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Day in Pop Report for 12/03/2012


Shakira Sued For $100 Million By Former Boyfriend
(popmusiclife) Shakira's former boyfriend and business partner is suing her for $100 million.

Antonio de la R�a is seeking to "recover his share of past and future partnership profits," according to the suit, which was filed last month in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, according to Billboard.

His suit seeks to "recover damages" of at least $100 million for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. more on this story

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Katt Williams Slapping Target Employee Caught On Video
(TMZ) Katt Williams wasn't done after leading cops on a crazy three-wheeled chase through Sacramento on Sunday -- because moments later, he was in a Target department story ... where he hit an employee in the face ... and TMZ has footage of the face-to-hand contact.

There's no audio, so we can't tell what the argument is about -- but by the looks of the employee's body language before the wallop (placing his hand on his chest) the guy wasn't looking for a fight.

Then out of nowhere Katt winds up and slaps him in the face -- at which point the employee pulls out his phone and, according to an eye witness, he calls police.

Video of the aftermath surfaced on the Internet this week, showing Katt making his getaway in an electric cart ... before police arrive. Watch the video here.

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Fugees Star's Pirate Hostage Footage Being Held Hostage?
(TMZ) Fugees rapper Pras Michel's movie about being held hostage by Somali pirates is being held hostage -- by the film's director ... this according to a new lawsuit filed by Pras.

According to legal docs filed Monday, Pras hired Marshall Tyler back in 2009 to direct a documentary film called "Paper Dreams"-- about the rapper's real-life, death-defying incident with pirates off the East African coast.

In the suit, Pras claims he was "taken captive" by Somali pirates sometime in 2009 -- however multiple reports say Pras, and his film crew, merely witnessed the famous capture of the Maersk Alabama in April 2009.

According to his lawsuit, Pras says he put up $70k of his own money to cover filming and travel expenses --but says after the footage was shot, Marshall failed to hand it over.

Pras claims he's repeatedly asked for the goods, but never heard a word back. Now he's suing to get the footage ... or at least recover his 70 grand, plus damages.

A rep for Marshall says, "Pras is trying to assert ownership on material that Marshall owns the copyright to."

A judge has yet to rule. more on this story

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Beastie Boys Fighting Back Against Sampling Lawsuit
(CBS Local) Beastie Boys are fighting back against a lawsuit that claims the band illegally sampled music on two of their albums, 1986 debut Licensed to Ill and 1989 follow-up, Paul's Boutique.

The suit, filed by record label TufAmerica, alleges that the Beastie Boys sampled the songs "Say What" and "Drop the Bomb" by '80s "go-go" group, Trouble Funk, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The complaint was submitted on May 3, 2012, just one day before founding member Adam "MCA" Yauch succumbed to salivary gland cancer.

But it's the suit itself that might be TufAmerica's downfall, as the label is suing on the basis that the samples were discovered only "after conducting a careful audio analysis," since they were "effectively concealed" to the "casual listener." more on this story

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Diana Ross, Demi Lovato, Scotty McCreery, Psy and Conan Christmas Special
Conan O'Brien will be hosting TNT's annual Christmas in Washington special concert.

The special will feature Diana Ross, Smash star Megan Hilty, chart-topping recording star Demi Lovato, The Voice's Chris Mann and American Idol winner Scotty McCreery and a finale with "Gangnam Style" hitmaker Psy.

The special is set to premiere Friday, December 21, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on TNT, and will be taped at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, December 9th.

Celebrating its 31st anniversary this year, Christmas in Washington is a holiday tradition benefiting the Children's National Medical Center. more on this story

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Katy Perry Named Billboard's Woman of the Year
(CBS Local) "When I heard I was very honored," Katy Perry said on being named Billboard's Woman of the Year.

"I also was a bit surprised because I thought my year was over! It does feel like this record has never ended."

Having wrapped up her successful California Dreams Tour in 2011, Katy revealed some of her favorite female artists that shaped her as an artist to Billboard. Growing up, she wasn't allowed to listen to secular music besides singers like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. more on this story

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Singled Out: Betty Who
Today Betty Who tells us about her new single "Somebody Loves You," which was produced by Peter Thomas (Hoodie Allen, Naya Rivera) and Mastered by Greg Calbi (Foster the People, Passion Pit, Bon Iver, St Vincent/David Byrne, etc). Here is the story:

The music in this song came quickly. My producer, Peter Thomas, and I were sitting in his studio watching Whitney Houston videos. She had died earlier that week and we were revisiting her career in bits and pieces. We watched the "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" video and listened in amazement at how fun the sounds were in that song. He found a synth that emulated the songs warmth and almost camp-y dance vibe and we started messing around with it as a joke at first. Then he played what would later be the opening chords of Somebody Loves You and I freaked out. I made him play it over and over again and asked him to throw together a scratch drum track so we could start writing immediately. We came up with a few melody ideas then he left me to write lyrics. As for the story behind those?

I have terrible taste in men. No, not terrible. Challenging might be a more appropriate word. I always seem to hear stories about women who try to "fix" their boyfriends and I always seem to say to myself "that will never be me". Well it was me.

I was dating a guy who was always sad, not because of me necessarily, I guess he was just a sad dude. I imagine dating Justin Vernon would be very similar to dating this guy. I would talk to this boy on the phone every night (it was one of those long distance relationships that everyone has, tells you about and follows up with their own version of the phrase "never again") and we would talk about why he was sad and I would try to be the one thing that could make him happy. I wanted him to realize that I was totally in love and ready to do whatever it took to support him, but he was too busy being unhappy to see it. I remember his sister saying to me very early in our relationship that he was going to f**k it all up, and he would look back on losing me as the biggest mistake of his life.

The first verse is essentially a cry for him to at least notice that I was there; to notice that I cared so deeply about his happiness. ("Who's around when the days feel long? Who's around when you can't be strong? Who's around when you're losing your mind? Who cares that you get home safe? Who knows you can't be replaced? Who thinks that you're one of a kind?") The chorus is, simply put, my way of grabbing his shoulders, shaking him and yelling "I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU. ACT ACCORDINGLY". The second verse is a reiteration of what his sister said would (and did) happen. The bridge came much later, after we had broken up.

I wrote it in a moment of weakness when I was missing his closeness and the way his arms felt when I woke up and they were wrapped around me. ("Why don't you come on over, why don't you lay me down.") I naively thought it should have been so much easier ("If I am good to you, won't you be good to me? That's how easy this should be."). We could just be good to each other and that would be enough.

Now, after being single for some time, what this song means to me is much broader. It's about the idea that someone, somewhere is thinking about you right before they fall asleep, whether it's the guy you made eye contact with in the airport or your grandmother.

We are all such loved beings, but it's hard to remember that after a sh*tty day filled with sh*tty interactions with seemingly sh*tty people. It could be a God, it could be a wife, it could be a distant family member, it could be a total stranger - someone is thinking about you and hopes you're okay.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself here and learn more about Betty Who right here!

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Extra's Mario Lopez Marries Courtney Mazza
(Extra) "Extra" host Mario Lopez married his girlfriend of four years Courtney Mazza Saturday under a white gazebo with the ocean in the background in Punta Minta, Mexico.

Before the wedding "Extra" spoke to the couple that both choked up as they talked about one another. The two kept with tradition and did not see one another before the ceremony. Mario told Courtney, "I can't wait for you to be Mrs. Lopez."

Rose petals covered the aisle and as a string quartet played to start the ceremony. Courtney was accompanied down the aisle by her father, her dress was by Ines di Santo. Mario walked his mother down the aisle. The couple's daughter Gia looked adorable in a dress that matched her mother and was helped down the aisle by Mario and Courtney. The couples nieces and nephews made the trip down the aisle as well.

Mario and Courtney exchanged vows that they wrote for one another and were pronounced man and wife by a catholic priest. Family and friends including Eva Longroia cheered as a mariachi band played to end the ceremony as everyone headed to the start of the celebration. After the ceremony Eva told "Extra" she was emotional during the ceremony just like everyone else. Speaking about the newlyweds she said, "I'm so happy for you guys. I love you so much."

The entire event will be featured in "Mario & Courtney's Wedding Fiesta" which premiers on TLC Saturday, December 8 at 8pm. More details to follow.

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IRS Reportedly Seize Lindsay Lohan's Bank Accounts
(TMZ) Lindsay Lohan's tax problems have become so extreme the IRS has seized ALL of her bank accounts in order to repay her massive outstanding debt.

As we reported, Uncle Sam has filed tax liens against Lindsay for the years 2009 and 2010 -- claiming she owes $233,904 in unpaid federal taxes.

Charlie Sheen generously paid Lindsay $100,000 to help alleviate Lindsay's 2009 tax problem -- but we're told Charlie's check barely scratched the surface ... because Lindsay also owes money for 2011.

The IRS has given Lindsay ample time to pay up -- but tired of waiting ... so we're told the IRS has seized ALL her bank accounts in order to settle her debt.

Sources close to Lindsay tell TMZ, she's in full-on panic mode about her financial situation, and is desperately trying to make some cash to get out of the red. more on this story

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Drake Joins Justin Bieber On Stage
(popmusiclife) Justin Bieber brought his Believe tour to Toronto Saturday for a show at the Rogers Centre and was joined by a very special hometown guest.

Bieber was joined by special guest, fellow Canadian and Toronto star, Drake to perform "Right Here" and "The Motto."

"I'll tell you, there's very few people out there in the world that are as talented and as incredible as this gentleman right here," said Drake. "I want to thank you for making my childhood dream, which was my first opportunity to perform at the Skydome, so thank you, my man." Watch video here.

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Skrillex Goes 8-Bit With His Online Video Game
(CBS Local) Skrillex has delved even deeper into the digital world with the release of his very own online game, with his music providing the soundtrack.

Entitled Skrillex Quest, the browser game is homage to old-school 8-bit titles like Legend of Zelda, and is based inside a long-lost NES cartridge.

"Remember blowing the dust out of your NES cartridges when they glitched? This game is all about that from the perspective of the people within the game," said the title's producer, Jason Oda, on his Facebook page, adding that Skrillex makes a cameo at the end of the game. more on this story

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The Game Receives Birthday Leniency From LAPD
(TMZ) The Game should have had his car towed in Los Angeles this week, but the LAPD decided to be nice to him because it was his birthday ... TMZ has learned.

Game told our photog on Thursday night that cops pulled him over in his Bentley and ticketed him for having tinted windows and paper license plates.

But law enforcement sources tell TMZ the rapper didn't have the Bentley registered, a huge no-no. We're told Game explained to police that he had purchased the car from a pro football player back in January and never got around to registering it.

Our sources say the cops were going to tow the car, but since Game said it was his birthday ... they decided they didn't want to make him walk and gave him a little birthday break. more on this story

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Bob Marley Family Battle Settled
(TMZ) Bob Marley's family just settled their legal battle with Bob's half-brother ... who they claimed was illegally using the reggae-master's face for profit.

TMZ broke the story ... Bob's widow and nine of his children filed a suit against Richard Booker for trademark infringement, claiming he was selling a slew of products -- including fish cakes, fish sausage, energy drinks, concerts and more -- by slapping Bob's face on them.

But Booker fought back and filed a counter-suit, claiming Bob himself gave him permission to use his famous name just before he died.

According to docs filed this month, the family and Booker settled their beef out of court.

Booker's lawyer, Robert Scholz, tells TMZ, "This was a very sensitive case because the legacy of a great man and family were at stake. From what I have learned about Bob Marley, he would be very happy, especially that his family is now at peace. Both parties were happy with the settlement agreement." more on this story

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Matt Pond Hitting The Road With Jukebox The Ghost
Matt Pond will follow up this week's acoustic shows with a North America tour early next year supporting Jukebox The Ghost.

The tour will make stops in all major cities including New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Washington D.C. and more.

Pond is touring in support of his forthcoming album The Lives Inside The Lines In Your Hand out February 5th. more on this story

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Railroad Earth Plans New Years Show and Winter Tour
(Sub) Railroad Earth will be celebrating New Year's with a three-night stand in Portland, OR.

The group will be performing for three nights at the Crystal Ballroom December 29th - 31st.

The band will then kick off the Winter Tour 2013 on January 18th, which will take them to key cities throughout the Rockies, Midwest and Southeast corridor with stops in Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta and DC, just to name a few. more on this story

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Fuse TV's Top 40 of 2012 Premieres Tonight
Fuse TV's Top 40 of 2012 special will be premiering tonight, December 3rd at 7pm. The network sent over these details:

The special will be hosted by Fuse's own Matte Babel, Elaine Moran and Yasmine Richard. From pop to rock, rap to indie and everything in between, all genres are fair game as the music videos that made the biggest impact over the year vie for the coveted top slot in the countdown.

Music fans have been submitting their votes online for which track they believe is most worthy of the #1 title, and the best of the best will be unveiled on December 3 beginning at 7:00pm ET. more on this story

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Tegan and Sara Release Closer Video and Kick Off Killers Tour
Tegan and Sara have released a new music video for their latest single, "Closer."

"Closer," is off of their upcoming seventh studio album, Heartthrob, which will be released on January 29th. You can watch the video here.

The group also kicked off a series of North American tour with The Killers late last week. more on this story

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Susanna Hoffs Releasing New EP
The Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs this week will be releasing a new a three-song solo EP, From Me To You, which features some of her favorite 1960's song.

A "labor of love" in her words, the EP will be released on Tuesday, December 4th and features Susanna's interpretations of, The Jaynetts' "Sally Go 'Round The Roses," The Beatles' "All I've Got to Do" and The Zombies' "This Will Be Our Year."

"It was a pure pleasure to record songs that I adore and have dreamed of singing for years," SUSANNA says. Regarding the song selections, she says, "It's exciting to be able to share some of my more obscure favorites. I think of this EP as kind of like a mix-tape that I'd give to a friend, except I decided to actually record the songs myself." more on this story

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Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors Giving Away New Song
Americana group Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors have set a February 26, 2013 release date for their new studio album Good Light and are giving away the first single.

Recorded live at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Good Light arrives shortly following Drew's 30th birthday and the birth of his first child, daughter Emmylou, with wife and band-mate Ellie Holcomb.

"This album perfectly tells the story of this new stage in my life," explains Drew. "I think about my daughter every time I sing the title track, how I want to sing it over her when she is old enough to start understanding the world of truth and consequence."

Their debut single, Tennessee, is currently available as a free download/stream here

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Kesha Previews Acoustic EP
(popmusiclife) As Kesha gears up for the December 4 release of her new album, "Warrior," the singer recently announced the she will be releasing an exclusive acoustic EP entitled "Deconstructed."

Produced by Greg Kurstin, "Deconstructed" will include acoustic versions of 2 tracks from "Warrior" - "Die Young" and "Supernatural" - along with "Blow" and "The Harold Song" off her previous release "Animal + Cannibal."

Kesha is previewing the new set with an acoustic version of "Supernatural" � hear it here.

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Atlas Genius Releasing Debut Album
Warner Bros. Records have set a February 19, 2013 release date for Atlas Genius' debut album, When It Was Now.

The group will wrap up their 2012 touring with a sold-out headlining show at Los Angeles' Troubadour on December 11.

While in L.A., the band will perform on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" on December 10 and make their U.S. television debut, performing the hit song "Trojans" on Jimmy Kimmel Live on December 12. more on this story

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Willy Mason Releasing New EP
Willy Mason has set a January 14th release date for his new EP release, Don't Stop Now.

The EP release is designed to give fans a taste of what's to come from Mason's third studio album also due for release later next year.

The EP will be released digitally and as a limited-run of five hundred 10'' vinyl via Communion Records. more on this story

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Gary Busey Still Owes $450K Following Bankruptcy
(TMZ) Gary Busey officially closed his bankruptcy case this month but despite wiping over $50k in debt from his name -- he's still in the hole OVER $450,000.

According to legal docs, Busey -- who filed for Chapter 7 back in February claiming he owed over $500k to creditors -- was discharged from his bankruptcy on November 26.

As part of the deal ... Busey got to keep all his assets (all $26k worth of them) and was able to free himself of $57,303.63 worth of debt to various creditors ... like banks, utility companies and doctors.

But the good news stops there ... because according to docs Gary still owes $451,297.33 in state and federal taxes, which are NOT eligible to be cleared.

And we reached out to Gary, who tells us, "When you have too much, it's a good feeling to let go. My new hobby is just breaking even." more on this story

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Real Housewives Star Wants To Silence Her Parents
(TMZ) "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kim Zolciak is asking a judge to issue a gag order against her parents.

As TMZ first reported, Kim and her parents are battling out their problems in court ... all over whether or not Kim's parents should be granted visitation rights to see their grandchildren.

In her latest move, the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star filed an emergency motion in Georgia last week, asking a judge to STOP her parents (Karen and Joe) from publicly discussing their on-going case.

Specifically, Kim says her parents are trashing her to various media outlets with vicious lies and claims their smear tactics are having a negative impact on her kids.

Not only that, Kim claims her parents are exploiting the family drama for "their own selfish reasons" -- like inking a $50,000 tell-all book deal.

A judge has yet to rule. more on this story

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Vodka Company Fires Back At The Situation
(TMZ) The Situation kept his drug addiction a secret from his employers -- this according to the protein-infused vodka company who just filed a counter-suit against him.

TMZ broke the story ... the Jersey Shore reality TV star filed a suit against Devotion Spirits earlier last month, claiming he helped build their boozy brand as a celeb spokesman. But Sitch claims they reneged on their end of the deal ... which he says cost him $5 million.

The company fired back last week and filed a counter-suit of their own ... claiming the "Jersey Shore" star was the one in breach of contract, for a slew of reasons.

Specifically, Devotion says Sitch constantly showed up late to events, concealed an alleged drug problem, was seen asking investors for weed, refused to do interviews at events and constantly demanded extra perks for his friends.

Not only that, Devotion says at an event in NJ in 2011 ... Sitch locked himself in the bathroom and refused come out. They claim he then emerged "sniffing" -- and later security guards said they found cocaine-like residue. When Devotion approached Sitch's team about the incident, they say his team denied any drug use.

Devotion says they finally terminated their contract with Sitch in March 2012 (the same month he checked into rehab). They are suing for unspecified damages. A judge has yet to rule.

We reached out to Stich's camp, but so far ... no word back. more on this story

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