Day in Pop Report for 04/27/2012
The Material Girl has already announced 76 concert dates in arenas, stadiums and special outdoor sites throughout Europe and North America with confirmed sales of over 1.4 million tickets to date. The MDNA tour has already sold out in Berlin (2 shows sold out), Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Istanbul (45,000 tickets sold) as well as Philadelphia, Boston, Montreal, Quebec City (70,000 tickets), New York's Yankee Stadium (73,000 tickets over 2 shows), Washington DC and the Staples Center in LA. The tour recently announced additional concert dates in Mexico and South America, which will be followed by a visit to Australia, where Madonna has not performed in 20 years. more on this story
Last week, Coldplay kicked off their North American tour in Edmonton; the trip is in support of their "Mylo Xyloto" album. Joining the UK band as openers on the tour will be Metronomy, The Pierces, Robyn, Wolf Gang, Marina and the Diamonds and Emeli Sand�; the artists will rotate during the trip. more on this story
The man behind the accusations -- named Guy Hobbs -- filed the lawsuit in Illinois federal court, claiming he wrote a song called "Natasha" back in 1982 based on his affair with a Russian cruise ship waitress ... and three years later, Elton jacked his idea. According to the lawsuit, Guy copyrighted the song and circulated the lyrics to multiple publishing companies -- including Big Pig, which solely publishes Elton John songs -- but he never heard back. In 1985, Elton John released "Nikita" -- and Guy claims the lyrics bear "significant similarities" to "Natasha" ... even though "Natasha" is about a GERMAN female border guard. Hobbs doesn't specify exactly which lyrics were allegedly stolen. more on this story
The man at the center of the controversy is "Fantasy Factory" star Rob Dyrdek ... who owns the "Young & Reckless" clothing company. The Hells Angels are suing Rob's company and MTV -- claiming Y&R designed and sold a bunch of t-shirts that "bear a design confusingly similar to the [flaming skull logo]" ... and they never asked for permission. In the suit, filed in L.A. County Superior Court, HA claims the logo has great commercial value ... because of its "very widespread public recognition" which evokes "strong and immediate reactions whenever used." The Angels claim Dyrdek's actions have caused "substantial damage" to the biker club ... and believe MTV violated their rights by broadcasting the stolen logos on "Fantasy Factory." The Angels are seeking unspecified damages. Calls to MTV and Rob Dyrdek have not been returned. more on this story
This time out, we see Rihanna in a variety of costumes, filming on a soundstage and surrounded by her dancers. At one point, the pop superstar asks, "How long have we been shooting today?" while a crew members responds "17 hours." more on this story
In fact, before the show, Perry tweeted about her performance, writing, "Me and 12 strong chicks dance it out military-style on @AmericanIdol tonight!" The weekly results episode saw the elimination of another Idol hopeful as the field gets down to the Top 5 as the series heads towards its finale in a few weeks. Watch it here.
The trek will kick off in Del Mar, CA on June 12th and select dates will also feature special guests Hot Chelle Rae and Owl City. Lovato will be touring this summer in support of her latest album Unbroken, which has been certified platinum. more on this story
George Jones is recuperating from upper respiratory infection and continues to rest at his Franklin, Tennessee home. Although, George is doing much better, doctors are ordering mandatory recovery time forcing all tour dates through May 20th, including the entire Canadian run to be postponed. more on this story
The L.A. County District Attorney filed the charges, based on surveillance video which appears to show Lane slapping former girlfriend Ashley Mattingly in the face last Sunday at her Beverly Hills apartment. Lane's lawyer tells TMZ he was merely reaching for his phone and it was not a slap, but apparently the D.A. begs to differ. Garrison is being held without bail because he's on a parole hold. You'll recall Garrison was convicted of vehicular manslaughter back in 2007 and went to prison. If convicted of domestic violence, he faces a year in jail, and he could do even more time if his parole is violated. more on this story
One of the things the guys discussed was the topic of being labeled a 'boy band.' "That is what we are," said Jay McGuiness. "We're not a rock band. We don't play rock music. Some people think that [a boy band] means you lip sync or dance incredibly well. We do none of those." See it here.
Hickman has long been known for both his guitar prowess and deft songwriting skills, with many songs leaning heavily towards the Americana/alt-country side of the fence - both in Cracker and on his 2005 solo debut, Palmhenge, which received positive accolades from the likes of revered music critic Robert Christgau, No Depression, AllMusic, Village Voice and many others. But on Tilting his musical boundaries are broader than ever before. While there are still traces of Americana present ("Measure Of A Man," "Destiny Misspent," "Whittled Down" and the bluesy "Resurrection Train"), there are also strains of smoky Dust Bowl-era jazz ("Papa Johnny's Arms") and gutsy rockers ("Takin' Me Back" and "Another Road," the latter which also incorporates a sweet and sublime refrain throughout). Perhaps most surprising, however, is the heavy presence of some incredibly hook-laden pop. Not only are some of these tracks reminiscent of Lennon & McCartney in their prime ("Dream Along With Me," the political satire of "Not Enough" and "Sick Cynthia Thing," the latter which also surges with an uplifting mid-'70s glam swagger), but even the earthy folk of "Drunkard's Epiphany" is elevated from a state of melancholy into something much more hopeful with its sunny harmonies and keen pop sensibilities. As Hickman explains, "Personally, all my favorite records and bands have been those that don't flatline into one tiny sub-genre (Beatles, Kinks, Radiohead, Petty, Neil Young...). When I write, I just do it and don't worry about it. As David [Lowery] and I always say, the only real rule in music is 'don't suck.'" more on this story
Available on CD, digital and lavender colored vinyl LP (!), this album features the original 16 tracks plus an additional 6 bonus tracks of material from the television show "Kovacs Unlimited" from 1952-1954. These tracks are available for the first time since air. The vinyl release will be limited to 1000 copies pressed on limited edition lavender vinyl, with future pressings to be made available on black vinyl thereafter. more on this story
TMZ has learned ... a rep for Christopher Scarver has reached out to high power book publishers ... claiming the 42-year-old wants to explain why he felt compelled to bludgeon Dahmer to death with a broomstick in 1994. Sources say ... Scarver -- who's currently serving multiple life sentences for multiple murders -- wants to reveal all sorts of details surrounding the Dahmer killing ... including Dahmer's last words. We're told Scarver plans to reveal the "sick, sadistic mind games and practical jokes" Dahmer played on prison officials and other prisoners during his time in the pokey. Sources say ... Scarver also wants to share the life lessons he's learned since the killing. more on this story
Deion -- who's in NYC for the NFL Draft with his two sons -- told us the citation he received for simple assault this week is BS ... because he "never did that stuff." As we previously reported, cops in Prosper, TX issued Deion a ticket for misdemeanor simple assault for his role in Monday's altercation -- when Pilar allegedly jumped him in his bedroom ... "kicking, biting, and scratching" him in front of his sons. Deion has insisted from the beginning -- he never harmed Pilar, and only "defended" himself until he was able to call police. Pilar was arrested for domestic violence. An emergency protective order was also issued against her, banning her from the ex-couple's home. Check out video here.
As we first reported, La Habra Police Department and the Orange County Dept. of Family and Children's Services showed up at Nadya Suleman's home Tuesday, after receiving a complaint that the mother of 14 lets her kids live in horrendous conditions. But today, DialAStar.com -- the website that pays celebs to talk to their fans on the phone -- donated the company's first month of profits (over $10,000) to spruce up Nadya's house. A rep for the website -- which employs Octomom along with several other celebs -- tells TMZ, cleaners have already started painting over the giant murals of graffiti inside and outside of the house, patching holes in the wall, and fixing the doors. As for Octomom's stylist's claims that only one toilet works in the house -- we got video of Octo proving it's no longer true ... you see her flushing THREE toilets. more on this story
Buff's wife dialed 911 Monday -- right around the time of his accident -- claiming Buff had just called her on the road, saying he was about to have a seizure. Buff's wife was worried, so she called 911. She told the operator, "He's been cutting back on taking certain medications, and he is on a medication right now for a bacteria that's in his system from another antibiotic. He's trying to cut back on pain pills, and maybe that's what's causing [the seizure]." She adds, Buff "has had a seizure before from the same thing." Another 911 caller, an eyewitness who ran to Bagwell's aid after the accident, claims the 42-year-old was barely conscious with "a lot of blood on his face." The caller claims no other car was involved in the accident. Buff is currently in intensive care at a nearby hospital. more on this story
The rapper tells TMZ ... he let himself slide after his stint on the reality show back in 2007 ... but was recently inspired to get his ass back in the gym after a brutally honest conversation with Dre. "A lot of people in my family have high blood pressure" ... Warren says ... adding, "Dre told me I better start hitting the gym ... so I took his advice." Warren says his "feel good workout plan" consists of running and boxing nearly every day ... along with cutting the crap out of his diet. Still, Warren admits his renewed exercise kick isn't just health related -- "Seeing Dre looking all cut up and in shape made me want to get myself together and look right, too." more on this story
Penny's lawyer -- the legal wrecking ball Donald Karpel -- just filed legal docs in L.A. County Superior Court, claiming Penny moved into the fancy Beverly Hills mansion last June ... and her landlord promised the place would be pre-furnished with valuable knick knacks and antiques. Penny says she even inspected the house before signing the lease in May -- and it was filled with multiple paintings, fancy furniture, rugs, a piano, and much more. But when she finally moved in -- Penny claims many of the valuable items had been removed, and then continued to disappear while she and her husband lived in the house. According to Penny, her landlord's to blame. Penny also says the landlord refused to let her exercise an option to purchase the home for a fixed multimillion dollar price -- including the pre-furnished items -- and instead, threatened to kick her out. Penny and her husband are suing for breach of contract, defamation, extortion, and a laundry list of other stuff -- demanding unspecified damages. Penny also wants the landlord to sell her the house per their previous agreement. Calls to the landlord were not returned. more on this story
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