Grooveshark

I’ve continuously withheld my urge to write about Hanson, but this news is just too big!

The “baby” Hanson (yes, that Hanson - MMMBop), Zac, has officially released a statement announcing his wife, Kate, is pregnant. She is due in May.

“I am utterly thrilled at the thought of becoming a father,” said Zac, 22. “I can’t wait to meet this person.”

Kate, 23, comments on the beauty of pregnancy.

“This is the most amazing time for us. It’s the most romantic thing we’ve ever done,” she said.

Zac and Kate have been married since June 2006 and are the only couple in Hanson who decided to wait and have kids.

(more…)

Del.icio.us digg reddit

Singer Amy Winehouse has just announced she is canceling all remaining tour dates and promotional appearances on her current tour.

The reason? She’s heartbroken.

Winehouse’s husband, Blake Fiedler-Civil, is currently in jail, being held on remand and accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm on a pub landlord in an incident occurring in June last year.

Winehouse frequently visits her husband and said she cannot go on touring without him.

“I can’t give it my all on stage without my Blake. I’m so sorry but I don’t want to do the shows half-heartedly; I love singing. My husband is everything to me and without him it’s just not the same,” she said.

A broken heart coupled with her past habits of constant drinking and drug usage is not a good combo for Winehouse. Hopefully she’ll get through this unscathed.

Concerts throughout Britain and Ireland have all been canceled. She has been ordered to take a complete rest in the interest of her health and well-being.

Get better Amy!

Via: Reuters UK

Del.icio.us digg reddit

Rap superstar Kanye West’s mother, Donda West, died Saturday night.

West planned to have breast reduction surgery performed by Dr. Andre Aboolian of Beverly Hills. Aboolian said he warned her of the risks of surgery and because of a heart condition, West would first have to see an internist before he would perform the surgery.

Unfortunately, she never saw an internist. Instead, West was taken to Centinela Freeman Hospital Saturday night, reportedly with a cardiac problem.

Neighbors heard a loud commotion.

“She had quite a few ladies over there, and they were just going crazy and screaming and hollering,” said neighbor Millie Art.

Paramedics rushed her to Centinela Daniel Freeman Hospital two miles away. One hour later, she was dead.

Art added that West never mentioned any medical problems and appeared very healthy.

“As far as we knew, she was in fine shape. When we found out that she didn’t make it, why, it really got to me,” said Millie Art.

The body of Donda West remained Monday at the Daniel Freeman Hospital facility. The coroner’s office said they will be going to the Hospital Monday night to take possession of the body, and will be conducting an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

Dr. Donda West earned a Ph.D. in English and served as the head of Chicago State University’s English Department before leaving and working for Kanye.

West was only 58.

Shark hearts for Kanye and his family during this difficult time.

Via: ABC.com

Update:

TMZ.com is reporting that another doctor, Dr. Jan Adams, actually did perform the surgery for West right before she died. TMZ is reporting that the surgery not only took twice as long as normal, but also that Adams has numerous DUI’s and arrests on his record. Something fishy is up. Check out TMZ to follow the story. An autopsy is secheduled for Wednesday - maybe then we’ll have some answers.

Del.icio.us digg reddit

In case you missed it, the American Music Awards aired Sunday night and featured a ton of performances and surprise winners. Here’s a recap…along with my comments on who should have won. All winners are in bold.

P.S. Jimmy Kimmel hosted!

POP/ROCK
Favorite Male Artist:
Akon
Timbaland
Justin Timberlake
*Obviously, JT takes this. Akon is despicable – remember when he injured a fan at one of his concerts awhile back? Yeah. Timberland and JT love each other so much that it probably wouldn’t matter which one won, as long as it wasn’t Akon.

Favorite Female Artist:
Beyonce
Fergie
Avril Lavigne
*I just don’t understand why these are the cream of the crop. There have to be better female artists out there…

Favorite Band, Duo or Group:
Linkin Park
Maroon 5
Nickleback
*Uggggghhh I hate Nickleback. I feel like 99% of people agree with me. MAROON 5!

Favorite Album:
Daughtry/Daughtry
Linkin Park/Minutes to Midnight
Justin Timberlake/FutureSex/Love Sounds
*Well, American Idol sure is paying off. I mean, JT’s album is REALLY good. I can’t comment on Linkin Park’s because I do my best to avoid their music. Daughtry is…well…just kind of a mix of Creed and Staind. I don’t really get it. Also, Daughtry does the theme song for college football – I REALLY don’t get that!

COUNTRY
Favorite Male Artist:
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw
Brad Paisley
*Tim McGraw deserves this recognition. For all you country fans, no one hates Tim McGraw. He just makes good, catchy country music.

Favorite Female Artist:
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
*American Idol – not a surprise here.

Favorite Album:
Tim McGraw/Let It Go
Rascal Flatts/Me and My Gang
Carrie Underwood/Some Hearts
*Not even commenting (Simon Fuller).

Favorite Band, Duo or Group:
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Rascal Flatts
*Oh I love Rascal Flatts. They’re tons of fun. But then again, so are Big & Rich and Brooks & Dunn. All 3 have my vote!

SOUL/RHYTHM & BLUES
Favorite Male Artist:
Akon
Ne-Yo
T-Pain
*Ugh. Anyone but him. By the way, I saw him in concert a while back; possibly the most annoying hour of my life.

Favorite Female Artist:
Beyonce
Fantasia
Rihanna
*Yes! Umbrella is GENIUS! Rihanna is an awesome entertainer.

Favorite Album:
Beyonce/B’Day
R. Kelly/Double Up
Justin Timberlake/FutureSex/LoveSounds
*For anyone who’s heard this album, it’s just off-the-charts awesome. I’m sorry – I tried to deny it too. I refused to put it on my iPod for months. Finally I caved in and did. Best decision I’ve made – you can’t not like it. You can’t.

RAP/HIP-HOP
Favorite Band, Duo or Group:
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Pretty Ricky
Shop Boyz
*Wake up wake up wake up it’s the first the monthhhh. Enough said.

Favorite Male Artist:
Fabolous
T.I.
Young Jeezy
*I don’t know enough about this category to comment on it. Thoughts anyone?

Favorite Album:
Bones Thugs-N-Harmony/Strength & Loyalty
T.I./T.I. vs. T.I.P.
Young Jeezy/The Inspiration
*See above. Except I really love Bone Thugs…probably because I correlate it with 7th grade.

ADULT CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Favorite Artist:
Daughtry
Norah Jones
John Mayer
*John Mayer and Norah Jones have more talent then Daughtry will ever have. Sorry, Daughtry. When you get your own sound, you can come on into this category.

LATIN MUSIC
Favorite Artist:
Daddy Yankee
Juan Luis Guerra y 440
Jennifer Lopez
*Has anyone heard her new album?

ALTERNATIVE ROCK MUSIC
Favorite Artist:
Linkin Park
My Chemical Romance
The White Stripes
*Oh I don’t know about this one. Pretty sure I hate all of them.

CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Favorite Artist:
Casting Crowns
Jeremy Camp
tobyMac
*Who is this?!? Enlighten us – anyone who knows!

SOUNDTRACKS
Favorite Album:
Dreamgirls
Hairspray
High School Musical 2
*Disney continues to rake it in! It is a pretty good soundtrack though…embarrassing as that is.

FAVORITE BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST
Daughtry
Plain White T’s
Robin Thicke
*I think the AMA’s overdid it a little bit with Daughtry.

Clearly, my comments are only my opinion. I can see most people disagreeing with me on certain aspects and agreeing with me on others. If you watched the awards, tell me what you think! I’d love to hear it!

Via: ABC.Com

Del.icio.us digg reddit

Apparently, according to the new Higher Education Bill, the RIAA is trying to force college universities to crack down on students.

Not only does the bill state that all P2P downloads must be stopped, but also that every student on campus MUST purchase Rhapsody or Napster. If schools refuse to do this, the bill states that they will lose all federal funding.

In the past, the RIAA has been playing the sniper game and randomly selecting college students to prosecute for illegal music. Now, they want everyone to suffer and are holding federal money as their ransom.

Section 494, the only real relevant section of the 750 page bill, can be summed up like this:
Sec. 494 Each eligible institution participating in the federal aid program shall:
• provide annual disclosure/warnings to the students applying for or receiving financial aid, stating that:
o P2P file sharing may subject them to civil and criminal liability;
o summary of penalty for violation of copyright laws;
o University’s policy of disciplinary action for using university’s IT for unauthorized downloads; and
o the actions that the University takes to detect such activities;
• develop plans for offering alternative to illegal downloading or P2P distribution; and
• develop plans to deter illegal downloading.

This means that universities will have to become copyright cops. They must provide some sort of subscription service for music and videos to ALL students.

Here’s what William Patry, senior Copyright Counsel to Google and the author of highly regarded 7 volume treatises on copyright, has to say:
“With these efforts to deprive universities of federal funds, it is difficult to conclude there is a low beyond which content owners will not go. What’s next, an amendment to Sarbanes Oxley that requires the CEO of companies to certify no employee infringes copyright? Or, how about a requirement that before we can receive U.S. mail, each of us has to certify to the Post Office that we don’t infringe copyright?…The concept that the federal government will use coercive force through unrelated laws to enforce the rights of private individuals more than capable of enforcing their own rights is unprecedented, unnecessary, and unprincipled.”

Basically, this is entire bill is ridiculous. How can you get rid of federal funding for EDUCATION because of music downloads? The RIAA needs to wake up and realize their not the only ones who matter and that their plan will never work.

In the mean time, make your own choice. And get paid for your music. Register for Grooveshark today!

Via: BizOrigin

Del.icio.us digg reddit

Why does Prince always think he can do whatever he wants?

First, he made himself into purely a symbol, and we had to refer to him as “The Artist Formally Known As Prince.”

Now, Prince is attacking his fans - the ones the support him through all his ridiculous requests. Prince and an army of lawyers are working to disband several large web communities dedicated to the pop star.

Several Web sites have received cease and desist notices to discontinue use of all photographs, images, lyrics, album covers and anything else Prince wants.

Prince’s representatives have requested that the fan sites provide them with “substantive details of the means by which you [the fan sites] propose to compensate our clients [Paisley Park Enterprises, NPG Records and Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG)] for damages…”

Three of the largest fan sites, www.housequake.com, www.princefams.com and www.prince.org have all come together to fight back against this injustice. These are the fans who have supported Prince’s career since the very beginning, nearly 30 years ago.

The site’s owners are hoping that Prince will step down, but in the event that he continues the threats, they made it clear that they will fight their position in the proper court of law.

All three owners note: Prince is entitled to control of his copyrights, it should be within the law. The law clearly provides for displaying of images of a celebrity’s likeness for newsworthy events or matters that are considered to be public interest. All three websites feel that the photographs and/or likeness displayed on their websites clearly fall within the public interest category. Additionally, the use of photographs is legal based on the fair use doctrine, i.e. the displaying of album cover art, or the collage headers created by website members using a variety of different photographs.

What do you think? If you’re favorite artist pulled a stunt like this, would you lost respect for them?

V[ia: PerezHilton.com]

Del.icio.us digg reddit