Entertainment News

NEW YORK – Hip-hop star Kanye West is still feeling the pain over his ambush of Taylor Swift last year — and he's expressing his pain all over Twitter.

West unleashed a torrent of emotions on his official Twitter account Saturday, acknowledging once again that he was wrong for jumping on stage, grabbing the microphone from Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards and saying her trophy should have gone to Beyonce.

But the rapper-producer said that he has experienced enormous pain, been the subject of death wishes and suffered tremendous setback to his career.

"How deep is the scar ... I bled hard ... cancelled tour with the number one pop star in the world ... closed the doors of my clothing office," he tweeted.

The multiplatinum, Grammy-winning superstar had been one of the decade's most successful and critically acclaimed stars, despite sometimes boorish behavior and meltdowns at other awards shows when things did not go his way.

However, when he upstaged Swift — the then-teenage darling of pop and country music worlds _the public had had enough. There was tremendous backlash against West — even President Barack Obama was caught calling him a "jackass."

At the time, he went on Jay Leno's prime-time show to apologize and said he still had not recovered from his mother's death two years prior. He said he would be taking time off from the public eye.

That time off came sooner than expected. He canceled a joint tour with Lady Gaga that fall, apparently due to low ticket sales. On Twitter, West talked about the backlash.

"I'm the guy who at one point could perform the Justin Timberlake on stage and everyone would be sooo happy that I was there," he wrote.

After the incident, he said, "People tweeted that they wish I was dead ... No listen. They wanted me to die people. I carry that. I smile and take pictures through that."

West said he's now "ready to get out of my own way. The ego is overdone."

He also apologized to Swift again, and said he has written a song for her that he hopes she will perform.

"If she won't take it then I will perform it for her," he said.

West is working on a new album that is supposed to come out sometime this fall. A recent member of Twitter, West has been an active user, posting not only his feelings, but new songs and other updates. He has over 900,000 followers since he joined earlier this summer.

"Man I love Twitter ... I've always been at the mercy of the press but no more ... The media tried to demonize me," he tweeted Saturday.

After finishing a sentence for weapons charges earlier this year, T.I. was poised to have the comeback of the fall.

The multiplatinum rapper starred in the nation's No. 1 movie, recently married his longtime girlfriend, taped a music special for VH1 and was wrapping up a new album. But after an arrest Wednesday in California, there are questions about whether he's returning to the music charts — or prison.

The Grammy-winning hitmaker, who is on three years of probation, was taken into custody with wife Tameka "Tiny" Cottle on suspicion of possessing methamphetamines after police pulled over their Maybach in West Hollywood. They were released on $10,000 bail early Thursday.

While charges have yet to be filed, the case has the potential to put one of music's top names in behind bars yet again.

"We're not making any observations at this time," said Ed Garland, a defense attorney for T.I. "This is an unfortunate occurrence, and we do not know what the outcome will be."

His music label, Atlantic Records, also said it "would be premature to speculate about the current situation given that there is an ongoing investigation of this matter."

Known as the "King of the South," T.I is a top name in hip-hop, and pop. Born as Clifford Harris, he sold millions of albums since his debut and racked up hits like "Whatever You Like" and "U Don't Know Me." He also had top collaborations with artists including Rihanna, Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake.

But his celebrated career was put in jeopardy in 2007 when he was caught trying to buy semiautomatic weapons on the way to a BET Awards show. The Atlanta rapper, who has served time for drug and other offenses, pleaded guilty to weapons charges and served seven months in an Arkansas prison and three months in a halfway house in Georgia.

He was ordered not to commit another federal, state or local crime while on supervised release, or to illegally possess a controlled substance. He was also told to take at least three drug tests after his release and to participate in a drug and alcohol treatment program.

T.I. didn't appear to need government intervention to stay out of trouble. The rapper talked of a new, positive start: He spoke to kids about the dangers of drugs and guns, and former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young was one of his supporters. As he prepared for his most recent sentence, the rapper starred in the MTV reality show, "T.I.'s Road to Redemption: 45 Days to Go."

"Right now, it's all about moving forward and just acknowledging the blessing that are here today. ... Just moving past the regrets of yesterday — the things that could've been done better," T.I. told The Associated Press in July.

After his release, he wasted little time returning to the spotlight. He released new music and was one of the stars of "Takers," a shoot-'em-up about an armored truck robbery that goes bad. He is working on an album, which was slated to come out this year, and last month, he taped a VH1 "Storytellers" performance.

T.I. also married Cottle, the former singer for the 1990s R&B group Xscape; she has found new fame as the star of the BET reality show "Tiny & Toya."

Cottle took to her Twitter on Thursday, thanking fans for support and prayers. "We love u guys:) going 2bed now! So glad 2b n a nice clean bed," she wrote.

A representative for VH1 said it was too early to determine how his arrest might affect the upcoming special. A representative for "Takers" did not immediately return a request for comment.

T.I.'s probation officer has asked him to return to Atlanta, said Don S

NEW YORK – Chris Brown is back to a familiar place — the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts.

The 21-year-old's latest song, the goodbye groove "Deuces," hit the top spot of Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart this week.

Since Brown's February 2009 altercation with then-girlfriend Rihanna, he has not had much success musically. He released his third album "Graffiti" in Dec. 2009 and it's his lowest selling CD to date. Only two songs from the album hit the charts; the first single "I Can Transform Ya" peaked at No. 20 on the pop charts.

"Deuces" appears on Brown's mixtape, "Fan of a Fan," and it features rappers Tyga and Kevin McCall.

Brown also stars in the heist thriller "Takers," which debuted on top of the box office last week.

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Online:

http://www.chrisbrownworld.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Rapper Young Buck has filed for bankruptcy after an Internal Revenue Service raid on his Hendersonville, Tenn., home.

The Tennessean newspaper reports that a judge has accepted the rapper's proposal to dock his monthly pay from Cashville Records by $12,500 over 60 months for a total of $750,000.

The rapper, whose name is David Darnell Brown, could save a large portion of the $164,000 in property the IRS seized Aug. 3. The IRS says he owes the agency more than $300,000.

Chapter 13 filing allows a five-year repayment plan for unsecured creditors to recover part of what they are owed. Other creditors include the state of New York, American Home Mortgage Service and Wells Fargo Auto Insurance.

Young Buck's albums include "Straight Outta Ca$hville" and "Buck the World."

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Information from: The Tennessean, http://www.tennessean.com

WASHINGTON – Twelve-year-old Malia Obama wears braces, toots a flute and is after her father to save the tigers. Younger sister Sasha, who is 9, shoots hoops like her basketball-loving dad and dances hip-hop.

Both girls get up at 6 a.m. to get ready for school.

Barack and Michelle Obama put their girls off-limits to the news media after they moved to the White House, saying they wanted to keep their daughters' lives as normal as possible. But tidbits about the private doings of the youngest children to live in the White House since the Kennedy family do dribble out. Often they come from a surprising source: Mom and Dad.

It was President Barack Obama who revealed, perhaps to his daughter's utter embarrassment, that Malia had been fitted with braces. He also spilled her plans to spend most of August at camp.

"She's my baby," he said of Malia, straying from his script at a political fundraiser of all places. "Even though she's 5-(foot)-9 now, she's still my baby. And she just got braces, which is good, because she looks like a kid and she was getting ... she's starting to look too old for me."

The prospect of spending even part of the summer without his first born around also had Obama waxing sentimental.

Asked about summer vacation plans, Obama told an interviewer that "a month of it's going to be taken up with Malia going away for camp, which she's never done before. And I may shed a tear when she's on the way out."

In a separate interview, Obama said his daughters have savings accounts and they get an allowance, though he didn't say how much they get or how often they get it. He also said the girls are getting old enough where they may be able to start earning money by baby-sitting.

The first lady is also guilty of breaching the privacy wall she and her husband put up around the girls.

"Malia's one issue for her father is saving the tigers," Mrs. Obama told an audience of young children visiting the White House. "So we talk about the tigers at least once a week and what he's doing to save the tigers." Tigers apparently are Malia's favorite creature.

Mrs. Obama also has revealed that:

_Both girls play the piano; Malia also plays the flute.

_Sasha likes to dance hip-hop. The girls also are working on their tennis game.

_They are not allowed to watch TV during the week, and weekend viewing is limited.

_The girls can only use the computer during the week if they need to for school assignments.

The White House says the Obamas are just behaving like, well, parents when they talk about Malia and Sasha.

"I think they're proud of their daughters and, you know, they do not try to go out of their way. There's no strategic decision to talk about them," press secretary Robert Gibbs said in an interview. "I think a lot of it comes from ... pride."

Even their grandmother, Marian Robinson, has dished a detail or two; she said the girls have separate bedrooms.

The Obamas aren't the first presidential parents to want to shield children from life in the fishbowl known as Washington.

First lady Jacqueline Kennedy sought to keep her children, Caroline and John Jr., out of the glare as much as possible. After she left the White House, she advised other first families with young children, such as Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton, to do the same.

Chelsea Clinton, who got married in July, was curly haired and entering her teenage years when Clinton was elected president in 1992. "Saturday Night Live" incurred her parents' wrath by lampooning her, but the news medi

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Bristol Palin, daughter of conservative powerbroker Sarah Palin, will test her dance moves against former "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff and R&B singer Brandy in the new season of "Dancing with the Stars."

The lineup for the 11th season of the TV dancing contest, set to premiere on September 20, will also include crooner Michael Bolton, reality TV star Mike Sorrentino, and actress Jennifer Grey, who twirled to fame in the film "Dirty Dancing."

Palin, 19, a single mom, is following in the reality TV footsteps of her former fiance, Levi Johnston, whose small-screen adventures involve running for political office in Alaska -- and whose off-screen adventures have put him at odds with her mother.

She said she hoped her mother, the former Alaska governor and U.S. vice presidential candidate, would be on hand to watch her pair up with a professional dancer on the ballroom floor and compete against other celebrity/dancer couples.

"She's excited for me. She knows this is going to be hard work," Palin said as the lineup for the show was announced on ABC on Monday.

Since giving birth to a son Tripp in December 2008, Palin has featured in entertainment shows, magazines, and made her acting debut on a U.S. TV show centered around teenage pregnancy. Her ex- fiance has appeared in "Playgirl" and on various TV shows.

"Dancing with the Stars" was the second-biggest show on TV last season, behind "American Idol," averaging 20 million viewers. Reigning champ is Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger who teamed with dancer Derek Hough.

For the 11th season, Palin will be joined by a host of well-known names, including Hasselhoff, who quit his job as a judge on "America's Got Talent" earlier this year after four years and a public struggle with alcohol abuse.

From the reality TV world, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino from "Jersey Shore" will enhance his growing profile along with actress Audrina Patridge from "The Hills."

Fans of the TV family sitcom "The Brady Brunch" will be able to watch actress and TV talk show host Florence Anderson, 76, who played Carol Brady in the popular 1970s show.

Fellow contestant Jennifer Grey said at the announcement she doubted she would have an advantage from her dance training opposite the late Patrick Swayze in the 1987 film.

"I'm 50. It's been a lot of years since then," she said.

Former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, retired basketball player Rick Fox, comedian Margaret Cho and teen U.S. actor Kyle Massey from Disney show "Cory in the House" completed the lineup.

(Reporting by Christine Kearney, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

PARIS (AFP) – Katy Perry made the world sit up and listen for "kissing a girl", in her 2008 debut smash hit single, and her third and latest album "Teenage Dream", hitting stores this month, again reveals her sassy side.

The pop star's very first record, a Christian-gospel inspired album released under her real name Katy Hudson, went unnoticed on its 2001 release.

But with the creation of pin-up persona Katy Perry the 25-year-old's career took off. Her second album, "One of the Boys," has sold over five million copies worldwide in two years.

It outlined the megastar's sexy new style, embodied by the single "I Kissed a Girl", and "Teenage Dream" continues to tread this path.

In "Peacock," the singer ambiguously stresses the second syllable, though in understated fashion in contrast to pop rival Lady Gaga's more aggressively sexual style.

"I consider "Teenage Dream" to be the logical continuation of my first album. I don't think people want me to be anyone other than myself," Perry, the daughter of two pastors, said.

The album sleeve captures the performer's provocative but seldom vulgar image, picturing a nude Perry lying on a cloud of cotton candy.

Her fantasy world circled the globe in this summer's radio and music video channel favourite single, "California Gurls," whose video features cookies and uncouth gummy bears living in harmony with American gangster rapper Snoop Dogg.

This colourful world was created, by the singer's own admission, as a response to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys more sombre ode to New York, "Empire State of Mind," and its black and white video.

"I love the vibe that Santa Barbara gives off and I wanted to really tap into the purity of my childhood," the singer said of her decision to record the album in her California home town.

Opening with the title track, a love song celebrating the memory of adolescent stirrings, the album then goes on to explore the spectrum of teenage emotions, sometimes melancholic as in "The One That Got Away", and sometimes manic as in "Hummingbird Heart".

Perry's voice is occasionally lost in music in the first lighter section of the album. But in the second half the vocals shine through during the slower tempo tracks and when accompanied by piano on "Pearl" and "Not Like the Movies."

"This record is at least as important, if not more, than the first because it will really show whether my success was due to luck, which I absolutely do not believe," she said.

Reviews so far show it set to be another best-seller for the young US star.

Cee Lo

NEW YORK - Cee Lo's expletive-laden song has been criticized for being in poor taste, but the musician says it's actually a work of art.

"What I've tried to accomplish, like, is making art products ... so I still believe that (the song) can be classified as art because it's an original piece and the edge and alternative is there, and the integrity is intact," he said in an interview last week.

The song, about a gold-digging ex, is titled "(Expletive) You" and he drops 16 f-bombs in just 3 1/2 minutes over a sweet-sounding, retro groove. The current video is a colorful stream of the song's lyrics and its been viewed more than 3.7 million times in the last 11 days on the singer's YouTube page. An official video will be released this week and the song will appear on Cee Lo's album "The Lady Killer," out on Dec. 7.

Though the jam has gotten rave reviews, it's also had its share of criticism. Dan Isett, the director of public policy for the Parents Television Council, said in a statement that the song "is just the latest example of an entertainment industry bent on racing to the bottom of the barrel."

But Cee Lo said he was trying to elevate music with the song, and it's something that the music industry does not do enough.

"The system does not, you know, advocate art so to speak, but it does package and promote products and product placement and there's a definitive difference between the two, art and product," he said. "I have yet to sit down and try to write something for the sake of radio. I just never done it, not consciously."

Still, there will be a radio-friendly version of the viral hit: The mildly titled "Forget You" will hit airwaves soon, though Cee Lo says that wasn't the initial plan.

"It wasn't like we were looking for it to be a radio hit of some sort. It was only until a short time after that we considered doing a clean version just in case," he said.

Cee Lo is best-known as one-half of the Grammy-winning duo Gnarls Barkley, who had the instant classic "Crazy." He first appeared on the music scene in 1995 with the Southern hip-hop group Goodie Mob.

Cee Lo calls the success of his latest song "a miracle of some sort." Although he may have lofty views of its artistic merit, he's also aware that it's just a dose of naughtiness too.

"I get to be bad a little bit so that's what was fun about it. It's quite a bit of mischief in that song, so we weren't taking ourselves too seriously," he said.

In October, Cee Lo will host Fuse TV's "Lay It Down," an interview and performance-based show he calls "more intimate (and) off the record."

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Online:

http://www.ceelogreen.com/home

NEW YORK – Cee Lo's expletive-laden song has been criticized for being in poor taste, but the musician says it's actually a work of art.

"What I've tried to accomplish, like, is making art products ... so I still believe that (the song) can be classified as art because it's an original piece and the edge and alternative is there, and the integrity is intact," he said in an interview last week.

The song, about a gold-digging ex, is titled "(Expletive) You" and he drops 16 f-bombs in just 3 1/2 minutes over a sweet-sounding, retro groove. The current video is a colorful stream of the song's lyrics and its been viewed more than 3.7 million times in the last 11 days on the singer's YouTube page. An official video will be released this week and the song will appear on Cee Lo's album "The Lady Killer," out on Dec. 7.

Though the jam has gotten rave reviews, it's also had its share of criticism. Dan Isett, the director of public policy for the Parents Television Council, said in a statement that the song "is just the latest example of an entertainment industry bent on racing to the bottom of the barrel."

But Cee Lo said he was trying to elevate music with the song, and it's something that the music industry does not do enough.

"The system does not, you know, advocate art so to speak, but it does package and promote products and product placement and there's a definitive difference between the two, art and product," he said. "I have yet to sit down and try to write something for the sake of radio. I just never done it, not consciously."

Still, there will be a radio-friendly version of the viral hit: The mildly titled "Forget You" will hit airwaves soon, though Cee Lo says that wasn't the initial plan.

"It wasn't like we were looking for it to be a radio hit of some sort. It was only until a short time after that we considered doing a clean version just in case," he said.

Cee Lo is best-known as one-half of the Grammy-winning duo Gnarls Barkley, who had the instant classic "Crazy." He first appeared on the music scene in 1995 with the Southern hip-hop group Goodie Mob.

Cee Lo calls the success of his latest song "a miracle of some sort." Although he may have lofty views of its artistic merit, he's also aware that it's just a dose of naughtiness too.

"I get to be bad a little bit so that's what was fun about it. It's quite a bit of mischief in that song, so we weren't taking ourselves too seriously," he said.

In October, Cee Lo will host Fuse TV's "Lay It Down," an interview and performance-based show he calls "more intimate (and) off the record."

___

Online:

http://www.ceelogreen.com/home

Five Days of Blues Greats to Illuminate the Fillmore District

(PRWEB) August 30, 2010 -- World renowned Blues and R&B singer E.C. Scott celebrates the fourth anniversary of her award winning syndicated weekly Blues Television series, EC'S Jook Joint with five days of live performances by Blues greats at the Fillmore District's West Bay Conference Center from September 22-26. The Blues Series will feature 14 all star acts at 9 performances over the 5 day series. The marquee lineup of performers includes: Elvin Bishop, Bernard Allison, The Manhattans, Johnny Winter, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Falisa JaNaye', John Nemeth, Mississippi Heat, John Black, Andre Thierry, Lisa Haley & the Zydekats, Zydeco Flames, West Coast Legends of Blues (Jimmy McCracklin, Craig Horton and Frankie Lee), and Miss E.C. Scott!

EC’s Jook Joint -- the country's only Blues video show – features performances by today's most talented blues artists in an effort to preserve and expand the audience for blues music. EC’s Jook Joint s syndicated on more than 356 public access stations across the US and commercial TV KOFY TV20 in the San Francisco Bay Area.

E.C. Scott is an Oakland, California native who has shared the stage with music industry luminaries such as Ray Charles, Patti La Belle and Lou Rawls. With her band, Smoke, E.C. Scott has built a fiercely loyal following in the San Francisco Bay Area and around the world. E.C. has been honored with two Real Blues Awards (best Live and best West Coast Blues Female), two West Coat Blues Hall of Fame awards (Band Leader of the Year and Female Vocalist), and the well deserved Bay Area Blues Society's Female Performer of the Year Awardand a 9 time Handy Nominee (BMA Awards) Scot is the CEO of ECS Productions and the creator of “EC’s Jook Joint”

Tickets are on sale now at www.BluesSeries.com

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ECS Productions EC Scott 510-4875692 E-mail Information Trackback URL: http://prweb.com/pingpr.php/Q3Jhcy1Mb3ZlLUxvdmUtWmV0YS1QaWdnLVNxdWEtWmVybw==