Day in Pop Report for 01/18/2012
L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy James Mee is suing his department, claiming he's the victim of religious discrimination. Mee, who is Jewish, claims he has been targeted by his superiors because of his faith. Mee wants the jury to see a videotape of Mel Gibson in the holding cell. When TMZ broke the story about Mel's anti-Semitic rant, we referenced the video, which shows an out-of-control Mel handcuffed behind bars, complaining he had to urinate and then -- according to sources -- appearing to make an attempt to pee on the cell floor. Law enforcement sources tell us ... the video shows Mel running around the cell and at one point even trying to scale the bars like a monkey. And when he attempted to use the phone, but couldn't get a dial tone, we're told he threw the receiver against the phone. The County of L.A. -- the defendant -- has filed legal docs trying to block the admission of the video, arguing that it's irrelevant to Mee's religious discrimination claim and would only be used to "embarrass Mr. Gibson." The County also believes the video would inflame the jury, because Mel is "a controversial public figure." And the County claims ... showing the video would violate Mel's right of privacy. The judge hasn't decided whether the video is fair game. Mel's rep declined comment. more on this story
You'll recall Mars was arrested in Las Vegas in September, 2010 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino after a bathroom attendant told security a man was doing coke in one of the stalls. Mars pled guilty, but he was not convicted. The judge deferred the matter and gave Bruno a year to complete 200 hours of community service and attend drug education classes. We've learned Mars has exceeded the number of required community service hours -- he's logged more than 230 hours, working for children's charities as well as some health-related charities. And he has completed his classes. So today ... the judge will officially dismiss the cocaine charge. Bruno's lawyer, Blair Berk, will appear on his behalf, and just like magic the charge will go away. more on this story
Law enforcement sources tell us ... a male tourist recently filed a battery report with police, claiming a seemingly intoxicated Dick went nuts on him when he tried to snap the actor's photo after spotting the guy walking around in the famous Hollywood and Highland area. According to the report, the tourist claims Andy grabbed him by his collar and tried to wrestle the camera from his possession. The tourist claims he managed to fight Dick off ... and Andy quickly fled the scene. We're told police believe the incident was captured on tape ... and cops are VERY interested in checking out the footage. Calls to Dick's camp have not been returned. more on this story
The news comes as Celtic Woman are currently preparing for the release of the brand new CD/DVD "Believe" and supporting 60-city North American tour.
The award comes for selling more than two million downloads of the song while simultaneously earning Gold certification for their latest album "We Owned The Night" after tallying over 500,000 digital downloads.
Written and produced by Rico Love (Usher, Beyonce), the song reunites these young vocalists for the first time since their massive smash single, "The Boy Is Mine."
TMZ has obtained a copy of the suit, filed in L.A. County Superior Court ... which is essentially 12 pages of incomplete, incoherent jibberish. From what we gather, the man who filed the claim, Thomas A. Green, alleges Lohan communicated with him via Facebook and led him to believe she would participate in a dot-com business he wanted to create. It appears Green feels he was duped ... and when he pressed Lohan about her true intentions, he uncovered a conspiracy about the killing of Bin Laden. In his suit, Green writes, "[Thomas] set out to command [Lohan] to twitter and stated if [Lohan] acknowledges this is an Osoma Bin Ladden op all civilians in past wrong doing will receive clemency." Green also claims he is a former U.S. Marine -- who recently spent time in a homeless shelter due to a "depreciated stage of delusion and hallucinations." Then, for no apparent reason, he writes, "[Lohan] might be a high end prostitute." Green is suing Lohan for engaging in unfair business practices -- and he's demanding $300,000. But as crazy as his lawsuit seems, Green hired a process server ... who served Lindsay at her progress hearing in L.A. this morning. So, stay tuned ... more on this story
Jack White's Third Man Records has also selected Alabama Shakes to kick off its series of live 45 releases. The two-song 7" from the band's fall 2011 session at Third Man in Nashville, is due out in late January. Alabama Shakes will make its television debut on February 7 on "Conan." The band will appear on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" on Tuesday, January 24, and its "World Cafe" session will air on NPR on January 26. more on this story
The iTunes album version includes bonus track "Wolf," which has become a staple in their recent live shows across the US and Europe. First Aid Kit will return to North America for a headlining tour this spring, following a nearly six-week long tour of Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. The tour will begin on March 28th at Webster Hall in New York, NY, and will wrap up on April 22nd with their second weekend performance at the Coachella Music and Arts festival in Indio, CA. more on this story
"Thanks to everyone who has listened to our music, bought our records and come to our shows. We have so much fun doing what we do, and we hope to continue to do that for a good time, yet. Who knew getting dumped in 2008 could be such a goddamn kick-start!" exclaimed Nathaniel Motte, one half of the electro pop duo.
The single is now impacting at TOP 40 radio. Middle Finger featuring Mac Miller is the second single off Cobra Starship's latest album, Night Shades.
The PBS Special, "Pa's Fiddle: America's Music," is the brain-child of Dr. Dale Cockrell, director of MTSU's Center for Popular Music and scholar of the songs embedded in the "Little House on the Prairie" books. He was joined by MTSU professors and students who worked behind the scenes to capture video for the documentary, titled "Inside Pa's Fiddle." MTSU is playing a key role in keeping the old-time fiddle music alive for future generations. Some of the more popular songs were featured in a recorded PBS pledge-drive special that will begin a two-year broadcast run in June. Check out great behind-the-scenes footage and hear the music of Charles "Pa" Ingalls here
Creep are producers/ DJs Lauren Flax and Lauren Dillard. Lauren Flax is an internationally renowned house DJ and producer. Their debut singles "Days" ft The xx's Romy Madley-Croft and "You" ft Nina Sky came out earlier this year. Stay tuned for upcoming new releases from Creep including their debut full length, which will feature collaborations with Planningtorock, Andrew Wyatt & more. Check out the video for the new single here.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Heather's sister told the dispatcher Heather was having intense stomach pains and was in severe distress. When paramedics arrived they performed some tests and quickly decided her condition was so serious Heather needed to be transported to a hospital and placed in ICU immediately. TMZ broke the story ... paramedics examined Heather after her sister made the emergency call, and determined Heather needed to be hospitalized after she had taken a dangerous combination of prescription drugs and alcohol. It's her second drug-related emergency in the last couple years -- Heather was hospitalized back in 2008 for what the 911 operator described as a "suicide attempt" ... after her doctor became concerned Heather may have OD'd on prescription pills. It turned out to be a false alarm. more on this story
Their debut LP, Other People's Problems, will be released on April 3 by FatCat Records and the free EP can be downloaded here. The four new tracks were culled from the same writing and recording sessions of the band's forthcoming debut LP. In characteristic form the songs were constructed from a variety of found sounds, field recordings and unconventional recording methods. Opening track "Ordnance Survey" for instance consists of a synth that was put through a speaker that the band intentionally broke and guitars that were recorded in the vault of the abandoned bank the fivesome lives and records in. more on this story
Growing up in Africa, he narrowly escaped civil war, eventually landing in Sweden. Now, he's got collaborations with Nelly, Akon, and Nicole Scherzinger under his belt as well as a deal with uber producer RedOne's 2101 Records and over 100 million cumulative YouTube/VEVO views. In addition, he's released multi-platinum selling singles in France, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, and Sweden as well as Top Ten hits in both Canada and Japan. The new single's music video has already surpassed over 6 million YouTube/VEVO views, and it's on its way to becoming a bona fide global hit. Check it out here.
Drake put the properties up for sale last week -- located right nextdoor to each other in Miami's ritzy Marquis highrise -- listing one for $1.9 million and the other for $599,000. Drake combined the two into one MASSIVE condo, and lived in both simultaneously. The larger one is a sprawling 3,800 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. The "smaller" one-bedroom condo is still gigantic ... at 1,675 square feet. Drake purchased the properties together in January 2011 for a combined price of $1.903 million. So, if Drake gets his asking price ... he'll make $596,000 in profit (even though no one ever gets their asking price). But still, it's pretty awesome -- considering all the other famous people who've been forced to sell their real estate at massive losses ... including Beyonce, Terrell Owens and Chris Tucker. more on this story
Sources connected with Jenner tell us ... Bruce went under the knife Friday. Bruce went to the doctor because he saw a small red mark on his face. His doctor removed a piece of it and after a biopsy it was determined to be skin cancer. Bruce went to an outpatient facility and had a chunk of the surrounding area removed. Doctors told Bruce they caught it in time, but warned him not to go out in the sun -- especially when he plays golf -- without wearing a hat. more on this story
Lexie filed the legal docs in L.A. County Superior Court -- claiming a guy named Narciso Ayala took an illegal right turn on March 28, 2011 ... and smashed into her car ... resulting in a "catastrophic accident which caused serious and permanent injuries." Lexie's lawyer tells TMZ, the model's career has taken a crippling blow as a result -- and now, she's suing for lost wages ... plus hospital and medical expenses. Lexie wants unspecified damages, exceeding $25,000. Calls to the driver and his employer were not returned. more on this story
The story of Yummy Boyz has many layers. I like to look at all things in life as having different layers. We enjoy the superficial and also enjoy making fun of it a little, but if you look closer, there is a deeper meaning in everything and the same is true for my music. It's fair to say that for years and years men had been treating all the yummy women of the world like sex objects and this song is a way of turning the table, allowing men to be the sex objects of our desire on display in full array. The yummy boyz in this song are objectified for a change; it's a role reversal in full throttle. To give you the full origin story of Yummy Boyz we have to re-visit the night the idea first spawned in my imagination. This night started out like any other night. My pet tiger was massaging me while I contemplated world peace and ways to end animal cruelty and terrorism and how tiring it can be to be a guru. I usually think about world peace while taking a long, relaxing bubble bath. I happened to be thinking absolutely nothing at all, until the bubble bath fell into my mouth. I hadn't meant to swallow the bubble bath, but there it was in my mouth. Then I started to think about all the yummy things in life. All the yummiest of yummy boyz. Of course Obama and Osama Bin Laden immediately came to mind. The lyric "I thought I was your baby/ What am I supposed to do?" is really talking about love in a post-modern, capitalist world. Love is hurried - here today and gone tomorrow. In the chorus when I say "Tasty and yummy so so so hot/Enjoy them while you can," I am talking about that moment when you feel the most free inside. It's when you lose abandon and you stop thinking about numbers and logic and your laundry list for the day. Instead you are overcome with a sensation of total bliss and happiness with the acknowledgement that all the yummy boyz in the world are here to serve you. Working on Yummy Boyz was a spiritual journey for me. It made me really really empowered, and I hope the song empowers millions everywhere like me, when they listen to the song and start dancing. Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!
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