Entertainment News

LOS ANGELES – "American Idol" finalist Casey Abrams ended his song with a smooch.

The eccentric 20-year-old film camp counselor of Idyllwild, Calif., planted a peck on "Idol" judge Jennifer Lopez after delivering a rockin' rendition of Maroon 5's "Harder to Breathe" during the Fox talent competition's evening of 21st century songs Wednesday. Lopez proclaimed that she loved Abrams' performance — and his "soft lips" weren't bad either.

"You did what I've been trying to do for four months," exclaimed Steven Tyler, who later added some expletives.

Scotty McCreery, the 17-year-old high school student of Garner, N.C., kicked off the show with an eyebrow-raising take on LeAnn Rimes' version of "Swingin'." Tyler wished that the deep-voiced crooner "boot-scooted" more during his routine, while Randy Jackson dubbed his song choice as "safe." Lopez warned McCreery that it's time "to pull out the big guns."

"We were expecting more from Scotty," scolded J.Lo.

Lauren Alania, the 16-year-old country songstress of Rossville, Ga., and Jacob Lusk, the 23-year-old power vocalist of Compton, Calif., were also prodded to push themselves further after taking on Sara Evans' "Born to Fly" and Luther Vandross' "Dance With My Father." Lusk pulled out his in-ear monitor while singing, and later complained of technical difficulties.

"Vocally, it was good, but it didn't make me jump up and down," Jackson told Lusk.

Haley Reinhart, the growling 20-year-old singer of Wheeling, Ill., received a lukewarm reception for diving into Adele's "Rolling in the Deep." Jackson said it was "a perfect direction" for Reinhart, but Tyler noted it was a "little slow at the start." Stefano Langone, the 21-year-old crooner from Kent, Wash., had better luck with Ne-Yo's "Closer."

"Speaking for the girls in the audience, I thought it was very, very good," Lopez told a smiling Langone.

James Durbin once again marched onto the "Idol" stage with the night's most the theatrical performance. The 22-year-old rocker from Santa Cruz, Calif., donned an outlandish military-inspired ensemble and was accompanied by four marching drummers for Muse's "Uprising." Jackson and Lopez announced it would be the best performance of the evening.

"We just love that you're out of your mind beautifully so," affirmed Tyler.

Seemingly, as reminder of why they were voted off the show, the past six eliminated contestants — Karen Rodriguez, 21, New York; Ashthon Jones, 24, Nashville, Tenn.; Naima Adedapo, 26, Milwaukee; Thia Megia, 16, Mountain House, Calif.; Pia Toscano, 22, Howard Beach, N.Y.; and Paul McDonald, 26, Nashville, Tenn. — also returned for a performance of Pink's "So What."

"We miss this group," screamed Jackson. "Come back!"

One of the top seven finalists will join them Thursday.

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Fox is a unit of News Corp.

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Online:

http://www.americanidol.co

ATLANTA – Francesca Battistelli continues her strong surge as Christian music's biggest star.

Battistelli won artist of the year at the 42nd annual Dove Awards held in Atlanta for the first time Wednesday night. She also went home with two more awards — best female vocalist and pop-contemporary recorded song.

Battistelli, 25, has surged recently with her second major label album, "Hundred More Years," which reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart last month.

"I'm on cloud nine right now," said Battistelli after the awards show, which airs Sunday on GMC, formerly known as the Gospel Music Channel. "I'm standing here ... speechless. This is totally humbling."

The awards show for gospel and Christian music left Nashville, Tenn., for the first time in its history. Organizers expected the new production in Atlanta to be just as successful.

The show's new location seemed to fit.

"I like having it in Nashville too, but we're definitely cool to have it right here in Atlanta," said Casting Crowns' frontman Mark Hall. "There's a lot going on here."

Other winners included Chris Artist, who was new artist of the year and best male vocalist. Singer Jason Crabb and the group Point of Grace joined Battistelli in claiming three Doves apiece.

Crabb won song of the year for his heartfelt single "Sometimes I Cry." He also won inspirational recorded song and traditional gospel recorded song. His father Gerald Crabb won songwriter of the year.

"Who knew both of us would've come away with an award," Gerald Crabb said. "This was a big night for us."

Point of Grace took home country album of the year and Christmas album of the year and country recorded song of the year. The all-female trio comprised of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, and Leigh Cappillino took the stage with legendary country singer Kenny Rogers to perform his newest inspirational country melody, "The Rock of Your Love."

"It was great to be on stage with them," Rogers said. "I just met them this morning. How good are they? It was great to have them as a support system for me."

The show opened with Chris Tomlin standing in a black leather jacket and blue jeans as he performed his hit single "Our God" before Christian comedian Chonda Pierce took the stage.

"I hope Jesus comes soon, because I don't think I can stand too much longer in this dress," she quipped, as the crowd in attendance went into laughter.

Host Sherri Shepherd of ABC's "The View" followed Pierce's short comedy act and demanded attendees to repeatedly chant, "I love Jesus, I love Jesus."

Later in the show, Hall, Third Day, and Steven Curtis Chapman — who has won more Dove Awards with 56 than any other artist — performed together.

Legendary singer Sandi Patty, who showed up to the awards 75 pounds lighter, was honored for her lifetime achievements. Several singers, including Battistelli, Natalie Grant, Audrey Assad, Kerri Robert, Janet Paschal, Brit Nicole and Laura Story, each gave a rendition of Patty's past hit songs.

Patty then joined the seven singers and sang with them before she presented Battistelli with her second-straight female artist of the year award.

Patty said she feels comfortable "passing on the torch" to the other female singers, saying she was impressed with Battistelli's poise.

"She has the least amount of lines than anyone else," Patty said. "But she didn't gripe and or get mad. She just kept being gracious. I told her to never lose that."

Actress Tamala Mann, who is known for her rol

The Universe of Faith-Indie Music Program objective is to promote the "brand" of Jesus Christ—HIS glory, and to not be afraid in doing so. The Universe of Faith motto is "Entertaining Truth" in order to amplify the message of the gospel.

Palmdale, CA (PRWEB) April 20, 2011

The Universe of Faith (UOF) welcomes, encourages and inspires all Christian/Gospel music artists everywhere who sincerely desire to see the Lord glorified in song and is willing to share their music with the world, through their Universe Of Faith Indie Music site, set to launch commercially in April 2011.

The Universe of Faith Indie Music site was inspired by its founder as a result of seeing so many artists on the densely-populated streets of Los Angeles and other major U.S. cities trying to sell their homemade music CDs to random pedestrians at gas stations, center street dividers, storefronts, parking lots, and other such high traffic, city areas. But, where does there exist, a more densely populated and accessible traffic flow than on the Internet? Nowhere! UOF may not be the first to recognize this, but they are definitely first in applying this knowledge in a format to allow Christian/Gospel artists to successfully exploit their God-honoring music without themselves being exploited.

Universe of Faith Indie Music is the first independent, Christian/Gospel artist music site of its kind, and here are some reasons why: UOF Indie Music serves as an A/R tool, not only for the UOF Music label, but for the other major music Christian Music Labels, as well UOF Indie Music will have worldwide, online distribution UOF Indie Music will distribute Christian/Gospel music from artist from around the world UOF will present their Indie Artists to the other major music labels in quarterly talent reviews Artists manage their page and begin selling their approved music selections within days of registering with UOF Indie Music UOF artists’ music will not get buried in a sea of secular content. Unlike iTunes, Rhapsody, CD Baby and even WalMart, UOF ONLY sells Christian/Gospel music UOF Indie Music accepts and allows all genres of music: Country, Rock, Rap, R&B, Gospel, Choir, Pop, Blue Grass, Hymns, Lounge, etc. Artists can upload as much music as they can produce and get approved based on UOF guidelines Artist can showcase their own music videos and network with listeners and other artists

According to Founder and CEO of the Universe of Faith (UOF), Jonathan Eubanks, "Music was created for the sole purpose of glorifying God and the highest of all of God’s created angels was known for his elevated music and heavenly melodies. He also lead the choir of angelic hosts before he fell from his first estate because he wanted to march to the beat of his own “proverbial” drum. He later became known as Satan and his tunes are no longer joyful noises to God, but simply noise-meaningless anthems, dedicated to the promotion of sin and death. Most of the world’s musicians now, unwittingly, have joined his proverbial “label” and many of them have received significant measures of worldly success, the praise of men, but none from God. From the Holy Scriptures, we were given the mandate on numerous occasions to make a joyful noise unto the Lord and though it is a mandate, it is likewise, a privilege. While making a joyful noise unto the Lord is a privilege and an expectation of all worshipers of God, some of us have been gifted with talent enough to make the creation of music a lifestyle choice and a potential career option. However, it is unfortunate how few gifted artists, when compared to the number out there, actually get heard, let alone, are able to make a living at glorifying God in song. The are a myriad of reasons why this is so, and chi

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – Lead producer Whoopi Goldberg is the name above the title of "Sister Act," playing indefinitely at New York's Broadway Theater.

This enjoyable family-friendly musical adaptation's biggest draw is the brand she was instrumental in forging in the 1992 Touchstone movie and its sequel. But paradoxically, Goldberg is also a handicap here, demonstrating that hers are tough shoes to fill in a comedy.

That's not to say Patina Miller doesn't deliver in the role of Deloris Van Cartier, the ghetto-fabulous nightclub singer who witnesses a murder and goes into hiding in a convent. She has a winning presence, but her comic chops are not quite equal to her powerhouse vocals or knockout looks. And even in costumer Lez Brotherston's trashy-flashy purple suede thigh boots and hot pants, Miller suggests class more than sass or brass, components that were woven into Goldberg's indelible imprint on the role.

That makes this "Sister Act" a process of adjustment for anyone familiar with the material. Despite some strong numbers, it takes Miller most of the patchy first act to seize ownership of the role, which she eventually does. In the more assured second act, the musical catches fire, establishing a fresh identity distinct from that of the movie.

The creative team has bumped the story back in time, shifting the action from present-day Reno/San Francisco to 1970s Philadelphia. And while Goldberg's Deloris favored Motown, Miller's is all about that sweet Philly soul sound, with a dose of disco.

Composer Alan Menken teams again with lyricist Glenn Slater (his collaborator on the stage version of "The Little Mermaid") to cook up a tuneful original score of lush funk grooves, entrusted to a cast of strong singers. The male roles are expanded via songs that evoke The O'Jays, The Spinners, The Stylistics and Lou Rawls, while the girls channel The Three Degrees, Patti LaBelle and -- stepping beyond Philly city limits in style -- Donna Summer. Doug Besterman's orchestrations time-travel amusingly back to the period, while choreographer Anthony Van Laast's Soul Train-meets-hip-hop moves are a little more lax about the '70s mandate.

The show follows the basic template of Joseph Howard's screenplay. After walking in on her married lover Curtis (Kingsley Leggs) as he ices one of his goons, Deloris seeks protection from cop Eddie Souther (Chester Gregory). The new development here is that Eddie has had a crush on her since high school, opening the door to romance. Against the objections of the Mother Superior (Victoria Clark), Deloris is tucked away at the Queen of Angels convent and cathedral, going incognito as Sister Mary Clarence.

When Sister MC proves hard to tame, Mother Superior sticks her out of the way in the tone-deaf choir. But her musicianship makes her a natural leader. She brings harmony to the group as she releases the songbirds trapped inside them, and puts butts on the seats of a church threatened with closure.

Premiered at the Pasadena Playhouse in 2006, the show has undergone major surgery since its 2009 London run. Aside from Miller, the cast is mostly new. Broadway veteran Jerry Zaks replaces original director (and former Disney animation president) Peter Schneider, while writer Douglas Carter Beane ("Xanadu," "The Little Dog Laughed") has come on board to punch up "Cheers" veterans Cheri and Bill Steinkellner's book. The signatures of both new additions are evident and welcome, particularly Zaks' flair for staging accelerated action as gangsters close in for the climactic face-off, and Beane's sure aim with a comic zinger.

Unlike the movie, in which Deloris nudged the cloistered nuns out into the community to d

NEW YORK – It's time to stop mocking Mormons. And high time to have fun with Roman Catholics.

"Sister Act" — the crowd-pleasing musical that rhymes "chicks" with "crucifix" — opened Wednesday at the Broadway Theatre, having imported its dancing nuns from a well-received stint in London.

Calibrated to be frothy, giggly and yet often poignant, the Jerry Zaks-directed musical is based on the 1992 movie of the same name starring Whoopi Goldberg, who is now producing. This is a musical that hits all the right spots, achieving something close to Broadway grace.

Goldberg's old part, that of the wannabe-nightclub singer Deloris Van Cartier, is played to perfection by newcomer Patina Miller, whose voice, dancing and charm are, ahem, heavenly. "Yeah, I'm fabulous, baby!" she sings in an early song, the perfect way to announce this wonderful new talent. "Feast your eyes — can't disguise/my star quality!"

It helps that the musical has great original tunes by songwriter Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater that skitters from Motown, to soul and funk, to disco and even a little jokey Barry White. Menken and Slater, who also teamed up for "The Little Mermaid," know perfectly how to switch up the mood and tempo. (See how their "Take Me to Heaven" transforms from a Donna Summer-like number at the beginning to a religious hymn by the end.)

For its trip from the West End, "Sister Act" has gained some script tweaking, some song changes and a rehauled cast, most especially with Victoria Clark bringing depth to her role as the grumpy Mother Superior. Zaks took over direction duties and playwright Douglas Carter Beane massaged the story by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner. The action has shifted from the West Coast in the movie to the `70s of Philadelphia, which allows for the introduction of soul, in more ways than one.

The plot is faithful to the movie: A nightclub singer accidentally witnesses a murder by her crime boss lover and flees to a convent to hide. The stuffy nuns come alive as she teaches them razzle-dazzle and rhythm — "Shake it like you're Mary Magdalene" — and she in turn learns the value of sisterhood and self-sacrifice.

Does it seem like Broadway musicals are having a lot of jokes at the expense of religions this season, what with "The Book of Mormon" and now "Sister Act"? Not to worry: Both these shows ultimately champion belief, even if they tweak what might be considered the external silliness of faiths.

Despite the uplifting message, the Vatican will be unlikely to endorse "Sister Act," even if the pope himself does make an appearance — in reality, conductor Michael Kosarin in holy vestments.

The sets by Klara Zieglerova whiz about the stage — church, convent dining room, bar, stained glass panels, a huge statue of Mary and a police station — as if God himself was moving them. Funny choreography in a show like this is crucial and Anthony Van Laast has clearly relished putting doughy-looking women in wimples through their Vegas-style paces. There's also a farcical chase that uses all of the stage.

He has been helped by Lez Brotherston's costumes which upgrade the nuns' black-and-white habits with a liberal dose of sparkles and rhinestones. The increasing lush, razzle-dazzle outfits of the nuns and priests is a running joke as Deloris' influence in the convent grows. But a note of warning: If the white suit John Travolta wore in "Saturday Night Fever" still haunts you, this show may trigger flashbacks.

Two songs from the London production, including the gospel-raunchy "Do the Sacred Mass," were cut, which is probably a good thing for believers and nonbelievers alike. Two songs h

Led by G.A.ME, the Hip-Hop Community is Touring for Two Weeks to Raise Their Demands for an Artist Union and an End to the National Attacks on Collective Bargaining Rights. Participants of the Tour will reveal the truth within the music industry relating to P. Diddy, 50Cent, Notorious B.I.G, Interscope Records, BET, the Source and others.

Bronx, NY (PRWEB) April 20, 2011

E.I.: Expose the Industry Tour/Hip-Hop Union

The Hip-Hop community is coming together to bring the E.I.: Expose the Industry Tour to several cities to address the attacks on collective bargaining rights and raise its own demand for a Hip-Hop union. Panel discussions will feature music and media insiders, author of Dancing with the Devil: How Puff Burned the Bad Boys of Hip-Hop, former Bad Boy recording artist and P. Diddy's ghostwriter Mark Curry, B.E.T’s former producer of Rap City tha Bassment, creator of Spring Bling and author of B.E.T,DBRAD&ME, “Dbrad" and Kim Osorio, the first female editor-in-chief of the Source and author of Straight from the Source. A press conference will commence the tour at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. G.A.ME artists as well as local performers will provide concerts during each leg of the tour.

April 23 to May 8 artists, activists, and industry insiders will travel to Hartford, CT; Madison, WI; Milwaukee, WI; Newark, NJ; New York, NY; Richmond, VA; Union, NJ; and Washington, DC to call for a Hip-Hop union with collective bargaining rights. Among artists’ concerns are healthcare benefits, unfair production contracts and the terms of recoupment, Payola, radio/video airplay, blaxploitation marketing ploys, “360 deals” and consolidated power of the few music companies.

Three majors still control roughly 70% of all music sales today. “The playing field needs to be leveled to make recorded and live music more profitable for the artist and more readily available to the fans." said Wendy Day of Rap Coalition. On the 2003 “The Kristyle” KRS-One rhymed “it’s supposed to be a $2.00 royalty minimum, a Hip-Hop guild, we got to begin building ‘em.”

The Principal organizer of the tour Grassroots Artists MovEment (G.A.ME), a not-for-profit membership organization in the Bronx, has been working to establish collective bargaining rights for artists since 2001. Other partners of the tour include ACLU-WI, Campaign Against Violence, Emcees 4 P.E.A.C.E, Global Block, Hip Hop Congress, Industry Ears, League of Young Voters, Rebel Diaz Arts Collective, Temple of Hip-Hop, TRUE Skool, Urban Underground, Voces de la Frontera, and Words, Beats & Life.

The E.I.: Expose the Industry tour’s major focus is gaining public and congressional support for future legislation that would grant collective bargaining rights to unionized artists, a legal way of leveling the playing field. However, Tour Organizer and executive director of G.A.ME Omowale Adewale formerly Lawrence James said “People in power don’t volunteer to relinquish their power so easily, so we are turning up the heat.”

About G.A.ME

2001 Grassroots Artists MovEment (G.A.ME) 501c3 not-for-profit membership organization founded in New York to redistribute Hip-Hop's resources back into Black & Latino communities.

2002 G.A.ME begins providing free intellectual property workshops to teach Hip-Hop artists about the importance of legally protecting their artistic work. G.A.ME commences public meetings towards developing a Hip-Hop Union.

2003 G.A.ME adds “Hip-Hop for HealthCare” initiative G.A.ME produces “Get in the G.A.ME” compilation feat. dea

Independent Production Music Leaders Celebrate with Clients in Las Vegas

North Hollywood, CA (PRWEB) April 20, 2011

Megatrax Production Music, the leading independent production music source for film, broadcast, advertising and multimedia, made a splash at the National Association of Broadcasters Show last week in Las Vegas, toasting their 20th Anniversary with champagne and comments from toastmasters and founders Ron Mendelsohn and JC Dwyer. The company also unveiled their new “sizzle reel” and the winners of their client video contest at Monday’s special in-booth party.

Emcee for the Anniversary toast, VP of Sales Phil Macko, says: “It was a remarkable success, made possible by the support of our clients and valued partners. The highlight of the day for me was sharing the stage with one of our video contest winners - Myron Gigger from Radio One Atlanta – as it reminded me of the amazing creative talents within our client base. Here’s to another 20 years!”

The Megatrax Sizzle Reel, which highlights many of the company’s notable music placements from recent years, is now available on their YouTube channel at http://www.YouTube.com/MegatraxMusic.

Also available on the YouTube channel are the two winning entries to the company’s Anniversary video contest in which clients submitted creative videos using Megatrax tunes. The two winners, Gigger and Tim Burt, both shone a humorous light on using Megatrax’s music in radio promos and production.

For more video and photos from Megatrax’s time at NAB 2011, please visit http://www.MegatraxBlog.com. Additional NAB videos will also be available on the company’s YouTube channel throughout this week.

Founded in 1991, Megatrax is independently owned and has been serving the media and entertainment industries for 20 years with the finest in production music libraries from the brightest talent in the music industry. Originally established by composers JC Dwyer and Ron Mendelsohn in a studio adjacent to ABC Network, Megatrax is currently based in North Hollywood and maintains a 14,000 square foot facility housing multiple recording studios, edit rooms and offices.

Its staff has grown to include 38 full- and part-time employees and a growing network of award-winning artists, composers, and producers. The company has expanded beyond its original flagship Megatrax library to a total of nine premium music catalogs including Amusicom, Beat Bites, Intervox, LA Riot, Sensacion, The Scene, and Tonal Injection, plus their indie artist Marquee Music label.

In addition to their music catalogs, the company now offers a host of additional services including custom scoring and broadcast news/ID packages through their Aircast division. Megatrax has always striven to be a leader in technological advancement, most recently leading the charge with their unequalled music search and hard drive music delivery systems.

Among the notables who have contributed to Megatrax’s body of music in the last 20 years are: Acclaimed Film/TV composer Chris Hajian Emmy-nominated Film/TV composer Donn Wilkerson Emmy-nominated Film/TV composer Craig Stuart Garfinkle Emmy Award-winning Film/TV composer Danny Pelfrey Grammy Award-winning composer and arranger Jorge Calandrelli Trailer Music veteran producer Robert Etoll Veteran urban/hip-hop producer Christian Salyer Acclaimed Chronic Music producers Eric Cunningham and Chris Lang

For more information, please visit http://www.megatrax.com, http://www.aircastmusic.com, http://www.megatraxblog.com or http://www.aircastmusicblog.com.

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The new incarnation of Death Row Records does not have the rights to sell Dr. Dre's iconic rap album "The Chronic" digitally, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder ruling states that the rapper and producer has received far less money than he is due from online sales of the 1992 album, which also helped launch the career of Snoop Dogg.

The ruling does not call for a halt of digital sales of Dre's music, but entitles him to receive 100 percent of the proceeds of online sales, his attorney, Howard King, told The Associated Press.

The rapper, whose real name is Andre Young, sued WIDEawke Death Row Records last year, claiming it was improperly selling "The Chronic" digitally and using some of his music on compilation albums without his permission.

Snyder's ruling states the label, which bought the original Death Row Records' holdings out of bankruptcy, does not have the right to put Dr. Dre's music on compilation or any other albums.

"For years, Death Row Records forgot about Dre when they continued to distribute his music digitally and combined his hits with weaker Death Row tracks in an attempt to elevate the stature of their other artists," King wrote in a statement. "We are gratified that the federal court has unambiguously declared that Death Row has no right to engage in such tactics, and must hold all proceeds from these illicit distributions in trust for our client."

Phone and email messages for WIDEawake's attorney, Michael Holtz, was not immediately returned Tuesday evening.

The rapper has a long history of battling Death Row Records, a label he confounded but later left.

The most recent case he filed centered on his 1996 exit agreement with the label, which called for him to receive 18 percent royalties on his music created while at Death Row and gave him substantial authority over how the songs were used.

The agreement states that WIDEawake can only sell Dre's music in the format it appeared in before the deal. Another of Dre's attorneys, Stephen Rothschild, told Snyder during arguments in court on Monday that meant it could only appear in four formats: CD, cassette, vinyl and 8-Track.

The Black Eyed Peas are opening a school where local teenagers will learn video and music production using professional-quality equipment.

The six-time Grammy Award winners announced Tuesday that their Peapod Foundation together with the Adobe Foundation will open a Peapod Adobe Youth Voices music and multimedia academy in lower Manhattan.

The Peapod Foundation is the hip-hop group's charitable organization; it's administered by the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The Adobe Foundation is the philanthropic arm of software maker Adobe Systems Inc., whose products include Acrobat, Flash and Photoshop. The two foundations already run three Youth Voices academies in California — in Los Angeles, Oakland and Redwood City.

The New York academy will offer classes to students ages 13 to 19 starting this July, the foundations said.

"Our passion for music and media was fueled by many generous people on our road to success," Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am said. "Expanding the network of Peapod Adobe Youth Voices academies enables us to pay it forward, giving more youth the skills and encouragement they need to realize their dreams."

The academy will be housed in a facility operated by Urban Arts Partnership, which runs after-school arts programs for teens who attend high-poverty schools.

Students will be accepted into the academy based on recommendations from teachers and demonstrated interests in subject areas such as camera work, editing and graphic design.

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Online:

http://www.peapodfoundation.org

http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/philanthropy/foundation

Gucci Mane's lawyer is denying accusations that the musician pushed a woman out of his Hummer as he drove down a suburban Atlanta street in January.

Attorney Ashutosh Joshi said Tuesday the artist intends to plead not guilty.

DeKalb County prosecutors on Tuesday announced formal charges of battery, reckless conduct and disorderly conduct against the rapper, also known as Radric Delantic Davis, 31.

DeKalb Solicitor-General Sherry Boston said the rapper's conduct "shows a willful disregard for a woman's personal safety."

Joshi said he and his client look forward to having the opportunity to fight the charges in court.

A police report said Davis pushed the woman, 36-year-old Diana Graham, out of his Hummer as it traveled down a street on Jan. 28.