Studio Quality Music and Artist Promotion

Designer Pronovias Fashion Show 2009

NATALIE MAINES, FELLOW CHICKS COURTED FOR LIBEL
[E! Online, 12/6/08]
Another Dixie Chicks cause, another angry reaction. A man whose 8-year-old stepson was killed in 1993 has sued all three members of the country-pop group for defamation, singling out frontwoman Natalie Maines for her comments suggesting that he played a role in the boy's death. Maines, whose outspokenness has won her lifelong friends and mortal enemies alike, appeared last December at a rally in Little Rock, Ark., for the three men, tagged the "West Memphis Three" by their supporters, who were convicted as teenagers of killing the plaintiff's stepson, Steve Branch, and two other 8-year-old boys. According to the six-page complaint filed Nov. 25 in Pulaski County Circuit Court, the "Not Ready to Make Nice" singer told the crowd that new DNA evidence from the crime scene implicated Steve's stepdad, Terry Hobbs, and that Hobbs' behavior following the boys' death was suspect. Her comments resembled those written in a letter about the case that was posted on the Dixie Chicks' website and obtained by various media outlets, including People, the Huffington Post, FreeRepublic.com and ABC News. Maines' statements were "so extreme in degree as to be beyond the pale of decency and to be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in civilized society," Hobbs' lawsuit states, per the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "Defendant's repeated libelous publications concerning the involvement of the plaintiff in the murders of Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore were not based on fact and, in fact, were false and reckless at the time of publication." Hobbs is alleging defamation, libel, intentional infliction of emotional distress by outrageous conduct and false-light invasion of privacy. He is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, claiming the Chicks caused him embarrassment, humiliation, "severe" psychological and emotional trauma, loss of income and injury to his reputation. "I want people to know I haven't done nothing wrong," Hobbs told the Democrat-Gazette in February. "I want them to hear it from me." "It shames you, something like this. That's the biggest thing I've had to deal with—shame. A publicist for the Dixie Chicks didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. In September, a Craighead County Circuit Court judge denied new trials for two of the three convicted men, ruling that the new forensic evidence didn't provide "reasonable probability" that the pair were innocent.

GUITARIST SATRIANI ACCUSES COLDPLAY OF PLAGIARISM
[Reuters, 12/6/08]
Rock guitarist Joe Satriani has sued British band Coldplay, accusing the Grammy-nominated stars of plagiarizing one of his songs. Satriani's copyright infringement suit, filed on Thursday, December 4 in Los Angeles federal court, claims the Coldplay song "Viva La Vida" incorporates "substantial original portions" of his 2004 instrumental "If I Could Fly." The 52-year-old guitar virtuoso is seeking a jury trial, damages and "any and all profits" attributable to the alleged copyright infringement. Coldplay, whose soaring atmospheric tunes are often compared to those of Irish rock band U2, received seven Grammy nominations on Wednesday, second only to rapper Lil Wayne. Among its mentions were nominations in the key record and song of the year categories for "Viva La Vida," which comes from the band's chart-topping album "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends." The song is credited to the band's four members, singer Chris Martin; bass player Guy Berryman; guitarist Johnny Buckland; and drummer Will Champion. The title was inspired by a painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The Satriani track comes from his album "Is There Love in Space?" Further comment from Satriani's attorney, or reaction from Coldplay's management was not immediately available.

FUNKY ISLAMIC FASHION STRUTS CONSERVATIVE CATWALK
[AP, 12/3/08]
After years of turning heads with her riotously colorful frocks in Malaysia, fashion designer Tom Abang Saufi can't decide whether to shed a few shades on her batik dresses for the Middle East. "If you wear red and fuchsia in the desert, you'll stick out like a sore thumb," she says. "(But) it's slowly getting to be accepted because the Saudi Arabians are well traveled people. They're global, they wear Roberto Cavalli and they're all very colorful." For many, Islamic fashion might seem synonymous with strait-laced garments that leave everything to the imagination, but some Asian designers are trying to equip modern Muslim women with a wardrobe that obeys both sartorial trends and spiritual dictates. This fusion of creativity and conservatism is showcased in the Islamic Fashion Festival, which has entered its sixth year and runs through Thursday, December 4 in a Kuala Lumpur hotel. Malaysia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates take turns hosting the event. The festival opened last week to a catwalk show audience of Malaysian royal princesses and corporate women who cheered an avant-garde celebration of chiffon and crystals that cast off black burqas, austere abayas and homely headscarves. Shows featured 1,000 outfits by top couturiers from Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Pakistan and the Philippines. Diverse influences lent a twist to typically loose tunics and serpentine skirts. Models strutted the festival runway in silver-shot scarves sparkling with Viennese-made Swarovski crystals. Some designers drew inspiration for their evening gowns, prayer clothes, bridal outfits and full-body Lycra swimsuits from Indian Mughal carpet motifs, Spain's Moorish palace patterns and even Moroccan scenes from the classic film "Casablanca." Indonesian designer Ronald Gaghana's ensemble, considered the centerpiece of the launch, was adorned with Japanese kimono-like sleeves and intricate African embroidery. "It's a global market for us. For me, it's very important as a designer to (go) abroad to see everything" in the latest trends, said Gaghana, whose custom-made Islamic dresses cost at least $2,000 each but are snapped up by women who want something fancy for special occasions. Some non-Muslim designers are getting in on the action, including Malaysian ethnic Chinese fashion maverick Lee Khoon Hooi, whose idiosyncratic zipper necklaces and tulip-shaped gowns have been sold in boutiques from Beverly Hills to Taipei.

ARTIST MARK LECKEY WINS "TURNER PRIZE"
[CBC, 12/2/08]
British artist Mark Leckey, whose work incorporates images of Felix the Cat and Homer Simpson, has won this year's Turner Prize, Britain's biggest contemporary art award. Leckey, 44, won the £25,000 prize ($46,000) on Monday, December 1 at London's Tate Britain gallery. Leckey, a professor of film studies at Frankfurt's Staedelschule, combines sculpture, film, sound and performance in his works. He presented the Turner jury with Cinema-in-the-Round, which shows the artist lecturing in a deadpan voice on the nature of the filmed image in popular culture, with references to James Cameron's Titanic, Felix the Cat and an episode of The Simpsons. Another of Leckey's works in the exhibition is Made in 'Eaven, in which Leckey appears to have recreated Jeff Koons's stainless steel sculpture Rabbit inside his flat. "He celebrates the imagination of the individual and our potential to inhabit, reclaim or animate an idea, a space, or an object," the jury said. Leckey, originally from Birkenhead, called the win "a big thrill." The only man on the short list, he was the favourite to win. Other contenders were Goshka Macuga, Runa Islam and Cathy Wilkes. The Turner, a controversial contest that has seen entries involving unmade beds and pickled sharks, was remarkable this year for its lack of controversy. Only Wilkes's exhibit, a female mannequin on the toilet with pieces of wood and horseshoes tied to her face, even raised eyebrows. Nonetheless, 60,000 people streamed through London's Tate Britain to see the shortlisted entries.

JONAS BROTHERS TALK SHOES, MONOGAMY AND MARRIAGE
[Aceshowbiz, 12/2/08]
Jonas Brothers are all interviewed by Times Online's Chrissy Iley who asks the threesome everything from shoes to monogamy and marriage. Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas also open up about their celibacy vows and also the ideal girls in their mind. Joe is a shoe lover and claims Burberry as one of his favorites brands. "Well, I love shoes. I was wearing these really great pink shoes when we played at the White House the first time," he recalls. "We met the president. We were ready to shake his hand. Instead he gives us a high-five and said he liked my shoes, the pink shoes, so I sent him a pair. I haven't seen him out with them yet, you know. But they're really cool shoes." Oldest brother Kevin then answers a more personal question which is about the purity rings that they wear, saying "I prefer not to talk about the purity rings if that's all right." But he then explains, "It was a personal decision each of us made a long time ago. It means to try and live a life of values, whether that means yourself or others." Relating that matter to the issue of monogamy, Kevin tells Chrissy his opinion, saying "I think you need to be faithful to who you are with, absolutely. But if that relationship is no longer intact, I'd say you can go and date somebody else. Cheating is not good, you know." He furthermore also states that he, Joe and Nick are all single, reasoning "We travel a lot. We try to date as much as we can but you know it's a little difficult when we're traveling." However, they never feel lonely as they "have great friends" and "just try to be as good guys as we can be." Younger brother Nick answers the marriage question, telling Chrissy, "We talk about this a lot, even though I'm only 16. Marriage is something that's going to happen, but not in the near future. Music is important, but family has to be the most important. I think we would take a little while off if we would start a family. When Joe and I lie in our bed and we can't fall asleep because of all the time changes, that's exactly the kind of thing we talk about."

TORONTO WRITER, POET AND VANCOUVER NOVELIST WIN BRESSANI PRIZES
[CBC, 12/2/08]
Toronto short story writer Darlene Madott and Vancouver novelist Victoria Miles are among the winners of the Bressani Prize, offered every two years to honour the literary work done by Canadian authors of Italian descent. The other winners were Toronto's Elana Wolff for her poetry collection, You Speak to Me in Trees, and Donna Caruso for radio drama, The Clothesline. The awards were presented in Vancouver last Thursday, November 27. Madott, a lawyer and writer, is the author of Making Olives and Other Family Secrets, a collection of short stories published by small Montreal press Longbridge Books. Miles won for Magnifico, a novel about the 11-year-old daughter of Italian immigrants who wants to learn piano, but is presented instead with an accordion. Caruso, a Fort Qu'Appelle, Sask., filmmaker, has embarked on "The Clothesline Project", in which people hang out the colours of their own history on a clothesline. She is also author of Journey Without a Map: Growing Up Italian. Wolff, who works as a proofreader and editor, has published three collections of poetry. The prize, re-established in 2000, is named after the Jesuit father Francesco Giuseppe Bressani (1612-72), the first Italian missionary to Canada, and is awarded by the Vancouver Italian Cultural Centre.

THREE WOMEN ON SHORTLIST OF FOUR FOR "TURNER PRIZE"
[Reuters, 12/2/08]
Three women are on the short-list of four for Monday's Turner Prize, one of the art world's most prestigious and controversial awards which has been won only three times by a woman since 1984. The annual event traditionally sparks debate about what art is, although an exhibition of works by the nominees has proved more baffling than brazen for many visitors. Belfast-born Cathy Wilkes' "I Give You All My Money" features two supermarket checkouts covered in dirty dishes and surrounded by a ladder, tiles, a mannequin sitting on a toilet and another with its head in a bird cage. Art critic Rachel Campbell-Johnston said in September that Wilkes' work, although defying easy interpretation, was "the least inscrutable of a very inscrutable bunch." Runa Islam, born in Bangladesh, presents several film works, including "Be The First To See What You See As You See It" in which a woman inspects china objects before slowly pushing a cup and saucer off a table, smashing them on the floor. In "Cinematography," a mechanized camera shoots a workshop interior while tracing the letters of the title. Briton Mark Leckey, the sole male contender, explores contemporary visual culture with a film of Jeff Koons' polished steel "Rabbit" and his art lecture "Cinema-in-the-Round" which is shown in a small movie theater in the gallery. The third woman is Goshka Macuga, whose sculptural ensemble of glass and metal was inspired by the relationships between two pairs of artists -- Paul Nash and Eileen Agar and Lilly Reich and Mies van der Rohe. The Turner Prize was established in 1984 to celebrate new developments in contemporary art, and can be awarded to any living artist under 50 who was born, lives or works in Britain. The winner receives a cheque for 25,000 pounds ($38,000).

PATRICK SWAYZE'S PANCREATIC CANCER REPORTEDLY SPREADS TO LIVER
[Aceshowbiz, 11/29/08]
Sad news comes from actor Patrick Swayze as report has been mounting that his pancreatic cancer has spread to his liver. The National Enquirer breaks the report and several other gossip sites are soon to report the same matter, claiming Patrick even has begun saying goodbye to friends and family after learning his cancer spreads. "Patrick recently got word that the cancer had spread to his liver and that is what his doctors said would begin the countdown to the end. Patrick knew it was coming because he was suffering increased weakness," a source tells the National Enquirer. "At times, he was so weak that he could barely walk without feeling faint. Sometimes he feels out of breath and has to sit down." Patrick reportedly has told Lisa Niemi, his wife of 33 years, and his actor brother Don Swayze that he doesn't have long time to live. "Lisa phoned Donny in Los Angeles and told him he need to come to Chicago, where Patrick has been filming TV show 'The Beast'. She was crying and scared Donny to death," the source reveals. Donny is said to get "the impression his brother was already on his deathbed because Lisa was saying Patrick wanted to say goodbye. She couldn't stop crying." Back in early March this year, a representative for Patrick Swayze publicly confirmed the star had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He had since been undergoing pioneering Cyberknife radiotherapy at California's Stanford University Medical Center and had been making a steady recovery from the illness. However, in late April he was reported to be on the verge of dying. Notwithstanding the claim, he managed to finish filming his TV show "The Beast" in Chicago recently. He even was seen going to a party earlier this week to celebrate with Lisa and Donny. No confirmation nor denial has been issued by Patrick and his people regarding report claiming his cancer has spread to his liver.

JONAS BROTHERS BLOW THEIR HARD-EARNED CASH ON LAVISH THINGS
[Aceshowbiz, 11/29/08]
Popular singing sensations Jonas Brothers are claimed to have been spending the $12 million they earned in 2007 rapidly to buy lavish things. Beside purchasing a Bel Air home and $2.8 million estate in Texas, the boys reportedly also blow their cash to buy sports cars, furniture, laptop computers, flat-screen TVs and stereos. Interestingly, they might also spend their money to buy shoes and clothes as an insider tells In Touch Weekly, "They all love shoes, they really love good clothes." Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas are having Marc Jacobs' line as their favorites. Despite the lavish expenses, the Jonas boys are said to be giving 10% of their earnings to a children's charity. The name of the charity isn't disclosed though. On Thanksgiving, November 27, Jonas Brothers made a live appearance at "Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day" game in a nationally-televised halftime show, performing several songs such as "Tonight", "Lovebug", and "Burning Up". Asked by the Associated Press on what they're thankful for this year, Joe said representing his brothers, "I think we want to be, most of all, thankful for the fans. This year, they've been always sticking around for us, always been there for us. The fans are the best. They've come to every concert. They've slept outside (of) venues. And we can't thank them enough."

WINFREY ASKS COURT TO DISMISS DEFAMATION LAWSUIT
[AP, 11/25/08]
Oprah Winfrey wants a court to dismiss or order arbitration in a defamation lawsuit filed by the ex-headmistress of her girls school in South Africa. Nomvuyo Mzamane sued over remarks the media mogul made following sex-abuse complaints at the $40 million Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, near Johannesburg. A dorm matron who worked under Mzamane was charged with abusing six students last year. According to the lawsuit, filed last month in Philadelphia, Winfrey falsely implied that Mzamane wasn't trustworthy through comments about the need to clean house and remarks such as, "I thought she cared about the girls of South Africa." Her lawsuit seeks more than $250,000 on five defamation and related counts from Winfrey and her production companies. Winfrey denies making any false or defamatory statements and argues that the federal suit should not proceed in Pennsylvania. "Read in context, these statements suggest no more than they actually say — that the abuse incident was used as an opportunity to bring new personnel into the school — and they cannot be twisted into anything defamatory," her lawyers said in a response filed Friday. Mzamane, a native of Lesotho, previously held a leadership post at the Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia and returned to the area after her contract wasn't renewed at Winfrey's school. Mzamane says she has been unable to find work because of Winfrey's comments. Winfrey asked the court either to dismiss the suit for jurisdictional reasons or, in keeping with the school contract, to order arbitration. She and her companies do no business in Pennsylvania, according to the response from lawyers Carl A. Salono of Philadelphia and Charles S. Sims of New York. "The fact that her statements were reported from the press in South Africa around the world does not support, and rather contradicts, any contention that she targeted Pennsylvania in making her comments," they wrote. Winfrey recruited Mzamane for the $150,000-a-year post in late 2006. Mzamane worked from about January 2007 through October 2007, when she learned, during a meeting with Winfrey in Chicago, that allegations of sexual and physical abuse had surfaced and she was being put on leave.

UK CONDUCTOR HICKOX DIES, AGED 60
[BBC, 11/25/08]
Leading British conductor Richard Hickox has died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 60. Hickox, who was the musical director of Opera Australia as well as a regular conductor of major UK orchestras, died after a recording session in Wales. He conducted on more than 300 recordings and in 2006 received his fifth Gramophone Award. He is survived by his wife, mezzo-soprano Pamela Helen Stephen, and his three children. Hickox, who was awarded a CBE in 2002 for his contribution to British musical life, was the founder and musical director of the City of London Sinfonia and associate guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. He was also Conductor Emeritus of BBC National Orchestra of Wales. He had been working with the orchestra on a CD recording in the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, when he was suddenly taken ill on Sunday, November 23. The orchestra's director, David Murray, said: "As well as losing an inspiring conductor, we have lost a great friend and supporter of the orchestra and chorus.

SALE OF SPIKE MILLIGAN'S CONTENT 'UPSETS' CHILDREN
[BBC, 11/24/08]
Memorabilia owned by the late Spike Milligan has been put up for sale without the knowledge of his children, one of his daughters has claimed. The comic's widow decided to put the previously unseen collection under the hammer because she is moving house. In a statement on behalf of four of Milligan's children, his daughter Sile said they had not "been consulted" and were "deeply distressed" over the sale. The sale, which takes place on Tuesday, November 25, includes books, letters and drawings. A notebook of comical radio skits, a grand piano played by Milligan's friend Sir Paul McCartney, and notes from the Prince of Wales and Michael Parkinson will also be part of the auction. "Spike's children, while wishing to maintain a dignified silence, wish also to make it quite clear that they have had, and will have, no involvement in this event, nor will they profit from it in any way," Sile said. "They have not been consulted over the sale and are deeply distressed that their father's personal effects are being put up for sale in this way." Shelagh, Milligan's widow lived with him for 27 years. Speaking to Bonhams magazine earlier this month, she said: "I just don't have the space in my new house to put everything. "And the alternative is that I carry on paying these huge storage bills and everything just sits there rotting away. "But I can't pretend I'm going to find it easy. When we were cataloguing various items for the sale, I went to the store and it felt as if our whole life was laid out in front of me." The auction takes place at Bonhams on 25 November. Milligan died in 2002 at the age of 83.Spike Milligan received an honorary knighthood in 2001.

JACKSON SPOKESWOMAN: SINGER, SHEIK SETTLE LAWSUIT
[AP, 11/24/08]
Michael Jackson has reached a settlement with Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa who says the singer owes him $7 million after breaching a signed contract, the pop star's spokeswoman said Sunday, November 23. The out-of-court settlement means Jackson will not be giving evidence at London's High Court as scheduled on Monday, Celena Aponte said. Scores of journalists and fans had been expected to cram the courtroom for the appearance by the always-unpredictable King of Pop. Aponte said Jackson was informed of the deal as he was about to board a flight to London. "As Mr. Jackson was about to board his plane to London, he was advised by his legal team to postpone his travels since the parties had concluded a settlement in principle," Aponte said. "Therefore, he will not be attending court on Monday." A representative for the sheik could not immediately be reached late Sunday.

O'DONNELL PLUCKS TEEN FROM OBSCURITY FOR TV MOVIE
[AP, 11/24/08]
Rosie O'Donnell saw a teenager at a Detroit restaurant and thought he had a face that belonged in pictures. Now 17-year-old Philip Johnson has the lead role in "America," a Lifetime network movie also starring O'Donnell and Ruby Dee that is set for broadcast in February, 2009. Johnson, a senior at Cass Technological High School, was eating lunch at Small Plates, a popular downtown eatery, when O'Donnell spotted him and asked whether he would be interested in trying out for a film. He took a screen test the next day and won the title role. When Johnson first saw O'Donnell in the restaurant, he didn't believe it was her, he said. "I thought it was just somebody who looked like her," Johnson, who had never acted before, told the Detroit Free Press. "I didn't think it was actually her. I mean, what's Rosie O'Donnell doing in Detroit?" O'Donnell was in town to work on a movie version of a young-adult novel by E.R. Frank. It's about a teenager named America who has spent most of his life lost in the foster care system. He confronts his troubled past with help from a therapist, played by O'Donnell. O'Donnell told "Entertainment Tonight" that she sensed "a soulful kind of stillness" in Johnson. During a break in shooting at a former homeless shelter in the impoverished Detroit enclave of Highland Park, Johnson said he remains shocked by his luck. "It still hasn't hit me," the teen said. "I won't even realize it until it comes on TV; then it will finally hit me, I think."

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