Wiz Khalifa Show Canceled Over Fatal Concert Shooting

Fallout from the incident continues to spread with the announcement that a previously scheduled Wiz Khalifa show on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., has been canceled after a "review of recent events and assessment of campus concerns."

The show was set for Sept. 13 at the Breslin Center, which hosts the MSU Spartans' basketball games, as well as a number of concerts every year. While the reasons behind the cancellation were vague in the school's official statement, according to the MSU State News, school spokesperson Jason Cody confirmed that the show was scuttled in light of the shooting incident in California.

More here.

Chris Brown Reveals All-Star Guest List For New Album

He's joined by an all-star cast in addition to the guest stars on already released songs like "New Flame" (Usher, Rick Ross) and "Loyal" (Lil Wayne, Tyga). Trey Songz appears on "Songs on 12 Play," while Kendrick Lamar jumps on "Autumn Leaves."

Interestingly, two early singles from the album - "Fine China" and "Love More" are deluxe version exclusives. Also on the deluxe version is "Don't Think They Know," a song featuring the late R&B star Aaliyah.

X is due out Sept. 16. Check out the Chris Brown X Tracklist (and guest list) here.

Miley Cyrus Slams Media For Homeless VMA Date Reports

The warrant is in relation to a probation violation stemming from previous charges of criminal trespassing and criminal mischief. According to a court documents, the probation violations include "failing to take a drug test, failing to report to his probation officer, breaching his curfew, not finishing his community service hours and more."

Helt was also charged with burglary in 2010 in an attempted entry of an apartment. After this news broke, Cyrus took to her Twitter to defend her friend, writing, "People who are homeless have lived very hard lives. Jesse included," before adding, "I hope that this can be the start of a national conversation about youth homelessness and how to end it."

She then asked, "Does looking down upon the homeless help people excuse their inaction?" And later wrote, "The media never fails to disappoint. You've chosen to go after Jesse instead of covering the issue of youth homelessness," adding a sad face emoticon to get her point across.

She didn't stop there, read what she tweeted next here.

Morrissey Blasts Robin Williams Death Coverage

In a new post on his fansite True to You, Morrissey inexplicably felt the need to rank Robin Williams, Lauren Bacall, the husky voiced model-turned-actress who passed away a day after Williams, and Richard Attenborough, the English actor and filmmaker who died Aug. 24.

In Moz's mind, less attention should have been paid to the passing of Robin Williams because "It was Lauren, not Robin, who changed motion picture history. Yet modern media has an odd way of forgetting the more senior servers of the arts."

Check out Morrissey's full letter here.

Andre 3000's Head Wasn't In OutKast Reunion

As the audience gathered, Andre was not entirely present at his reunion's kickoff. "I think people could see it at Coachella, the very first show. It was foreign. My head wasn't there. I kind of fluffed through rehearsals," he said.

But there was one thing that got him through the performance: "A few hours before the Coachella show, I get a message that Prince and Paul McCartney are going to be there. My spirit is not right, and idols are standing side-stage, so as the show started, I'm bummed. This is horrible. In my mind I was already gone to my hotel room halfway through.

So Prince called a couple days after. It was my first time actually talking to Prince. He said, 'When you come back, people want to be wowed. And what's the best way to wow people? Just give them the hits.'"

He also spoke more candidly about his remorse over the way OutKast ended, saying, "We've left millions and millions of dollars on the table. We didn't even tour for our biggest album [Speakerboxxx/The Love Below]. I just wanted to say I know how hard it must be� Sometimes nostalgia is a cage."

So why did Andre agree to the OutKast reunion tour? Find out about that and what he has planned next here.

Kanye West Says His Father Was A Paparazzo

In a deposition for Kanye's physical confrontation with a paparazzi - for which he's currently doing community service - the rapper talked about how his dad Ray West used to snap people's pictures, according to a transcript obtained by The Daily Mail. "My father was a paparazzo himself," he told the prosecutor. "My father was a medical illustrator, a Black Panther, a Christian marriage counselor."

Among Ray West's subjects: Ronald Reagan and Maya Angelou. Of course, that kind of portrait-taking seems far off from the swarming photogs that have become the wrath of West's Yeezus tour rants. But, in Ye's mind, not all paparazzi are bad.

In fact, Kanye even pals around with some photogs, who do favors for him like make sure his car doesn't get ticketed. Read what he had to say about that here.

Josh Gracin Back In Action After Suicide Scare

He then posted two videos of his recent writing session, including a song called "Let Her Go." "I can never find the right words to say during a conversation," he wrote on Facebook. "So here's the video of the writing session today."

Shown alone on acoustic guitar, Gracin laments letting a past lover go. "Let her go, hoping she finds a better home/Even though you know it may not lead back to you," he sings.

More here.

Eric Church And His Wife Launch Chief Cares Charity

"Administered by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Chief Cares has already made a difference in the lives of children in Nepal, sent aid to Haiti, and helped the Humane Society here at home," the post informs. "You can get involved too�Purchase Chief Cares Platinum Seats and the majority of your ticket purchase will go right back to the charity."

The Churches organized the Chief Cares Fund last year. So far, donations have been used to aid underprivileged families and children throughout Tennessee and Eric's home state of North Carolina, as well as to help an orphanage in Nepal get beds, clothing and offer schooling to children that would otherwise never get the chance, and more.

Chelsea Handler Gets Star-Studded Send Off

Dave Grohl, Gwen Stefani, 50 Cent, Alanis Morissette, Fergie, Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Aniston, Selena Gomez, Avril Lavigne, Gerard Butler, Sandra Bullock and Justin Theroux were among the celebrities to help Handler end her seven-year stint with the network known for Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

With the front row filled with actual singers, the all-star choir sang "Goodbye To E!," a parody of "We Are The World." "Thank you to my family and mom," exclaimed Handler as she closed the show. "I hope you're watching me! I'll see you on Netflix!"

Watch it here.

Usher's New Video Features Nicki Minaj and Pharrell

Pharrell, who produced the track, shows up to watch him bust a move, while Minaj, who continues to have a great year, perhaps her best, hits up an electronics store to talk about O.J. and men who only last six seconds, like a Vine.

Blink and miss the tarantula crawling up Ms. Minaj. Spiders it seems are a bit easier to work with than boa constrictors. Usher's new album, which may or may not be called UR, according to the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee, is due out this fall, and features Diplo, Skrillex, Juicy J, and Chris Brown.

Watch the new video here.

The Killers' Brandon Flowers Plans New Solo Album

Little is known about the album so far, but Flowers did reveal that he's working withproducer Ariel Rechtshaid (Vampire Weekend's Modern Vampires of the City, Sky Ferreira's Night Time, My Time) for it, as well as the band HAIM. The latter's Danielle Haim sat in with the band on drums during a recent show.

"He's taking me out of my comfort zone," Flowers said of Rechtshaid. "Normally I make demos and they're pretty similar to how the song ends up. but he'll take a song and be like, 'I hear this'. It's incredible - his palette and his range, what he's able to say. At first we were butting our heads together, but now we're hitting it off."

More details here.

Drake and Lil Wayne Joined By Bobby Shmurda For Shmoney Dance

Still, that's exactly the side of Drake that Holmdel, N.J., was treated to at his Drake Vs. Lil Wayne tour on Monday night, courtesy Bobby Shmurda. Drake not only did the "Shmoney Dance" - he did it in the presence of its originator, Shmurda. With an especially complimentary introduction - "Tonight in Jersey, they came for that new s-!" - Drake brought out the Brooklyn-via-Jamaica rapper to perform his track, "Hot N-a."

As Shmurda rapped, Drake pulled out some very rare dance moves and did the Shmoney Dance across the stage, airplane arms and all. Warning: the video contains potentially offensive language, watch it here.

Zedd Teases His EDM Remix of Magic!'s Rude

Having crossed over from radio into the cultural zeitgeist thanks to various parodies and cover versions, the reggae-tinged single is about to receive the inevitable EDM remix, produced by none less that superstar DJ, Zedd.

While Zedd has been dropping the track in his sets over the summer (he dropped it at this year's Lollapalooza), the remix has to be officially released. While fans wait for the track to come out, Zedd has taken to his Instagram to offer a tease of his take on the smash.

Zedd's high-energy version of the song is "coming" on Sept. 2, according to Zedd's Instagram post. Check out the tease here.

Grimes Delivers Sci-Fi Inferno In Go Video

But that shouldn't have bothered Grimes too much, as she was left with a hooky anthem to record for herself (along with Blood Diamonds), give away for free to fans, and now release a music video for it that is described as a "sci-fi Inferno."

The capitalization of Inferno is intentional, as in Dante's 14th century epic poem, which might be a strange reference point coming from anyone but the world's biggest Game of Thrones fan.

Grimes, aka Claire Boucher, had this to say about the clip, which she co-directed with her brother Mac Boucher, via press release: "The circles of hell reflect more contemporary issues though. We shot a bunch at the salton sea which is basically an apocalyptic wasteland filled with dead fish because of human carelessness, the bullet hole hallway a la korn freak on a leash etc etc. If you look closely you can find clues. Haha, but in the usual fashion it is also abstract enough to just be a trippy visual accompaniment to the song."

Check out the video here.

The Voice Finalist's The Swom Brothers Announce New Album

Titled simply The Swon Brothers, the collection is co-produced by the duo (brothers Zach and Colton Swon) along with Mark Bright. It's scheduled to drop Oct. 14 and is currently available for preorder.

The Muskogee, Okla., duo has two independently released albums to their name already (Another Day and Set List), but The Swon Brothers is their first for a major label (Arista Nashville).

As the brothers told People recently, the process behind the album wasn't as glamorous as some might think. "I've never eaten so many sub sandwiches!" Colton said of the his time in the studio recording their debut. "You would think, 'Oh they're living the high life,' but no, we were eating sub sandwiches every day we were in the studio, just to save time. You get up, put your sweatpants on and you know you're going to eat a sub sandwich - definitely not glamorous."

More details and the cover art here.

Jeff Bridges Reveals New Album Details

With two albums under his belt, he's been spending time on the road with his backing band, the Abiders (yes, it's a reference to The Big Lebowski). And now he's releasing his first live album, appropriately titled Live.

The album draws from both of his albums - 2000's Be Here Soon ("She Lay Her Whip Down") and 2011's Jeff Bridges ("What a Little Bit of Love Can Do," "Blue Car" and "Maybe I Missed the Point"), as well as the soundtrack to Crazy Heart, ("Fallin' and Flyin'," "I Don't Know").

It also features a few covers, including the Byrds' "So You Want To Be A Rock and Roll Star" and Townes Van Zandt's "To Live Is To Fly." But the one cover that will no doubt thrill Bridges' legion of Lebowski fans: Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Lookin' Out My Back Door."

More details here.

Jennifer Aniston Answers Pregnancy and Wedding Questions

Jen was also quick to shut down recent tabloid rumors, telling Rob "I'm not pregnant!" While she won't reveal details of her wedding plans, she did talk about the institution of marriage, saying "I just think you live in the moment, your with someone, I think you learn as you get older to�Marriage is a wonderful thing, relationship is a wonderful thing, it's a way to discover who you are."

Jen also talks about her ALS Ice Bucket video - in which her fiance Justin dumps the ice over her head. "See that's all of who he is, he's got a mean streak�There was a lot of it too�Mine went a long time. Rob saying, "But then he kissed you on the head, "See that's the thing you get the ying with the yang, the good with the bad."

After completing her ice bucket challenge Aniston then nominating Howard Stern who took a smaller approach to it, "It was a shot glass, let's call it what it was, it was a shot of ice, it was a shot of ice�I still have to give him credit, I didn't think he would do it, I was told he would never do it, he even said, I am proud of him."

Read more of this story here.

Christopher Whitehall Discusses The Griswolds Quick Rise To Fame

In the midst of what they're calling the "never-ending tour," the Eighties-adoring Australian foursome find themselves with radio spins increasing daily and concert seats selling out faster than they'd ever imagined. It's all fairly remarkable for a band that has only been playing together for two years.

Although the band has a hundred or more blogs to thank for their early buzz, the real fireworks began when Aussie radio station Triple J labeled them their Unearthed Featured Artist, landing them a spot on the 2012 Parklife Festival lineup with Passion Pit and Tame Impala.

Singer Christopher Whitehall phoned Radio.com from the road in North Carolina to talk about the new release, their love of Chevy Chase and an unexpected make-out session that almost ruined a concert.

Radio.com: What were you doing in 2012 before the band formed? Chris Whitehall: At that point we were in other bands and we had day jobs. We spent a lot of time writing songs for the first EP. We were working pretty normal 9-5 jobs.

What type of jobs did everyone have? Lachlan was a landscaper, Dan worked at an agency, Tim was at KPMG, and I was a cabinet-maker.

What was the moment like when you all got in a room and decided you were quitting your jobs? It was probably the moment we first went overseas and realized and we were gonna be there like nine months. At that point we were like, well, there's no way we can sustain working any more so that's it.

Did anyone have cold feet or did everyone jump in? We pretty much all just jumped in with both feet and yeah, it has been difficult. It's been a very hard transition. Now that the band is working harder than ever and we're touring more than ever, we're still growing as a band. There's still a lot of work to be done.

The band has had quite a bit of success on the internet, what has the radio exposure done for you? Ahh, that's been amazing. We're playing shows now, packed with kids that know our songs which is the greatest feeling. I think that's the key thing that we noticed. We noticed on a day-to-day basis because of radio. But with our album coming out, everything's going up. Our social networks are growing, our sales are growing, shows are getting more numbers, it's pretty surreal.

Have you received a review where you wanted to punch the writer? One of our very first gigs that we did we got absolutely massacred. [laughs] Some writer was in the audience and there was only about thirty or forty people at the show� and we put on a terrible show. We were probably drunk and sloppy and talking to our friends who were in the audience from the stage. They called the review, "The Way The Griswolds Broke the Five Golden Rules." I remember reading that. But it was more like a learning curve. We were shocked. But it kind of taught us what not to do at gigs, which is actually a really good thing.

Read the rest of the interview here.

Singled Out: Rory Partin's Jambalaya (On The Bayou)

It's been a pretty crazy process recording my latest CD. It's my second album, but my first self-titled, and really my debut as an artist. I decided to self-title it "Rory Partin" because this album expresses many of my musical influences growing up, and touches on my roots as an artist. Last September we (me, my wife, and my PR firm) had the idea for me to record a new project. A new album was certainly long overdue, but we didn't have the money to record one. Given the fact that my big band has 18 people in it, and I like to take everyone in the studio together and record all the tracks as a band, we just couldn't afford it. But we decided to take a big leap of faith. We booked the session and band for October 21, 2013 in Nashville, TN, my birthday! We were on the hook now, and had to get the money to pay for it. We needed at least $20,000. So we decided to do an Indiegogo crowd funding campaign. We launched the campaign in early October. And I gotta be honest, I was disappointed that we didn't have better response online. Those who gave were amazing! And I am SO thankful for every one of them. Still, I was let down that more didn't choose to get involved. But, as time went on, we discovered that our largest donors wanted to give outside of the online campaign. And all in all we raised enough to move forward, and had people still giving after the official "campaign" had ended! We always had enough to take the next step in the process when we got to it. And then, the huge, unbelievable, undeserved occurred�

It was October 2013, just days after my recording session with my big band. My wife and I, and my in-laws, were all backstage at the Grand Ole Opry with my friends Reggie and Ladye Love Smith. Ladye was singing backup for the different artists that night, and was able to get us in. What a great night! We were meeting legends, and current stars - watching them perform, getting our pictures with them - basically hobnobbing (yes, it's a word). The lights on stage were bright, and the outfits were often brighter. Yet backstage in the wings it was dark, and my eyes were having trouble adjusting and seeing clearly. But I knew that Jimmy C Newman had just finished singing "Jambalaya," a song I've known and sung as far back as I can remember, and I could tell he was making his way off stage in my direction. People were pawing at him, and trying to get a moment with him. But he was steadily and politely moving past people, determined to get past the crowd and into his dressing room. My hope of meeting him was evaporating as I watched his determination to get through the throng. I didn't want to be a bother. But an idea had been planted in my head by Ladye Love and her husband Reggie, "You should ask Jimmy C Newman to sing on your new project," they said. "He's from south Louisiana too. You could have him sing on 'Jambalaya!'" (Which was one of the tracks I had recorded a few days earlier.) "Oh, yeah�fat chance that will happen," I thought to myself. "Jimmy C Newman is in the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, AND the Cajun Music Hall of Fame, and he sings pretty much every week on the Opry. Why would he be interested in singing on my album?" But this was my one chance; I had to make a decisive move. So as Jimmy passed near me, and Ladye Love reached out, hoping to get his attention and introduce me, I rang out in Cajun French, "Comment �a va, cher!?" He stopped dead in his tracks, looked around to see who had spoken to him in Cajun, saw me grinning, and started rattling off in Cajun. It was loud backstage, and I could hardly hear a word he was saying. But he was smiling, so I knew that whatever it was, it was good! We tried to converse in French for a time, but with the noise and my rusty French it was a challenge. That's when I thought I heard him invite my wife and I to come and hang with he and his accordion player, and dear friend, Bessyl Duhon in his dressing room. What??? Did I hear that right? I took a chance, "Uh�of course! We would love to hang with you in your dressing room!" Either he was too polite to embarrass a fellow south Louisiana, Cajun boy, or I had heard right. Either way, it was on! We sat in his dressing room and talked about south Louisiana, family, and the song "Jambalaya." That's when he took out his guitar and we sang a bit of the song, and he told me the history of how it had come to be written. I pressed my good luck. I told him I was recording a new project, and was currently in the process of tracking vocals. Then I dropped the bomb, "I would love for you to sing 'Jambalaya' with me on my new project if you would be willing and interested." He didn't even hesitate, "Sure. If you would like for me to, I'll help you out however I can." Say what??? Jimmy C Newman said "YES!" Woohoo!! The celebration began!

Between both our schedules, and Jimmy's health, it was difficult finding a day that worked for both of us. And the process of getting me and Jimmy in the studio together took until late February of this year, 2014. But once we settled on a day, I purchased a ticket to Nashville, booked some time in my friend's studio and headed east. I had mentioned to Jimmy that it would be fun if he would sing a verse of "Jambalaya" in Cajun French. But he responded that he didn't have a verse in Cajun, and that direct translations don't work very well. So I told him English would be great, whatever he was willing to do would be fantastic. Then several days later he called me, and in the excited voice of someone who still loves what they do, he left me a voice-mail, which I'm thankful to still have. "Hey, Rory! I hope you're doing okay. This is Jimmy C Newman, in Murfreesboro, TN. I'm looking forward to seeing you Monday; and I wanted to let you know I just wrote a second verse to 'Jambalaya' in French that I really like, and I hope you do to! So I look forward to talking to you!" He's been singing "Jambalaya" longer than I've been alive, without a verse in French. But he took the time to write one to sing on my project. What a wonderful gift!

Jimmy drove well over an hour to get to the studio in west Nashville. And being the wonderful, giving man that he was, called while en route to ask if he could invite a friend, Paul Gregoire, who plays Cajun accordion to come to the session. He said once I met Paul, a fellow south Louisiana Cajun, I might also want to put him on the track. He was right! We ended up tracking Paul on Cajun accordion that day, as well. And as it turns out, Paul is a fantastic guy, with whom I am continuing to build a friendship. The conversations in the room kept switching back and forth between Cajun and English, and through all the fun, we ended up getting a fantastic recording.

In my humble opinion, this version of "Jambalaya" is probably the best version of the song ever recorded. And the thanks goes to many people: Tim McMillen, my SW Louisiana friend, and the arranger who took my vision of what I wanted the arrangement to be, and was able to put it on paper; the amazing musicians in my band who took the notes on the page, and made truly great music out of them. And last, but certainly not least, Jimmy C Newman, who gave to the track his amazing talent, and one of a kind personality. He added a spark that set fire to the entire recording. And though Jimmy is now gone from this world to a better place, his fire still burns bright here below. What a privilege I have to work with such amazing people and musicians. I am truly thankful and blessed. Sing on Jimmy! AHH EEEE!

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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