Day in Pop Report for 08/18/2011
Sources tell TMZ ... the last known contact anyone had with Russell was last Saturday, when he was on the phone with a friend. As we first reported, Russell was a no-show for a meeting with Taylor on Monday afternoon, which sounded alarm bells and began hours of frantic searching. Russell's body was discovered at 8:08 PM Monday. And, sources tell TMZ, Russell's body was found hanging from a wooden beam in the bedroom, with an orange extension cord around his neck. more on this story
According to the Gwinnett County Detention Center, 23-year-old James Ross -- better known by his fabulous alter-ego Tyra Sanchez -- was arrested Tuesday night for being in possession of a small amount of marijuana ... less than one ounce. Officials tell us Ross was allowed to sashay his way out of jail the following day after posting bond. more on this story
42-year-old Irabu was found dead in his California home last month. According to the certificate, the Japanese-born ball player was married at the time of his death. He also had two children. more on this story
For Skaggs, a 14-time Grammy� winner, the FAMILY CHRISTMAS projects are a true labor of love. "We released Volume One back in 2005 because our fans asked us for it," Ricky recalls. "We didn't know if we'd ever do another one, but we've been hearing from our fans and they're ready for more Christ�mas songs, so here's Volume Two. It was a joy to create and we're excited to share it." Ricky, his wife Sharon and their children (Luke and Molly) are joined by Buck and Cheryl White, and Cheryl's daughter, Rachel Leftwich, part of the Skaggs' extended family and members of a celebrated musical clan in their own right. Also featured are world-renowned Kentucky Thunder and The Nashville Strings. The 10-song CD features both studio and live recordings, and the disc kicks off with the upbeat bluegrass arrangement of "Christmas Time's A Coming," which segues smoothly to showcase Sharon White Skaggs and her sister, Cheryl, trading lead vocals on the bright, acoustic, "Light of the Stable." An a capella version of "The First Noel" finds Ricky singing lead, while the signature vocals of the White sisters excel on the high and low harmonies. Heavenly voices rise in praise on the classic seasonal favorite, "Silent Night," which also features a poignant mandolin and soaring strings. Molly Skaggs shines on "What Songs Were Sung," proving she's more than worthy to carry on the families' traditions, while brother Luke burns up the fret on his own composition, the intricate instrumental, "Flight To Egypt." The modern "Reunion Song" featuresa deceptively-simple sing-along melody, and Ricky not only triumphs on the lead vocal, but also plays Guitars, Mandolin, Gut String Solo and Dan Electro. Skaggs' lightning-fast finger pickin' guitar lick jump-starts "Children Go" and the vocal interplay between the family members (Ricky, Buck, Sharon and Cheryl) should leave listeners breathless. A haunting, original arrangement and expressive vocals by Luke, Molly and Rachel highlight "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel,"and the disc closes with a classical instrumental interpretation of "Joy To The World." more on this story
Octo got a ticket from the City of La Habra for having a Doughboy, above-ground pool in her backyard, without a proper permit. The City fined her $100, with a deadline for either removing the pool or getting the permit. But Octo refuses to budge, because she believes some vindictive neighbors have unfairly singled her out for something that is pretty common in her neighborhood. So now the fine has swelled to $600. But all this fuss over the pool ignores the bigger problem -- What's Octo doing with a pool in her backyard when she has 14 kids she can barely control? more on this story
You may recall ... a man doing tractor work at a Palmdale, CA home where Katt was staying claims three women attacked him with rocks and sticks -- and Katt blocked the tractor with his SUV. Katt was arrested for intimidating a witness -- a felony -- but the L.A. County District Attorney has now refused to charge him, claiming the three women were the "main and only aggressors" in the incident. The case against Katt may be dead, but the mug shot lives forever. more on this story
(AP) Authorities say the badly burned body of a fledgling New York City rapper believe Rhian H. Stoute, who performed under the name Kampane, has been found in a sport utility vehicle parked on a New Jersey street. more (Billboard) Cher revealed on Twitter that "The Greatest Thing," her forthcoming collaboration with Lady Gaga, will be released in September. more (Jam!) Will Smith is heading back into the studio to record a follow up to 2005's Lost and Found according to music producer La Mar 'Mars' Edwards. And they've already started work on the project. more (AP) The California Supreme Court is refusing to consider Phil Spector's appeal of his murder conviction. more (FMQB) Justin Bieber topped the list of richest teen entertainers in 2010, according to People Magazine. Most of his $53 million this year can be attributed to his hit film Never Say Never and his fragrance "Someday." more (AP) Sugarland says it's in the process of planning a private memorial in Indiana to honor fans who died during a collapse of a stage and rigging at the Indiana State Fair. more (Billboard) Public Enemy will perform its classic album "Fear of a Black Planet" in its entirety at All Tomorrow's Parties presents I'll Be Your Mirror festival on Sept. 30 more (BBC) Thriller writer James Patterson is the world's highest-paid author after earning $84m (£50.9m) in the past year, according to Forbes magazine. more (FMQB) The Indiana State Fair has announced a relocation for the Maroon 5/Train show scheduled for Thursday, August 18 after the stage collapse on Saturday night. more (Jam!) Eminem has beaten Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg to be crowned the world's most successful rapper. The Stan hitmaker has been named as the king of hip-hop by Rolling Stone magazine more
Fans won't have to wait long to get a first taste as Kelly is set to host a live webcast on her website on August 30th to debut the first single. The single, "Mr. Know It All" will be launching at radio directly after the webcast and will go on sale digitally on September 5th. www.kellyclarkson.com
Katy hit this historic benchmark when "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" hit no. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart this week giving Katy the distinction of being first female, and only living artist to score five no 1 hits from a single album. In addition, on August 1st, Katy became the second artist in modern-day BDS chart monitoring to notch six consecutive No. 1 singles: "Waking Up in Vegas," (from 2009's One of the Boys), "California Gurls," "Teenage Dream," "Firework," "E.T.," and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)." more on this story
After a lot of teasing and plenty of hype, Watch The Throne debuted with first week sales of 436,078 units, giving it the second highest opening sales week for any album so far in 2011. In related news three additional dates have been added to the Watch The Throne Tour: Atlanta (Oct. 28th); Miami (Nov. 15th); Atlantic City (Nov. 19th). more on this story
Originally the band was to play "Concert 4 NYC" on June 9th but massive thunderstorms sent the band packing. The new date is September 30th, on the Great Lawn. "I don't know where to begin to tell you how proud I am to be performing here at Central Park for our rescheduled date," will.i.am said according to Reuters. "And how sad I was when it got canceled by lightning." more on this story
The run of dates begin on November 11th in Knoxville and will wrap on November 18th in Las Vegas. Montana continues to tour in support of his self-titled debut which was released to digital retailers on July 26. more on this story
As we previously reported, the Salahis are in the process of moving to the swank neighborhood -- renting a $20,000-a-month mansion -- but we're told they won't be taking their "Real Housewives" careers with them. According to sources, the Salahis' manager had been in talks with Bravo to transfer the baby-hungry couple from the D.C. show to its B.H. counterpart -- but Bravo exec Andy Cohen coolly replied, "We are not interested." Quelle surprise. more on this story
The album � the first new collection of music from and inspired by the hit ABC series in four years. That same day, September 13, will also see "Grey's Anatomy: The Complete Seventh Season" released on DVD and Blu-ray, with the highly-anticipated eighth season of "Grey's Anatomy" premiering on ABC on September 22 at 9:00 p.m. ET. more on this story
We're told toxicology results are pending, but as we first reported no drugs or alcohol were found in the bedroom where Armstrong died Monday night. It will take 6 to 8 weeks to complete the toxicology results. more. TMZ also reports that Russell Armstrong begged friends for anxiety drugs days before his death ... TMZ has learned. Armstrong's longtime friend and confidante Russ McCullough -- who appeared on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" last season -- tells us, he met Armstrong for dinner recently ... and things had reached a new low. more on this story
Sometimes love can be an uphill battle. Going to great measures to prove you care about another person can make you feel like you're desperately fighting against all odds. "I Will Love You" is about the determination it takes to do that. It's a classic love song. As a musician who's trying to build a career up from the ground floor, I'm on the road a lot. I'm always traveling, moving from city to city, and working crazy hours. It's not exactly the lifestyle someone looks for in a partner, and it makes keeping a relationship difficult. When you're on stage and in the spotlight, you can appear like you're this larger-than-life star. But it's not real. I joke with friends at times about the make-believe nature of it. But to the people in the audience, you are the rock star image they see. They don't believe you could be a one-woman man, because it doesn't fit the idea they have of a rock star. So when the girl I love thinks there's no way I can be true to her because she believes what she sees on stage, it's frustrating. I have to work extremely hard to get her to see the real me. In this song, I'm crying out to my girl, begging her to take me seriously when I tell her how much I care about her. "I will love you, please believe, you are all I ever need," states the chorus. It's about reassuring her that she's more important than anything that success and fame can offer, regardless of how glamorous they seem. She'll never be replaced, because nothing can compare to true love. This song doesn't just apply to me, though. I like to picture a story about a soldier coming home from war to see his wife. He crosses the world to get back to her, and when he finally makes it, he tells her he's there to stay. Someday, I'll be able to be like that soldier. I'll be able to come home and stay for good. But until that day comes, I need my girl to have faith in my love. Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!
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