New Music video: Alright by Darius Rucker
Chris Daughtry tour dates announced
Chris Daughtry and his band members are going on a club/theatre tour this summer to promote their new album titled “Leave This Town.”
The tour will kick off Aug. 2 in Orlando and conclude at Club Pure in Las Vegas on Aug. 22.
Chris Daughtry placed fourth on American Idol in 2006. Although he lost the competition, he is one of the biggest selling contestants.
The tour dates are posted below.
August 2: Orlando, Fla. (House of Blues)
August 4: Boston (Showcase Live)
August 7: Columbus, Ohio (LC Pavilion)
August 9: Minneapolis (The Cabooze)
August 11: Nashville (Cannery Ballroom)
August 12: Memphis (Minglewood Hall)
August 14: Houston (Warehouse Live)
August 16: Denver (The Gothic Theatre)
August 18: Phoenix (Marquee Theatre)
August 19: Los Angeles (Henry Fonda Theatre)
August 20: San Francisco(The Fillmore)
August 22: Las Vegas (Club Pure)
Michael Jackson update (June 30)
LaToya Jackson, from left, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson
As predicted, there is a lot of craziness going on in the aftermath of Michael Jackson’s death. Here is what various media outlets are saying now:
– TMZ is reporting that two of Michael’s children aren’t biologically his or Debbie Rowe’s. They’re also saying the children were conceived outside of the womb, and Debbie’s eggs were not used. She just carried the baby. TMZ can sometimes be a gossipy Web site, but they were the first news outlet to report that Jackson died. So, I will give them the benefit of the doubt.
– According to CNN, Michael Jackson’s body will return to his Neverland Ranch on Friday for a public viewing. And a private memorial service is scheduled for Sunday.
Meanwhile, his will from 2002 has surfaced. In the will, Michael left his estate to be divided up among his three children and his mother Katherine Jackson. Katherine was granted temporary custody of the children in court yesterday.
Most notably absent from the will is Michael’s father Joe Jackson, who created the Jackon Five group. In recent years, Michael accused Joe of physically abusing him as a child.
–According to the Associated Press, Michael’s assets were worth $567 million, but his net worth was $236 million. Those are based on figures from 2007.
–US Weekly is speculating the dermatologist is the father of Michael’s kids.
Anna Kournikova involved in a fight
Anna Kournikova was involved a cat fight in Las Vegas during the weekend.
According to People magazine, the former tennis star got into a physical altercation after a drunk woman threw a drink on her at a nightclub.
At first, the two ladies began shoving each other. Then the woman grabbed Kournikova by her neck and pushed her into the wall.
Security guards finally stepped in a broke up the fight, and the two ladies went their separate ways.
Not only was Anna Kournikova a terrible tennis player, but now we know she’s a terrible fighter as well.
So what has Kournikova been up to lately? Absolutely nothing. According to her Web, she attended an event in the Czech Republic earlier this month, but that’s about it.
Tim Henley
New music video: Death of Auto-Tune by Jay-Z
Britney Spears and Ellen DeGeneres Twitter account hacked
If you received a tweet from Britney Spears or Ellen DeGeneres today, it probably wasn’t from them.
According to the Associated Press, Britney and Ellen’s Twitpic Twitter account was hacked.
The person who broke into Britney’s account posted a message falsely indicating Britney had died.
I’m sure it caused a scare among Britney fans, especially since we just lost Michael Jackson, Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett.
The company is working on correcting the problem. In the meantime, Britney and Ellen should be thinking about new passwords.
Tim Henley
Michael Jackson’s mother granted temporary custody of children
The matriarch of the Jackson family Katherine Jackson has been given temporary custody of seeking custody of the late Michael Jackson’s three children.
Debbie Rowe is the biological mother of two of the children, but Katherine alleged the children have no relationship with their mother whatsoever, according to the petition.
The mother for Michael’s third child, nicknamed Blanket, is listed as “None.”
This is the first legal step among many others to come in wake of Jackson’s death.
Katherine has long been considered the strength behind the Jackson family. She was a staunch defender of her children throughout their careers. It’s appropriate that she take the lead on this one.
Tim Henley
Photo gallery: 2009 BET Awards
Top 10 movies at the box office
Top 10 movies at the box office (weekend ending June 28)
1. Tranformers: Revenge of the Fallen – $112 million
2. The Proposal – $18.4 million
3. The Hangover – $17.2 million
4. Up – $13 million
5. My Sister’s Keeper – $12 million
6. Year One – $5.8 million
7. The Taking of Pelham 123 – $3.6 million
8. Star Trek – $3.6 million
9. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian – $3.5 million
10. Away We Go – $1.6 million
Live Blog: 2009 BET Awards
The BET Awards are airing tonight, and the network will revamp the show and turn it into a Michael Jackson tribute at the Shrine Auditorium.
Many celebrities paid homage to the late Michael Jackson. The show was hosted by Jamie Foxx. Click here to view the photo gallery.
Keep checking back here for live updates about the show.
7:00 p.m. – Members of New Edition performing a medley of songs by Jackson 5. It was good to see New Edition reunited as well as hearing vintage Jackson 5 songs.
7:04 p.m. – Jamie Foxx walked out wearing the Michael Jackson red jacket and sparkling white glove. Jamie and three female dancers performed the dance routine to “Beat It.” Jamie did good with the routine. During his monologue, Jamie shared his memories of Michael Jackson in a humorous way.
7:12 p.m. – Jamie Foxx successfully moonwalked across the stage.
7:13 p.m. – Tyra Banks presents best male athlete to NBA star LeBron James.
7:15 p.m. – Tyra Banks also presents the award for hip hop male artist to Lil Wayne.
7:22 p.m. – Keri Hilson performed a medley of her hit songs “Turnin Me On,” and “Knock You Down.” She’s a cute girl, but she doesn’t really have good vocals, and she’s not a good performer either. “Knock You Down” is currently number 4 on the Billboard charts, and “Turnin Me On.”
7:26 p.m. – Ne-Yo performs Michael Jackson’s ballad “The Lady In My Life.” He did a good version of that song. Not many people are familiar with that tune. It was on Jackson’s “Thriller” Album
7:29 p.m. – Michael Jackson’s father Joe Jackson is in the audience. The camera just panned to him. This show is kind of depressing. It’s bringing back all of the memories I have of Michael.
- Michael Jackson’s father Joe Jackson attends the BET Awards
7:35 p.m. – actor Anthony Anderson and actress Keke Palmer are onstage. Keke busted out with a rendition of “Who’s Loving You” by Jackson 5. She can really sing. I didn’t know she had it in her.
7:37 p.m. – Jamie Foxx and T-Pain perform their hit song “Blame It.” That happens to be my favorite club jam right now. “Blame it on the al-al-al-al-al alcohol.” During the performance, rocker Travis Barker comes out and starts playing the drums.
7:47 p.m. – Soulja Boy performs his song “Turn My Swag On.” He sounds kind of tone deaf, but he has alot energy though.
7:51 p.m. – Singers Chaka Khan, Estelle and LeToya Luckett present the award for best collaboration to Jamie Foxx and T-Pain for their song “Blame It.”
7:54p.m. – Kahn, Estelle and Lucket also presented Ne-Yo with the award for R&B male artist
8:00 p.m. – Beyonce performs her song titled “Ava Maria” from her CD “I Am Beyonce.” Then, she performs “Angel” by Sarah McLaughlin. (which was very sad. It was dedicated to Michael Jackson).
8:11 p.m. – During a video segment, Jamie Foxx and Martin Lawrence did a spoof of their characters Sheneneh and Wanda (from the tv shows Martin and In Living Color.
8:15 p.m. – The gospel duo Mary Mary performs their song “God In Me” along with Queen Latifah.
8:21 p.m. – Zoe Saldana and Michelle Nichols present the best actress award to Taraji P. Henson.
8:25 p.m. – Saldana Nichols also presented Keri Hilson with the best new artist award.
8:27 p.m. – Jamie Foxx performs “She Got Her Own” with Ne-Yo and Fabolous. “She Got Her Own” is somewhat of a remix to Ne-Yo’s “Miss Independent.” This is the first time Fabolous has been in the spotlight in a long time.
8:31 p.m. – The next segment featured a few old school musicians. Keith Sweat performed his old hit “I Wanna.” The 1990s R&B group Guy performed their old school song titled “I Like.” Bel Biv Devoe performed “Poison,” which was one of my favorite dance songs of the early 1990s. That was a a great segment getting to hear the songs of yester-year.
8:43 p.m. – Ciara performs Michael Jackson’s “Heal The World.” She was also dressed in Michael Jackson-esque clothes.
8:45 p.m. – Keyshia Cole and Monica perform a duet to their song “Everything.” These two ladies can definitely sing. They both had strong vocals and they looked good too.
8:57 p.m. – Actors Jeremy Piven and Marlon Wayans presented the award to Beyonce for best R&B female artist. No shocker there. Beyonce always wins everything. Marlon Wayans said without the Jackson family there would be no Wayans family. Beyonce also thanks Michael Jackson during her acceptance speech.
9:00 p.m. – Jay-Z performs his song “Death Of The Auto Tune.”
9:10 pm. – The group The O’Jays is getting ready to recieve the lifetime achievment award. Tevin Campbell, Trey Songz, Tyrese, Johnny Gill pay tribute to O’Jays by performing some of their songs onstage. Tevin has been away from the music scene during the past 15 years.
9:28 p.m. – After a long-winded speech from Soul Train host Don Cornelius, the group The O’Jays were presented with their lifetime achievment award
9:33 p.m. – The O’Jays performed several of their hit songs.
9:50 p.m. – One of the executives at BET gives a verbal tribute to Michael Jackson.
9:56 p.m. – Alicia Keys and Wyclef Jean receive the humanitarian award. They both gave a lenghty but inspiring acceptance speech.
10:06 pm. – In a humorous skit, Taraji P. Henson, Tyrese and Ving Rhames recreate their scene from the classic movie “Baby Boy.” Taraji and Tyrese presented the viewers choice award to T.I. and Rihanna for their song “Live Your Life.” Rihanna and T.I. weren’t at the awards show so T.I’s wife Tiny accepted the award.
10:12 p.m. – Taraji and Tyrese also present the video of the year award to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.
10:15 p.m. – Maxwell performs his song “Pretty Wings” from his upcoming CD “Black Summers Night.”
10:25 p.m. – Drake performed his song “You The Best” with some help from Lil Wayne. The song is currently number 3 on the Billboard charts.
10:36 p.m. – Janet Jackson walks on the stage accompanied by Jamie Foxx. She was emotional. But she gave a great speech. She said “To you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family.” It was a very sad moment when they showed a picture of Michael and Janet together in the background.
10:39 p.m. – Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo sang “I’ll Be There. It was the most emotional part of the entire show tonight. Several audience members have tears streaming down their face.
New music video: Not Anymore by LeToya
You might remember singer LeToya Luckett from the 1990s. She was one of the original members of the girl group Destiny’s Child with Beyonce. (She was later kicked out of the group in late 1999).
Her new video is titled “Not Anymore.” Her CD “Lady Love” will be in stores Aug. 25. The video is posted below.
A man calls 911 for police escort to Lil Wayne concert
Michael Kruse
Remember that song from 1990 by Public Enemy called “911 Is A Joke?”
A Florida man is learning the hard way that 911 is not really a joke after all. Twenty-year-old Michael Kruse, of Jacksonville, was arrested by police for falsely calling 911 twice, according to News 4 in Jacksonville.
What was his emergency you ask? He wanted to request a police escort to drive him 345-miles south to Miami so he can see rapper Lil Wayne’s concert.
Police said he might have been under the influence of something, but it’s unknown.
Before you all start saying this man is crazy, keep in mind, the president gets a police escort everywhere he goes. So does the vice president. Some celebrities get police escorts too.
This man probably just wated to be treated equally and get the same treatment as some other people get, regardless of his status.
Besides, Lil Wayne is a great rapper and performer. I’m sure his concert was on and poppin. Can’t really blame him for trying to attend the concert by any means necessary–even if that means calling 911.
Tim Henley
TV pitchman Billy Mays died
Television pitchman Billy Mays was found dead in his home Sunday morning in Tampa, Florida.
Police said there were no signs of foul play and no signs of a break-in. Mays was well known as the commercial pitchman for various cleaning products including OxiClean and Orange Glo.
Mays was 50 years old.
Michael Jackson, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Billy Mays died in the same week. I guess it’s not a good time to be celebrity.
Click here to read the Associated Press story about Mays.
Info on Mariah Carey’s new album
Mariah Carey’s new CD “Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel” will be released Aug. 25, according to her Twitter page.
The CD cover is posted above. On Mariah’ s Twitter page, she said “The reason I chose to use 3 images for the cover is cos there are a lot of different emotions and stories revealed on this album. I knew it would probably leak today so I figured might as well give it a nice debut I hope you like this.”
The first song from the CD is titled “Obsessed,” and you can currently hear it on various radio stations. The song is produced by The Dream, who also produced Carey’s 2008 hit song “Touch My Body.”
A new music video is in the works, and I will post it here when it’s released.
Carey’s last CD title “E=MC2″ sold $1.3 million copies since it was released last year.
Tim Henley
Celebrities react to Michael Jackson’s death
From rock singer Sheryl Crow - "I did a couple of duets with him. He reached out to me on a couple of occasions and invited me to come up to his hotel room to watch movies," she recalled. "A big room with a couple of bodyguards and us throwing popcorn across the room at each other. He was just very childlike and loved to practical joke ... very childlike and innocent and then he'd walk out onstage and you'd see this magnetic, very strong artistic talent up there." (MTV)
- R&B singer Akon – “I couldn’t believe it,” he said in an interview. “Even now, I’m completely confused, because Michael is just one of the healthiest people that I know. He was pressuring me to stay healthy, like, ‘Akon eat right. What are you doing out there on the road? Are you eating? Are you exercising? Are you drinking a lot of water?’ He felt like nothing could be accomplished in life if you’re not healthy…I thought he was completely healthy from what I’ve seen, just a lot of people never got close enough to Mike to even know. It’s always speculation. It was never them actually knowing.” (Billboard Magazine)
From pop singer Mariah Carey - "I am heartbroken. My prayers go out to the Jackson family,and my heart goes out to his children. Let us remember him for his unparalleled contribution to the world of music, his generosity of spirit in his quest to heal the world & the joy he brought to his millions of devoted fans throughout the world. I feel blessed to have performed with him several times & to call him my friend. No artist will ever take his place. His star will shine forever." (Twitter)
From NBA star Kobe Bryant - "I think it's probably deeper than people would expect, actually," Kobe Bryant said. "Being out here in L.A., I had numerous conversations, just over the phone and also at his house, just talking about work ethic and paying attention to details. He was extremely inspirational for me because he helped me understand that it's OK to be different. And when I say different I mean different in the sense of being obsessed with your craft ... and working your tail off and being consumed by what you do. He helped mentor me in that department. I think we lost an absolutely brilliant, brilliant mind and just a genuine nice person." (MTV)
From singer Usher - "It's pretty hard right now, man. Michael Jackson transcended culture. He transcended love, man. He changed the barrier of life and the way we looked at things." (MTV)
Pop singer Madonna - "I can't stop crying over the sad news. I have always admired Michael Jackson," she said. "The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever! My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless." (press release)
More info on Whitney Houston’s new album
Whitney Houston’s new comeback CD will be named “I Look To You.”
The first single titled “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” will hit the airwaves later this summer. The song was written by Diane Warren.
The CD will be released Sept. 1. This CD will be a pivotal moment in Whitney’s career.
It needs to at least go platinum if Whitney wants to reclaim her throne as the queen of pop music.
Tim Henley
Lisa Marie Presley blogs about marriage to Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson’s ex wife Lisa Marie Presley wrote a blog about Jackson on her MySpace page.
She talks about how Michael felt like he was going to end up like her dad Elvis Presley. She also mentioned how she and the Jackson family tried to save Michael.
Her blog is posted below……
Years ago Michael and I were having a deep conversation about life in general.
“I can’t recall the exact subject matter but he may have been questioning me about the circumstances of my Fathers Death.
At some point he paused, he stared at me very intensely and he stated with an almost calm certainty, “I am afraid that I am going to end up like him, the way he did.”
I promptly tried to deter him from the idea, at which point he just shrugged his shoulders and nodded almost matter of fact as if to let me know, he knew what he knew and that was kind of that.
14 years later I am sitting here watching on the news an ambulance leaves the driveway of his home, the big gates, the crowds outside the gates, the coverage, the crowds outside the hospital, the Cause of death and what may have led up to it and the memory of this conversation hit me, as did the unstoppable tears.
A predicted ending by him, by loved ones and by me, but what I didn’t predict was how much it was going to hurt when it finally happened.
The person I failed to help is being transferred right now to the LA County Coroners office for his Autopsy.
All of my indifference and detachment that I worked so hard to achieve over the years has just gone into the bowels of hell and right now I am gutted.
I am going to say now what I have never said before because I want the truth out there for once.
Our relationship was not “a sham” as is being reported in the press. It was an unusual relationship yes, where two unusual people who did not live or know a “Normal life” found a connection, perhaps with some suspect timing on his part. Nonetheless, I do believe he loved me as much as he could love anyone and I loved him very much.
I wanted to “save him” I wanted to save him from the inevitable which is what has just happened.
His family and his loved ones also wanted to save him from this as well but didn’t know how and this was 14 years ago. We all worried that this would be the outcome then.
At that time, In trying to save him, I almost lost myself.
He was an incredibly dynamic force and power that was not to be underestimated.
When he used it for something good, It was the best and when he used it for something bad, It was really, REALLY bad.
Mediocrity was not a concept that would even for a second enter Michael Jackson’s being or actions.
I became very ill and emotionally/ spiritually exhausted in my quest to save him from certain self-destructive behavior and from the awful vampires and leeches he would always manage to magnetize around him.
I was in over my head while trying.
I had my children to care for, I had to make a decision.
The hardest decision I have ever had to make, which was to walk away and let his fate have him, even though I desperately loved him and tried to stop or reverse it somehow.
After the Divorce, I spent a few years obsessing about him and what I could have done different, in regret.
Then I spent some angry years at the whole situation.
At some point, I truly became Indifferent, until now.
As I sit here overwhelmed with sadness, reflection and confusion at what was my biggest failure to date, watching on the news almost play by play The exact Scenario I saw happen on August 16th, 1977 happening again right now with Michael (A sight I never wanted to see again) just as he predicted, I am truly, truly gutted.
Any ill experience or words I have felt towards him in the past has just died inside of me along with him.
He was an amazing person and I am lucky to have gotten as close to him as I did and to have had the many experiences and years that we had together.
I desperately hope that he can be relieved from his pain, pressure and turmoil now.
He deserves to be free from all of that and I hope he is in a better place or will be.
I also hope that anyone else who feels they have failed to help him can be set free because he hopefully finally is.
The World is in shock but somehow he knew exactly how his fate would be played out some day more than anyone else knew, and he was right.”
Michael Jackson’s 911 tape released
Michael Jackson’s brother Jermaine holds press conference
Michael Jackson has died
Pop star Michael Jackson has died.
According to TMZ, Jackson was transported to the hopital by an ambulance where emergency workers performed CPR.
He was believed to be suffering from cardiac arrest. To be continued when more info becomes available…..
A photo tribute to the late Farrah Fawcett (RIP)
Dane Cook sister-in-law accused of stealing his money
Comedian/actor Dane Cook has learned a valuable lesson that every wealthy person needs to know.
The lesson is you can’t trust ANYONE around your money–Not even immediate family members.
Dane Cook’s sister-in-law Erika McCauley has been charged by prosecutors for helping Cook’s brother steal more than $3 million from the actor.
Cook’s brother Darryl McCauley was charged in March with larceny and forgery accused of stealing $3 million from his bank account.
McCauley was serving as Cook’s business manager at the time. Authorities raided McCauley’s home and recovered $800,000, but the rest of the money is still missing.
Authorities believe Cook’s sister-in-law helped execute the scheme.
Tim Henley
Rosie O’Donnell will host a radio show
Rosie O’Donnell’s big mouth is returning to the airwaves. Beginning in the fall, “Rosie Radio” will debut on a Sirius XM channel.
O’Donnell will discuss hard news topics and entertainment news on her radio talk show.
The last time O’Donnell was hosting a talk show (”The View”) she went on a tirade with Elisabeth Hasselbeck in 2007.
That segment is still one of the juciest moments in talk show history. That famous clip is posted below in case you don’t remember it.
Joy Behar calls off her engagement
First, supermodel Rachel Hunter’s engagement was called off this week, and now “The View” hostess Joy Behar has called off her engagement to Steve Janowitz.
Behar told the NY Daily News “I got cold feet again, so I don’t know what I’m going to do. It’s off the table. What’ll happen is, when I decide to do it, I’ll do it, and then everybody will know I did it. I can’t make up my mind.”
Behar didn’t discuss exactly why she called off the wedding, so I guess we’ll never know.
Hmmmm, two celebrity weddings called off in the same week. Maybe its something in the water.
Tim Henley
Billboard top 25 songs
Billboard to 25 songs (week of June 24)
1. Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas
2. I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas
3. Best I Ever Had by Drake
4. Knock You Down by Keri Hilson, Kanye West and Ne-Yo
5. I Know You Want Me by Pitbull
6. LoveGame by Lady Gaga
7. Fire Burning by Sean Kingston
8. Birthday Sex by Jeremih
9. Second Chance by Shinedown
10. Every Girl by Young Money
11. Waking Up in Vegas by Katy Perry
12. Poker Face by Lady GaGa
13. Halo by Beyonce
14. Don’t Trust Me by 30H!3
15. The Climb by Miley Cyrus
16. You Belong To Me by Taylor Swift
17. Day N Nite by Kid Cudi
18. Goodbye by Kristinia Debarge
19. Blame It by Jamie Foxx and T-Pain
20. Please Don’t Leave Me by Pink
21. If Today Was Your Last Day by Nickelback
22. Out Last Night by Kenny Chesney
23. Use Somebody by Kings of Leon
24. Right Round by Flo Rida
25. I Do Not Hook Up by Kelly Clarkson
