Day in Pop Report for 08/25/2011
The docs -- obtained by TMZ -- show that at the time Michael died, his net worth was around $50 million. Shockingly, the AT Publishing Trust -- the Beatles catalog -- was valued at only $474,544. We're told the reason it was so low was because Jackson had borrowed around $300 million against it. Now, fast forward to October, 2010 -- 15 months after MJ's death. The net value of MJ's estate -- under the leadership of the Executors -- swelled to $218,964,000. And get this ... that figure doesn't include $185 million the Estate paid out for loans, family allowances, interest, paying off the Havenhurst mortgage, etc. There are no figures for the current value of the Estate, but sources say it's worth much more than the valuation in October, 2010. Short story -- Michael could be entering Elvis territory. more on this story
The film was shot by the late director Sydney Pollack ... but according to Aretha's people film composer Alan Elliott now claims to have retained rights to the footage from Warner Bros. -- and wants to release the concert film this year "in honor of Sydney." The Queen of Soul has retained attorney Arnold Reed ... who says he plans to seek an injunction in Federal Court in California to immediately block the release of the film. Reed claims Elliott is breaching an agreement in place with Warner Bros. ... that requires him to get permission from Aretha before using her likeness in the film. Reed tells us Aretha is open to possibly negotiating a deal ... some time in the future. more on this story
"Alone" is a collection of 12 stripped-down songs, recorded in a spontaneous studio session between tours, just Eleanor, her two guitars, and a sound engineer. The album is released on Monday September 12th by Moscodisc. "Alone" features new tracks, alongside re-workings of Eleanor's best loved songs, including her world famous hit single "A Woman's Heart." more on this story
Back in May, the two announced they were separating to rethink the marriage ... but now, it appears Knight has reached a decision -- and he wants out. Knight filed divorce papers in L.A. County Superior Court on August 19 ... according to court records obtained by TMZ. Knight married the "Top Model" winner five years ago ... after they co-starred on "The Surreal Life" together. more on this story
According to an eye witness, Morales was driving on Sunset Blvd. on Wednesday when he crashed into a Saturn that was stopped at the time. We're told no one was injured in the wreck and the Saturn only sustained minor damage. The witness tells us she recognized Morales and tried to tell the other driver he'd just been hit by a celeb ... but Esai told her to pipe down because, "He'll think I'm rich." We're told no cops were called and both sides exchanged info and parted amicably.
"Jason's 'My Kinda Party' tour continues to sell out major market buildings in advance, which I stated earlier this year," said Live Nation's Brian O'Connell. "The only thing that has changed from the Spring is now we are selling out months in advance! This kind of ticket selling success tells me that the word has spread on how good his show is, and frankly, Jason and his band are just scratching the surface of their potential live show. The future is unlimited for these guys, and I am thrilled to watch it happen on a daily basis." more on this story
String Theory will perform an evening of eclectic music, video installations and dance featuring the signature Curve Harp at the beautiful outdoor amphitheatre nestled in the Hollywood Hills. The Harp will extend the entire length of the theater, over the audience, setting them inside the instrument and under the stars.
Fortunately, the stuntman was attached to a back-up safety mechanism that helped slow down the fall ... but sources tell us people were "very concerned" when the stuntman hit the ground. We're told the stuntman was testing out a new challenge that will be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. According to our sources, medics were on standby and quickly transported the stuntman to a hospital to treat his injuries. "Fear Factor" producers tell us, "Safety is our first priority, and because of that we test these stunts repeatedly with trained stuntmen to ensure our contestants' well-being." They added that this particular stunt was part of their standard safety process." This is the second accident on the set this month -- as TMZ first reported, a contestant was taken to the hospital (but suffered no major injuries) after the truck she was standing on slammed into a stunt car. more on this story
Producer/Programmer Adam Palin and Singer/Songwriter Imani Coppola first teamed up in 2008 to release critically acclaimed debut The Stoop which featured the hit single "The World Should Revolve Around Me." The duo's latest effort Made for TV combines words and throwback-to-Motown instrumentals that offer a joyful cathartic release of the evil that lurks, the kind of evil good music can cure, The first single, "Take Back the World," is set to appear in the September film release of "What's Your Number" featuring Anna Faris, Coppola inspires with fast rhythmic lyrics, her own special mix of pop and hip-hop. more on this story
Gemini will be available everywhere next Tuesday, August 30th, on June Baby Records. The first single "Double Trouble" off this six-song collection is featured as this week's iTunes "Single of the Week." Download "Double Trouble" for free here
It features collaborations with Ratatat, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie, and Mike Garson (who played piano on David Bowie's "Aladdin Sane"). After wowing audiences earlier this year at Coachella and on their co-headlining tour with Sleigh Bells, the band will take their sweat and glittered fueled live show on the road for a full US tour in October. more on this story
(Jam!) Taylor Swift stunned fans at her concert in Los Angeles on Tuesday night by welcoming Justin Bieber on to the stage for a special duet of "Baby". more (BBC) Amy Winehouse's Back to Black album has become the biggest-selling album in the UK of the 21st Century, the Official Charts Company reveals more (Billboard) The Game might be seeing red next week at the top of the Billboard 200. Industry prognosticators suggest that the rapper's new "The R.E.D. Album" (Geffen/Interscope) could sell more than 90,000 copies by week's end on Aug. 28. more (BBC) Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh is to take over Amanda Holden's role in West End show Shrek the Musical, two months earlier than planned. more (FMQB) Beyonc� will be back on the stage at this year's 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. The singer has three nominations this year for her "Run The World (Girls)" video more (Billboard) Simon Cowell has some choice words for American Idol creator Simon Fuller: Keep your hands off "The X Factor." Cowell is finally responding to the lawsuit filed in July by Fuller against Fox and producer Fremantle claiming Fuller is owed an executive producer credit and millions of dollars in fees from the Cowell-produced "X Factor," which bows in the U.S. in September. more (FMQB) Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch The Throne album maintained its crown on the sales chart this week, as the album stayed at #1 for a second straight week, selling 177,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. more (Billboard) Demi Lovato's upcoming "Unbroken" album, out Sept. 20, will feature contributions from Jason Derulo (on a song called "Together), Dev and Iyaz, as found by the tracklist reveal more (FMQB) After a group of 35 Michael Jackson fan clubs joined forces to lobby for the cancellation of Michael Forever: The Tribute Concert, set for October 8 in Wales, concert organizers said they will go ahead with the event. more (Billboard) OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder has signed a deal with Southern Hospitality BBQ to be the first franchise owner of the NYC-based bar and restaurant. more
Aguilera's attorney, Eric Greenspan, has fired off a letter to MediaTakeOut.com ... after the site published a story under the headline, "CHILD ABUSE???? CHRISTINA AGUILERA'S SON IS PHOTO'D WITH A BLACK EYE!!!" Greenspan writes, "Christina is a wonderful mother and was not present in the park when Max fell and hurt himself." He adds, "To imply that she had something to do with this incident, without any investigation on your part whatsoever, is reckless and unconscionable." After threatening to pursue legal action against the site, Greenspan concludes, "HAVE YOU NO SHAME!!!!" We called MTO for comment -- so far, no response. MTO has since removed the child abuse reference from the headline. more on this story
The event also promises to deliver the world premiere of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer, the first public hands-on with the title, the finals of the Call of Duty $1 Million tournament sponsored by Xbox 360, Call of Duty-inspired live action-experiences and much more. Call of Duty XP takes place September 2nd and 3rd, 2011, in Los Angeles, California. "We're pulling out all the stops," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. "We promised our attendees and fans around the world a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the first Call of Duty XP, so we're thrilled to have Kanye on board. Everything about XP will be as epic as the games themselves. Whether you're competing for one of the open slots in the $1 million tournament, playing Modern Warfare 3 for the first time, dodging paintballs in a spectacular life-size recreation of Modern Warfare 2's Scrapyard level or just mingling with developers and fellow gamers, Call of Duty XP is a celebration of one of the greatest games in the world. So what better way to top it off with one of the greatest artists in the world?" more on this story
DiLeo worked his way from the bottom of the music business all the way to the top. While with Epic Records, DiLeo helped sign and develop the careers of The Clash, Quiet Riot, REO Speedwagon, Cyndi Lauper and Culture Club � in addition to his work with the King of Pop. DiLeo managed Jackson during the '80s, and again at the end of his career, before the star's death in 2009. He also managed Richie Sambora and worked with Prince many times. Frank's outsized persona turned out to be a perfect fit for the film world, and he acted in a few major motion pictures, including both Wayne's World movies (as Frankie "Mr. Big" Sharp) and 1995's Kiss of Death. His most famous role was as Tuddy Cicero in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. more on this story
'Toxicology results returned to the Winehouse family by authorities have confirmed that there were no illegal substances in Amy's system at the time of her death. Results indicate that alcohol was present, but it cannot be determined as yet if it played a role in her death.' Mitch Winehouse, the soul singer's father, said to British media after his daughter's death that she had beaten her drug addiction 3 years before she died, but was still struggling with her drinking problem: 'She was trying hard to deal with her drinking and had just completed three weeks of abstinence, she said, 'Dad I've had enough of drinking. I can't stand the look on your and the family's faces anymore.' more on this story
Sources close to Matt tell us ... the ex-TNA star hadn't been feeling well ... but it's unclear as to what caused Matt to fall down. So far, the extent of his injuries are unknown -- but a family member tells us Hardy is expected to be released from the hospital tomorrow. It's been a rough month for Hardy -- as TMZ first reported, he was arrested on suspicion of DWI last weekend and was subsequently fired from his gig at TNA wrestling. more on this story
Buck Owens is synonymous with the Bakersfield sound of country music that also gave rise to the Maddox brothers and Rose, Tommy Collins, Ferlin Husky and in later years Merle Haggard.
Ashford produced Gamble & Huff smash "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" for Motown; Ashford & Simpson were key link between Motown Sound and Sound of Philadelphia "Nick Ashford was truly one of our favorite songwriting colleagues and producers. He and Valerie Simpson had a major impact on Gamble & Huff's songwriting career, as Nick was responsible for producing a song we wrote, 'I'm Gonna Make You Love Me,' with Motown. Nick heard the song after we wrote it for Dee Dee Warwick and made it a major hit for Diana Ross and the Supremes and the Temptations together. We also worked with Ashford & Simpson on 'Is It Still Good to You,' which they wrote for Teddy Pendergrass, and they did an excellent job. We're longtime admirers of Ashford & Simpson as one of the greatest songwriting teams ever. Nick was a multi-talented artist, and he will be truly, truly missed by both of us."
Sources at Bob Morris' Beach Cafe tell us the two rolled in for omelettes and coffee Wednesday morning and left around 11 AM. No kids, no fighting ... just breakfast. We're told the two seemed "happy and normal" -- and the pictures of Jada laughing seems to back that up. See photos here
This year's lineup includes headlining acts George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, Michael Franti and Spearhead and The Neville Brothers. According to the announcement, with a capacity of only 5,000 people it is an intimate festival with top-notch artists. There is also no downtime between performances throughout the weekend, which truly adds to this unique festival experience. more on this story
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