(Exclusive) Russell Simmons Inks Overall Deal With HBO

Under the two-year pact, he'll develop new projects for the cable network formerly home to "Def Comedy Jam."

The prolific music and TV producer has inked a two-year first-look deal with the premium cable network, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively. Under the pact, Simmons will create and develop projects for HBO.

The deal reunites him with the cabler that was home to Simmons' Def Comedy Jam. That series, which ran from 1992-97 and 2006-08, is credited with launching the careers of several notable African-American stand-up comedians.

For his part, the co-founder of Def Jam also executive produced two stand-up comedy series on Comedy Central in the past few years. He was an EP on MTV's docuseries Daddy's Girls and its spinoff, Run's House.

Simmons created Def Jam Recordings in 1984, and in 2007, published the New York Times best-seller Do You! 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success. Simmons also founded GlobalGrind.com, an online website for entertainment news. His latest best-seller is Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All. 

On the film side, Simmons also exec produced features Waist Deep, Lemon and The House I Live In.

Simmons is repped by CAA.

Jennifer Aniston Breaks Bad, Strips Down In 'We're The Millers' Trailer

Jennifer Aniston isn't afraid to shake what her mama gave her. Need proof? Check out the new trailer for her summer comedy, "We're The Millers."

 

The film re-teams her with her "Horrible Bosses" co-star Jason Sudeikis, who plays a slightly desperate, low-level drug dealer who recruits his stripper neighbor, Aniston, to play his wife on a road trip to Mexico. He devises the con in order to pick up marijuana for his horrible boss, this time played by Ed Helms.

We're The Millers

Why the scam? "Me, crossing the border alone? Huge red flag. Families, they don't' get a second look," Sudeikis pleads, as Aniston grinds up against him at her place of employment. She agrees, and soon she's heading over the border with him, a "dork who lives in my building" (played by Will Poulter) acting as his son and a "little gutter punk" he recruits to play his daughter (played by Emma Roberts).

Along the way, their RV breaks down, they end up befriending a pair of swingers and, of course, things don't go as planned at the drug pick-up. In order to get out of some hot water with some Mexican drug lords, Aniston strips down to her lacy unmentionables.

Perhaps the only moment to upstage Aniston's impressive pole dancing abilities is Poulter's mastery of Left Eye's rap in TLC's "Waterfalls." Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber ("Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story"), the movie opens August 9 and also features Nick Offerman, Thomas Lennon and Kathryn Hahn.

Paris Hilton Joins Lil Wayne's Cash Money Family?

Heiress says she's signed to Weezy's label and will focus on house music on her summer sophomore album.

By Jocelyn Vena (@jocelyn1212)

Paris Hilton has found a new home, and some of her roommates include Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj. The heiress/singer/"Bling Ring" actress has reportedly signed with Cash Money Records.

Hilton broke the news to Showbiz 411, adding that she hopes to have her follow-up to 2006's self-titled debut out by summer. She added it will feature a number of hip-hop acts, including Weezy, and production from EDM superstar Afrojack. "This is a lot different than my first album," Paris told the site. "It's really going to be house music."

Reps for Cash Money confirmed that Hilton is onboard with the label, while Hilton's rep said nothing is set in stone: "Paris Hilton is in talks with a number of record labels right now but we can't confirm anything. When a deal is finalized we will make an official announcement."

Hilton has been rolling with the Cash Money crew for a while now. Last year, she released a song with Wayne, "Last Night," and he was even on hand at her birthday bash back in March. In May, she was also recruited to cameo in the Rich Gang's video for "Tapout," alongside Cash Money all-stars Wayne, Birdman, Mack Maine and Nicki Minaj.

Birdman opened up to "RapFix" about the relationships the label has cultivated over the years. And while he never brought up this reported deal with the hotel heiress, it seemed clear he's into working with all kinds of artists.

"We have other artists like Future, who is not signed to us but a part of us. French, Ross, Meek and all these [guys] are friends that we rock with and call on," Birdman promised. "A lot of business we do don't necessarily have to be about money, it's about relationships and this is about people that we have relationships with."

Hilton's been long teasing the sophomore effort. She shared last year she wanted to have new music out in mid-2012, but it never happened. It seems fans will have to wait a little longer — until the summer of 2013 — to hear what she's previously described as "electropop music."

"I think a lot of people don't know that music is my passion since I was a little girl," the "Stars Are Blind" singer told MTV News last year. "I'm very musically talented. This is more my thing [musically on this album], more of a club scene, more dance."

Sony continues to battle Apple for better streaming deal

by Tim Ingham

Sony Music and Sony/ATV are both holding out on striking a deal with Apple for its soon-to-be-announced online radio service - a decision that is reportedly frustrating Warner and Universal.

From the Sony/ATV side, boss Marty Bandier is demanding a higher rate of pay for songwriters, who have traditionally only accrued around a twentieth of the value of a recorded music sale.

From the sale of a song on iTunes, for instace, the retailer (Apple) will take 30%. Of the 70% that goes back to rightsholders, around 15% will be passed to the publisher, with the vast majority going to the record company. What an artist or songwriter ends up with is dependent on their deal, but usually the publisher will pay out more of a percentage of the money earnt to their client.

According to The New York Post, Bandier wants the publishers' overall share of revenue accrued from iStream to rise from 5% to 50%, but would accept a rise to 10% or 15% as a first step. BMG is believed to be backing Bandier's mission, and is also yet to sign a deal with Apple.

Universal has already signed a global licence deal with Apple, with Warner set to sign imminiently. However, both of these companies own their own record label and publishing companies - Sony is only a part owner of Sony/ATV/EMI.

Bandier certainly appears to have the backing of some star talent. Pharrell Williams, who co-wrote current Daft Punk smash Get Lucky, said: "“Marty [Bandier] is fighting for the fair value and rights of songwriters, and that’s essential in the digital world that we live in.”

“There’s a frustration,” one senior music executive told the Post. “[The Apple streaming service] is a net positive for the business. Apple is offering a 50/50 ad revenue share, minimum guarantees and royalties and the most successful ecosystem that’s ever been created. Unlike Pandora, the up-sell opportunity is enormous.”

Apple declined to comment.

Pandora Sees Quarterly Gains in Subscription and Mobile Revenue

Pandora's gains in its most recent fiscal quarter were helped by an increase in subscribers that stemmed from the listening caps the company placed on mobile listening in March. 

The company added over 700,000 net new subscribers to its Pandora One, ad-free service in the quarter, a 114% increase year-over-year.

The gain in subscribers was "more than we expected," CEO Joe Kennedy tells Billboard. "In the overall grand scheme of things, the cap worked as we expected." He says a "very small percentage of listeners" were affected by the cap. Those listeners that did run into the cap returned to Pandora in some fashion. In addition to the option to subscribe to Pandora One, listeners had the option of paying $1 for unlimited listening through the end of the month.

Revenue grew 55% to $125.5 million. Mobile accounted for $86.7 million, up 97% from the prior-year period. Subscription revenue more than doubled to $20.4 million from $10.2 million. The company's net loss improved to $20.2 million from $28.6 million a year earlier. Listener hours in the quarter grew 35% to 4.18 billion, up from 3.09 billion in the prior-year period. According to the Pandora's calculations, its share of national radio listening rose to 7.33% from 5.86%.

Thursday's earnings included an increase in fiscal guidance from $615 million to $635 million, up from the previous guidance of $600 million to $620 million. Some of the increase was due to the unexpectedly strong gains in subscribers in the first quarter, although the company does not expect that growth rate to sustain itself over the entire year. 

Investors reacted positively, sending shares of Pandora up over 9% in after-hours trading after closing up 4.1% to $17.16. Pandora will surpass its 52-week high of $17.65 if Friday morning trading follows after-hours trading Thursday.  

One thing hasn't changed: Pandora is growing like a weed but has not yet attained profitability. The company's net loss declined to $28.6 million from $20.2 million a year earlier. The success of Pandora's business model depends greatly on its ability to monetize mobile listening, which accounted for 79% of listener hours in the quarter. Mobile revenue is headed in the right direction as mobile RPM (revenue per 1,000 impressions) increased to $26.15 from $19.16 a year ago. But mobile also has much room for improvement: web RPM in the quarter was $48.33. 

Another key component of Pandora's quest for profitability is content acquisition costs, or the royalties it pays for streaming music. As a percent of revenue, content acquisition costs in the quarter were 66%, down slightly from 69.1% a year earlier. Because the company pays royalties based on the number of streams its users generate, and because more and more listening takes place on mobile devices, Pandora's mobile monetization will be the vital factor in reaching profitability.

"This quarter is really just a story of continued momentum of all the initiatives we've been talking about for a long time," Kennedy told Billboard. One important initiative is the recent integration of the Mediaocean and STRATA media buying platforms into Pandora's billing system to facilitate planning and buying. 

Pandora announced two smaller initiatives earlier this week. One was the debut of Pandora Premieres, a station that streams albums a week before their street dates. The other was a deeper integration with Facebook that will allow listeners to automatically publish their listening history to their Facebook Timeline and populate their musical identity in Facebook's music section. Numerous other digital music services have offered this integration since Facebook launched Open Graph in January 2012.

Atlanta's 2 Chainz is going into beast mode these next few months by falling back on his guest features requests and finalizing his sophomore album for a late summer release.

Rather than break the news via a press release, Chainz announced Based On A T.R.U Story's follow-up early Friday (May 24).

"FEATURES ON HAULT... NEW ALBUM ON THE WAY SEPTEMBER TENTH!!!!," he tweeted May 24th.

"RT @KarenCivil: 2 Chainz is releasing his new LP Sept 10th!" (2 Chainz's Twitter)

Over the winter, Chainz promised to up the ante on his next LP.

"Thanks MTV , headed to the lab ...," Chainz tweeted March 7th.

"Next album will hush all the critics that the 1st album didn't..."

"Def a blessing.... Always wanted to be mentioned on that list" (2 Chainz's Twitter)

Last fall, the rapper formerly known as "Tity Boi" revealed plans to turn his next album in by April.

"I'm trying to turn in my album by April of next year," 2 Chainz told MTV News after performing at Philadelphia's Powerhouse concert on Friday night. "It won't come out then but I'm at least trying to turn it in and set up for more tours because we enjoy doing live shows, so be looking out for more of that from the crew." So far, 2 Chainz has banked less than a handful of new songs, but he's already got at least one solid feature locked down. "I have three songs already recorded and I have one feature on the song," he revealed. "I don't wanna put that out [yet]; you gotta wait, but it's dope." (MTV)

Outside of music-making, Chainz recently revealed an interest in taking acting seriously.

Now he's thinking about what comes next; his second album is in the works, but 2 Chainz says something in the movie realm is also possible. "It sounds like a world I could be part of," he acknowledges. "We've got a couple of scripts we're looking at. We've got a couple endorsements. We've been looking at contracts, (publishing) deals. We have a few things going on in our small little world. "I'm just taking it one day at a time. My team is focused. We're still trying to make an impact in different things. I don't want to limit myself, so just be expecting some more from 2 Chainz." (Contra Costa Times)

Jennifer Hudson Returning To 'American Idol' As Judge?

Grammy-winning 'Idol' alum is reportedly being courted for season 13.

By Jocelyn Vena (@jocelyn1212)

It takes one to know one, and maybe that's why "American Idol" producers are reportedly courting former contestant Jennifer Hudson to sit at the judges' table next season.

According to The Wrap, the Oscar and Grammy winner is in talks to judge during season 13. Hudson, who competed on the third season, appeared on the show's season finale last week alongside winner Candice Glover.

"The show's producers feel they've lost their core audience," the source adds. "And they want to bring back former contestants in order to tell their core audience, 'We love you.' They know they've made some major mistakes over the past few seasons and they want to make it right with their fans."

OG judge Randy Jackson has confirmed he's leaving the show, and it's still unclear if Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey or Keith Urban will be back for more. The show is reportedly looking to go back to a three-judge format. The show's first-ever winner, Kelly Clarkson, is also rumored for a judging spot on the show. Vulture further reports that other former idols like Clay Aiken and Adam Lambert are also possibilities, though nothing has been confirmed by their reps.

Fox entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly told reporters last week that "everything is on the table."

Kree Harrison Saw 'No Drama' On The 'Idol' Set

The latest round of names comes just weeks after it was rumored that A-listers like Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Pink and Sean "Diddy" Combs might be in the running for a gig. Experts who spoke to MTV News note that it's going to take something big to get fans interested in the longtime reality TV juggernaut, whether it be a major reboot in the show's format or finding a better formula for the folks who end up on the judging panel.

With so much still up in the air, "American Idol" runner-up Kree Harrison spoke to us earlier this week, hoping that Urban, Minaj and Carey might be given a second chance, despite all the headlines about Minaj and Carey's beef.

"I mean I loved watching all of them together," she said. "I don't know who the fourth judge would be if they kept those three. I have to say I'm really thankful that I got to be a part of Randy's last season 'cause I love him," she said. "Getting to play with him on the finale was amazing. He's a really cool guy."

Sony to Sell $1.5 Billion in Corporate Bonds in Japan

Sony Corp will issue $1.5 billion in five-year bonds June 19 to ordinary Japanese investors, the company said Friday. Of that, $1.1 billion is earmarked for paying down existing debt, with the rest used for capital investment.

 

TOKYO – The entertainment to electronics giant is attempting to strengthen its financial position as it restructures under CEO Kaz Hirai, who took the reins at Sony in April 2012.

The company registered its first profit in five years in the fiscal period to March 2013, though this was achieved through asset disposals and from the benefits of a weaker yen.

The company laid out its strategy for the next three years at its global headquarters on Wednesday, with a promise to return its loss-making TV business to the black and concentrate on sectors including smartphones. It also agreed to look at a proposal from hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb to sell off part of its profitable entertainment division. The plan faces opposition from some of its major Japanese shareholders, who see the division as an important contributor of profits and suggest Loeb's intentions are focused on short-term gains.

The Japanese capital markets have been surging this year, with Sony stock more than doubling since January.

Katy Perry Apologizes After Chief Keef Threatens Her On Twitter

'Mr. Keef! I'm sorry if I offended you,' Perry tweets after the Chicago rapper shot back at her for criticizing his 'Hate Bein' Sober' track.

Katy Perry set off fireworks and angered Chief Keef by dissing his music, but now the pop queen has apologized to the 17-year-old Chicago rapper.

It all started on Tuesday when the "Wide Awake" singer logged onto Twitter to voice her opinion about Keef's music. "Just heard a new song on the radio called 'I hate being sober' I now have serious doubt for the world," she wrote.

Keef caught wind of the jab a few days later, and on Thursday night he got fans everywhere talking with his foul-mouthed and threatening response. "Dat bitch Katy Perry Can Suck Skin Off Of my Di--," he wrote. "Ill Smack The Sh-- out her."

He also revealed plans to drop a Katy dis song, but Katy's apology may force the rapper to have a change of heart. "Mr. Keef! I'm sorry if I offended you. I heard a lot of people guesting on the song & didn't even know it was you in particular," she responded, referencing the Wiz Khalifa and 50 Cent features on Keef's "Hate Bein' Sober." "Actually... I'm a fan of your 'Don't Like' video tbh. I was really just having a general opinion on our generations desire to be constantly intoxicated... Believe me, I'm a lover not a hater. x"

The controversial rapper didn't say if he accepts the apology or not, but he did retweet Katy's apology. And he seemed to move on quickly, as a few hours later he expressed his lust for NFL star Reggie Bush's fiancée, Lilit Avag.

 

First Indie Artist Surpasses One Billion YouTube Channel Views

Teaneck, NJ (PRWEB) May 23, 2013 

The Official YouTube Channel for singing and dancing viral superstar Gummibär (username GummyBearIntl), has recently reached two major milestones, surpassing 1 billion total channel views and 300 thousand subscribers. 

With these achievements, Gummibär joins a rather exclusive club of about 73 other YouTube channels that currently have 1 billion views or more. Amongst the ranks are music superstars such as Eminem, Justin Beiber and Lady Gaga. However, Gummibär is the only musical artist in the list that is not signed, affiliated or distributed by a major music label, making him the first indie music artist to reach 1 billion channel views. Gummibär's YouTube channel is also ranked 3rd in views in the Film & Animation category and the music video for his "Gummy Bear Song" ranks as the No.1 most watched video in this category as well.

The recent surge past the 300 thousand subscriber mark is not as illustrious of an achievement as 1 billion channel views, but still incredibly impressive. Subscribers are a clear reflection of the popularity of the Gummibär brand and the quality of the content on the YouTube channel. With the daily average of new subscribers regularly topping 1,000, the official Gummibär YouTube channel could double its subscribers in just another year.

Both major accomplishments come on the heels of another recent milestone, in which "The Gummy Bear Song" ranked at #23 on YouTube's All Time Viewed Videos chart. Once again, Gummibär had broken ground in this area, being the only indie music artist on the list of 25.

About Gummibär:

The first Gummibär videos were posted in 2006 and since then the character has grown to be immensely popular around the world. Gummibär's two official YouTube channels until today have generated for today has over 1.5 billion documented views and continues to average about 2 million views every day. In addition close to 50.000 User generated videos of Gummibar songs have been posted on YouTube lifting the total estimated views of his recordings to somewhere around 3 billion. The Gummibär YouTube channel also ranks as the 27th most viewed musician of all-time and is the 67th most viewed channel of all-time. 

The success of the Gummibär brand extends outside of YouTube too. The character’s songs have been released in over 40 different countries and in over 27 different languages. Gummibär has received Sales Certification Awards in more than a dozen countries, including one for selling 96 times Platinum on Universal Records in Greece with its premier album “I Am A Gummybear,” despite the country’s adverse economic conditions. 

About Gummybear International:

Gummybear International is engaged in the creation, development, and branding of animated entertainment properties, as well as musical content based on and produced for such properties. It markets and sells recorded musical and video products in various physical formats, such as compact discs and DVDs, and digital formats, such as downloads and ringtones, through a worldwide network of established distributors and licensees. The company’s music publishing segment owns and acquires rights to musical compositions, markets these compositions, and receives royalties or fees for their use. It also is actively developing mobile and computer based games and exploiting merchandising rights for its brands in cooperation with a variety of licensing partners. GBI is working on a number of film and TV projects. The company is headquartered in New Jersey. For more information, visit the Gummybear International website at http://www.gummybearinternational.com/.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2013/5/prweb10756852.htm

Rapper 'Tim Dog' Reportedly Faked His Own Death To Avoid Paying Thousands Of Dollars In Restitution

A Mississippi woman is claiming that a popular 1990s rapper faked his own death to get out of paying her thousands of dollars. 

On Feb. 14, rapper Timothy Blair, better known as "Tim Dog," reportedly died from a seizure following a battle with diabetes. Rolling Stone reported this news via a report from The Source, but that link is now disabled. Southaven, Miss., native Esther Pilgrim may know why such news disappeared. She is claiming the rapper actually faked his death to swindle her out of $32,000. 

Two years ago, Blair pleaded guilty to grand larceny for defrauding Pilgrim, KABC previously reported. The two met through an online dating site and he scammed her into thinking he needed investors to restart his music career. This left Pilgrim with $32,000 in credit card debt. A judge ordered him to pay her $19,000 in restitution within the five years of his probation period.

Pilgrim told CBS Memphis affiliate WREG earlier this month that Tim Dog could owe upwards of $2 million to other people he allegedly scammed around the world. Pilgrim received the payments from Blair up until he was reported dead. After he died, she couldn't find any information surrounding the circumstances of his death, like witnesses or a location. She also claims there is no death certificate. 

Pilgrim is not the only one who thinks the rapper faked his own death. Prosecutor Steven Jubera, who helped get Blair convicted in 2011, filed a petition to have Blair's probation revoked and there is now a warrant out for his arrest. 

“I need proof,” Jubera told WREG this week. “I need a death certificate showing that’s he’s dead because as far as I’m concerned, he’s alive.”

Journalist Drew Millard, who works for Vice's music section, Noisey, looked into the story of the East Coast rapper's death and came up with more dead ends. Despite the cluster and chaos, Millard says "the issue of Tim Dog’s life or death needs to be resolved as soon as humanly possible in order for both his victims and family to have closure." 

“In the eyes of the law, until he is proven dead, they have to treat him as if he is alive. And he is in contempt of court because he has not been making his monthly payments," Pilgrim told Millard. “It’s not really about the money. This affected me long term -- financially, emotionally, physically, everything.”

Bronx-born Blair rose to fame in 1991 with the track "F**k Compton," a diss at West Coast rappers Dr. Dre and N.W.A., Rolling Stone notes. His name has been dropped in tracks by Eminem and Nas.

As I Lay Dying Singer Was 'On Steroids' Before Hiring Hitman

Lawyer speaks on behalf of Tim Lambesis, who has been in jail since May 7 for allegedly hiring someone to kill his wife.

Tim Lambesis

As I Lay Dying singer Tim Lambesis was using steroids at the time that he allegedly hired a hitman to kill his ex-wife, according to the rocker's lawyer. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that during a hearing on Thursday seeking a reduction in his $3 million bail, Lambesis' lawyer said the pumped-up hard rocker's decision-making was severely impacted by his drug use.

Lambesis has been in jail since May 7, when he was arrested for allegedly trying to hired a hitman, who it turned out was an undercover cop, to kill his ex-wife, Meggan. During the hearing, the judge agreed to reduce Lambesis' bail to $2 million, which lawyer Thomas Warwick said was still to high for his client. Warwick has been seeking bail of $250,000 for Lambesis, who has pleaded not guilty
 to a single count of solicitation of murder.

Warwick said Lambesis had gotten into body building and became a paid spokesman for nutritional supplements, which at some point also included taking steroids. "His thought processes were devastatingly affected by his steroid use," Warwick told the judge. According to the United States Anti-Doping Agency, among the psychological effects of taking anabolic steroids are increased aggressiveness and sexual appetite, which can sometimes result in abnormal sexual and criminal behavior, often referred to as "roid rage."

Prosecutors claim that on May 7 Lambesis hired a man named "Red," who he believed was a contract killer, but was really an undercover officer, because he wanted his wife "gone." He allegedly handed the man an envelope with $1,000 cash, as well as Meggan's address and security gate codes. Prosecutor Claudia Grasso said in court last week that Lambesis did not flinch when Red told him the hit would cost $20,000. "He was very willing to pay that," Grasso said.

Grasso noted that the couple's eight-year marriage dissolved last summer after Lambesis informed Meggan in an e-mail that he no longer loved her and no longer believed in God at the same time she learned that he'd had several affairs during their time together.

At the time of her divorce filing
 in September, Meggan Lambesis made note of her husband's recent obsession with body-building and her concerns about his ability to care for their three children, all adopted from Ethiopia.

Lambesis is due back in court on June 10.
 If convicted on the felony charge he could face nine years in prison.

Amanda Bynes Arrested For Drug Possession

Former actress allegedly threw a bong out of her apartment window when police arrived on Thursday.

By Gil Kaufman

Troubled actress Amanda Bynes was arrested at her New York apartment on Thursday after police claim that she tried to destroy evidence of her drug use.

Officers were called to the former child star's midtown apartment Thursday after the doorman at her building called to report that she was smoking marijuana in the lobby, acting erratically and talking to herself. When the officers arrived, she returned to her 36th floor apartment, according to NBC New York.

Officers entered her apartment, which reportedly reeked of marijuana, and they saw a bong inside after Bynes, 26, opened the door for them. She allegedly then grabbed the smoking device and tossed it out of the window. She was arrested on charges of reckless endangerment, felony tampering with evidence and criminal possession of marijuana.

TMZ reported that Bynes, who was wearing a platinum blonde wig at the time of her arrest, got agitated and yelled, "Don't you know who I am?"

Before being booked, Bynes was taken to Roosevelt Hospital to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and is expected to appear in court on Friday. Bynes pleaded no contest in California two weeks ago to driving on a suspended license and was sentenced to three years summary probation and still has a DUI charge pending in Beverly Hills.

It has been a rough year so far for former Nickelodeon star Bynes, who has raised eyebrows
 with a series of nude photos, sexual online flirting with rapper Drake and a Twitter war with former Playboy Playmate and VH1 star Jenny McCarthy.

Mary J. Blige Faces $3.4M Tax Lien

Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images Entertainment Mary J. Blige at the 2009 VH1 Hip Hop Honors in New York.

Mary J. Blige and her husband have been hit with a $3.4 million tax lien in New Jersey.

Court documents show the Internal Revenue Service filed a notice of a lien on the nine-time Grammy Award winner Feb. 7. That was two days before the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul was honored at a pre-Grammy party in Los Angeles.

Blige and husband Martin Isaacs have a home in Cresskill, N.J., about 15 miles north of New York City.
Court documents show as of the date of the IRS notice Blige owed more than $574,000 for the 2009 tax year, more than $2.2 million for 2010 and more than $647,000 for 2011.

A Blige representative said Thursday she's working "with her new team to resolve all these issues as quickly as possible."

15-year-old killed siblings: Brothers ages 4 and 10 murdered with knife

A 15-year-old Utah boy was arrested Thursday after police claimed he killed his two younger siblings with a knife a day earlier.

The unidentified teenager is being held at the Farmington Bay Youth Detention Center in connection with the Wednesday murders of his little brothers, aged 4 and 10.

Police said the boys' mother returned home Wednesday from a dance recital with her three other children to find the bodies of her 4-year-old and 10-year-old sons. The 15-year-old, who was supposed to be watching his brothers, was missing when police arrived and was immediately labeled a person of interest.

The teen was found later that night walking along an area street and was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for minor injuries that were "consistent with this kind of attack," Davis County Sheriff Todd Richardson told the Desert News.

"He spoke pretty bluntly with our investigators," Richardson said. "We believe the suspect acted alone."

Two knives believed to have been used in the crime were also recovered from the home.

Police said they believe they know the boy's motive, but declined to say what it was.

"As time goes on, I think it will be released as to why he did what he did," Richardson said.

The teen, an honor student, was in the news briefly in 2011 when he ran away from home. He was later found at a Wendy's restaurant about four miles from his house.

But neighbors said he never seemed like the type of kid who would commit such a horrific crime.

"From what I understand, he's a model student, from what I've heard," neighbor Ann Durrwachter told the Desert News. "I've never had any complaints about him or his family. I always figured him as model 15-year-old that every mom dreamed of having. He was just carefree almost. He just kind of did his own thing as most boys do."

Another neighbor said the two brothers who were killed were adopted and the 15-year-old was his parents' biological son.

"You could tell there was a sibling rivalry between the biological son and the adopted boys," the neighbor told ABC4.com. "But I never imagined it could go this far."

Police said prosecutors will be screening the case against the 15-year-old, who will be charged in the juvenile system.

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/15-year-old-killed-siblings-brothers/2013/05/24/id/506227#ixzz2UDkvUPUW

Police believe a 15-year-old killed his siblings in Utah last week and are holding the boy at juvenile detention. ABC4 News in Utah reports May 23 that the unidentified boy is responsible for murdering his two young brothers -- ages 4 and 10.

Their bodies were found last Wed. night by the mother with fatal knife wounds. The 15-year-old fled the scene, but was later found by police shortly after midnight and arrested. He had knife wounds as well.

The two boys killed were adopted sons and the older brother who allegedly murdered them with a knife was a biological son. There were reportedly three other siblings were who weren't around at the time of the killings. Sibling rivalry was also an issue, according to reports.

To keep up with the latest trending headlines or entertainment news by Heather Tooley, hit the "subscribe" button above or follow @lextsy on Twitter.

Janet Jackson's A Billionaire Now As Concert Sales & Marriage Reportedly Propel Her Earnings

After four decades of working in the entertainment industry, Janet Jackson is reportedly now a billionaire. 

Multiple outlets report that Variety tallied up the 47-year-old's earnings over the years and found that Jackson is now a card-carrying billionaire. 

According to E! News, the multi-talented performer reportedly earned $458 million from her concert tours; $304 million from her roles in films including, "The Nutty Professor" and "For Colored Girls"; $260 million in album sales; and netted more than $81 million from sponsorship deals. 

In addition to pulling in huge amounts of money over the course of her career, Jackson is also married to a fellow billionaire. In February, the "Together Again" singer admitted she had secretly tied the knot with Qatari billionaire Wissam Al Mana.


Rumors that the two were planning to marry started soon after the couple began dating in 2010, and Jackson even went on "Good Morning America" in October 2010 to deny the reports, before finally opening up about their secret marriage.

"The rumors regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true. Last year we were married in a quiet, private, and beautiful ceremony," the couple said in a joint statement to "Entertainment Tonight" in February. 

"Our wedding gifts to one another were contributions to our respective favorite children’s charities. We would appreciate that our privacy is respected and that we are allowed this time for celebration and joy."

And as for those rumors that Jackson has said goodbye to the entertainment industry? False according to Jackson, who told Billboard she's currently working on a new project.

Bad Boy Prez Explains French Montana's Lack Of Solo Tracks

Bad Boy Records president Harve Pierre recently talked about the label's seemingly overnight success story in French Montana and why the New York rapper is rarely on tracks by himself.Despite the assumption French uses collabos to build up his image, Pierre said it's actually the artists that are interested in working with the Coke Boy. 

Bad Boy president Harve Pierre offers an explanation for why there hasn't been more solo Montana material. "It's really not about him needing other people on his records. It's about other people wanting to be a part of what he's doing," he says. "They see the work that he's put in over the past 10 years and they relate to it. They know that he's real." (Billboard)

Back in March, Montana pointed out MTV left him off its annual "Hottest MCs" list due to his frequency in collaborations.

"If they do something like that, then they need to have their facts right. They'll sit there and be like, 'Pop That' was number two. You know 'Pop That' was number one. 'Oh French Montana has nothing but features on his songs but Meek Mill doesn't.' All right, cool, name my songs. 'Shot Callers' was me by myself, 'Everything's A Go' is by myself. Meek is my n*gga, so, if you saying I got features, Meek's 'I'ma Boss' has Ross on it, 'Amen' had Drake on it, 'Burn' had Big Sean on it. People don't drop singles dolo no more, for what? 'House Party' had Young Chris on it. They don't have their facts right and they're talking. It's their favorite rapper. Talk facts. A lot of people didn't have a better year than me last year. I was on d*mn near every song." (Sirius Satellite)

Earlier this year, Brand Nubian's Lord Jamar noted how Montana's association with artists like Rick Ross helped him stay in the mainstream spotlight.

"There's a combination of things that go into it," Jamar told SOHH when asked for his take on artists like A$AP Rocky and French Montana receiving more shine than local rappers like Fred the Godson. "It's their sound combined with who they're rubbing elbows with. Yeah. I think it's those two main factors right there. French Montana rocks with Puffy and A$AP Rocky was cool with Drake and all this other type of stuff. I don't know. You know what I mean? They get on records with those kinds of dudes. French Montana was with Rick Ross all the time so they're rubbing elbows with those right people." (SOHH)

Based on one-day estimates, the rapper's new Excuse My French is projected to sell up to 50,000 copies in its opening week.

YOUR ONE-DAYS: Put on your helmets, people; it's time to check out this week's key debuts: Daft Punk (Columbia) 300-325k The National (4AD) 70-75k Thirty Seconds To Mars (Virgin) 60-65k Darius Rucker (Capitol Nashville) 60-65k French Montana (Bad Boy/Interscope) 45-50k Oh, and the UMPG staff would like to remind you not to light your fatty with your helmet on, unless you want to get, like, wicked baked. (5/22p) (HITS Daily Double)

Ray J Finally Brings Out His Kim Kardashian Clone

R&B singer Ray J may not be ready to confess his "I Hit It First" is a subliminal message directed at ex-girlfriend Kim Kardashian but he did inch a bit closer by bringing the music video's look-alike out this week.

Ray J invaded BET's "106 & Park" show Wednesday (May 22) and unveiled the Kim K clone.

Ray J enlisted a Kim Kardashian look-alike for his controversial video for "I Hit It First." During his appearance on "106 & Park" on Wednesday, the R&B singer brought his leading lady Luba with him. The audience chanted, "Bring her out! Bring her out!" before she walked on set. Bow Wow gave the model a hug, but when he went to ask Ray J about her striking similarity to his ex, Ray cut him off. He wouldn't say Kim's name when asked who the song is about. "The song is about something I did. I try not to go so hard with the record 'cause it's self-explanatory," said Ray J. "There's other relationships that I've been in too, just not as popular as others that I've dealt with." (Rap-Up)

Last month, Ray said he had no concerns about possible backlash from Kim K and boyfriend Kanye West.

"I'm not thinking about that," Ray said in an interview when asked for his take on Kanye not responding back to him. "We didn't do this record to get a response from nobody. Like, we did this record for people to go to iTunes, pick the record up, when you hear it in the club, you go crazy. If you want to pop it on your iTunes that's in your phone and have a crazy conversation about what it is, that's what we did it for. We run an independent company and we having fun. ... The thing about it is I'm not saying anything to nobody. The record speaks for itself. The record is so over-the-top that for us to go into the interviews and go crazy over some sh*t, it's too much. It's distasteful." ("Street Sweepers Radio")

The singer recently denied having any ill feelings toward Mr. West.

"Yeah, he's a great dude," Ray said in an interview when asked if he had ever met Ye before. "I have nothing but respect. Even in these interviews I don't really go into a lot of detail about that situation because it's not my place to. For me it's staying focused on the concept at hand and to me that's Ray J, that's this wild lifestyle that we live and the experiences that we have within this lifestyle." (The Boom Box)

Ray's "I Hit It First" collaborator Bobby Brackins recently talked to SOHH about the music video.

"We made "I Hit It First" probably last August. We were in the studio and just working on new music and basically me and Ray J did that song last August and it took up until now for the whole song to come out. We made the song a while ago and it just finally came out. We got together and did the whole thing in the studio. We did this at my boy [producer] Nic - Nac's house about last August. When we made it, we knew it had the potential to be a really big song. It took a while to get it out but it's because they wanted to make sure it impacted right. They just wanted to make sure that everything was set-up properly for the song. We knew it had the potential to be a big song so we didn't want to just throw it out there and see what happens. We wanted to make sure all of the bases were covered. The music video was hella fun. I had a bunch of my homegirls come. We were just having a good time, chilling. It was a nice sunny day. Everyone was excited about the song, so the music video was fun, creating and trying to have fun and making sure everything came out right." (SOHH Singled Out)