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Day in Pop Report for 03/13/2015


Robin Thicke and Pharrell Will Appeal 'Blurred Lines' Verdict
(Radio.com) The attorney for Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams in their recent lawsuit with the Marvin Gaye family over "Blurred Lines" royalties has told Fox Business Network that he will appeal the verdict.

The court ordered Thicke and Williams to pay $7.3 million to Marvin Gaye's estate for infringing copyright of an older Marvin Gaye song. "We owe it to songwriters around the world to make sure this verdict doesn't stand," said attorney Howard King.

"My clients know that they wrote the song 'Blurred Lines' from their hearts and souls and no other source� We are going to exercise every post trial remedy we have to make sure this verdict does not stand. We look at it as being in the seventh inning of a game that could go into extra innings." Read more here.

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Disney Reveal Plans For Frozen 2
(Radio.com) On Thursday, Disney revealed their plans for a sequel to the major animated blockbuster Frozen with the announcement that the original film's directors, Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, are already set to return.

Producer Peter Del Vecho is reportedly also on board. As Walt Disney's Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter says, the team is already ready to revive the characters.

'Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck have come up with a great idea for a sequel and you will be hearing a lot more about it and we're taking you back to Arendelle," he said in a shareholders meeting. "We are so excited about that."

And, we may already have the title. If this Instagram post by cast member Josh Gad (Olaf) is to be believed, it will be titled Frozen 2: The Rogue One. Read more here.

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'Star Wars Episode VIII' Director and Release Date Revealed
(Radio.com) With J.J. Abrams Star Wars Episode VII due out later this year, planning is already well underway for the next installment of the Star Wars series. On Thursday Disney and Lucasfilm announced Abrams successor as director for Episode VIII, Rian Johnson.

Johnson comes with three feature films in his past, including the excellent 2005 high school noir Brick and the recent sci-fi favorite, Looper. Johnson has also notably directed three episodes of Breaking Bad.

Star Wars Episode VIII is planned for release on May 26, 2017.Before then, fans will get a now announced Star Wars spinoff, Gareth Edwards' Rogue One, starring Felicity Jones, which will be released on December 16, 2016. This is one of two planned Star Wars spinoffs. Read more here.

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Group Wants One Direction To Take Drug Tests To Enter Philippines
(Radio.com) An anti-drug group in the Philippines is urging the government's Bureau of Immigration to force a drug test on the members of One Direction upon entering the country.

The organization, Laban ng Pamilyang Pilipino, is rallying for their cause with the incriminating photo of Malik and Tomlinson, along with a caption that says, "No drug test, no entry!"

How influential could a non-government organization be in stopping One Direction from entering without a drug test though? Surprisingly effective.

One Direction participated in the country's post-Haiyan/Yolanda telethon for typhoon relief, and had urged their fans on social media to make donations to the cause. The bureau's commissioner is quoted as saying, 'If given enough information, we can actually prevent these drug users from entering the country," according to Gossip Cop. Read more here.

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Eric Church Going After Unlicensed T-Shirt Vendors
(Radio.com) Eric Church is taking a stand against illegal vendors at his concerts. The "Like a Wrecking Ball" singer filed a lawsuit earlier this week to stop illegal vendors from selling unlicensed merchandise outside his shows.

The merchandise being sold outside his shows is similar to the designs he sells at the concert venues but the quality is cheaper. Church is also seeking damages from these illegal vendors.

According to The Tennessean, Church filed a lawsuit in 2012 for the same problem. This isn't the first time Church is fighting the system. Last year, Church took a stand against ticket scalpers. After nearly 1,000 of his concert tickets were purchased by scalpers, he canceled those tickets and made them available for resale to fans. Read more here.

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Chrissie Hynde Writing Memoir and Plans Reunion
(Radio.com) Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde took to her Facebook page on Wednesday to announce to her fans that she is writing her memoirs, among other things.

"Yes, I am writing my 'Memoirs'. The book I always said I would never write. Well, Brigitte Bardot said that it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind. I wouldn't argue with Brigitte, would you?"

In the same post, she raved about Cadillac Three, saying, "I went to see my favorite southern rockers last night, The Cadillac Three (Formerly American Bang)' they were great and it was an amazing show of good old fashioned southern rock at its best. I hope to do a song with them myself one day but they keep forgetting to write it so I guess I'll have to do it. More on that later."

She also mentioned that she's scheduled a reunion with her Pretenders bandmate, drummer Martin Chambers, for a tribute to the late frontman of the Clash (she told us in the above-mentioned interview that she "would be heartbroken if I never did any more shows with Martin Chambers"). Read more here.

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Jimmy Kimmel Taps Brad Paisley For SXSW Coverage
(Radio.com) Brad Paisley will make a stop in Austin, Texas, for this year's South by Southwest Festival. The singer will be a part of Jimmy Kimmel's weekly broadcast live from SXSW.

Also making appearances from Austin on Kimmel's show will be Kevin Hart, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and Matthew McConaughey.

Additionally, Gary Clark Jr. will be a part of the show as a band member of Kimmel's house band Cleto and the Cletones for the week.If next week is anything like Kimmel's show last year, the late night host is expected to provide several music-based skits. Read more here.

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Kendrick Lamar Reveals 'To Pimp a Butterfly' Album Details
(Radio.com) Just a day after releasing the title and album cover for his new album, Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly tracklist is here. The album was originally reported to be 16 songs long via the iTunes listing; however, originally, only one song was actually given a name: the already-released "The Blacker the Berry." As such, it wasn't even known if lead single "i" had made the final cut.

Now it's confirmed that "i" will be part of the tracklist. Complex is showing off the full tracklist, which reveals the other 15 songs that will be part of Lamar's sophomore effort.

It's worth noting that, at the moment, no features are listed for To Pimp a Butterfly. It's unknown if that means the album features Lamar and Lamar only or if the actual features will be revealed at a later date closer to the record. See the list here.

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Will Cinderella Soundtrack Be The Next Frozen?
(Radio.com) Disney isn't wasting anytime on the follow up to their smash hit Frozen, the soundtrack for which had the second-best selling album of last year. The short film heads into theaters today accompanying the release of Cinderella, which means there's a whole new soundtrack to look forward to dominating the next year and some.

The first preview of it is "Making Today a Perfect Day," an upbeat song that plays in the film's trailer and is now available on iTunes in full. Idina Menzel takes the vocal lead on the track which is kind of an alternative to the "Happy Birthday" song.

Centered around throwing a birthday party, the song has lyrics like "I'm making today a perfect day for you/ I'm making today a blast if it's the last thing I do."

The best part for Frozen fans? At five minutes, the song is a full minute longer than "Let it Go." You can listen to a clip of it in the film trailer here.

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Martin Garrix Preview New Track with Usher 'Don't Look Down'
(Radio.com) Martin Garrix let the world hear just a little of his new single "Don't Look Down" via Instagram on Thursday (March 12) when he posted a short teaser trailer.

And hey, look: Usher's along for the ride. In it a few anthemic sounding bits of the song can be heard in the background while Usher makes an appearance, recording vocals for the track.

A quick cameo from Scooter Braun fills out the Instagram teaser. "Don't Look Down" is out on March 17. It's unknown if the song is off a larger release or is a standalone single. Garrix's last major release, his Gold Skies EP, came in July 2014, but he has yet to drop a full-length album. Read more and watch the preview here.

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Drake Donates $75,000 To Meek Mill's Former High School
(Radio.com) Drake has donated $75,000 toward creating a recording studio at a troubled Strawberry Mansion High School in Philadelphia, according to Complex. Meek Mill was once a student at the school.

The school has struggled with violence and budget issues, and principal Linda Cliatt-Wayman has faced an uphill battle trying to improve academics on campus and reduce violence.

ABC News screened a report on Wayman's efforts last year, prompting Drake to get involved. As a surprise, he showed up at the school to speak to students while he was on tour and announced that he was donating the money for the new studio.

"This is about you. This is about your principal. This is about your future," he said. "I love you. I care about you. I want to see you succeed." Read more here.

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Ellie Goulding Covers Hozier's 'Take Me to Church'
(Radio.com) Ellie Goulding has decided she's ripe for a cover, taking on Hozier's sky-scraping folk-rock anthem "Take Me To Church." The British singer released the cover Wednesday night (March 11).

Goulding is known for her electronic focus, and here the song's guitar strums have been replaced with gently strobing synths and airbrushed percussion. A light snap provides some forward motion, in lieu of the original's bombastic arrangements.

Goulding capably navigates the song's heavy emotional territory--while the soundscape never goes beyond an energized hum, she sings her heart out on the anthemic chorus, providing the track with its required sturm und drang when she sings the titular phrase. Read more and check out the cover here.

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Jordin Sparks Releases 'Double Tap' Video Featuring 2 Chainz
(Radio.com) Jordin Sparks latest video for "Double Tap" featuring 2 Chainz--her first since saying buh-bye to Jason Derulo--has her strutting her stuff in some slinky activewear.

2 Chainz seems to appreciate this newly single version of Sparks too, as he makes clear in the line, "It's a turn on if a girl say she independent/ It's a turn on if a girl say she ain't offended."

Though the track is about those Instagram lurkers who can't help but tap twice to show how much they like your photo. And we're talking about every photo, seconds after you upload it. That being said, we can't help but want to double tap this clip.

"Double Tap" will be featured on Sparks' new album Right Here, Right Now, which is set to drop later this year. Watch the video here.

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Justin Bieber Fans Brought To Tears In Latest Roast Promo
(Radio.com) The Beliebers can't even stop the waterworks. A new commercial for the upcoming roast of Justin Bieber features his biggest fans doing what they do best: crying their eyes out.

With only a few weeks to go 'til their favorite guy gets roasted, the Beliebers--both brace-faced and not--are showing off their best cry faces to the sound of Bieber's hit "Baby."

According to Comedy Central this is your worst nightmare, just a pack of teenage girls screaming their hearts out 'til their eyes can't even hold back the tears. Or, in the case of one particular male fan, the snot. But, it's the network's dream. Watch it here.

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Mary J. Blige Releases 'Doubt' Video
(Radio.com) Mary J. Blige isn't holding back on a new video for her song "Doubt." As the name implies, the song deals with emotional turmoil, writ large in the theatrical style Blige has perfected over her career.

She droves home the notion of drama by staging the video in an empty theater. Blige walks down the aisle over a stirring piano figure, singing about struggles she's gone through on her path to fame--"I've lost a lot of friends, I sacrificed it all," she croons, with tears pouring down her face.

Blige takes the stage, pouring her heart out before the empty chairs. Eventually her world conquering ambition comes to fruition: the chairs are filled with a cheering audience, her reward for a lifetime of struggle. "I made it to the top, I can't keep doubting myself anymore," she sings.

Watch the video here.

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Bjork Releases 'Lionsong' Music Video
(Radio.com) With her video for "Lionsong," Bjork makes a piece of performance art rather than the standard issue storyline/performance work in the medium. It's more in debt to Marina Abramovic than to Lady Gaga, but also fully aware of the line drawn between the two.

And in mentioning Gaga, "Lionsong" is a creative concept forged between Bjork and the artists who created much of the photographic and video art for Gaga's ARTPOP, Inez & Vinoodh (as well as their recent work directing Rihanna's "FourFiveSeconds" video). They're well known for their video and photographic work in the high fashion world and they worked with Bjork back in 2001 on the "Hidden Place" video, which has s similar performance art feel.

The focus here is on select visual effects and costume design, while Bjork herself explores the transformative powers of both of these things. For such a personal song, it makes her not the central focus of the video. Instead, the viewer's eyes and mind are drawn to the symbolism of the illuminated beating heart and the sense of happiness and detachment her dandelion-inspired outfit offers. Read more here.

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Katherine Schwarzenegger Talks Social Media Study and Miley Cyrus
(Extra) Katherine Schwarzenegger joined "Extra's" Mario Lopez at Universal Studios Hollywood to talk about a recent study she did on social media. The 25-year-old also commenting on her younger brother Patrick who has been getting a lot of attention on social media with his girlfriend, Miley Cyrus.

Katherine calling the couple "adorable," saying she is happy if he is happy, "You just want your sibling to be happy, if they're with someone who makes then happy and in a happy healthy relationship then I'm happy."

Schwarzenegger discovering social media makes women happy, "InStyle did a study and we actually found that social media improves the way women feel about themselves which I think is interesting because people think it makes us feel horrible about ourselves or that we're not perfect enough."

Katherine using social media to stay in touch with the rest of her family, "Everyone in my family is super active on social media, it's great, I set to see where everyone is all the time since we're all scattered now�Some people in my family tend to tweet things or Instragram things and make me laugh, it's all good it's fun." Read more here.

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'The Walking Dead' Star Directs New Music Video
(Radio.com) Most people know that Norman Reedus plays the fan-favorite character Daryl Dixon on The Walking Dead. But did you know that in the 1990s, he appeared in a number of music videos? And videos by some pretty familiar artists, too, including R.E.M.'s "Strange Currencies," Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees," Bjork's "Violently Happy" and Keith Richards' "Wicked As It Seems."

No doubt those experiences came in handy on Reedus' latest non-Dead endeavor, directing a music video ("Blinded") for a new band, the Bots. It's the sort of song, and video, that wouldn't have seemed out of place on MTV's indie-oriented 120 Minutes segment in the mid-'90s.

The Bots are a blues-rock duo made up of siblings Mikaiah and Anaiah Lei, and they sound like a cross between the Black Keys and Alice In Chains. The band's debut, Pink Palms, was released last year. They've toured as part of the Warped Tour, and they've opened for bands like Bad Brains, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Refused. Check out the video here.

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