Friday, July 25, 2008

Britney Spears, Lil Wayne, Mariah Carey Among MTV VMA Nominees For Best Male, Female Video



We asked for your help, and you did not disappoint. You voted in record numbers, whittling the list of Moonman hopefuls for Best Male Video and Best Female Video at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards down to the final five, as the nominees were revealed Friday (July 25).
After thousands of votes on VMA.MTV.com (along with ballots from select industry insiders), two diverse battles are set. A pair of legendary pop icons will square off against two relative newcomers and one wily underdog in the fight for Best Female Video. Pop queen Britney Spears takes another step on the comeback trail as her "Piece of Me" grabs a nomination, while Mariah Carey will try to end her VMA dry spell with "Touch My Body." "American Idol" champ Jordin Sparks scores a nomination for her Chris Brown collaboration "No Air," and Rihanna is in the running as well with "Take a Bow." Quirky long shot Katy Perry rounds out the Best Female race with her cheeky summer anthem "I Kissed a Girl."
Meanwhile, hip-hop's hot streak continues in the Best Male Video category as two of the hottest MCs in the game face off against some of R&B's leading men. Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" exploded this year, so it's no surprise that he's in the running, along with T.I., whose "No Matter What" chronicles his struggles over the past year. Chris Brown and Usher made the list with "With You" and "Love in This Club" respectively, and Flo Rida is in the mix with "Low."
Of course, when one door closes, another opens, my friends — voting in two other categories is now officially open at VMA.MTV.com. Hundreds of hopefuls will now duke it out in the Best Hip-Hop Video and Best Pop Video categories! The nominees will be announced on next Friday's installment of "FNMTV." After that, two more rounds of voting remain to determine the nominees for Best Dancing in a Video, Best New Artist, Best Rock Video and the highly coveted Video of the Year.
The 25th VMAs will take place at the legendary Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood on September 7. The Jonas Brothers are confirmed to perform, and British funnyman and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" co-star Russell Brand was just announced as the show's host.
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Lil Wayne Sued By Rolling Stones Publisher Over 'Playing With Fire'


Add Lil Wayne to the long list of rappers who have been sued for allegedly sampling songs without permission or proper credit. Only on Thursday, Abkco Music Inc., a musical publishing company that owns the rights to the Rolling Stones' classic "Play With Fire," filed suit against Weezy not for using an unauthorized sample, but for what it said was an unauthorized release of an altered version of the song.
According to a Reuters report, the lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, charges copyright infringement and unfair competition and is seeking unspecified damages.
The issue is over a profanity-laced bonus track from Weezy's smash album Tha Carter III, called "Playing With Fire," which does not list any samples in its credits.
In the song's chorus, blues belter Betty Wright growls the line, "But you can't blame me if I set this stage on fire," which has similar wording to the Stones tune's chorus: "But don't play with me/ 'Cause you're playing with fire." Wright sings the line with a different cadence and emphasis than Stones singer Mick Jagger.
Wayne's song begins with Wright singing, "So you've got so many diamonds/ You wear all the finest clothes/ And you grill is shining/ As you're driving down the streets of gold/ But you can't blame me if I set this thing on fire." The Stones version begins with the lines: "Well, you've got your diamonds and you've got your pretty clothes/ And the chauffeur drives your car/ You let everybody know/ But don't play with me/ 'Cause you're playing with fire."
Abkco's suit claims that the Wayne track is a clear derivative of the Stones song with the original music and lyrics altered in a recognizable way. The company also says in the suit that Wayne's version uses "explicit, sexist and offensive language" and might lead the public to believe the company and the Stones approved of and authorized the new version.
A spokesperson for Wayne could not be reached for comment at press time.
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Lil Wayne Plays A Modern-Day Robin Hood In 'Got Money'


Cash Money Millionaire Lil Wayne always has the dough, but in his new video for "Got Money," he's giving back to the community — just not with his own moolah. Based loosely on Spike Lee's "Inside Man," Weezy is practically a modern-day Robin Hood as he plays one of the masterminds of a bank heist in which he and his team plan to give the loot to the citizens in his New Orleans hometown as compensation for what they lost because of Hurricane Katrina.
Toward the beginning of the clip, Weezy and his model-looking accomplices storm the bank and strong-arm the establishment. While the workers empty the vaults, Wayne makes it rain, letting his hostages get some of the greenbacks. During the performance scenes, Wayne's collaborator T-Pain joins in, wearing a T-shirt that says "He Sings ... ," while Wayne's shirt reads "He Raps ... ." And there are a bunch of other guests, such as Ray J, but we won't spoil the surprise.
We can give away that Wayne's artist Mack Mane (remember when Wayne says, "Mack, I'm going in," at the beginning of "A Milli"?) raps the last verse, making the TV version a remix of sorts. The video debuts Monday on MTV, MTV2, mtvU, MTV Jams, MTV Hits and MTV.com, with airings all day starting at 6 a.m. ET.
The N.O. Fireman hasn't just been showing up on his own music-video sets. He recently completed clips with David Banner for "Shawty Say" and the Game for "My Life." The latter finds Wayne and his West Coast homey doing some soul-searching in a graveyard, among other places.
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CHRIS BROWN TAPPED FOR DANCE COMPETITION SHOW: Mark Burnett behind new series set in world of hip hop and street dance.


*R&B sensation Chris Brown has agreed to lend his star power to a new dance competition series from reality show gurus Mark Burnett and J.D. Roth, via their respective Mark Burnett Prods. and 3 Ball Prods. shingles.
According to Variety, the untitled series will center on the world of hip-hop and street dance culture, with contestants battling each another in impromptu dance-offs. Brown will appear in every episode to help determine which B-boy or B-girl moves on to the next round.
The show is being developed as an hour-long performance series that will have an elimination episode as well. Brown would be at the center, although an as-yet-unnamed host and other judges may also be involved.
A title has yet to be chosen, but "Chris Brown Presents" will likely be included in the name, Variety reports.
"Chris Brown really is a superstar, and someone who lives and breathes music and dance — so his credibility is massive in this arena," said Burnett, who recruited Brown to open this year's MTV Movie Awards. "It's his show; he's headlining it. He's the final arbiter on those who win and those who don't."
Brown adds, "Dancing is more than just a way of moving, it's a different expression of music. That's what I want to focus on with this show."
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Ne-Yo is the now star of R'n'B


What US r'*'b star could be more 'now' than Ne-Yo? He's the focus of masses of teenage dreams, the ringtone on countless mobiles and he even makes baby-faced blockbuster crooners such as Usher look relatively worn out.
Ne-Yo is more of a precocious young buck than an enfant terrible; he represents the very modern notion that entertainers should also be entrepreneurs and he has penned mega-hits for artists including Beyoncé, Rihanna and Chris Brown.
And yet, there's an old-fashioned flavour to his appeal (and his jaunty fashion sense). Ne-Yo's pulsing serenades are mostly about respecting the laydeez while still trying to get into their scanties - something for everyone, then.
This live date should preview material from his forthcoming third album, Year Of The Gentleman, now scheduled for a mid-September release. Judging by a taster of new tracks such as Miss Independent and the latest single, Closer, he's stuck to cosily familiar themes and sweetly catchy melodies, which should slide in smoothly alongside established hits such as Because Of You and Sexy Love.
What remains to be seen is whether Ne-Yo's stage presence can exude all the vocal assurance and fancy footwork of his monochrome videos; this 'intimate' venue within the O2 arena seems well suited to his smoochy brand of mainstream r'*'b. Tonight, you could find out what really maketh the loverman. Arwa Haider
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Nicole Richie: Ordered to Bulk Up?


Keeping an active post pregnancy lifestyle, Nicole Richie was spotted out for a yoga session in Woodland Hills on Wednesday (July 23).
Wearing a black tanktop teamed with a scarf, some skimpy torn denim shorts and flip-flops, the former Simple Life star quickly hopped out of her chauffeured SUV before scurrying inside for her workout session.
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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Publisher Throws the Book at Foxy Brown, Lil Kim


Being incarcerated may be a pretty good excuse, but Simon & Schuster apparently doesn't care what led to Lil Kim and Foxy Brown's writers block.
The New York-based publisher sued the rappers Thursday, intending to get its money back after paying out generous advances for books that the ladies never completed.
According to the dual lawsuits filed in New York State Supreme Court, Simon & Schuster gave Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, $40,000 in 2003 for a novel that was supposed to be finished the following year. Brown was then paid $75,000 in 2005 to pen her autobiography, which was tentatively titled Broken Silence.
"Both accepted the money, and both books never were delivered," S&S spokesman Adam Rothberg told Bloomberg.com.
Since then, however, both hip-hop stars have spent time behind bars for various offenses—Brown for violating her probation multiple times after finally being sentenced for a 2004 fight in a Manhattan nail shop, and Kim for perjury and conspiracy after lying to a grand jury about her friend's involvement in a 2001 shooting.
Brown, whose real name is Inga Marchand, was released in April after serving eight months of a yearlong sentence. Kim's been a free bird since July 2006, when she flew the coop after spending 10 months behind bars.
But even with all that life experience under their belts, neither MC has done enough prosaic musing to satisfy Simon & Schuster, which also published 50 Cent's autobiography and books penned by members of his G-Unit crew.
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"Distraught" Justin Withdraws From Drew's Film


A source tells E! News that Justin Long, who remains "distraught" over being dumped by the Charlie's Angels star, has dropped out of the roller derby comedy "Whip It!" which marks Barrymore's feature directorial debut.
"He couldn't stand working with her and not being with her," the Long insider says. "He's too upset."
Adds our source: "She dumped him. She was hot and cold. One minute she was in love with him amd the next she wanted to break up with him.
"He is so distraught over the split that he dropped out of the movie."
Chris Miller, a rep for Flower Films (Barrymore's production company with partner Nancy Juvonen), would not confirm whether Long had been formally attached to the project, saying, "It's bordering on his personal life," and directing E! News to Long's rep.
"We never comment on cast," Miller added.
Long’s publicist, Carrie Gordon, did not immediately return calls for comment.
Whip It!, based on the book Derby Girls, which is about the life of a female roller derby player, begins shooting Monday in Michigan. Starring alongside Barrymore are Ellen Page, Juliette Lewis, Marcia Gay Harden, Zoe Bell and Kristen Wiig.
Reps for Long, 30, and Barrymore, 33, confirmed the formerly PDA-happy couple's breakup on July 7. The He's Just Not That Into You costars had dated for almost nine months and had celebrated Long’s birthday together in June.
The duo also made a trek to see a live roller derby event in Los Angeles as preparation for the movie.
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Jessica Simpson Packs a Posse for Shoot

Jessica Simpson was full of holiday cheer today.
And a full entourage, as well. I'm told there were at least a half a dozen people in her posse when she arrived to shoot her Macy's commercial this morning in Brooklyn, N.Y...
"She also had her dog in a Louis Vuitton carrier," a source reports. "And her mom may have even been there, too."
Simpson (left, leaving her Manhattan hotel for the shoot) was expected to finish her bit in less than a day.
The source reports that the campaign—directed for the second year in a row by big-time Hollywood helmer Barry Levinson—includes two different scenarios. One features a woman trying to get ready for a date, and another centers around the famous "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" newspaper editorial from 1897.
Simpson will be promoting her shoe line in the ads. As I told you yesterday, Martha Stewart, Kenneth Cole, Tommy Hilfiger and What Not to Wear host Clinton Kelly are part of the campaign.
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Hilton Back In More Driving Trouble

Paris Hilton has landed back in trouble with the law -- for driving badly.
The socialite-turned-actress was pulled over by California traffic police on Tuesday after they spotted her weaving through traffic on Highway 134 in Glendale.
After explaining to the cops that she was lost, Hilton was let off with a warning.
The 27-year-old has a history of driving offenses, including driving under the influence, speeding, driving with a suspended license and driving without headlights at night.
She served 23 days of a 45-day jail sentence in June 2007 for violating probation on a 2006 drink driving charge.
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