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Usher King of Pop |
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Usher has recently been crowned "The King of Pop" by Billboard after
his total domination in 2004. He will hit the begining of 2005 with his
debut mini-movie, "Rhythm City Volume 1: Caught Up." This 20-minute
mini-movie will feature four songs from Billboard's No. 1 Album of the
Year, Confessions: "Seduction," "Caught Up," "Red Light," and "Take Your Hand."
Originally released in March 2004, Confessions sold a record breaking
1.1 million copies in its first week, the highest ever R&B debut.
A special edition with four additional songs (including No 1 hit "My
Boo") was released in September 2004. All told Confessions has sold over
8 million copies in the US thus far, making it the year's top selling CD.
In addition, Usher had 4 singles in the Billoboard at the same time
("Yeah!," "Burn," "Confessions Part II," and "My Boo"). This marks the
first time an artist has held the number one spot for more than half the
year and the first time an artist has had four No 1s in a calendar year
since the Jackson 5 did it in 1970. At one point, Usher had three
singles in the Top Ten in one week; the only other artists to do so were the
Bee Gees and the Beatles. Usher raked in an astounding 11 Billboard
awards and has netted 8 GRAMMY nominations for the upcoming 47th Grammy
Awards on February 13, 2005.
As busy as his 2004 has been, Usher is hitting the ground running in
2005. He is already hard at work shooting a new movie in Los Angeles for
Lion's Gate Films called "Dying for Dolly." "Dying for Dolly" and his
mini-movie are not his first forays into acting - he has previously been
seen in the films "Light It Up," "She's All That" and "The Faculty."
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Mark Morrison back again |
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Kevin Campbell (Everton Football player) has lost the latest round of a
court battle to stop R&B star Mark Morrison releasing his latest album.
A High Court judge lifted an injunction obtained by Campbell which
banned Morrison from releasing the record.
The judge on Monday ruled a further injunction should not be granted
and Morrison is now free to release the record, Innocent Man.
Morisson's album will now again be available to all.
Kevin Campbell spokesman said: 'Kevin is disappointed that the
injunction was not continued. However, if the album is released we will pursue
Mark Morrison and companies for breach of copyright. Campbell had spent
hundreds of thousands of pounds recording and promoting the album.
Ever since I was a little boy I've had two passions: football and
music. I've worked hard to realise my ambition in football but had hoped
that my future career would be in the music business. I have always
dreamt of starting a record label but now Mark Morrison has spoilt that
dream for me. There is no loyalty in this business just greed.
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J-LO sued |
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Latina Pop Star Jennifer Lopez has been sued by an ex-husband who
claims she "lured" him into a job as a manager of her restaurant and then
unceremoniously sacked him.
The former couple met in a Miami restaurant in the late 1990s, where
Noa, an aspiring model, worked as a waiter. After the reported proposal
at the Selena post-production party, Noa married his raw-celebrated
fiancee in Miami on February 22, 1997. After the couple's divorce a year
later, the Cuban hunk decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue bigger
fame in showbiz. He managed L.A.'s Conga Room until Lopez asked him to
help run her new restaurant.
But the spurned ex claimed that the superstar breached his employment
contract by sacking him as manager of the popular eatery "Madres" just
six months after its opening.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez's brand new single "Get Right" hit media
on January 3, 2005 and will be available in stores from the end of January.
Her new album will be entiteled Rebirth and was recorded over the last
year. Guests on the album include Fat Joe, Marc Anthony and Fabolous
who joins Jennifer on a special version of "Get Right".
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Daft Punk hits back in 2005 |
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Daft Punk will release their new Album on March 21st 2005. Human After
All is a ten-track album that was recorded by Thomas Bangalter and Guy
Manuel de Homem Christo in just six weeks between September and
November 2004 at the duo's home studio in Paris.
The record is described by the band as 'diverse and fresh but the with
the Daft Punk sound with a more spontaneous and direct quality to the recording'.
The tracklisting in full is:
1. Human After All
2. The Prime Time Of Your Life
3. Robot Rock
4. Steam Machine
5. Make Love
6. The Brainwasher
7. On/Off
8. Television Rules The Nation
9. Technologic
10. Emotion
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Vanessa Williams kick off 2005 |
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Vanessa Williams will kick off 2005 with the release of Everlasting
Love, a romantic collection of her favorite love songs from the 1970's.
The album, will hit stores on February 1st on Lava Records, a division of
the Warner Music Group.
Everlasting Love features some of the 70's most celebrated love songs
including the album's gorgeous first single and Chaka Khan classic "You
Are Everything.", other songs on the album are form The Jackson 5,
Melissa Manchester, Ohio Players, Isley Brothers and Stevie Wonder. The
album contains re-recordings of classic tracks such as "One Less Bell To
Answer," "Never Can Say Goodbye," "Show And Tell," and "Harvest For The
World" among others. Other highlights from the album include the George
Benson duet "With You I'm Born Again," and "I'll Be Good To You,"
featuring James D-Train Williams. Vanessa's stunning new studio album is the
perfect soundtrack for lovers and will undoubtedly be one of the most
sought-after Valentine's Day gifts in 2005.
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Erasure reborn |
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Vince Clarke and Andy Bell will be releasing their first collection of
all-new material since 2000. The album is due to January 25 and is titled
"Nightbird". The album features the cut "Breathe," which is slated for
release as a single on Jan. 18.
Erasure's most-recent album of new material is 2000's "Cowboy." The
group followed that up early last year with "Other People's Songs," a
collection of cover tunes.
Erasure has enjoyed moderate success in the U.S., but the group's
popularity in the U.K. eclipses American interest, as evidenced by its five
No. 1 albums on the U.K. album chart.
Bell revealed earlier this month that he found out he was HIV-positive
in 1998, when he had a bout with pneumonia. In a statement posted on
the band's website, he said that he's been feeling fine since then.
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Seal and Supermodel Heidi Klum engaged |
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German supermodel Heidi Klum and British singer Seal are engaged to be married, Klum announced on her Web site.
"We affianced on a glacier in Whistler (Canada). We reached this beautiful place by helicopter one day before Christmas Eve.
It was a unique experience,"
said a posting on Klum's Web site.
Klum, 31, and Seal, 41, started dating last year, shortly after her breakup with Formula One racing boss Flavio Briatore,
who is the father of her daughter, Leni, born in May.
Klum, who is a Victoria's Secret model and has appeared in Sports Illustrated magazine's swimsuit issue, separated from her
husband of five years, celebrity hairstylist Ric Pipino, in November 2002.
Seal's "Love Divine" has been recently nominated for a Grammy Award in the male pop vocal competition.
His "Kiss From a Rose" won for record and song of the year, and he also grabbed the award for best male pop vocal performance
at the Grammy Awards in 1996.
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NEWS [Round-Up]
Morrissey, Snoop Dogg, The Manics, David Bowie, Darius, Metallica, Aerosmith,
Chemical Brothers, Alanis Morissette...
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* Ex-SMITHS frontman MORRISSEY and guitarist JOHNNY MARR have given
permission for Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others, a musical about their
former band penned by fans Andrew Wale and Perrin Manzer Allen, set to
twenty tracks played by string quartet.
* SNOOP DOGG has filed a lawsuit against an unidentified woman, claiming
she demanded $5 million from the rapper in exchange for her silence
about an alleged assault.
* The Manics return with the second single to be lifted from the superb
album 'Lifeblood'. 'Empty Souls' starts with a jaunty piano melody and
pounding rhythm, setting the pace for the lyrical assault "Exposed to a
truth we don't know / Collapsing like the twin towers / Falling down
like April showers / Colossal endless like a marathon.
* David Bowie will re-release his live albums, 1974's David Live (in
support of Diamond Dogs) and 1978's Stage (in support of Low and Heroes),
as CD-DVDs with previously unreleased material on March 1st.
* 'Live Twice' is the follow up to Darius' top ten smash hit 'Kinda Love'
and is the second single to be released from his new album; also
entitled 'Live Twice'. A truly beautiful song showcasing Darius at his very
best.
* METALLICA's Metallica: Some Kind of Monster was named Best Documentary
of 2004 by the Broadcast Film Critics Association.
* AEROSMITH guitarist JOE PERRY will release his fourth solo album, the
follow-up to 1984's Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker, this spring.
* Chemical Brothers return with 'Galvanize', a full blooded pulsing
dancefloor anthem, featuring the vocal talents of US rapper Q-tip. From its
pounding bass to its classic breakdown, it is the Chemical Brothers at
their prime. 'Galvinize' is the first single to be taken from the
forthcoming new studio album 'Push the Button'. It's an immense and brooding
album that looks set to once again revitalise dance music into 2005 and
beyond, marking more than ten years of relevance in clubland.
* For its tenth anniversary, ALANIS MORISSETTE will reissue Jagged Little
Pill, with extra acoustic tracks. She is also planning a greatest-hits release.
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BluePink 