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SHANGHAI (AFP) – Dancers writhe between bedposts to the thumping beat of a Lady Gaga anthem, surrounded by patrons on oversized gold sofas sipping whisky cut with green tea.

Decadence is the central theme at Shanghai's Phebe 3D, which looks like a psychedelic 21st century Chinese imperial court.

Between the chandeliers and strobe lights, paintings of French aristocrats hang above the packed dance floor. The crush of bodies parts for parades of waiters carrying ice buckets, with champagne and burning sparklers inside.

Welcome to Shanghai's new nightlife, provincial-style.

Phebe 3D is one of several clubs developed by owners from China's hinterlands who are breaking the mould, bringing local flair to a scene once dominated by uber-chic establishments like those in New York, London or Berlin.

Their success is even more impressive in Shanghai, whose residents are known for looking down on people from the rest of China.

At No.88, a concept transported from southern Nanning near the Vietnam border, the decor is Versailles-meets-Jules Verne -- chandeliers, stained glass and mahogany walls compete with giant gears, steam pipes and steel fan blades.

"Customers are always surprised the first time they come in. They never thought a bar could look like this," the club?s manager, Xue Ye, told AFP.

The quirky style is the vision of a group of singers, dancers and other entertainment veterans from Nanning, who started their first club in their hometown in 2005 and quickly expanded, Xue said.

They will open five new clubs this year around the country for a total of 24 which, in addition to the No.88 brand, operate under the names In, Show, Latte and No.66.

The group opened bars in second- and third-tier cities such as Maoming, Zhuhai and Haikou -- little known outside China but home to millions -- before tackling Shanghai in 2009.

"When we came to Shanghai our competitors all laughed at us, saying we wouldn't last six months. They thought 'waidiren' could not succeed in the bar industry in Shanghai," Xue said, using the word for people from outside Shanghai.

"There had been many failures."

Xue credits his group's success in Shanghai on its outsider perspective.

"We understood what people from other places want to find in a unfamiliar city: warmth," Xue said.

After the pressure valves and velvet, the other striking characteristic of No.88 is the peppiness of the waiters, who Xue said are encouraged to dance with customers to US R&B and hip hop hits.

Despite the opulence inside, and the Porsches and Ferraris parked outside, students and middle class patrons are crucial.

"We need the atmosphere. Even rich people don?t want to drink in a quiet place," Xue said.

Unlike the club scenes in other major Chinese cities which are often built on underground and anti-corporate movements, No.88 and Phebe 3D are all about projecting wealth, said Jake Newby, nightlife editor for Time Out Shanghai.

"The big VIP tables are positioned on raised platforms and you look out over the whole club and you feel like you're a mafioso don, running the whole thing. A waiter walks through the entire club with a bottle of champagne and sparklers and heads are turning, looking in your direction," Newby told AFP.

"They are must-see places. They're fascinating places to take people to."

China is entering a golden age for nightlife, said Huang Xixi, chairman of Phebe 3D in Shanghai.

"Chinese people?s taste and consumption patterns are maturing," Huang

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Rapper 50 Cent, who rose to fame with songs that told of drug use and violence, is aiming to steer teenagers away from schoolyard bullying with a book called "Playground" that will reach stores in January, his publisher said on Monday.

The story 50 Cent will pen is about a 13 year-old bully who learns to mend his ways after witnessing the harm he caused, according to Penguin Young Readers Group.

It is partly based on 50 Cent's own life. The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, grew up in the New York City neighborhood of Jamaica, Queens, in an area that had heavy crime during his youth.

"I had a strong desire to write 'Playground' because I wanted to explore how a kid becomes a bully," 50 Cent, who has a teenage son, said in a statement.

"I drew on events from my own childhood and adolescence, but was excited to see the story take on its own life," the rapper said.

50 Cent began winning fans in the late 1990s with songs like "Thug Love" and "How to Rob," but after an attempt on his life, his record company dropped him. He staged a comeback in the early 2000s with his album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," and since then he has recorded albums and performed in movies.

He published a 2005 autobiography called "From Pieces to Weight" and followed that in 2009 with a life strategy book "The 50th Law," co-written with Robert Greene.

Even though the rapper, who has sold over 22 million albums worldwide, hopes to discourage teens from bullying, he has engaged in his share of public feuds over the years.

In 2009, he traded barbs with rapper Rick Ross, taunting him in lyrics and on video for formerly working as a corrections officer. Before that, 50 Cent traded insults with rappers The Game and Cam'ron, among others.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

50 Cent's newest work of fiction will have an anti-bullying message.

The Penguin Young Reader Group has signed up 50 Cent's novel "Playground." The publisher announced Monday that the book is a semi-autobiographical young adult novel about bullying that will come out in January 2012. The 34-year-old rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, has acknowledged a violent childhood and dealing drugs at an early age.

He's also released a memoir, "From Pieces to Weight," and a self-help guide co-authored by Robert Greene called "The 50th Law."

TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) – Pop stars Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga were the big winners at Canada's MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto Sunday.

Bieber, who was on hand as girlfriend Selena Gomez co-hosted the event, was voted favorite artist by his countrymen for the video "Somebody to Love."

Additionally "Somebody to Love" and his clip for "Find Your Love" shared the prize for best international Canadian video.

Lady Gaga was voted most popular international artist by fans, and also took home the best international video for "Judas." She performed twice at the show.

The video of the year went to Ontario pop/R&B singer Shawn Desman for "Electric/Night Like This," while Los Angeles-based hip-hop quartet Far East Movement grabbed the international group video trophy for "Like a G6."

BURBANK, Calif. – The rapper Tone Loc has been arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence in Southern California.

Burbank police Sgt. Tracy Sanchez says 45-year-old Anthony Smith was arrested Saturday. That's Tone Loc's real name.

Sanchez could not confirm that the man arrested is Tone Loc, but Smith's birthdate and description in Los Angeles County jail records match those of the rapper. Sanchez also could not provide any details about the alleged victim or the circumstances.

Smith was being held in a Burbank jail on $50,000 bail.

A message left for Smith's agent Sunday was not immediately returned, and police could not say if he had hired an attorney.

Tone Loc is best known for the 1989 hip-hop hits "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina."

American R&B singer-songwriter, arranger, performer and record producer R Kelly, will hit the Reggae Sumfest stage on Friday July 22. R. Kelly a pillar of the neo-soul movement joins Nicki Minaj, Mavado, Beenie Man, Tanya Stephens and I-Octane on the Festival’s line up. Reggae Sumfest takes place on Montego Bay, Jamaica on July 17-23.

Montego Bay, Jamaica (PRWEB) June 19, 2011

American R&B singer-songwriter, arranger, performer and record producer R Kelly, will hit the Reggae Sumfest stage on Friday July 22. R. Kelly a pillar of the neo-soul movement joins Nicki Minaj, Mavado, Beenie Man, Tanya Stephens and I-Octane on the Festival’s line up. Reggae Sumfest takes place on Montego Bay, Jamaica on July 17-23.

Johnny Gourzong, executive producer of the event confirmed the Radio Message singer’s appearance yesterday.

"The Reggae Sumfest team is excited to be presenting R. Kelly on the Sumfest stage. We have been trying to contract him for the last five years and it is great to see that it is finally happening. We are expecting a spectacular performance from Mr. Kelly."

It will be R Kelly’s second performance in Jamaica. He made his Jamaican debut in 1996 at a concert at Jamworld in St. Catherine. At that time, he was the hottest artiste in R&B, thanks to the multi-platinum success of 12 Play, his 1993 album that announced him as a bona fide superstar. That album contained big hits like Bump N Grind, a cover of the Spinners classic Sadie, and Your Body’s Callin. 12 Play set the pace for a string of anthems that include the inspirational I Believe I Can Fly and If I Could Turn Back The Hands of Time.

The Chicago-born singer has never hid his love for Jamaican music. He experimented with reggae on his 2005 album, TP.3 Reloaded, which yielded the club jam, Slow Wind and Reggae Bump Bump which he recorded with Elephant Man.

R Kelly was born Robert Kelly in the Windy City, and first came to the attention of fans in the United States as a member of the R&B group, Public Announcement. He went solo in the early 1990s and it was not long before he climbed to the top of Billboard magazine charts with 12 Play.

In addition to being a prolific hit maker, R Kelly has written hit songs for other acts. Among those songs are Stroke You Up and Foolin’ Around by Changing Faces and You Are Not Alone which was recorded by Michael Jackson. R Kelly’s last album, Love Letter, was released in 2010.

R Kelly is the latest high-profile hip-hop/Rhythm and Blues act snared by Summerfest Productions, who have diversified their cast in the last 15 years. Big names like Boyz II Men, Destiny’s Child, Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown, Wyclef, Toni Braxton and Usher have appeared on the show. Reggae Sumfest takes place on July 17-23 in Montego Bay and is sponsored by Red Stripe Bold, Jamaica Tourist Board, Digicel, Iberostar and new comers Pepsi. Tickets are available online June 30 and in outlets July 1.

For further information please contact Carlette DeLeon at 876-754-1526 or carlette(at)headlinejamaica(dot)com

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Khorie Ann BeckfordBreakthrough Communications876-929-4048Email Information

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Even after struggling to establish himself as a Hollywood leading man, raunchy English comedian Russell Brand has been invited to become an Oscar voter.

He is among 178 actors, filmmakers and other Hollywood notables invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization said on Friday.

Brand was most recently in theaters with a critically mauled remake of "Arthur," which grossed just $33 million at the North American box office. Last year he was seen in "The Tempest" ($280,000) and "Get Him to the Greek" ($61 million).

Also on the list are R&B singer and occasional actress Beyonce Knowles, "Hangover" star Bradley Cooper, the husband-and-wife duo of David Duchovny and Tea Leoni, and a crop of 2011 Oscar nominees including Jesse Eisenberg, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Lawrence and Australian actress Jacki Weaver.

Tom Hooper, who won the best director Oscar this year for "The King's Speech," was among the eight directors invited. Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier whose "In a Better World" won for foreign-language film, also made the cut, as did Aaron Sorkin, the Oscar-winning writer of "The Social Network."

In a symbolic gesture, the list includes "Restrepo" co-director Tim Hetherington, who was recently killed during the Libya uprising.

The academy said its voting membership has held steady at just under 6,000 people since 2003.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; editing by Christine Kearney)

(To read more about our entertainment news, visit our blog "Fan Fare" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/)

NEW YORK – A hip-hop mogul wanted by federal authorities on drug charges did not orchestrate a plot to ambush rapper Tupac Shakur outside a recording studio in the mid-1990s, his lawyer said Thursday.

The accusations against James Rosemond, owner of Czar Entertainment, were levied online and attributed to convicted killer Dexter Isaac, who is serving a life sentence in an unrelated murder-for-hire plot. Isaac says, according to the website AllHipHop.com, that he was paid $2,500 by Rosemond to shoot and rob Shakur.

Shakur was hit five times in the shooting at the Quad Studios in Manhattan in 1994. He survived but was later gunned down in a slaying that remains unsolved.

The mystery surrounding Shakur's death in Las Vegas has fueled interest in the smallest of details about his life, as well as the old-school feud between East Coast and West Coast rap that some say contributed to his killing.

Isaac stole jewelry off Shakur and handed over a diamond ring to Rosemond after the late-night ambush, the post published Wednesday reads.

"I still have the chain that we took that night," he wrote, according to the post.

New York City police were investigating the claims, though it's not clear if anyone would face charges, in part because the incident occurred about 17 years ago. Rosemond is wanted by federal authorities in New York on drug charges and as of Thursday remained a fugitive.

His lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, could not comment about the federal case against his client. But he said the accusations posted online were lies fabricated because Isaac is upset he was outed as a government informant.

"This is a guy who is a blood-thirsty killer, trying to work off a life sentence, and for some reason his accusations are taken as fact?" Lichtman asked.

The post is rife with bitterness directed at Rosemond.

"Now I would like to clear up a few things, because the statute of limitations is over, and no one can be charged, and I'm just plain tired of listening to your lies," according to the post.

Isaac was convicted in the 1997 murder-for-hire shooting death of cab driver Waleed Hammouda. The victim's wife, Micheline, offered Isaac property in exchange for killing her husband. She was also convicted.

He is serving life in prison and was transferred earlier this year to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn from a prison in Colorado.

An employee at the Brooklyn detention center said inmates were not allowed to receive calls and were allowed only approved in-person visits. In order to be approved, a person must first write to the inmate and receive a visitor form.

It wasn't clear whether Isaac still had a lawyer, and a call to the website wasn't returned.

New York police are investigating an online posting from a man who claims to have shot the late rapper Tupac Shakur during a robbery attempt in 1994, a police spokesman said on Thursday.

Convicted murderer Dexter Isaac claims to have been paid $2,500 by music manager James Rosemond to rob Shakur outside a Manhattan recording studio in November 1994, in which Shakur was shot five times.

Shakur survived the shooting but was later murdered in an unsolved 1996 shooting in Las Vegas.

Isaac is currently serving a life sentence in Brooklyn, New York, after having been convicted for charges including murder, fraud and robbery.

"Detectives plan to talk to him and hear what he has to say," police spokesman Paul Browne said Thursday.

Rosemond, a well-known manager of several high-profile artists, is currently a fugitive from federal authorities who allege he was involved in a large-scale cocaine trafficking enterprise.

Rosemond's lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, told Reuters Isaac was making up the story to help police build a case against Rosemond.

"This is not him being a good soldier or clearing his conscience. It's a desperate 17-year-old attempt to reduce his sentence," he said.

As proof, Isaac said he is still in possession of a chain necklace that he took from Shakur during the robbery.

He also claims in the posting to have information about the murders of Shakur in 1996 and another rapper, Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace in 1997, but did not elaborate.

The claim from Isaac was first posted on music website AllHipHop.com.

In the confession, Isaac said he is speaking out because Rosemond had accused him of being a government informant.

"Now I would like to clear up a few things, because the statute of limitations is over, and no one can be charged, and I'm just plain tired of listening to your lies."

(Reporting by Bernd Debusmann Jr., editing by Christine Kearney)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – R&B singer Ledisi, a multiple Grammy nominee with the seal of approval from first lady Michelle Obama, is finally baring her soul on her fourth album in five years.

The New Orleans native has just released the aptly titled "Pieces of Me," a follow-up to her genre-defying outing on 2009's "Turn Me Loose."

That album -- boasting blues, rock, hip-hop and funk elements -- yielded a pair of Grammy nominations, as did her 2007 breakthrough "Lost & Found."

"'Turn Me Loose' was an expression of just wanting to express that I loved all music. I wanted to show that soul music is in everything," said Ledisi, who counts Chaka Khan and hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest among her influences.

After several months trying to decide on the musical direction of "Pieces," Ledisi decided to focus more on what she was going to say rather than how she was going to say it.

"My executive producer Rex Rideout kept saying, 'Don't think about writing a hit song. What do you want to say on this album?,'" she recalled.

On the new track "Hate Me," Ledisi taunts a frustrated lover, singing, "I know you hate me but you can't stop loving me." Another track, "Shut Up," is directed at "all the people that thought I'd never be anything," says Ledisi.

Not surprisingly, Ledisi found the creative process to be therapeutic. "I have a new level of confidence I didn't know I could. Now I have my own walk and my own journey. I'm not worried about being something that I'm not or competing with others. I'm competing with the last album that I did."

Ledisi, born Ledisi Young, had been making waves on the independent music scene for years before gaining mainstream recognition with "Lost and Found." She secured a dark-horse Grammy nomination for best new artist, losing to the decidedly less-prolific Amy Winehouse.

Her distinctive musical stylings and dreadlocked hair set her apart from the formulaic R&B scene, but she feels -- until now -- that she's held back.

"I feel like people know I can sing, they know my image but they need to know more about who I really am," said Ledisi, who refuses to reveal her age.

Turns out who she really has taken some aback.

"Some people have said, 'Wow! Did you really say that?' Yes! Women say that," she explains of her most honest moments on disc. "Some things we don't say enough."

It was that self-assuredness that caught the attention of Michelle Obama, who counts Ledisi among her favorite artists.

When Ledisi was invited to attend a White House dinner earlier this year, the first lady lauded her resilience against music industry pressures to become a stick-thin carbon copy of current pop acts.

"She said, 'I listen to you every morning,'" recalled Ledisi. "She really inspired me. I said, 'I have to work harder. I have to do more.'" And she has, by becoming more involved in philanthropy.

But her favorite thing about her most famous fan? "She gives the best hugs!"

(Editing by Dean Goodman