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Day in Pop Report for 08/31/2012


American Idol Drop Randy Jackson As Judge
(TMZ) The dawg days are over at "American Idol" ... TMZ has learned Randy Jackson is officially LEAVING the judge's table ... but will still remain a part of the show as a "mentor."

Sources connected to "Idol" tell us ... there's some concern among the brass that Jackon is not well-suited for the mentor role ... but they feel they need him because he's the glue that helps keep the show together.

As for his replacement ... sources tell us Nicki Minaj's deal is 99% done ... but still not a sure thing just yet.

We're told the honchos are keenly aware Mariah Carey isn't a fan of Minaj and doesn't want her at the table ... a fact producers LOVE because they think the conflict and tension will be good for the show.

And ... we now know A.I. will once again go with a 4th judge ... we're told producers are gunning for someone from the country music world for the third seat. Seat number 4 is up in the air.

Finally, although "A.I." wanted Diddy or Kanye West ... we're told they are definitely out of the picture. more on this story

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Adele Denies Wedding Rumors
(popmusiclife) Rumor has it that Adele recently got married and the singer took to her Twitter page to let fans know the truth.

The buzz started when media reports suggested the singer and her boyfriend, Simon Konecki, had tied the knot after the two were spotted around London with the pregnant singer wearing a gold wedding band on her ring finger.

Adele put an end to the rumours on Thursday with a simple tweet: "I'm not married...Zzzzzzz" she wrote. more on this story

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LeAnn Rimes Fighting Back
(TMZ) LeAnn Rimes just filed a lawsuit against two women she claims illegally taped a conversation with her and then spread it across the Internet.

TMZ has obtained a copy of the suit ... filed in L.A. County Superior Court. Rimes alleges Kimberly Smiley and Lexi Smiley are supporters of Brandi Glanville -- Eddie Cibrian's ex -- and engaged in a campaign to trash her when she hooked up the with Eddie.

This Spring, LeAnn claims she called Kimberly in an attempt to stop the negative Internet activity. During the conversation, LeAnn says she attempted to be kind and said she wanted peace.

LeAnn alleges Kimberly and Lexi illegally and secretly recorded the conversation and then released out-of-context excerpts, painting her in a "false and negative light." They also allegedly made statements that LeAnn was "crazy and delusional."

LeAnn is suing for invasion of privacy.

Rimes' lawyer, Larry Stein, tells TMZ LeAnn will also go to police in an effort to get the people responsible for the recording prosecuted.

As we previously reported, Rimes is currently in a treatment facility for stress management. more on this story

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Sylvester Stallone's Son Died Of Heart Attack Not Drugs
(TMZ) Sylvester Stallone's son, Sage Stallone, died from a heart attack ... and no drugs were found in his system ... TMZ has learned.

The L.A. County Coroner has determined Sage died from natural causes. As for why he had a heart attack, we're told there was evidence of heart disease.

A source connected with the Coroner tells TMZ ... it was "unusual" for a person Sage's age -- 36 -- to have such advanced coronary problems, but that's what killed him.

Sage's body was found July 13, but he may have been dead days earlier. more on this story

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B.o.B Releases Game App
B.o.B has released his new mobile game app B.o.B's Strange Clouds: The Game for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. His camp sent over these details:

B.o.B's Strange Clouds: The Game takes users on a journey with B.o.B as he travels through space, learning the secrets of a new alien race. Players earn fuel for their "rocket ship" while slicing shapes out of strange clouds. The faster and more accurate the shapes are carved, the more fuel is earned, allowing B.o.B fans everywhere to join him as he ascends into a higher � and stranger � space.

Highlighted by three original music tracks � specially created by some of B.o.B's top collaborators � B.o.B's Strange Clouds: The Game offers players the chance to collect coins along the way to buy power-ups or to personalized items they can use to customize their "rocket ship." As a result, each flight on B.o.B's Strange Clouds: The Game will offer a one-of-a-kind gaming experience, with every mission randomly generated for maximum excitement and repeat game play. Watch the trailer here.

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Matchbox Twenty TV
Matchbox Twenty will be making a series of television appearances in support of their forthcoming album, "North."

They will kick off the TV blitz on Today, set to air live from New York City's Rockefeller Plaza on Monday, September 3rd.

Next up, the band will hit the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theatre for a Wednesday, September 5th appearance on CBS' Late Show with David Letterman. more on this story

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Tristan Prettyman's New Album Release Delayed
Capitol Records have moved the release date for Tristan Prettyman's new album, Cedar + Gold, to October 2nd. It was originally set to be released on September 25th.

"My Oh My," the album's first single, is a Top 20 hit at Triple A radio and is quickly climbing the Hot AC chart.

For the album, Prettyman enlisted producer Greg Wells (Adele, Katy Perry) who plays piano, bass, drums, and some guitar on the album. "Greg forced me to step into really being a musician and owning what I do," she says. "Once I did that, I got super creative and the songs started coming from a different place. It was a very intuitive process." more on this story

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Rick Springfield Giving Fans Songs for the End of the World
Rick Springfield will be releasing his new album, Songs for the End of the World, on October 9th.

The album will feature bonus digital content accessible through a specialized app, fan vocals included on album and in special 30-minute audio collection. We were sent these details:

Collaborating on songs like the three-chord rocker "I Hate Myself," the anthemic "Our Ship's Sinking," "Love Screws Me Up" and "Depravity" with his bass player Matt Bissonette, Springfield sets his sights on the possibilities of escaping the current, apocalyptic world situation in our closest relationships. In doing so, he employs the kind of self-effacement and ability to poke fun at himself as he demonstrated when putting his dog Lethal Ron on the cover of Working Class Dog or spoofing his image by playing a sleazy, drug-and-sex-crazed version of himself on Showtime's dark comedy Californication. John Waite and Mr. Mister's Richard Page appear as backup vocalists, along with Rick's original guitarist, Tim Pierce, who hasn't played on record with him since 1999's Karma. more on this story

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One Direction Set Album Release Date
(popmusiclife) One Direction continue to roll out details about their sophomore album, "Take Me Home."

The boy band have revealed the album cover, which sees the group playing around a classic British telephone booth.

The group also confirmed that "Take Me Home" will be released on November 13. See the cover art here.

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La Toya and Paris Celebrated Michael Jackson's Birthday With Impersonator
(TMZ) While celebrating Michael Jackson's birthday on Wednesday, La Toya and Paris Jackson partied it up by hanging out with a look-alike MJ impersonator.

La Toya and Paris snapped pics with tribute artist Carlo Riley at the annual "Goin' Back to Indiana" birthday celebration for the King of Pop in his hometown of Gary.

Riley looks so much like MJ that he said Katherine Jackson told him, "You're going to make me cry." While Paris added, "I love your outfit." more on this story

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Troy Aikman's Ex Wife Rhonda Tried To Use His Name To Prevent Arrest
(TMZ) Rhonda Aikman tried to GUILT police officers into letting her off the hook during her drunk in public arrest by throwing around the name of her famous ex-husband Troy... and TMZ has the shameless footage.

It all went down when Rhonda was sitting in the back of the Murphy PD cop car ... after she was busted for allegedly being wasted in a high school parking lot.

As the camera in the squad car rolled, Rhonda begged for her freedom ... at one point telling the officer, "Do you know what this is gonna do to him? Troy?"

The officer replied, "I have no idea. You can have him call me."

Rhonda continued, "If you do this, it'll be on the TV and it'll hurt � it's gonna hurt Troy, it's gonna hurt me, is that what your goal is?"

"Is this really what you want to happen? To Troy? And me, and my kids? Is this what you want to happen? Or can you not just take me home?"

The officer shot down Rhonda's attempt ... and merely explained, "I'm just doing my job."

As we first reported, Rhonda was eventually booked for public intoxication and released a short time later. See the footage here.

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TNA's Stolen Heavyweight Championship Belt Recovered
(TMZ) TNA's heavyweight championship belt -- valued at roughly $6,000 -- was stolen earlier this month from right under a stagehand's nose ... but thankfully, the suspected thieves have been caught ... with the help of TECHNOLOGY.

TNA sources tell TMZ, the alleged belt-snatching took place on August 18th in Ottumwa, Iowa before a non-televised event while a stagehand was unloading props from his truck.

We're told the stagehand turned away for a split second, and one of the suspects grabbed the $6,000 belt -- along with a $400 replica -- and took off.

The two suspects were later identified by police using surveillance footage.

33-year-old Joel Luke and 39-year-old Forrest Jamison were arrested Wednesday before posting bail and being released. Luke was charged with 2nd-degree theft and Jamison was charged with accessory.

The belts have since been returned to TNA -- and somehow, the stagehand still has his job. more on this story

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Judge Orders Jessica Simpson's Father Not To Drink
(TMZ) Jessica Simpson's father was ordered by a judge to stay away from alcohol after his DUI arrest -- at least for now.

Joe Simpson was due in court for his arraignment yesterday following his August 4th arrest -- but his lawyer Shawn Holley got the case continued to September.

In the meantime -- while Joe remains out on bail -- the judge ordered him not to drink ANY booze whatsoever ... a pretty unusual order considering he has no prior DUI arrests and hasn't been convicted.

TMZ broke the story ... Papa Joe was busted at a DUI checkpoint in Sherman Oaks, CA ... and blew .12 on the breathalyzer.

The L.A. City Attorney subsequently charged Joe with two misdemeanor counts of DUI.

If convicted on both counts, Joe could face up to a year in jail -- but as a first-time offender, it's HIGHLY UNLIKELY he'll end up behind bars. He'll most likely end up with a fine and probation. more on this story

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Judge Felt Kelly Rutherford Tried to Alienate Kids From Their Father
(TMZ) The judge in Kelly Rutherford's custody trial just doesn't trust her -- claiming she has repeatedly tried to cut her ex-husband out of their children's lives ... which is why the judge ruled in favor of daddy.

In his decision, obtained by TMZ, the judge chose to make Kelly's ex Daniel Giersch the "residential parent" because "Daniel (who lives in France) has facilitated the relationship of the children with Kelly ... and Kelly simply has not done so."

One glaring example -- the judge says Kelly continually failed to put Daniel's name on their daughter's birth certificate ... despite being asked several times by the court.

The judge writes, "Even while under the scrutiny of an extended trial, Kelly still has declined to demonstrate the level of commitment to facilitating the relationship that would be required of a residential parent in a relocation situation."

As we reported, Kelly gets the kids (aged 5 and 3) 50% of the time under the new arrangement, but the children will live and go to school in France. Daniel can't return to the U.S. because his visa has been revoked, so Kelly will be spending a lot of time on a plane.

As for the details of the new custody plan -- Daniel has to buy Kelly six round-trip airline tickets to France per school year (coach class) ... and put her up in a house with a car while she's in the country.

But it's worth noting, the custody arrangement could eventually shift back to the U.S. if Daniel fixes his visa issues. more on this story

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Lindsay Lohan Banned From Hotel For Not Paying Bill
(TMZ) Lindsay Lohan may say the producers of "Liz and Dick" promised to pay her enormous bill at the Chateau Marmont hotel ... but it's simply not true -- TMZ has learned.

TMZ broke the story, Lindsay racked up a hotel bill approaching $47,000 but stiffed the Chateau Marmont. As a result, Lindsay was banned from the hotel property.

Lindsay now says she thought her "Liz and Dick" producers would pay the bill, but sources very familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... the production NEVER promised to foot the bill.

Sources connected to Lindsay tell us ... producers did give Lindsay a one-time only, $5,000 advance against her salary in late May so she could move into the hotel, but that was it. There was never even an insinuation the production company would pay her hotel bill.

Lindsay has said ... if the production company doesn't pay the bill, she will. Stay tuned.

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NBA Star Matt Barnes Says Cop Targeted Him
(TMZ) NBA star Matt Barnes tells TMZ ... there's one cop in Manhattan Beach, CA who simply doesn't like him ... and targeted him for TWO HOURS back in July in a plot to ruin Matt's life.

Barnes -- who's now a free agent -- was hangin' at the beach last night when he told us, "Manhattan Beach doesn't like me very much ... I don't know why they don't like me, but they don't like me."

Barnes was referencing an incident on July 30 ... when he was arrested on an outstanding traffic warrant. We're told the arresting officer lurked near Matt's car for two hours on the night of the arrest to make sure he didn't miss the chance to arrest Barnes.

When asked if he thought he was being watched that night, Matt told us, "Someone waits outside your car for two hours ... I would say that's watching."

Barnes explained that his beef isn't with the entire Manhattan Beach PD ... saying he "loves" the cops ... and insists. "We're not gonna let a couple of situations take us away from living our lives."

As for Matt's future in the NBA ... Barnes says he's speaking with multiple teams ... adding, "Hopefully we'll get this arrest situation out of the way so I can go ahead and move forward with my career." more on this story

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