Day in Pop Report for 01/04/2012
"Bullet" was a song Perry co-wrote that was recorded by country singer Jessie James. The track was one of two Katy contributed to James' 2009 self-titled debut album; the other was "Girl Next Door." We've put the Katy and Jessie versions side-by-side so you can hear the differences. Check em out here.
A rep for AllGood Entertainment CEO Patrick Allocco tells TMZ ... Patrick and his son were snatched by hired goons working for a local "concert impresario" named Henrique "Riquhino" Miguel ... who anted up big bucks for the NYE show. Allocco's people claim Nas and opening act Jemiah Jai were paid $315k to perform two shows ... but failed to board their flights in the U.S. in time to make it on stage in Angola. According to Allocco's team ... Miguel was PISSED ... and didn't want Allocco to leave the country without resolving the whole money issue ... so he sent his people to take them into custody at gunpoint. Allocco's people claim Patrick and his son were handed over to local authorities, where they were detained and interrogated for nearly seven hours. The local U.S. Embassy finally stepped in and got them sprung. A rep for the U.S. Embassy confirms ... Patrick and his son are now "in residence" at a local hotel while the two sides try to resolve the money situation. Allocco's people gave up this statement from him ... "The hope is that Nas and Jemiah Jai will return all of the monies that were wired to them immediately so that our ransom may be paid and our safe return to the United States may be facilitated." Calls to Nas and Jai have not been returned. more on this story
Now, a sample of a third track, "Secret," has been posted. The song was a demo for "Femme Fatale"; it was rumored to not only have been planned as that record's first single, but the title of the album itself. If those rumors are true, than obviously things changed and Spears' team went in a different direction. Take a listen to the Secret preview here.
TMZ has just obtained documents filed by the Medical Board of California, notifying the incarcerated doc that his California medical license has been suspended -- something that automatically happens when someone is convicted of a felony and sent to the slammer. The Med Board is giving Murray 15 days to turn over his medical certificate. If the wall is too bare, he can always hang a picture of Michael Jackson ... more on this story
The rap icon and his wife were outside Red O restaurant in L.A. this weekend when we asked about the rumor that they were all planning to put their kids in the movie. Dre responded, "We're talking about it ... we'll see what happens." FYI -- Cube has been talking about making the movie for years ... and now that he's putting another "Friday" movie on the fast track ... it seems it could be a while before the N.W.A. offspring get their shot at the silver screen. more on this story
As TMZ first reported, Flesh (real name Stanley Howse) copped a plea deal in his domestic violence arrest from January -- pleading guilty to false imprisonment and getting sentenced to 3 years probation and 100 hours of community service. Howse continues to maintain his innocence, telling TMZ, "She and I both know that I never hit her. It was just bad argument. I am very upset that this whole situation turned this messy." Now, Flesh says he wants to work it out with his wife, with whom has two small children (ages 2 and 6 months), telling us, "I have to prove myself to her now and won't have anymore heated arguments. I love my wife and going to try and put everything in my power to make it right." more on this story
LMFAO started 2012 with a bang by taking over the number one spot on the iTunes songs chart on the first day of the New Year with "Sexy And I Know It." The band will be busy on the road, playing shows all over the place: this month, they perform in Mexico and France, with February gigs in Canada and around Europe. Watch the performance here.
Three law enforcement agencies have contacted our producer multiple times since the incident, asking him numerous questions about what he observed. The producer was going to the gym in the building at around 6 PM on Friday. As he tried to find a parking space ... he saw a gray, 1990s Monte Carlo blocking a car that was about to be torched. There were 2 people in the Monte Carlo -- a driver and another man who was tampering with the vehicle that would soon explode in flames. Our producer says both men appeared to be in their 20s. He could not ID the driver, but says the man tampering with the car had long-ish black hair, which was NOT in a ponytail. The producer went to the gym, and an hour later ... as he drove past the targeted car, it exploded in flames. Our producer called LAPD and told them what he saw. He then received numerous calls from detectives and fire chiefs. Authorities described the man who would become the prime suspect Harry Burkhart -- the man with the ponytail -- but our producer said that was NOT the man he saw tampering with the car. LA City Fire Department Captain Jamie Moore tells TMZ ... the investigation is still active and they are not ruling out accomplices. more on this story
The three-song EP, 'Home Again,' will only be available digitally in the US. For full track-listing, see below. Following Michael's introduction in 2011 with the 'Tell Me A Tale' and 'I'm Getting Ready' EPs through Communion Records, 'Home Again' heralds another fine glimpse into this unique, British voice for 2012. more on this story
The collection features 14 songs by Buddy Greco, Bobby Darin, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz & Jo�o Gilberto with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Peggy Lee, Shirley Horn, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Brenda Lee, Connie Francis and Dinah Washington, plus new artists Grace Potter and Nikki Jean. According to the Verve Music Group's SVP of A&R Jay Landers, "The Pan Am series goes to great lengths to capture the dawn of the jet age with accuracy, and music plays a vital role. Many of the artists of the era are found in the classic Verve catalog so it was a great synergistic opportunity." Also, S-Curve/Universal recording artist Nikki Jean sings the Lennon & McCartney classic "Do You Want To Know a Secret." more on this story
Kobe tore a ligament in his right wrist during the first pre-season game against the Clippers. Sources connected to the team tell TMZ ... the pain has been excruciating. Our sources say he's gotten a numbing shot before each game since the injury, and as a result the pain was tolerable during play. But we're told the shot did almost nothing Sunday night, and as one source put it, "It was a miracle that he even played." Our Lakers sources tell us ... in addition to the numbing shots, Kobe's regimen is now to play with a cast, get physical therapy after each game and wear a flexible cast at all times off the court. One source put it this way ... "If it was anyone else but Kobe, if they did play they'd come up goose eggs on the scoreboard. It's incredible he's playing at all." more on this story
The album from the Irish singing legend will be followed by three more releases from the Seattle-based Independent Blix Street Records during the first months of the year.
Developed by founder James Bonanno � a graduate from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington's Cameron School of Business � The Dirty Hog aims to test strength, stamina and smarts as it pushes competitors to complete challenges in extreme and unique environments. Bonanno � a self-professed thrill seeker � called on the experience of retired U.S. Special Forces member Mike Evock and MTV reality TV celebrity Evan Starkman to map out the course for The Dirty Hog. Together, the three individuals drafted plans for an extreme sports event unlike any other. more on this story
According to court docs, Darryl has an arrangement with the Mets, in which the ball club pays him $8,891 a month as delayed compensation for his time with the team. According to the docs, Strawberry had earmarked $800,000 of the money specifically for his ex Charisse Strawberry as part of their divorce settlement agreement. But turns out, Darryl also allegedly owes the IRS $472,086, which creates a big problem ... who gets paid first? Charisse had sued Darryl and the Mets earlier last year, demanding they fork over the $800,000 -- but the Mets refused, insisting its hands were tied ... because when it comes to debtors, the IRS always gets its money before anyone else. Charisse and the Mets finally agreed last month to let the IRS take its cut first -- but since the Mets are only doling out $8,891 a month in Darryl's name ... it'll be at least until 2016 before Charisse sees a penny. What's more -- it's unclear how much the Mets owe Darryl in total ... so it's possible Charisse will ultimately end up with a fraction of what Darryl promised to pay her. Calls to Darryl and his wife were not returned. more on this story
Live Nation filed a response to Kevin Faraday's lawsuit in New York Supreme Court -- denying its involvement with an injury Kevin claims he suffered in the crowd at the Hammerstein Ballroom, where "Making the Band" was being taped. According to Kevin's lawsuit, some guy ran on stage, grabbed a microphone, and somehow hit him in the abdomen with it. Kevin is suing a comically long list of defendants over the incident -- including Diddy, MTV, Live Nation, and about a dozen other people and companies -- but Live Nation insists they're innocent. According to LIve Nation, if Kevin did actually hurt himself ... it was probably his own fault -- but Diddy, MTV, and others also had an obligation to prevent this kind of thing from happening ... and they failed to uphold it. Live Nation wants Kevin's lawsuit dismissed. more on this story
Sources close to Lindsay tell TMZ, the actress loves her Venice Beach house ... but with random scary people walking right up to her front door, she's convinced it's time to invest in some extra security upgrades for the property. On top of adding additional security cameras -- we're told Lindsay wants to hire a full-time bodyguard to stay with her for a period of time ... until she feels safe again. As for the man arrested for trespassing outside her house on Sunday -- Lonnie Short -- we're told he shares a bizarre connection with Lindsay's alleged stalker David Cocordan. According to sources, when Short knocked on Lindsay's door yesterday, he announced he was friends with David and needed to explain some things. Clearly, Lindsay wasn't up for a chat -- and minutes later, cops arrested Short for trespassing. He's still in custody on $1,000 bail. more on this story
Sources close to Nadya Suleman tell us, it's all because Octo was the ultimate flake -- her management team would book her on paying gig after paying gig ... and Nadya "would find any reason" to cancel last minute ... often claiming she couldn't find a babysitter. We're told Octomom was great the past year -- raking in lots of dough through appearances and different celebrity events -- but getting her to work the past couple months has been like pulling teeth. By the end, we're told it was nearly impossible even to reach Octo by phone -- and her managers had just about enough ... so they dropped her this weekend. We reached out to Octomom's now-former manager Gina Rodriquez -- who replied, "I quit on her because she is unmanageable. She would not reply to anything work-related we would call or text about especially if it was not paid." Gina added, "Regardless of the $70k we made her, she still claimed to not be able to pay any of her bills. We no longer wanted a part of any of it and we feel sorry for the children." Attempts to reach Nadya were unsuccessful. more on this story
Katrina's debut album "In the Blink of an Eye" is now available at digital retailers everywhere while her new pop single "So Eden" will begin impacting radio, prior to the tour, the first week of February. Vanguard Records artists Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers are on tour in support of their latest studio album "Gift Horse." more on this story
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