NEWS ARCHIVE [page 7]
 
MARIAH TAKES FOUR HONORS AT VIBE AWARDS [AP, 11/13/05]
Mariah Carey walked away with four honors at the Vibe Awards, a celebration of hip-hop and R&B that went smoothly after last year's ceremony was marred by a brawl and stabbing. Carey won Artist of the Year, R&B Voice of the Year, Best R&B Song for "We Belong Together" and Album of the Year for her comeback hit, "The Emancipation of Mimi." "Whatever you're going through in your life, don't ever give up," Carey said at the Saturday night event. The taped show was scheduled to air Tuesday on UPN. The Diplomats were named Best Group. The night's first award, for Hottest Hook, went to "Hate It or Love It," billed as being performed by The Game featuring 50 Cent, who did not attend the ceremonies. Even hardcore rapper T.I., who won the Street Anthem award for "U Don't Know Me," acknowledged he didn't look very "hard" in a dapper velour suit and cravat. Good vibes, however, did not prevent rapper The Game from creatively dissing 50 Cent, his former collaborator and current nemesis. Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Bob Marley's son, elicited cheers for a thunderous rendition of his reggae hit, "Welcome to Jamrock," which won the Boomshot Award honoring Caribbean music.
 
RAPPER JAILED OVER CHILD SUPPORT" [BBC.CO.UK,  11/11/05]
US rapper Beanie Sigel was temporarily jailed for not keeping up his child support payments but was released after paying a total of $28,000 (£16,000). A Philadelphia Family Court judge jailed him for one hour on Thursday as he owed payments to two women. He was released from a New Jersey prison three months ago after serving a sentence for gun and drug charges. The rapper's lawyer, Walter McHugh, said his client, whose real name is Dwight Grant, found it difficult keeping up the payments. Mr Grant, 31, has sold more than one million records and is signed to Roc-a-Fella Records. He has spent much of the last year in jail, rehab or being held inside his home under house arrest.
 
SINGER FRANKLIN AWARDED US MEDAL [BBC.CO.UK, 11/10/05] 
Soul legend Aretha Franklin has been awarded America's highest civilian honour by President George W Bush. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for achievement in the arts, in a White House ceremony that also honoured boxer Muhammad Ali and others. The 63-year-old singer had global success with songs such as Respect and Think, winning 17 Grammy Awards.  
 
UNCONFIRMED REPORT:  50 Cent and G-Unit in concert, December 3, 2005 @ Vancouver. 
 
BLACK AVIATRIX BESSIE COLEMAN SINGS IN MUSICAL 'BARNSTORMER' [Playbill On-line, 11/04/05]
Barnstormer, a new musical inspired by the true story of the first female black aviator Bessie Coleman, will receive a Bare Bones Production at the Lark Play Development Centre November 5-16, 2005. Before Amelia Earhart, there was Bessie Coleman. Bessie's journey from the cotton fields to the clouds is the foundation of this exciting and powerful musical that explores what it takes to realize your dreams in a world that keeps you down. It is a story about courage, determination and a true American spirit. The developmental production includes Cheryl Alexander (Dreamgirls), Erica Ash (the ATrainplays), Stu James (Rent), Andre Montgomery (Five Guys Named Moe), Ken Prymus (Cats), David St. Louis (The Scarlet Pimpernel) and Gayle Turner (The Wiz). Book and lyrics are by Cheryl Davies (winner of the Kleban Award for the libretto) and music is by Douglas J. Cohen (No Way to Treat A Lady), Jerry Dixon (Laugh Whore) will direct, with musical direction by Bill Tinsley.

 
SARAH HARMER's ALBUM "I'M A MOUNTAIN" [industry news, 11/04/05]
Sarah Harmer's new recording, "I'm A Mountain" is a beautiful collection of bluegrass, country and folk songs. The album includes fan favourite "Oleander", a hymn entitled "How Deep In The Valley", a cover of the Dolly Parton hit, "Will He Be Waiting For Me" and finally, casting its glow over the entire record is the folk song "Escarpment Blues" which tells the story of a current land-use conflict in Southern Ontario on the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. The album will be in stores Nov. 8/05.
 
VIACOM PLANS LOCAL FILM PRODUCTION: MAGAZINE [AP, 11/05/05] 
U.S. media conglomerate Viacom, owner of Paramount movie studios and the CBS television network, plans to make films for local audiences in international markets, its future head was quoted as saying in an interview with German Magazine Der Spiegel. "I want to above all jointly produce local films in their respective markets, and to work with smart, small companies", Viacom co-President Tom Freston said. Plans are to split the cable network and movie division from its mature, cash-generating broadcast and radio networks.
 
CARL HENRY CELEBRATES NEW RELEASE "I WISH" [industry news, 10/28/05]
Born in Jamaica, raised in Montreal, the island crooner named Carl Henry blends the rumble of dancehall reggae with the smooth stylings of R&B and soul in his music. Henry, 27, has toured all over North America and Europe, supporting U.S. stars like Mary J. Blige, De La Soul and Ashanti. In Canada, he earned Juno Award nominations in each of the last 3 years. RNB, his full-length debut was recognized for Best R&B/Soul Recording in 2003; singles "Homie's Girl" and "Bare As She Dare" (featuring Ce'Cile) were nominated for Best Reggae Recording in 2004 and 2005. On his sophomore album "I Wish" which hits stores Tuesday Nov. 1st, Carl combines his myriad influences of R&B, dancehall, pop, soul, gospel etc. all into this much anticipated album and worked with the likes of Joesph Stonestreet (formerly of Blackstreet), Teron Beal (Whitney Houston), Bizzo (Mary J. Blige, Bad Boy Records) and Mr. Doo (Shaggy). Note: Carl Henry will be performing at The Supermarket, 268 Augusta Ave, Toronto on Nov. 1/05, free. 
 
RAPPER "THE GAME" ARRESTED AT N.C. MALL  [AP, 10/30/05] 
Rapper "The Game" has been arrested, accused of causing a scene at a mall and refusing to remove a Halloween mask. "I got arrested for signing autographs," the 25 year old rapper told WFMY-TV after he was released on $500 bail." But police said The Game, real name Jayceon Taylor, and a group of companions behaved disruptively and swearing Friday at Four Seasons Town Centre. He was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. 'They thought I was Rodney King, man. It was a case of mistaken identity," he told WFMY. "It's unfair, man. Their behavior's unfair."
 
STUDIO PULLS BILLBOARDS FOR 50 CENT MOVIE  [AP, 10/30/05]
Paramount Pictures is removing some billboards promoting the upcoming 50 Cent film "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" after community activists complained they promoted gun violence. The billboards depict the rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, holding a gun in his left hand and a microphone in his right. "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" stars Jackson as a drug dealer who turns away from crime to pursue his true passion - music. It is scheduled to open November 9, 2005.
 
OBITUARY: Rosa Parks, whose refusal to move to the back of the bus, sparked a US Civil Rights Reform, died at age 92.
 
BACHARACH PENS FIRST LYRICS OF CAREER  [Reuters, 10/20/05]
It could be just what the world needs now -- Burt Bacharach writing lyrics. The legendary, 77-year-old composer has found his voice in a politically charged album "At This Time" that features his first lyrics ever in a nearly 50-year career creating some of pop music's best-known love songs. "You could say, 'How does a guy who has written love songs his entire life suddenly decide to rock the boat?"' Bacharach says about his first solo album in 15 years that will be released internationally on October 24, with a U.S. release on November 1, 2005. "I had to do it. This is very personal to me."  Challenged by his producer to take risks, Bacharach responded with songs set to hip-hop beats with lyrics, co-written with Tonio K., expressing nostalgia over bygone days and frustration with U.S. political leaders. Bacharach, an icon of swinging 1960s sophistication and winner of three Oscars and six Grammys, poured out catchy music for over 50 Top 40 hits including "What The World Needs Now Is Love," "Walk On By," "Make It Easy On Yourself" and "Alfie."  He had left the words to his collaborators, most notably Hal David and his own former wife, Carole Bayer Sager. With young children, Oliver, 12, and Raleigh, 9, from his fourth marriage, and college-aged son Cristopher from his union with Sager on his mind, Bacharach said he was inspired to speak out. "I thought that I had to speak lyrically this time as well as musically," he told Reuters, sitting in an easy chair in a Park Avenue hotel suite. "I thought that was very important because I couldn't have somebody else write these lyrics." Bacharach's words may not match the quality of his music, with urbane melodies and orchestrations that mark this work and his past triumphs. Yet the lyrics are heartfelt and direct. "As I wrote, I wrote musically. Then I started hearing words. These were things I heard, they grew out of the music," he said. Vocalists on the album include Elvis Costello and Rufus Wainwright. Rap impresario Dr. Dre provided some drum loops. "It's very streety, as streety as I can make it," Bacharach said about the hip-hop influence. Titles include the opening track, "Please Explain," that laments "Where is the love, where did it go;" the second cut, "Where Did It Go?" urges "Stop the clock, make it stop. Where is that world, where did it go?" and the most stridently political number, "Who Are These People?" sung by Costello. That song, expressing disillusionment with the war in Iraq, forcefully asks, "Who are these people that keep telling us lies and how did these people get control of our lives and who'll stop the violence 'cause it's out of control? Make 'em stop." "Stuff just kept going more wrong and more wrong here as I was writing," explained Bacharach, still looking youthful in a blue sweat suit accentuating his bright blue eyes. Bacharach, who projected an image of the Hollywood good life in the 1960s and '70s during his marriage to glamorous actress Angie Dickinson, told of a political turning point that sparked his anger. "I heard (then U.S. Secretary of State) Colin Powell tell the United Nations there are weapons of mass destruction. I totally believed him. I love this guy. He's like a hero. This was such a bad, bad blemish mark on his life, that he was so wronged. "Then we go into Iraq. It looked like the heroic, right thing to do. It was the wrong thing to do. There was fabricated information. There are no weapons of mass destruction." During the throes of 1960s antiwar activism, Bacharach was a political bystander. "I never was a political person in my life. I wrote songs during Vietnam, not about Vietnam. I was just writing love songs. Leading my own life in my own insulated world." Bacharach branched out musically, writing film scores for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969), which had the hit "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," and the 1981 movie "Arthur" which also featured a hit song. In recent years, Bacharach teamed up with other artists. His 1998 collaboration with Costello, "Painted From Memory," earned him a Grammy for "I Still Have That Other Girl." In 2003 he hit Billboard's top R&B/Hip-Hop album chart with an album he made of his songs sung by Ronald Isley. In the new CD, Bacharach sings about his personal reflections on "Where Did It Go?" "It's not like your normal, 'I am angry, I protest' song. There's a groove going on. It's kind of cookin' along on a nice groove. And I'm saying like 'Wow' in the middle, a little bit of a surprise for a statement I wanted to make. It became very heartfelt," said Bacharach, who said he cried doing the vocal. "Who knows how this will be accepted or not accepted," he said. "Is it the best album I've ever done? Maybe. "I hope it has the impact of making some people think and feel. Because I do believe a lot of music that's out there is like ear candy and you don't necessarily feel too much.
 
JELLEESTONE'S CD 'THE HOOD IS HERE' [inustry news, 10/22/05]
Well on Tuesday October 25th, it's about to go down really big with the release of Jelleestone's new album entitled "The Hood Is Here" with his latest single "Friendamine" featuring Nelly Furtado. Whether you know this man as the Stone Poet or J-Sizzle, he has come along way and has definitely paved the way for many Canadian Hip Hop acts doing their thing. He's earned himself international notoriety with his 2002 smash hit "Money Pt. 1" and more recently won a 2004 MMVA for his Dancehall heater "Who Dat" featuring the one and only Elephant Man.  "The Hood Is Here Remix" featuring some of Toronto's finest "street MC's" including Mayhem Morearty, JB & Payback, Imperial, Stumpy, V.D'ablo and Jugganott is here.
 
JAZZ STAR SHIRLEY HORN DIES AT 71 [BBC.CO.UK, 10/22/05]
Shirley Horn, the US jazz pianist and vocalist who found fame working with Miles Davis, has died aged 71. Horn died in her native Washington, DC after a long illness, according to a statement released by her recording label Verve Records. Horn, considered one of the last great jazz vocalists of her era, was compared to Ella Fitzgerald and Carmen McRae. She was nominated for seven consecutive Grammys and won in 1998 for the best jazz vocal performance. Her winning song was I Remember Miles, a tribute to her mentor Miles Davis who died in 1991. Horn also won five Wammys, the Washington area's music industry award, as well as multiple other titles. She also enjoyed great acclaim with her albums Here's to Life, Light Out of Darkness (A Tribute to Ray Charles), and I Love You, Paris, which all went to number one on the Billboard jazz charts.
 
KANYE WEST STILL TOP WITH LATE REGISTRATION [industry news 10/16/05]
It’s no surprise that Kanye West has again claimed the number one spot in Canada with his master piece Late Registration according to Neilson Soundscan. From calling out the President of the United States, to appearing on the cover of Time Magazine, to now appearing in Pepsi commercials across the globe, it’s quite obvious that Mr. West has taken over hip hop world. His first two singles Diamonds From Sierra Leone and the infectious Gold Digger have brought him to the top of the charts and guess what… he’s only just begun. His next single Heard Em Say featuring Maroon 5’s Adam Levine is about to drop and you all already know it’s a write-off! Another smash hit is on it’s way and it don’t stop there! Keep your ears open for other great tracks including We Major featuring Nas, Crack Music featuring The Game and Hey Mama! Mark my words people! Kanye has done it again! The Louis Vuitton Don has officially locked off the game and is taking out anything that gets in his way!
 
RICKY MARTIN SAYS FAME LEFT HIM BORED [AP, 10/16/05] 
Ricky Martin, whose hits include "Livin' La Vida Loca," says the fame and fortune he experienced in the late '90s left him feeling bored and embittered. "There was a moment (in 2002) when I was onstage and I was just so angry," Martin says in the Oct. 24 issue of People magazine. "I thought, 'Something is wrong. I have the applause, I have a great band behind me, I live comfortably. ... I was starting to become a victim of fame. Everything was too serious and I wasn't enjoying it." Soon afterward, he quit the stage and began touring the world. Now back in the United States, the 33-year-old singer says he's looking forward to his Latin American tour this fall. "When you work, work, work, something is wrong. You need to chill. You need to step aside and see where you've been, where you are now and where you want to be," he said.
 
BEATLES ICON OF THE CENTURY  [BBC.CO.UK, 10/16/05] 
The Beatles have beaten jazz star Louis Armstrong and TV actress Lucille Ball to be named icons of the century by readers of US magazine Variety.  It named the Liverpool band "the sole group who has most shaped the face of modern-day showbusiness".
 
50 CENT HITS THE SCREEN WITH "GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN' " [industry news 10/08/05]
Get your calendar out and circle, November 9, 2005 because that's the date 50 Cent movie Get Rich or Die Tryin' hit the big screen. Yes, he is in the building and taking sh@# over once again!  From selling multi-platinum albums to signing the hottest MC in the street to his G-Unit record label, to having his own video game, your man 50 Cent is about to put another smashing on the people when he hits the big screen.  Based on the life of 50 Cent, this film promises to have people rushing to the movie theatres! But what would a hot movie be without an even hotter soundtrack? Y’all heard me! The soundtrack for this flick drops on November 8th and features new music from the entire G-Unit clan including Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, M.O.P. and Tony Yayo. Lookout for 50’s street heater off the soundtrack entitled “Hustle’s  Ambition” as well as the first official single “Window Shopper”! It’s about to go down real big people! In the meantime, make sure you get your hands on the re-release of The Massacre featuring video for all the tracks on the album as well as the “Outta Control” remix featuring Mob Deep.
 
LIL' KIM AND 50 CENT FEUD  [AP, 10/07/05] 
The bad blood continues between Lil' Kim and 50 Cent. Though the rappers paired up for the 2003 smash "Magic Stick," the relationship between the two quickly disintegrated, and 50 Cent dissed Lil' Kim in performances. In a recent interview with The Associated Press — before she entered federal detention center on Sept.19/05 to serve a year-and-a-day sentence for perjury — Lil' Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Jones,  made it clear there would be no duets in the future between the two. When asked about the beef between the two, she said: "How can a man have beef with a woman?" Lil' Kim was convicted of lying to a grand jury investigating a 2001 shootout involving members of her entourage and a clique loyal to her nemesis, rapper Foxy Brown. The 30-year-old rapper,  released her fourth album, "The Naked Truth," last week.
 
BOY GEORGE ARRESTED ON DRUG CHARGE  [AP, 10/08/05] 
A lawyer for Boy George is denying that drugs found in the British singer's apartment belonged to him. Authorities said the singer, whose real name is George O'Dowd, was arraigned on drug charges early Saturday. Boy George, famous for his androgynous persona and Culture Club, had hits including "Karma Chameleon" and "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me."
 
STEVIE WONDER ENDS 10-YEAR ABSENCE [Reuters/Billboard, 10/01/05]
LOS ANGELES - After several well-publicized delays, Stevie Wonder's first studio album in 10 years, "A Time to Love," is due in stores October 18. Wonder says the album's delay had nothing to do with any fear factor: "I was never afraid to put this out. That was never the issue -- ever. I wanted it to sound contemporary but still be me. It was just a matter of getting it right." The artist adds, "Everyone worked very hard on this. I'm very comfortable with everything." The 15 original tracks, not surprisingly, revolve around the theme of love. Musically, the set reflects Wonder's embrace of all genres, from hip-hop to gospel to world music, with some arrangements using strings. These musical and lyrical components spark memories of signature songs from Wonder's 45-year career. His duets with daughter Aisha Morris ("How Will I Know," "Positivity") recall her contribution as an infant on "Isn't She Lovely," as does young son Kailand's impromptu assist at the end of "Sweetest Somebody I Know." Wonder gets down to man-and-his-piano basics on the jazzy "Moon Blue" (co-written by "The Color Purple" actress Akosua Busia) and the atmospheric "True Love." The inspirational "Shelter in the Rain" is being promoted to gospel and Christian stations. It is available as a single online October 4 and in stores October 18, with proceeds going to the Wonder Foundation to benefit Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Guest vocalists include gospel artist Kim Burrell on the anthemic "If Your Love Cannot Be Moved" (with choir vocals produced by Kirk Franklin) and India Arie on the title track. Other guests include flutist Hubert Laws, guitarist Doc Powell, Paul McCartney, drummer Narada Michael Walden and Brazilian guitarist Oscar Castro Neves. A planned collaboration with John Mayer did not pan out because of scheduling problems. A week before the album's in-store date, a new boxed set of Wonder material will be available exclusively from iTunes. According to Motown president Sylvia Rhone, the boxed set will contain more than 570 tracks, including remixes, rarities and previously unreleased material. Wonder also appears on J Records' "So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross," dueting with Beyonce on the title cut.
 
ANTI-PAPARAZZI LAW IN CALIFORNIA
[Reuters, 9/30/05]
Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a law on Friday tripling damages celebrities can win from paparazzi if they are assaulted during a shoot and denying the photographers profits from any pictures taken during an altercation.  
 
POLANSKI SCREENS TWIST IN PRAGUE [BBC.CO.UK, 9/25/05]
Roman Polanski stepped out with the young cast of his latest film Oliver Twist at the movie's premiere in the Czech Republic. Much of the adaptation of Dickens' classic was filmed in the country's capital Prague. Polanski said he chose to direct Oliver Twist as he wanted a project that his children would be able to watch. The director's last film was the Oscar-winning The Pianist, about a Jewish man's escape from the Nazis. Polanski's other films include the horror Rosemary's Baby and detective thriller Chinatown. He is based in France and cannot travel to the US because he fears being arrested and jailed after he was convicted in his absence of unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977. He also refuses to travel to the UK in case he is extradited back to the US.
 
RAY CHARLES ITEMS TO MUSEUM
[BBC.CO.UK, 9/22/05]
Memorabilia belonging to soul legend Ray Charles, including his dark glasses and a Braille keyboard, have been donated to a Washington museum. Stage costumes owned by the singer, who died last year, are among items donated by his estate to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
 
COPOPOLA 'PLANS DIRECTING RETURN' [BBC.CO.UK, 9/23/05]
Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola is reported to be returning to directing after an eight-year break. Coppola's first film since 1997's The Rainmaker will be a low-budget adaptation of Youth without Youth, a novel by Romanian author Mircea Eliade. He will finance the production himself and has written the screenplay, says film industry magazine Variety. The story is about a professor who goes on the run after a sudden incident before World War II. The chase takes him to Romania, Switzerland, Malta and India. British actor Tim Roth, whose credits include Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, will lead the cast. Filming is due to begin in Bucharest later this year. Coppola has won five Oscars, the first of which was for his screenplay for Patton in 1971, starring George C Scott. He won the best director Oscar in 1975 for the Godfather: Part II, which also took the best picture award.
 
.
OBITUARY 
Thomas Ross Bond, who played Butch the bully in the "Our Gang" and "The Little Rascals" series of the 1930s, has died. He was 79. [AP, 9/25/05]
Lord Brabourne, producer of such films as Death On the Nile and A Passage to India dies at age 80. [bbc.co.uk, 9/23/05]
 
"TSOTSI" , "LOOK BOTH WAYS" WIN FILM AWARDS [Reuters, 9/17/05]
TORONTO (Reuters) - "Tsotsi" and "Look Both Ways" won the top awards at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, while David Burke's "Edison" got set to close out the 30th edition of the event often seen as the kickoff to Oscar season. "Tsotsi," a joint UK/South African production about a Johannesburg gangster who steals a car and finds an infant in the back seat, won the People's Choice award, voted on by regular moviegoers at the September 8-17/05 event. Australian film "Look Both Ways" won the event's Discovery award and is chosen by the hundreds of journalists who attend the festival. Other prizewinners included "Sa-kwa," a South Korean film about a woman who tries to rebuild her life after being abandoned by her fiance. It won the Fipresci prize given by a jury to an emerging filmmaker. Canadian film prizes went to "Familia," "The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico," and "C.R.A.Z.Y," a tribute to the pop culture of the 1970s. The festival closes  with the gala screening of "Edison," a police thriller featuring dramatic turns by pop star Justin Timberlake and LL Cool J, as well as Oscar winners Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey.
 
LIONS GATE BID ON IMAGE [Reuters, 9/14/05]
Image Entertainment Inc., which licenses and makes DVDs and compact disc sold at major U.S. retailers, on Wednesday said it would consider an unsolicited takeover bid from Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., one of Hollywood's largest independent film studios, and its stock shot up as much as 57 percent. Lions Gate, which is based in British Columbia but has offices in Santa Monica, California, announced plans last year to make strategic acquisitions. In May, it considered, but then dropped, an effort to bid for British production company HIT Entertainment Plc.
 
GUY GREEN FILM-MAKER DIES [bbc.co.uk, 9/16/05]
Director Guy Green, who won a cinematography Oscar for the 1946 film Great Expectations, has died aged 91. He died of heart and kidney failure at his Beverly Hills home after lapsing into a coma, his wife Josephine said. Born in Somerset, Green was the cinematographer on nearly two dozen films before switching to directing. He was nominated for Golden Globes for writing and directing the 1965 film A Patch of Blue, which starred Sidney Poitier as a black professional man who befriends a blind, white woman.
 
"WATER" OPENS TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL [AP, 9/10/05]
The Toronto Film Festival has opened with gala screenings of Deepa Mehta's movie Water and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang starring Val Kilmer. Over the next 10 days the event will screen 335 films from 52 countries, including 109 world premieres. Water, which follows the lives of Hindu widows, triggered violent protests while being filmed in India in 2000 and had to be completed in Sri Lanka. The festival often features films that will compete for next year's Oscars.  Sold-out crowds gathered at two cinemas to watch Water - set in 1938 colonial India - launch the 30th annual Toronto film festival. It is the world's largest publicly-attended film festival, with about 250,000 movie fans, film industry figures and celebrities expected to visit. On Thursday reporters asked festival co-director Noah Cowan to name possible Oscar contenders from this year's line-up. He responded, "the film on everybody's lips is Mrs Henderson Presents."  Set in a World War Two-era music hall, Mrs Henderson Presents is a musical comedy directed by Stephen Frears starring Bob Hoskins and Judi Dench.
 
MUSICIAN GATEMOUTH BROWN DIES [BBC.CO.UK,  9/11/05]
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, the singer and guitarist who built a 50-year career playing blues, country,  jazz and Cajun music, died Saturday in his hometown of Orange, Texas, where he had gone to escape Hurricane Katrina. He was 81. Brown, who is known as a musical jack-of-all-trades who played a half-dozen instruments and culled from jazz, country, Texas blues, the zydeco and Cajun music of his native Louisiana, had been battling lung cancer and heart disease for the past year, said Rick Cady, his booking agent. By the end of his career, Brown had more than 30 recordings and won a Grammy award in 1982. Brown started playing fiddle by age 5. At 10, he taught himself an odd guitar picking style he used all his life, dragging his long, bony fingers over the strings. "If I can make my guitar sound like his fiddle, then I know I've got it right," Brown said. His survivors include three daughters and a son.
 
STEWART TO PAY FOR MISSED CONCERT [BBC.CO.UK,  9/10/05]
Singer Rod Stewart has been ordered to pay a Las Vegas casino $2m (£1.1m) for missing a New Year concert in 2000. Stewart, 60, said he was unable to play at the Rio hotel and casino because he was recovering from throat surgery. Giving evidence last month, he said his voice disappeared after an operation to remove a cancerous thyroid tumour. Stewart was paid the $2m advance in January 2000 to perform over New Year's weekend at the end of that year. The singer said his voice only recovered in time to begin a world tour in June 2001 and he has since performed 150 shows. 
 
EMBEZZLEMENT SCANDAL HITS SONGWRITERS' GUILD
[Reuters, 9/3/05]
NEW YORK - A federal criminal investigation is under way after $1.25 million in songwriter royalties allegedly were embezzled from the Songwriters Guild of America by its royalty manager and her family members. The SGA's special counsel, Charles Sanders, told Billboard that the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Postal Service are working with the guild to determine the full extent of any criminal activities. The SGA represents about 5,000 songwriter members and their estates. Members may elect to have the guild collect royalties for them from publishers, collecting societies and others. The SGA collects nearly $16 million in royalties annually and holds about 2 percent of that amount, when it cannot find current addresses for writers.  According to a federal civil lawsuit the SGA filed in July, Marsha Aiken became the guild's royalty manager in 2002 and created a fraudulent membership account under the name Anthony Ray, who the IRS later identified as her cousin. She began writing unauthorized royalty checks to Ray from the SGA's general account -- where the unlocated writers' funds are held -- and mailing them to him in Rhode Island. A Rhode Island bank complied with federal banking regulations by notifying the IRS when someone attempted to cash an SGA check for more than $10,000, Sanders says. The IRS then contacted the SGA, with Aiken taking charge of the inquiry as royalty and office manager; she stalled the IRS with various excuses, Sanders said. In June the IRS contacted an SGA executive and pointed out that Aiken and the recipient of the check were cousins. The guild launched an investigation and discharged Aiken. Several specialists are working to implement security improvements and to file insurance claims, Sanders said. The District Court in Brooklyn, N.Y., issued an injunction August 17 prohibiting Aiken, Ray, Michael Levy, Monique Aiken Adams and anyone "in active concert" with any of them from selling property in St. Albans, N.Y., that the SGA claims was acquired with the funds. Aiken declined to comment. Ray, Levy and Adams could not be reached. 
 
SINGER GARFUNKEL IN DRUG  ARREST [Reuters, 8/30/05]
Singer Art Garfunkel has been charged with marijuana possession for the second time in 18 months. A police officer reportedly found a joint in his car in New York state. The 63-year-old Simon and Garfunkel star was also charged in January 2004 after police found six grams (0.21 ounce) of marijuana in his limousine. He pleaded guilty and was fined $200 (£112). Mr Garfunkel got back together with Paul Simon for a reunion tour in 2003 - 33 years after they split.
 
ROCKER ROSE SUED BY EX BANDMATES [BBC.co.uk  8/27/05]
Two former members of Guns N' Roses are suing singer Axl Rose for allegedly naming himself sole administrator of the US rock band's copyrights. Slash and Duff - otherwise known as Saul Hudson and Michael McKagan - have accused Rose of "arrogance and ego". The legal action claims the singer "is no longer willing to acknowledge the contributions of his former partners". But Rose's lawyer said he only asked for his portion of royalties and a clerical error led to the overpayment. Hudson and McKagan, now part of rock band Velvet Revolver, say Rose has made around $500,000 (£277,000) profit from their shares of the revenues every year. Rose, they claim, instructed the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) to send all royalties to his publishing company, bypassing the other band members. But Rose's lawyer Howard Weitzman said his client was overpaid by the society and that he had returned the extra funds to the organisation. In a separate action filed last year, Hudson and McKagan accused Rose of wrongly claiming ownership over the group's assets and blocking them from licensing the band's recordings to film producers. That action is still pending. Rose is the only member of the band allowed to perform under the Guns N' Roses name.
 
POST OFFICE HONOURS RAY CHARLES [BBC.CO.UK, 8/27/05]
A post office near the Los Angeles studio where Ray Charles recorded much of his music has been renamed after the R&B legend. His music rang out as family, friends and post office workers gathered for the dedication ceremony. A federal bill was signed by US President George Bush to rename the post office. "Now we have something we can always see with his name on it and the world can share," said Rev Robert Robinson.  "We miss him so much. So we appreciate every little piece that people do to keep his memory there." Charles, who was regarded as a pioneer of modern music, died in June 2004 at the age of 74. He had been suffering from acute liver disease. His career spanned almost 60 years, with hits including Hit the Road Jack and Georgia on My Mind. At the dedication ceremony, Charles' longtime manager Joe Adams handed over a letter from comedian Bill Cosby to former President Bill Clinton, requesting it be the first item to be mailed from the renamed post offices.
 
CHINA'S 'THIEVES' KICKS OFF MONTREAL FILM FESTIVAL BATTLE [Reuters,  8/27/05]
TORONTO  - When the curtain goes up on the 29th Montreal World Film Festival Friday, it will launch eight weeks of marathon screenings in Montreal by three different festivals. A gala screening at the Place des Arts for Chinese director Xiaogang Feng's "A World Without Thieves" caps off a difficult year for MWFF founder and director Serge Losique, who lost key government funding to the rival New Montreal FilmFest, which opens September 18. At the same time, Claude Chamberlan is set to go ahead with the 34th edition of the Montreal Festival of New Cinema and New Media on October 13, having seen key backers Daniel Langlois and Sheila de la Varende defect to the New Montreal FilmFest. Losique earlier planned to open his festival with the world premiere of "Karla," U.S. director Joel Bender's low-budget biopic about Canada's most notorious serial killer, Karla Homolka. But Losique had to yank "Karla" from the opening slot after key sponsors, including Air Canada, told him they didn't want to be associated with a film about school-girl rapists and killers.  In all, MWFF will unspool 342 films from 70 countries during the next 10 days and host a 22-strong film competition that features no U.S. contenders. Left to battle like alphabet-soup boxing federations, all three Montreal film festivals are now looking to emerge as the city's best hope to challenge the star-driven Toronto International Film Festival, which opens September 8, and restore the city's reputation for hosting world-class cultural events. To get an edge over his rivals, Losique has this year revamped his programming, replacing the Panorama Canada, Latin American Cinema and Cinema of Tomorrow sections with three umbrella sidebars, World Competition, Focus on World Cinema, First Films World Competition.Besides Place des Arts, MWFF films will also unspool at the Imperial Cinema, the Cinematheque Quebecoise, the NFB Cinema and Theater Maisonneuve.
 
Paging G-Unit: One M.J. track remix hip-hop style. [8/21/05]
 
BROOKS ALBUMS ONLY AT WAL-MART [AP, 8/20/05]
Country superstar Garth Brooks has signed an exclusive multi-year contract with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. No details of the agreement were released by Wal-Mart officials Friday, but Billboard and the Los Angeles Times reported the deal will make Wal-Mart Sam's Club and their online outlets the only places where Brooks' music will be commercially available. Brooks, among the all-time best-selling recording artists, retired from performing in 2001. Brooks' hits include "Friends in Low Places," "Shameless" and "Longneck Bottle."
 
EMINEM TREATED FOR DRUG ADDICTION [AP, 8/20/05]
US rap star Eminem is in hospital being treated for drug dependency, his publicist has revealed. The news comes days after the rapper completed a 23-date tour of the US when he announced he would no longer undertake his European commitments. Eminem whose real name is Marshall Mathers, is being treated for addiction to sleep medication. Eminem, 32, was due to begin his Anger Management tour in Hamburg, Germany on 1 September and end in Dublin on 17 September. His record label, Interscope, said the cancellation was due to exhaustion and other unnamed medical issues.
 
JAZZ SINGER PEYROUX 'DISAPPEARS' [BBC.CO.UK, 8/19/05]
A record label has hired a private detective to trace jazz singer Madeleine Peyroux, whose album has been steadily climbing the UK charts. The US singer has failed to turn up for any promotional work, according to Universal Classics. It said this was not the first time she had vanished, spending seven years busking in Paris after the release of her debut album. Record bosses said she was "proving impossible to track down".  Peyroux's voice has been compared to Billie Holiday, with the potential to become one of the biggest-selling artists of the year. She released her debut album, Dreamland, in 1996 to rave reviews but soon ducked out of the public eye to spend her time busking on the streets of Paris. On her return to the music scene she signed to independent label Rounder Records, which now has a licensing deal with Universal. A Universal spokeswoman said: "She should be overjoyed with the album's chart position, but she has now returned to America and is proving impossible to track down. " Anxious record company bosses and her management company have been trying to contact her for nearly a week to no avail. She has simply disappeared." The company said it had gone "to great lengths to protect Madeleine from burn-out through too much promotional work". "But it would seem that despite these efforts Ms  Peyroux has had enough," said the spokeswoman. "She is that rare thing, an artist more interested in her music than in the glitz and glamour of showbusiness." Update: Madeleine found in the U.S.
 
"FOUR BROTHERS" LEADS U.S. BOX OFFICE [Reuters, 8/14/05]
John Singleton outgunned his rivals at the weekend box office in North America with his revenge drama "Four Brothers," starring Mark Wahlberg, Andre 3000 of hip-hop duo OutKast, Tyrese Gibson and Garrett Hedlund. The film is one of four newcomers whose arrival failed to boost overall sales. According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, "Four Brothers" sold about $20.4 million worth of tickets in the three days since opening on August 12/05. The film's distributor, Paramount Pictures, said it had hoped for an opening in the mid- to high-teens. The story follows four men who seek to find the killer of their kindly foster mother. It cost in the low-$40 million range to make. "The Skeleton Key," a voodoo thriller starring Kate Hudson, unlocked $15.8 million at No. 2. The $43 million film was released by Universal Pictures, which said the opening was within expectations. On the other hand, the comedy sequel "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo" (Columbia), starring Rob Schneider as a "man-whore," failed to find many clients, opening at No. 5 with $9.4 million. The World War Two drama "The Great Raid" (Miramax) capitulated at No. 10 with just $3.4 million.
 
ACTOR TAKES ON STAR WAR TRILOGY [BBC.CO.UK, 8/14/05]
A Canadian actor is recounting the whole Star Wars trilogy on the New York stage in just one hour. Charles Ross, who has seen the films several hundred times, plays every character from Han Solo to Princess Leia in his one-man show. The 31-year-old says he has also developed a one-man, condensed version of the Lord Of The Rings. Ross intends to perform his Star Wars show more times than he has watched the first three films. The actor claims he has not seen the films  since 1997, but watched them every day when he was a teenager. He says that the show, which is fast paced recounting of the Star Wars story, was written from memory. The One-Man Star Wars Trilogy opened at the Lamb's Theatre in New York this week, but Ross has performed the show around 300 times in smaller venues.
 
U.S. SINGER COHN SHOT BY CARJACKER  [BBC.CO.UK, 8/9/05]
Grammy-winning singer Marc Cohn has survived being shot in the head during an attempted carjacking as he left a concert in Denver, Colorado. The musician - whose biggest hit was Walking In Memphis in 1991 - was struck in the temple by a bullet but it did not penetrate his skull. Cohn, 46, is married to ABC news reporter Elizabeth Vargas. Police said a man tried to commander Cohn's tour van as it left a parking garage after the show on Monday. Police have arrested Joseph W. Yacteen, 26, on suspicion of first degree murder, robbery and other charges.
 
BRITNEY 'OBLIVIOUS' TO SHOOTING [BBC.CO.UK, 8/9/05] 
Pop star Britney Spears knew nothing about the shooting of a man waiting to photograph her, and her security staff were not involved, a spokeswoman said. Photographer Brad Diaz was shot in the thigh by a pellet gun while waiting for Spears outside a house in Malibu. Police are investigating a complaint by Mr. Diaz of misdemeanor battery. Spears, 23, expects a baby in October. Mr. Diaz was one of around 100 photographers standing 200 metres from the property on Saturday. He was treated at the scene.
 
GERMAN ACTRESS WERNER DIES AT 84 [BBC.CO.UK, 8/9/05]
German actress and singer Ilse Werner, best known for her film in the 1930s has died at the age of 84. Werner died in her sleep after a bout of pneumonia. Werner came to Germany at the age of 10 and made her name at the legendary UFA studios in Babelsberg, outside Berlin. She will be buried, at the request, at Potsdam, near Babelsberg.
 
50 CENT AUTOBIOGRAPHY TELLS OF DRUGS-TO-RICHES STORY [Reuters, 8/9/05]
Rapper 50 Cent's autobiography is a modern-day version of living the American Dream - get your start by selling crack cocaine, make your escape through hip hop music, and once you have made it big, peddle sneakers. His book "From Pieces to Weight" hits the shelves on Tuesday, and fans were lining up at a New York record store for autographed copies from the 30-year-old whose 2003 debut album 'Get Rich or Die Tryin'" has sold more than 12 million copies. 50 Cent (also known as "Boo-Boo"), who was born Curtis Jackson, has encompass a business empire consisting of a record label, vitamin water, clothing lines, a video game and a non-profit organization called G-Unity that aims to improve the prospects of youth in neighbourhoods like the one he grew in, Southside Jamaica in Queens, New York.
 
MICHAEL JACKSON SAGA CONTINUES . . .  [BBC.CO.UK, 7/30/05]
Michael Jackson's latest greatest hits album has sold just 8,000 copies in the US in its first week of release, reaching number 128 in the chart. The Essential Michael Jackson is the star's first release since he was cleared of child abuse a month ago. Jackson's two disc set went straight to number two in the UK but failed to match that success in his home country. Jackson faces a struggle to repair his image and repay debts that prosecutors in his trial claimed amounted to $300 million. Jackson has sold more than 135 million albums during his career, including 60 million copies of Thriller. His last album, Invincible sold two million copies when it came out in 2001. The Essential Michael Jackson is the latest in a string of greatest hits packages that has also included HIStory, Number Ones and the Ultimate Collection.
 
TV COMEDY WRITER SIMON DIES [BBC.CO.UK, 7/28/05] 
US television comedy writer Danny Simon has died at 86, from complications after suffering a stroke. Together with brother Neil Simon he wrote for a number of classic TV series such as The Phil Silvers Show, Different STrokes and provided material for Joan Rivers on the The Tonight Show.
 
HENDIX 'QUIT ARMY WITH GAY LIE' [BBC.CO.UK, 7/30/05]
Jemi Hendrix pretended to be gay so he would be discharged from the army, according to claims in a biography that has used his military medical records. The rock legend said he left the 101st Airborne Division aged 19 in 1962 after being injured on a parachute jump. But Room Full of Mirrors by Charles R. Cross says army records show he was discharged for 'homosexual tendencies". Mr. Cross says Hendrix had a legendary appetite for women - he even had an affair with actress Brigitte Bardot. But he had told a base psychiatrist at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, he had fallen in love with a fellow soldier, the book claims. Mr. Cross says the star enlisted in the US army to avoid being sent to jail after being arrested in stolen cars in his home town of Seattle. He did not leave because of objections to the US role in Vietnam, but simply because he wanted to play music, according to the biography.  Hendrix avoided being sent to Vietnam and concentrated on music, becoming one of rock's most revered guitarists. He became a star in 1966 with psychedelic rock hits such as Hey Joe and Purple Haze, and a legendary live performance. Room Full of Mirrors is being published to mark the 35th anniversary of his death from sleeping pill overdose in London in 1970.
 
ASHANTI MUST PAY OUT TO PRODUCER [7/22/05]
R&B singer Ashanti has been ordered to pay $630,000 (£359,000) to her first producer, after a New York jury found she had breached her contract. Genard Parker began working with the Grammy-winning artist at his studio. When she was picked up by a record label he released her from her contract on a condition he could produce two songs with her, which was not honoured. A lawyer for Ashanti, who was not in court to hear the verdict, said the star was disappointed and would appeal. Ashanti - whose full name is Ashanti Douglas - was just 16 when she began working with Mr. Parker, who was an "established producer". During the case she testified that she did not believe he was instrumental to her career. Mr Parker said when he released her from her contract he understood he could produce two songs on her debut album and receive a $50,000 (£28,522) advance plus royalties. Ashanti's lawyer Harry Stokes said she would be appealing against the verdict. "We think the jury got confused somewhat, particularly on the damages," he said. "We feel confident when this is said and done we won't have to pay out anything." 
 
MYRON FLOREN  ACCORDIAN PLAYER DIES [AP, 7/24/05]
Myron Floren, an accordion player who entertained generations of television viewers on "The Lawrence Welk Show," died Saturday. He was 85. Floren died of cancer at his Rolling Hills Estates home in Los Angeles County, according to Margaret Heron, syndication manager for the show. A consummate musician versed in everything from polka to Bach, he joined Lawrence Welk's band in 1950 and stayed on until the television show ended in 1982. 
 
HONG KONG'S HONOR FOR BRUCE LEE [BBC.CO.UK,  7/24/05]
Kung-fu film star Bruce Lee is to be remembered in Hong Kong with a statue to mark his 65th birthday. The bronze statue, to be unveiled in November, will honour Lee as "Chinese film's bright star of the century". Lee fans are being invited to choose their favourite design out of a shortlist of three on the internet. Lee, who died in 1973 at the age of 32 after suffering swelling of the brain, was born in the US but moved to Hong Kong as a child. The city's Bruce Lee club, who are funding the statue, originally wanted to set up a museum, but did not have enough money or an appropriate venue. The three shortlisted designs all feature Lee in his classic poses - all with a bare torso and his signature weapon the nunchaku. Lee's wife Linda Lee has been invited to attend the ceremony. The four martial arts films Lee made - Fists of Fury (1972), Enter the Dragon, The Chinese Connection and Return of the Dragon (all 1973) - ensured his place in film history.
 
'LAWRENCE WELK SHOW' ACCORDIAN PLAYER DIES [AP, 7/24/05] Myron Floren, an accordion player who entertained generations of television viewers on "The Lawrence Welk Show," died Saturday. He was 85. Floren died of cancer at his Rolling Hills Estates home in Los Angeles County, according to Margaret Heron, syndication manager for the show. A consummate musician versed in everything from polka to Bach, he joined Lawrence Welk's band in 1950 and stayed on until the television show ended in 1982. The orchestra, which also included saxophonist Dick Dale and singer Jim Roberts, was famous for bouncing, effervescent dance music that Welk began playing as a young man in his native North Dakota. More recently, Floren performed at music festivals around the country. Born on a farm outside Roslyn, S.D., in 1919, he took up the instrument after hearing an accordion player at a fair as a child. Floren was survived by his wife, Berdyne, five daughters and seven grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were pending.
 

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