Saturday, September 1, 2012

Sage Stallone's Cause Of Death Revealed

Sylvester Stallone's son, Sage Stallone, died as a result of a heart attack - not drugs as was previously speculated.

STORY: Sylvester Stallone's Son, Sage Stallone, Dead At 36

According to his autopsy report, no drugs were found in the movie star son's system.
As reported by TMZ:
The L.A. County Coroner has determined Sage died from natural causes.  As for why he had a heart attack, we're told there was evidence of heart disease.  
A source connected with the Coroner tells TMZ ... it was "unusual" for a person Sage's age -- 36 -- to have such advanced coronary problems, but that's what killed him.
Sage's body was found July 13th, but he may have been dead days earlier.
SOURCE: TMZ

Randy Jackson Quits As Judge Of 'American Idol'

The dawg days are over. After eleven seasons, Randy Jackson will no longer be judging American Idol!

Along with Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul, Jackson was one of the talent show's original judges and known for his many dawg-isms. (Sample: "Yo dawg, don't listen to him dawg. That was great singing dawg.") The veteran bassist and music producer stuck around after both Cowell and Abdul exited the show in 2010 and 2009, respectively. Although Jackson will no longer be serving as a judge, he will remain on the show as a mentor to contestants. 

With Mariah Carey already on board, Nicki Minaj, who is close to finalizing a deal, will potentially be his replacement. 'American Idol' will most likely pick an additional two more judges thereafter. Despite rumors, Diddy, Kanye West, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus will not be joining the judges table. According to TMZ, producers hope to secure a country singer for the third spot. Keith Urban and singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette are rumored contenders.

Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose Expecting First Baby?

Rumors are swirling that Wiz Khalifa and his buxom fiancĂ©e Amber Rose are expecting their first child together. 

A source told RadarOnline.com: "Amber and Wiz unexpectedly got pregnant, but they're really happy to be starting a family together."

The couple had been dating for a little over a year when Khalifa unexpectedly popped the question in bed this past spring. Soon after, Rose admitted that her soon-to-be hubby "wants 5 kids, so we better get on it, soon."

The rapper and model were planning on walking down the aisle this winter, and the baby rumors started popping up when news Rose was trying to push up the nuptials to October surfaced. Gossip site MediaTakeout brags that it has confirmation on the baby news.

This isn't the first baby rumor for the Taylor Gang boss and Rose. Earlier this month, Philadelphia's Hot 107.9FM put Wiz Khalifa on the spot, asking if Rose was pregnant with the couples first baby. Although Khalifa denied it, he did elaborate and say "she will have my baby in life, and you guys will know when she's pregnant." While both are avid tweeters, neither has taken to their Twitter account to confirm the news ... yet.


Tommy "Deebo" Lister Arrested For Mortgage Fraud!

It looks like Deebo might really be getting locked up!

Tommy Lister, who is known to many as Deebo for his role in the classic movie Friday, agreed to plead guilty to charges of conspiring to commit mortgage fraud.

According to TMZ, the fraud apparently led to $3.8 million in losses for some unsuspecting lenders.

EXCLUSIVE: Ice Cube Says The New "Friday" Movie Is "Really About Chris Tucker"
The site reports:
According to the plea agreement -- obtained by TMZ -- Lister admitted to a diabolical scheme in which he and several individuals conspired to obtain four different mortgages on homes in L.A. using false information and bogus bank statements.
Lister admitted he and his co-conspirators collected mortgages worth $5.7 million -- and defaulted on all four ... costing the lenders $2.6 million.
He also admitted to withdrawing over $1.1 million in loans using the properties as collateral ... which he never paid back. All-in-all Lister has admitted swindling banks out of $3.8 million.
PHOTOS: FINALLY! N.W.A Movie Begins Filming

If convicted, Tommy could face up to 5 years in federal prison. He has a court date coming up this month.
SOURCE: TMZ

As Facebook Stock Nears $18, Its Focus on Music Will Suffer

Facebook shares dove under $19 and were trading down 4.86% to $18.17 Friday afternoon after slashed price targets and fresh revenue concerns.

Citing "challenged" media spending and an inflow of additional shares from lock-up expirations,
BMO Capital Markets cut its price target to $15 from $25 on Friday. BofA Merrill Lynch cut its price target to $23 from $35.

What this means for Billboard readers is music probably will not figure prominently, or even much, into the company's plans in the coming months and years. At $18.35, Facebook is less than half its initial offering price of $38 (which itself was too high and led to quite a fiasco for the company). It could drop further as previously locked up shares are sold on the public market. It could drop even further if the company fails to adequate ramp up its mobile product and performance.


Flash back to Facebook's annual f8 developer conference. Music was a focal point of the company's debut of Open Graph, Facebook's social fabric that Internet radio services, subscription services and ticketing companies can use to improve their own services. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek took the stage with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg -- the two met through Spotify investor Sean Parker -- to talk about the tight integration between the two products. After f8, one was left with the impression that music was an indelible part of Facebook's future.


But music's star has faded at Facebook because two things have happened since that f8 conference: the introduction of the Timeline format in December and the company's initial public stock offering in May.


Timeline has eroded the value of Facebook for musicians, turning a potential one-stop shop into just another place to visit. Witness BandPage, which went from building social apps specifically for Facebook to
building tools that depend less on Facebook. Witness MTV, which just launched in public beta its Artist.MTV initiative that gives any artist a media-filled page at MTV.com with Topspin-powered ecommerce tools. If Facebook -- and MySpace -- won't be the de facto online home for musicians, MTV will give it a shot.

The company's initial public stock offering in May indirectly impacts the music business by diverting focus and resources. The further Facebook's stock falls, the more irate Facebook investors and analysts become, the greater the chances the company will experience changes in leadership, kill old projects and focus on a small set of fundamentals that do not include music. Improving its mobile platform and monetizing its growing mobile audience are at the top of the list.


Beyond music video, which continues to be popular at Facebook, music has had few recent successes and has failed to live up to expectations. Facebook Music, the tab that allows a user to see friends' music activity on various apps and services, has been a non-event. And
no evidence has appeared the "listen" button installed on artist home pages has moved the needle. Expect more of the same as Facebook sorts out its larger problems.

Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe on BMG Rights Mgm't, EMI Acquisitions, Getting Back Into the Record Biz

BERLIN - Bertelsmann, Europe's largest media group, which controls European broadcaster RTL Group and production powerhouse FremantleMedia, maker of "American Idol" and "The X Factor" and co-owns BMG Rights Management with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, today issued its first half of 2012 earnings report which showed its net profit up 31.2% year-over-year. But the company has made headlines in recent days as Bertlesmann's legal status changed from joint stock company to a partnership with limited shares in order to attract new investors and reports that Bertelsmann is planning to invest considerable sums of money to buy up publishing catalogs that may hit the market if the EMI and Universal Music deal is approved. And, according to sources from within the company, there is talk of Bertelsmann returning to the recorded music business. Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe answered Billboard.biz's questions in a conference call from Bertelsmann HQ in Guetersloh.


 
Billboard.biz: How is the development of BMG Rights Management coming?
Thomas Rabe:
BMG's development is good. BMG has over a million of copyrights. This year the revenues will reach 250 million euros and we're only three years in since the business started. We sold the BMG publishing business to Universal in 2006 and had revenues of about 370 to 380 million euro. At that time BMG publishing still had a high share of classical music. Today revenues are made with the pop/rock repertoire. So we are nearly approaching the size of the then sold publishing business.
 
What new acquisitions are you planning at BMG?

Acquisitions will of course play a major role in the expansion strategy. There will be organic growth, but we also need growth through acquisitions. In the first half year 2012 BMG did further acquisitions and signed new artists and songwriters. BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch today confirmed and I can also underline that we will of course consider the possibilities to take over catalogues from the EMI/Universal merger. We are certainly interested in the acquisition of catalogues that fit into our business-profile. Apart from that I do not want to speculate on possible acquisitions.
 
What is your timetable for purchasing divestments from the EMI/Universal merger?

At EMI the timetable is mainly influenced by the talks Universal is having with the European Commission. I assume that these talks will come to an end within a few weeks. Usually the European Commission grants a certain time for possible sales of parts of EMI Universal. But I cannot judge how long it will take.

Last year Bertelsmann announced it would by a 51% share of the investment-group KKR. Do you still intend to do this?

Our partnership with KKR is doing extremely well. We have the same interest in the development of BMG. But on the other hand it is clear that KKR, as a private equity investment company, is only a temporary investor. We will probably contintue speaking with KKR abot this but for the time being there are no such talks going on.    

Is Bertelsmann getting back into the record business?

Our main interest is in music-rights, primarily-publishing rights but also in master catalogue-rights. Whether we will start actively in the label-business again and to what extent will have to be discussed. Our primary interest is in rights, but also in the whole recorded music-business.

Porn Star Mr. Marcus Answers Critics Over Syphilis Fallout

The The Daily Beast headline screamed like it was straight from the front page of some seedy 80’s tabloid: “Mr. Marcus on Why He Kept Quiet About Syphilis That Sparked Porn-Industry Scare…” The details were even more jolting. One of the biggest (no pun intended) male adult film stars of all time altered his test results, igniting a STD scare that would shut down production in California’s San Fernando Valley. The incident resulted in more than 300 performers getting tested for the disease. 

“I tried to cover it up…because I said it was like the scarlet letter,” an emotional Mr. Marcus explained in an August 22 interview with adult entertainment news site XBIZ. “It’s the word. Syphilis, whoa. Mr. Marcus, syphilis? Mr. Marcus, the one I worked with? The one that everybody works with? The one that’s been in this industry forever? I have to live with this, no one else does. I’m sorry. I’m very sorry. I did not think that this would come out like this. I’m sorry. All I can do is try to make some good happen. That’s it.” 

Of course, as detailed in VIBE’s The Dark Side: An Oral History Of Black Porn, the adult film industry is at a crossroads in terms of ensuring safety for its actors. In January, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation led a monumental win against the porn biz after a city ordinance was passed requiring adult film actors to wear condoms while performing in the capital of the x-rated movie world—Los Angeles. But the Mr. Marcus story has shined a light on deeper concerns. Despite a 10-day shut down by porn film studios that’s scheduled to be lifted the first week of September, it’s shockingly business as usual. 

“People are still shooting movies,” former star and porn director Diana DeVoe told VIBE. “And you can print that. This is a loose association of rebels. They can’t always afford to take two weeks off of work. Anytime you show up to work, just like a policeman or a fireman, you are saying an x amount of money is worth my health and safety.”

DeVoe, who believes that her longtime peer Mr. Marcus will most likely be blacklisted from the porn business, also points out that the simmering racism that has become par-for-the-course in the XXX-rated film world has been turned up to 11 following the syphilis scare. “If you go on Twitter, that’s already begun,” DeVoe said of the unfortunate blowback. “You see certain women saying, ‘That’s why I don’t do interracial.’ And other women are saying, ‘I don’t think I’m going to do interracial anymore.’” 

But what about the man at the center of it all? VIBE spoke to Mr. Marcus who set the record straight on what really happened, why he feels like he’s been misinterpreted in recent interviews and his future in porn. This is Mr. Marcus…in his own words.

I have to start by saying that I wish I had handled all of this differently. It would have been as simple as saying, “Hey, I caught syphilis and people that I have worked with need to go get checked.” It wasn’t me catching a disease that pissed everybody off. It was the fact that I tried to hide it. I was really trying to handle it privately, but in hindsight it was something I should have addressed. The truth is when it comes to the health situation in our working environment people know what they are being exposed to. Porn actors know what we are doing. We are not kids. But we don’t always know what’s going on. 


When everybody found out I had syphilis it was a lot more complicated than just saying you got a disease. What I was trying to explain in the interviews that I have done is this could happen to anybody. And that point never really came across. What I got from the people that know me is that I was considered a trustworthy person; somebody that was well respected in the business. As far as they were concerned I had violated that trust. Once I admitted I doctored my test it became open season. You get treated and people still want to assume that you are spreading something that you are not; that you already went to a doctor for. They don’t see it that way. Anything I say now people will give me shit for saying it. But they also know that this has happened before.

I personally haven’t seen anyone use the race card yet. I haven’t heard, “Oh, he’s black…that’s what black people do.” I think people who are fans of interracial porn or who are fans of black performers that are worried about whether or not this is going to affect how black people will be [viewed in the porn business by their white peers] are missing the point. This is not a black thing or white thing…anybody can go through this. Obviously, I’m going through all this for a reason. And it’s gotten everybody’s attention for a reason. I’ve received supportive text messages and emails from some of my peers and I appreciate that. I needed to know that I wasn’t just being singled out. But I feel like I still have a story to tell.

I can only think that I’m either supposed to move on from porn or I’m supposed to elevate the environment that porn is created in. One thing I want to do on my website is talk about STD awareness and what to look for. We are going to get very graphic…I’m talking about showing photos because a picture can speak 1000 words. I want to address everything on my website because I’ve never released an official statement on all this. I’ve tried to explain myself, but that kind of gets ripped apart. So I figure that if I just write about my experiences people will have a better understanding of why I did what I did. When you go through some shit like this you should come out a better person. That’s my personal goal now. But how do you do that in this environment? I don’t want my last 18 years to be erased. I’m fighting hard against that.

Steve Stoute On Uniting Budweiser & Jay-Z For Made In America: 'Brands Are Becoming Much Closer To The Content'

Though expectations are already high for the lineup at the inaugural Budweiser Made In America festival in Philadelphia this weekend - Pearl Jam, Run-DMC, Skrillex and curator Jay-Z are among the confirmed headliners, with Beyonce rumored to make a surprise appearance - the two-day event represents much more than just a concert to Steve Stoute.

 
The CEO of ad agency Translation - who helped pair Budweiser, Live Nation and Jay-Z for the festival - is also co-producing a documentary based on the making of the festival with director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer, as well as Budweiser's Paul Chibe and @radical.media.

"We've started filming things already - there's a lot capture," says Stoute, who teamed with Anheuser Busch earlier this year for a series of ads and synchs for the 2012 Super Bowl. "The narrative of this film is not a concert. The narrative is everything Made In America stands for, and the music is a backdrop. Budweiser has been a partner from the beginning because they own the trademark for 'Made In America.' You're gonna start seeing brands become much closer to the content."

 
Made In America is the latest example of what Stoute calls a "tanning moment" - an intersection of hip-hop and mainstream culture that he outlined in his book "The Tanning of America" published last fall by Gotham Books. "When you look at the roster, we go from Jay-Z to Afrojack to Rick Ross to Jill Scott to Pearl Jam and then from that to Skrillex - oh I'm sorry, let's talk about Drake, let's talk about D'Angelo. You're really speaking about 28 acts that are extremely diverse that are all gonna bring in their own music thing. I really want to break down genres in all media - film, TV, radio. I think that genres in media drive that separation and Made In America is gonna show it doesn't make a difference, as long as you can bring people together under the same mindset."

 
From a business perspective, Stoute already considers Made In America a success. "We're gonna sell 45,000 tickets," he says of the rare concert event in Philadelphia's Ben Franklin Parkway (at the foot of the famed "Rocky" steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum). But the cultural impact is what he hopes will be even longer lasting - particularly when it comes to creating demand for future installments. "We want people to walk away saying, 'Wow this is one of the best shows I've ever gone to. We plan on doing this many years. It's an exciting time for the group to come together. I've worked with Jay for many years but this is the first time we've done anything like this."

 
Stoute also credits Budweiser for contributing to its artistic content. "Their integration has allowed the festival to be much more than just music and partying. We're having art students around the country design their own version of the American flag. It's very incredible and very telling of where we are as a generation, seeing what these students would do if they could do the American flag over. Some of this stuff would make Betsy Ross flip over in her grave."

Friday, August 31, 2012

CHRIS LIGHTY of Primary Violator Management, has died.

CHRIS LIGHTY of Primary Violator Management and one of the key executives in hip-hop history, has died. The news was confirmed to Billboard today by a source at Primary Violator Management. He was 44.

A spokeman for the New York Police Department told the
Associated Press that Lighty was found at his apartment in the Bronx with a gunshot wound to the head, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said the shooting appeared to be self-inflicted.
 
Violator was a pioneering management/marketing/record label/multi-media entertainment conglomerate. The powerhouse merger between that company and Larry Mestel's Primary Wave Talent Management firm took place last September; at the time of his death, Lighty was chief operating officer of Primary Violator.

"We are extremely shocked and sadden by this tragic news," Mestel said in a statement. "Chris was a friend, business partner and most of all, an icon, role model and true legend of the music and entertainment industry. He will be missed by many and we send love and support to his family."


The roster of artists handled by Violator following the merger includes Mariah Carey, Soulja Boy, 50 Cent, L.L. Cool J, Busta Rhymes and Sean "Diddy" Combs. Among the artists that Primary Wave brought to powerhouse merger were Cee Lo Green, Ginuwine, Goodie Mob and Eric Benét.

 
Violator first came to prominence in the late 1990s, under the direction of Lighty and former co-owner/president Mona Scott-Young. The company's roster at the time boasted Missy Elliiott, Fat Joe, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and L. Cool J.

In addition to providing management and marketing expertise, Violator released two compilation albums: 1999's Violator: The Album and 2001's Violator: the Album, V2.0. The albums respectively spun off two R&B/hip-hop top 10 hits: "Vivrant Thing" featuring Q-Tip and "What It Is" featuring Busta Rhymes and Kelis.


Lighty, together with Primary Violator Management president Michael "Blue" Williams, appeared on Billboard's inaugural
Urban Power List (Billboard, July 7). At that time Lighty told Billboard that next on their agenda was brokering more brand extensions for their clients and breaking artists on multimedia platforms. "We're constantly trying to move the culture forward," said Lighty.

A Bronx, New York, native, Lighty got his start in hip-hop carrying records for DJ Red Alert, then worked under Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen at Rush Management, which was rap's first major management company.  He was an occasional rapper in a group in the late 80s/early 90s called the Violators, and was a member of a the Native Tongues crew with Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, at the time. He even rhymed on Black Sheep's 1991 debut album.

Academy Awards To Change Nomination Process For Best Original Song Oscar

Five songs will be nominated for Academy Awards in the Original Song category after the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences approved additional rules for the 85th Academy Awards.

Changes in the Original Song category were the most significant of the board¹s rule changes.


The academy spells it out: During the nominations process, all voting members of the music branch will receive a reminder list of works submitted in the category and a DVD copy of the song clips. Members will be asked to watch the clips and then vote for not more than five achievements in the category. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award.


The academy has tossed out a math-heavy system of the last two years that resulted in the category looking barren as only two songs were nominated last year and four the year before.


A maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film. If more than two songs from a film are in contention, the two songs with the most votes will be the nominees.



Brian Gerber, Hollywood producer who worked on Leonardo DiCaprio’s documentary, found dead in apparent suicide

A Hollywood producer who worked with Leonardo DiCaprio drove his car off a Los Angeles cliff Wednesday in an apparent suicide.

Brian Gerber, 41, was found near the wreckage of his Toyota Prius about 600 feet down an embankment of a highway near La Cañada Flintridge in the mountains north of Tinseltown, authorities said.

Investigators later found a suicide note by the highway, the coroner’s office said.

It's not clear exactly when the crash occurred, but relatives reported him missing late Monday after last seeing him around 4 p.m. in a distraught state, according to messages on his Facebook page.

"Our worst fears regarding Brian Gerber have been confirmed," the family said in a statement.

Gerber's relatives thanked friends for their condolences and said they were "overwhelmed with this situation" and needed privacy.

Gerber is survived by his wife, actress Arabella Field, and two young sons.

He produced DiCaprio's global warming documentary, "The 11th Hour."

The disturbing news comes a week after "Top Gun" director Tony Scott jumped to his death off a Los Angeles suspension bridge in another apparent suicide.

Scott, 68, the younger brother of "Prometheus" director Ridley Scott, also left a suicide note, but his motive remains unclear, authorities said.

Yinka Adegoke Appointed Deputy Editor of Billboard

Billboard announced today the appointment of Yinka Adegoke as Deputy Editor, effective Sept.17. In this role, Adegoke will be responsible for driving the publication's business editorial coverage across all platforms, including Billboard magazine, their business site, Billboard.biz, and their industry-leading conferences.  He will be based in New York and will report to Bill Werde, Billboard's Editorial Director, and Joe Levy, Editor of Billboard Magazine.

"Yinka is one of the top entertainment business journalists and thinkers in the industry today," said Werde. "I'm thrilled to bring him on to lead Billboard's world-class team of reporters. The hire of Yinka shows yet again that Billboard is a brand that invests in talent to serve our readers."


For the past six and a half years Yinka has worked as Reuters' senior media correspondent in their New York office covering the media business, breaking major stories and writing in-depth financial analysis on the TV industry, music business, digital media and everything in between.


Before moving to New York he was an editor at New Media Age in London where he covered the early days of the digital media revolution. Yinka started his career at Music Week in London and has written for publications including Music Business International, The Guardian and The Financial Times.


"I feel both lucky and blessed to be leaving a world class institution in journalism to join the global leader in music journalism," said Adegoke.  "I've covered the transformation of the music industry for 15 years and look forward to working with the great journalists at Billboard to tell many more important stories about this rapidly-evolving fascinating business."

'Good Morning America' co-host Robin Roberts' mother, Lucimarian Tolliver Roberts, dies at 88 in Mississippi: ABC affiliate

"Good Morning America" co-host Robin Roberts, who has been battling her own serious health problems the last few years, lost her mother on Thursday night, according to a report on an ABC News affiliate.
With her daughter by her side, 88-year-old Lucimarian Tolliver Roberts passed away at home in Mississippi, ABC News affiliate WXYZ reported.

Robin Roberts was planning to leave "GMA" on Friday on an extended medical leave, but left one day early to be with her ailing mother.

"This morning is a memory I will cherish forever. Thank you and bless you. Sally-Ann and I are on our way to be with our beloved mother. X0," Robin Roberts tweeted Thursday afternoon.

The TV veteran announced earlier this year that she's been diagnosed with the rare blood disorder myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). In 2007 Roberts was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer and underwent surgery.

Will.i.am, Cheryl Cole in Car Crash After L.A. Studio Session

Will.i.am and Cheryl Cole are "fine" after receiving minor injuries in a car accident early yesterday morning in Los Angeles, The Guardian reports. The Black Eyed Peas leader was driving with Cole in the passenger seat when his Cadillac ran into a parked car around 3:30 a.m. PDT, after leaving a recording studio. Cole was treated at the scene, but will.i.am was taken to the hospital in a neck brace with a bloody nose.

"Car accidents are not dope . . . I'm glad I'm o.k," tweeted will.i.am, while Cole tweeted, "Don't worry me and @iamwill are fine, promise x."

Will.i.am debuted his song "Reach For The Stars" earlier this week, teaming with NASA to broadcast the track from the Curiosity rover on Mars.

Kim Kardashian’s ex Kris Humphries is herpes-free, says rep after woman alleges she got the STD from Nets player in 2010

Kris Humphries is herpes-free, his rep told E! News after a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles alleges the Nets hoopster gave a woman the STD in 2010.

The plaintiff, Kayla Goldberg, claims she became “intimate partners” with Humphries, 27, after randomly meeting him at The Newsroom cafe in Los Angeles that August — about two months before he began dating Kim Kardashian.

The suit said she later met the NBA player at a Sunset Strip nightclub, where he allegedly described her as “cuter” than another female friend. The two spent the night flirting and she went back to his room at the Thompson Beverly Hills Hotel, according to the suit, which was obtained by TMZ.com.
alg_humphries_kardashian.jpg

They “talked and shared intimate experiences and continued to get to know each other by sharing many jokes, laughs and talking about their families,” the suit said. “For some of the time during sexual intercourse ... Humphries did not wear a condom.”
Goldberg claims she didn’t have the incurable venereal disease before having sex with Humphries, and that he never told her was allegedly infected, according to the suit.

She said herpes-like symptoms showed up about four or five days later, and a doctor diagnosed her with the STD on Sept. 8.

Goldberg suffered “severe physical and mental distress, pain from vaginal lesions and the accompanying symptoms, mental stress, depression, strain and upset from having contracted [herpes],” according to the suit.

Goldberg, who is claiming sexual battery, is suing for unspecified damages and wants the case to go to trial.
Humphries is already entangled in a messy legal dispute against Kardashian, whom he married about a year after the alleged tryst with Goldberg.

The reality TV star filed for divorce in October 2011 after 72 days of marriage.

Humphries wants an annulment, contending Kardashian, 31, only wed him to boost ratings for her show.

NY Daily News Releases Details About Chris Lighty's Death

Hip-hop manager Chris Lighty dead after shooting himself outside his Bronx apartment 

Hip-hop mogul Chris Lighty killed himself Thursday after a heated argument with his estranged wife in the Bronx, police sources told the Daily News.

Lighty — a longtime manager who worked with the likes of 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Diddy, Ja Rule and Mariah Carey — walked away from the argument after declaring “I’m tired of this,” before shooting himself in the head behind his South Riverdale home about 11:30 a.m., the sources said.


Cops found Lighty, 44, the founder and chief of Violator Management, lying faceup on the basement patio in a pool of blood with a 9-mm. pistol at his side, the sources said.


Lighty and Veronica

The shocking suicide followed a wild spat between Lighty and his 36-year-old wife, Veronica, who filed for divorce last year.

Moving trucks were at the home, as the veteran music manager prepared to move out of the three-story townhouse, sources said.


Law enforcement sources said Lighty’s wife of seven years told police he was facing financial woes that include a $5 million debt to the IRS. However, The Associated Press reported that Lighty paid off most of what he owed by selling a Manhattan apartment for $5.6 million in October.

Lighty still owed more than $330,000 in state and federal taxes, the AP reported. And in April, he was sued by City National Bank for not paying them after he had overdrawn his account by $53,584.

His 17-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son were in the W. 232nd St. home and left when the argument erupted. They were in a park nearby when Lighty, H who has three other children, stepped outside and pulled the trigger, sources said.

“It’s just devastating,” said Dan Charnas, author of “The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop” who featured Lighty in the final chapters of his book. “He was the personification of hip hop’s growth into the world.”


Charnas recalled how the kid from the Bronx River Houses evolved into a successful businessman.

“He wasn’t on the straight and narrow,” the writer said, but “learned to restrain whatever demons he had. Maybe in the end his circumstances weakened his restraints.” Lighty — who was reportedly worth an estimated $30 million — helped launch the careers of several artists, including brokering a multimillion-dollar deal for 50 Cent.

Lighty pushed the Queens rapper to sign a deal with Glaceau Energy Brands when they unveiled their new product, Vitamin Water, in 2004.

The “In Da Club” rapper joined the campaign team, appearing in several ads for about three years.


When Coca-Cola bought Glaceau for $4.1 billion, 50 Cent cashed out his 10% stake in the company — which reportedly earned the rapper between $60 million and $100 million.

Rumors swirled that the pair had a falling out, but Lighty took to his blog to clear the air.

In his final blog post on his website, ChrisLighty.com, he wrote that he was “BUSY TRYING TO STAY AHEAD OF THE RAT RACE WE CALL HIP HOP.”

Lighty said allegations that he and his brother were attacked by a member of 50 Cent’s crew were simply ridiculous.

The June 23, 2010 post, titled “chaos and mayhem . . . hip hop,” continued with an eerie message, apparently aimed at twisted stories involving his clients.

“YOU HAVE SEEN THE SENSELESS LOSSES THAT WE HAVE HAD IN HIP HOP ... THE CHAOS AND MAYHEM WILL DESTROY HIP HOP.”


Lighty, who was born Darrel Lighty, was raised with five siblings by a single mother in the projects. He had his big break in the late 1980s, when Russell Simmons offered him a gig to work for his management company.

His career quickly catapulted after Lighty founded Violator Management, which merged last year with Primary Wave Talent Management to create Primary Violator.

In 2008, he was named one of Crain’s 40 under 40.

“When you’re growing up in the Reagan era, you really learn the value of a food stamp — and you never want to go back there,” he told Crain’s.


“On the entrepreneurial side, this is one of the biggest losses in hip hop,” said Datwon Thomas, executive editor of Vibe magazine.


Lighty had one arrest on his record, a pinch for weapons possession, a law enforcement source said.


As news of his sudden death spread Thursday, some of the industry’s brightest stars took to Twitter to share their condolences.


“In shock,”
tweeted Sean (Diddy) Combs. “R.I.P. Chris Lighty.”


“Rest peacefully Chris Lighty, my prayers go out to family and loved ones! Dear God please have mercy,”
tweeted songstress Rihanna.

“R.I.P. CHRIS LIGHTY THE MAN THAT SAVED MY LIFE,”
Bronx rapper Fat Joe posted on Twitter. “I Would Be Nothing Without YOU!!! My Kids Appreciate YOU God Bless Chris Lighty.”

Nick Cannon posted: “I’m devastated right now. I can’t believe my big brother Chris Lighty is gone . . . He was a pioneer, a mentor, and a great friend.”

Outside Lighty’s home, some stars showed up to help finish removing boxes Lighty was packing to take away from the house.

Deejay Funkmaster Flex and rapper Busta Rhymes were seen outside helping load two UHaul trucks parked on the street.


“I am utterly, utterly devastated,”
said hip-hop activist Harry Allen. “It feels unfair to us. He was our wealth. Chris was like the fruition of all that could be. He was loved.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

"Timbaland"

From the radio to MTV to the pop charts, no producer dominated hip-hop of the late 1990s and early 2000s more than Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley. With his jittery future-shock beats — characterized by heavy bass and skittering synths, and often augmented by avant-garde touches like Indian tabla — the Norfolk, Virginia was behind massive hits for Missy Elliott ("Get Your Freak On"), Justin Timberlake ("Cry Me a River") and Nelly Furtado ("Promiscuous"), to name a few. While beat-making is Timbaland's forte, he's also an MC, with three albums of his own plus two with rapper Magoo. 

Born Timothy Zachery Mosley on March 10, 1971, Timbaland began making music as a teenager, performing in a band with fellow Virginians Magoo and Pharrell Williams, who became a founding member of the Neptunes. Timbaland also became friends with fellow Norfolk native Missy Elliott, who was in an early 1990s R&B girl group called Sista. When Sista was signed by DeVante Swing, a member of Jodeci, Mosley and Magoo followed Elliott to Suffern, NY, and — along with singer Ginuwine — joined Swing's crew of writer-producer-performers. Mosley worked on Jodeci's 1995 The Show, the After Party, the Hotel; soon, he, Magoo, Elliott, Playa, and Ginuwine split from Swing. 

Timbaland began attracting the music industry's attention in 1996, when his work on Ginuwine's second album Ginuwine . . . the Bachelor spawned the sexed-up Top Ten hit "Pony." He then collaborated with R&B sensation Aaliyah on her 1996 album, One in a Million; the title track hit Number Two on the Dance chart. Timbaland was developing his signature sound: snaking syncopated drum patterns, skittering hi-hats, plinking keyboards and strong, glutinous bass. 

He inspired even more buzz when he produced his old partner Missy Elliott's 1997 smash solo debut, Supa Dupa Fly, which featured the groundbreaking hits "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" and "Sock It 2 Me." Around that time, Timbaland flexed his mic skills, too, releasing Welcome to Our World with Magoo. The album yielded two hits: "Up Jumps Da Boogie," which featured Elliott and Aaliyah, and "Clock Strikes."
In 1998, Timbaland released his solo LP, Tim's Bio: Life From Da Bassment, which boasted superstar cameos from Jay-Z, Nas and Ludacris. But he scored even bigger with a stunning string of singles for others, including Jay-Z's "Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99)," Nicole "Make It Hot" (featuring Missy Elliott) and "Are You That Somebody," Aaliyah's contribution to the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack. The deeply funky, avant-garde tune — which featured heaving sound gaps and a gurgling baby — cemented the "Timbaland sound" in the public ear, and raised the bar for other producers to top its audacious style. 

Timbaland next cooked up beats for Elliott's 1999 LP Da Real World, and Ginuwine's 100% Ginuwine ; he also contributed four standout tracks to Jay-Z's Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter, including the smash "Big Pimpin'," which, noted Village Voice critic Robert Christgau, sounded as if it "were recorded in Cairo." The song signaled a shift in Timbaland's tastes: he began to sample Eastern sounds, a style that reached its apex in 2001 on Elliott's Miss E . . . So Addictive. The album's single, "Get Ur Freak On," was driven by an Indian tabla and Jamaican-dancehall-style drum and bass. 

Timbaland's experimental streak was also evident on four tracks he crafted for Romeo Must Die, the soundtrack for a 2000 film starring Jet Li and Aaliyah. The singer's sultry Number One tune "Try Again" featured a Roland TB-303 bass-synthesizer, an instrument usually associated with acid house music. He also helmed three cuts — including "We Need a Resolution" and "More Than a Woman" — on the chart-topping Aaliyah, released shortly before the singer's death in a plane crash at age 22. 

Around that time, Timbaland reunited with Magoo for Indecent Proposal. He also oversaw a series of albums and singles: Bubba Sparxxx's Dark Days, Bright Nights, Petey Pablo's Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry and Ludacris's hit "Roll Out (My Business)" (Number 17, 2001). Soon after, Timbaland reteamed with Elliott for Under Construction (Number Three, 2002), which blended left-of-center beats and straightforward funk. He also produced a handful of tracks for Justin Timberlake's 2002 smash Justified, including the hard-hitting breakup tune "Cry Me a River." In 2003, Timbaland put out another album with Magoo (Under Construction Pt. II) and produced Elliott's This Is Not a Test!, neither of which saw major commercial success. In fact, Timbaland's peak work around this time was Bubba Sparxxx's Deliverance, which fused Timbaland's off-kilter percussion with countrified fiddles. 

Timbaland laid fairly low in the mid-2000s — even Elliott's 2005 The Cookbook featured minimal input from him. He played the journeyman, contributing tracks to several albums and garnering a handful of hits for L.L. Cool J and Ludacris, among others. It was during this time that Timbaland moved to Miami and began work as a bodybuilder; he also began collaborating with Nate "Danjahandz" Hills, who is credited as co-producer on several songs from this period forward. In 2006, Timbaland's relative lull ended decisively, when he produced two chart-topping albums: Nelly Furtado's Loose and Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds. Singles from both albums ruled the pop charts for the next two years: Furtado's "Promiscuous," "Maneater," "Say It Right," "All Good Things (Come to an End) and "Do It"; and Timberlake's "SexyBack," "My Love" (featuring T.I), "What Goes Around . . . Comes Around," "Summer Love" and "LoveStoned." Timbaland continued his hot streak with his 2007 solo disc Shock Value, which shot to Number Five and featured the Top Ten hits "Give It to Me" (with Furtado and Timbaland), "The Way I Are" (featuring Keri Hilson) and "Apologize" (featuring OneRepublic). In 2009, he released Shock Value's sequel, Shock Value II. Though Timbaland corralled a superstar crew – including Timberlake, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus – to guest on the disc, it wasn't as successful as its predecessor; it peaked at Number 36 on the pop charts.

Diddy Signs YouTube Sensation Megan Nicole to Bad Boy

A young Texan girl by the name of Megan Nicole just got an upgrade.

Bad Boy Records founder Sean “Diddy” Combs and label President Harve Pierre have signed the 18-year-old YouTube songstress to the label.

She has over 1-million YouTube subscribers and has grossed more than 250 million views. This is just from doing covers of songs like “The Lazy Song” and “Call Me Maybe.” Bad Boy/Interscope execs plan to boost her platform even further.

Pandora's Second Quarter: As Losses Grow, the Message Shifts to Mobile

Pandora shifted its message for its fiscal second-quarter earnings on Wednesday, putting more emphasis on the growth of its mobile revenue and listening hours.

During the earnings call, Pandora CEO Joe Kennedy unveiled an unprecedented number of details meant to show advertisers have and will continue to follow Pandora listeners to mobile devices. Compared to the prior-year period, mobile revenue was up 86%, mobile listener hours grew 96% year-over-year, and mobile revenue improved 86% to $59.2 million

"Our mobile monetization strategies are working," Kennedy declared confidently.

 
Pandora shares were up 7.9% to $10.08 in after-hours trading -- not so much because of the disclosures about mobile growth, but because the company improved its fiscal 2013 guidance. Revenue is expected to be $425 million to $432 million, up from $420 million to $427 million, and net loss per share is expected to fall between ($0.04) and ($0.08), an improvement from earlier guidance of ($0.07) and ($0.11).

Top-line numbers looked good, as usual. In the second fiscal quarter ended July 31, Pandora grew its revenue 52% to $89.4 million. Total revenue for the first six months of the company's fiscal year was $182 million, with $160 million coming from advertising and $22 million coming from paid subscriptions. Although Pandora is no longer seeing revenue growth at or near triple digits, it grew revenue by $29.7 million in the first quarter and $34.3 million in the second quarter.

 
The company posted a slight loss of $5.4 million for the quarter and $25.6 million in the first six months of its fiscal year (due to a $20.2 million loss in the first quarter). It posted a net loss of $3.7 million in the same period a year ago.

Content acquisition costs continued to drag on Pandora's earnings but improved from the first quarter. Royalties paid to rights holders -- mainly for the performance of sound recordings -- accounted for 59.8% of revenue during the most recent quarter and 63.9% during the first half of the fiscal year. Royalties accounted for 69.1% of revenue in the first fiscal quarter of 2012. Those content acquisition costs are between 9.4 percentage points (for the second quarter) and 12 percentage points (for the first quarter) higher than previous periods.
 
Content acquisition costs keep growing because people keep listening. Listener hours increased 80% to 3.3 billion. Active users grew 48% to 54.9 million at the end of July. The company expanded into Australia and New Zealand in July, but its number of listeners and resulting royalties are immaterial relative to its U.S. operations.

Mobile, which accounts for 75% of Pandora usage, is an important topic because it presents a unique challenge (and is a major, ongoing concern of equity analysts). Listeners have moved from the desktop to mobile devices. Pandora has been coaxing advertising to its mobile platforms and slowly growing the revenue it generates per 1,000 impressions. It's a numbers game, and Kennedy believes Pandora is on the right track.

"If you look at the historical trend," he told Billboard.biz before Wednesday's earnings call, "we are narrowing that gap, meaning the revenue growth is approaching the listener hour growth and that ultimately is the key to getting the content acquisition costs down."

Pandora CFO Steve Cakebread announced during the earnings call he plans to leave the company later this year.

Mia Love Wikipedia page vandalized

Rep. Mia Love's Wikipedia page was vandalized overnight with racist and sexist epithets.
The attack comes as Democrats and liberal media outlets criticize or downplay the GOP's effort at showcasing diversity at their convention in Tampa.

Love, a Utah city mayor and congressional candidate who is black, delivered a brief but rousing address Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention. The daughter of Haitian immigrants told her family story, throwing in some jabs at President Obama's "divided" America for good measure. 

Bloggers were quick to spot some inflammatory changes to her Wikipedia page that night. Though the changes have since been removed, screen grabs posted to various websites show one section called her a "dirty, worthless whore" who sold out to big business. Another section again called her a "sell-out" to the "right wing hate machine," before accusing her of being exploited "like the House N----- she truly is."

Elvis' Underwear Goes Up for Auction

  
A pair of unwashed briefs belonging to Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley's underwear, complete with stains, will be sold at an auction in Manchester, England, next month, the BBC reports. Presley wore the undies at a 1977 show before the auction house acquired them from Presley's father Vernon. The dirty drawers could fetch up to £10,000, or around $15,800.

Also up for auction are Presley's personal Bible, which was given to him in 1957 and contains handwritten notes, and 16mm home movie footage taken by Priscilla Presley. The Bible is expected to go for £25,000, or around $39,500.

Omega Auctions will stream the auction live on September 8th.

President Obama to Reddit Users: 'Ask Me Anything'

President Barack Obama participated in an "AMA" (Ask Me Anything) Q&A session with Reddit users on Wednesday afternoon, taking questions on the social networking site about everything from Internet freedom and student loans to basketball and beer.

Here are some of the highlights from the conversation:

How are you going help small businesses in 2013 and 2014? and what if any bills are you going to implement for small businesses, in 2013, and 2014?
–PartyInYourMouth
Obama: We've really focused on this since I came into office – 18 tax cuts for small business, easier funding from the SBA. Going forward, I want to keep taxes low for the 98 percent of small businesses that have $250,000 or less in income, make it easier for small business to access financing, and expand their opportunities to export. And we will be implementing the Jobs Act bill that I signed that will make it easier for startups to access crowd-funding and reduce their tax burden at the start-up stage.

What are you going to do to end the corrupting influence of money in politics during your second term?
–suzmerk

Obama: Money has always been a factor in politics, but we are seeing something new in the no-holds barred flow of seven and eight figure checks, most undisclosed, into super-PACs; they fundamentally threaten to overwhelm the political process over the long run and drown out the voices of ordinary citizens. We need to start with passing the Disclose Act that is already written and been sponsored in Congress – to at least force disclosure of who is giving to who. We should also pass legislation prohibiting the bundling of campaign contributions from lobbyists. Over the longer term, I think we need to seriously consider mobilizing a constitutional amendment process to overturn Citizens United (assuming the Supreme Court doesn't revisit it). Even if the amendment process falls short, it can shine a spotlight of the super-PAC phenomenon and help apply pressure for change.

Is Internet Freedom an issue you'd push to add to the Democratic Party's 2012 platform?
–SharkGirl
Obama: Internet freedom is something I know you all care passionately about; I do too. We will fight hard to make sure that the internet remains the open forum for everybody – from those who are expressing an idea to those to want to start a business. And although there will be occasional disagreements on the details of various legislative proposals, I won't stray from that principle – and it will be reflected in the platform.

What was the most difficult decision that you had to make during this term?
-FifthSurprise
Obama: The decision to surge our forces in afghanistan. Any time you send our brave men and women into battle, you know that not everyone will come home safely, and that necessarily weighs heavily on you. The decision did help us blunt the taliban's momentum, and is allowing us to transition to afghan lead – so we will have recovered that surge at the end of this month, and will end the war at the end of 2014. But knowing of the heroes that have fallen is something you never forget.

What is the first thing you'll do on November 7th, win or lose?
–daveforamerica
Obama: Win or lose, I'll be thanking everybody who is working so hard – especially all the volunteers in field offices all across the country, and the amazing young people in our campaign offices.

Who's your favourite Basketball player?
–karlfranks
 Obama: Jordan – I'm a Bulls guy.

What's the recipe for the White House's beer?
–silent1mezzo
Obama: It will be out soon! I can tell from first hand experience, it is tasty.

I am recent law school graduate. Despite graduating from a top school, I find myself unemployed with a large student loan debt burden. While I'm sure my immediate prospects will improve in time, it's difficult to be optimistic about the future knowing that my ability to live a productive life – to have a fulfilling career, to buy a house, to someday raise a family – is hampered by my debt and the bleak economic outlook for young people. I know that I'm not alone in feeling this way. Many of us are demoralized. Your 2008 campaign was successful in large part due to the efforts of younger demographics. We worked for you, we campaigned for you, and we turned out in record numbers to vote for you. What can I say to encourage those in similar situations as I am to show up again in November? What hope can you offer us for your second term?
–hmlee

Obama: I understand how tough it is out there for recent grads. You're right – your long term prospects are great, but that doesn't help in the short term. Obviously some of the steps we have taken already help young people at the start of their careers. Because of the health care bill, you can stay on your parent's plan until you're 26. Because of our student loan bill, we are lowering the debt burdens that young people have to carry. But the key for your future, and all our futures, is an economy that is growing and creating solid middle class jobs – and that's why the choice in this election is so important. The other party has two ideas for growth – more taxs cuts for the wealthy (paid for by raising tax burdens on the middle class and gutting investments like education) and getting rid of regulations we've put in place to control the excesses on wall street and help consumers. These ideas have been tried, they didnt work, and will make the economy worse. I want to keep promoting advanced manufacturing that will bring jobs back to America, promote all-American energy sources (including wind and solar), keep investing in education and make college more affordable, rebuild our infrastructure, invest in science, and reduce our deficit in a balanced way with prudent spending cuts and higher taxes on folks making more than $250,000/year. I don't promise that this will solve all our immediate economic challenges, but my plans will lay the foundation for long term growth for your generation, and for generations to follow. So don't be discouraged – we didn't get into this fix overnight, and we won't get out overnight, but we are making progress and with your help will make more.

How do you balance family life and hobbies with, well, being the POTUS?
–gobearss
Obama: It's hard – truthfully the main thing other than work is just making sure that I'm spending enough time with michelle and the girls. The big advantage I have is that I live above the store – so I have no commute! So we make sure that when I'm in DC I never miss dinner with them at 6:30 pm – even if I have to go back down to the Oval for work later in the evening. I do work out every morning as well, and try to get a basketball or golf game in on the weekends just to get out of the bubble. Speaking of balance, though, I need to get going so I'm back in DC in time for dinner. But I want to thank everybody at reddit for participating – this is an example of how technology and the internet can empower the sorts of conversations that strengthen our democracy over the long run. AND REMEMBER TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER – if you need to know how to register, go to Gottaregister.com. By the way, if you want to know what I think about this whole reddit experience – NOT BAD!