success.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
SPRINGSTEEN MAKES A MISTAKE!!!!!
NEW YORK – The Boss is owning up to a mistake.
In an interview with The New York Times, Bruce Springsteen says he shouldn't have made a deal with Wal-Mart. This month, the store started exclusively selling a Springsteen greatest-hits CD.
Some fans were critical because Springsteen has been a longtime supporter of worker's rights, and Wal-Mart has faced criticism for its labor practices. Springsteen's team didn't vet the issue as closely as it should have, and that he "dropped the ball on it," he told the Times for a story to be published in Sunday editions and previewed on its Web site.
Springsteen went on to say: "It was a mistake. Our batting average is usually very good, but we missed that one. Fans will call you on that stuff, as it should be."
"Millions of Springsteen fans have counted on Wal-Mart over the years to deliver his music into their lives, and we will continue to offer those fans this 'Greatest Hits' exclusive and his other popular albums at unbeatable prices," Wal-Mart said in a statement, adding: "We are proud of the good jobs, benefits and career opportunities we provide to more than 1.4 million U.S. associates who choose to work at Wal-Mart and serve our customers every day."
Springsteen released his new CD "Working on a Dream" this week and is performing the halftime show at the Super Bowl.
KANYE WEST...NEW BOOK,C.D.
Los Angeles (E! Online) – Here's hoping Kanye West eases up on the all-caps for his next writing venture.
The blog-happy hip-hop star is collaborating on Glow in the Dark, a "deluxe volume" about his most recent world tour that will feature documentary photographs of West's good life onstage and off, sketches and other conceptual plans for the tour's set design and costumes, exclusive commentary and a greatest-hits CD from the Glow in the Dark set list.
"Kanye West has turned his talents as pop artist to books," Charlies Miers, VP and publisher at Rizzoli New York, said in a statement to E! News.
"With a CD that includes Star Wars-like symphonics from the show as well as interview with Spike Jonze, it is not only a memento of one of the most successful musical performances of the year, it is an experience all its own."
The publishing house confirmed the book is underway and due out in October, after originally being scheduled for a spring release after the scope of the project was truly understood.
West's Glow in the Dark tour crisscrossed the globe between April and December and featured appearances by Jay-Z, Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco, Gnarls Barkley, N.E.R.D. and Nas.
—Reporting by Whitney English
"SLUM DOG" TOP DOG AT DGA AWARDS
Los Angeles (E! Online) – There's a reason oddsmakers don't think Slumdog Millionaire is an Oscar underdog. It's not.
The India-set indie cemented its front-runner status with a win tonight for Danny Boyle at the 61st Annual Directors Guild of America Awards.
The Office, The Wire, Recount and America's Next Top Model were among the honorees in the TV categories.
Boyle beat out David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon) and Gus Van Sant (Milk), all of whom he'll face at the Oscars, plus Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight), whom he won't.
Since 1948, the DGA winner's only missed out the Oscar six times. Half of those instances, however, have occurred since 1995. Ang Lee is the last DGA winner to win Best Director, and not see his film (2005's Brokeback Mountain) win Best Picture, too.
Slumdog's DGA win comes one week after it claimed top prizes from the producers and actors guilds.
Carl Reiner, who was to host tonight's ceremony, was a last-minute scratch (food poisoning, Variety reported). Jon Cryer was a last-minute su
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