MTV UK Reports
Michael Jackson’s posthumous film This Is It has made a staggering $20.1 million world-wide on its first day of release.
The documentary, which follows MJ throughout the rehearsals of his ill-fated comeback tour, has also made around £1.2 million in the UK alone since its premiere on Tuesday night.
Steve Elzer from Sony Pictures has stated that the movie is a: "reaffirmation of the global appeal of Michael Jackson".
He also revealed the studio will submit the movie to the Academy Awards so it can be considered for the best picture category.
Director Kenny Ortega supported Elzer’s statement claiming Jacko’s last project ‘deserves’ to win an Oscar.
Meanwhile, the King of Pop’s father Joe Jackson has stated the legend is now worth more in death than when he was alive.
The Billie Jean singer, who died at the age of 50 in June, has entered the top five of Forbes magazine’s Top-Earning Dead Celebrities list.
Mr. Jackson told US show Extra: "He's worth more dead than when he was alive, but I'd rather have him alive,"
MJ’s father added: "I get emotional when I'm off to myself and I start thinking about things that we went through.”
It seems even in death, there is still controversy surrounding the singer as an alleged picture of Michael Jackson’s body during his autopsy is rumoured to have been ‘offered’ to the press.
Read more…
Video After The JumpAllHipHop Reports
Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow has released his first official statement of support for his estranged son Shyne (Jamal Barrow) since the rapper’s deportation return on Tuesday (October 27).
Shyne, who is the prime minister’s oldest child, had previously publicly stated that his son’s presence was “undesired” in Belize.
The rapper was also critical of his father in several songs and interviews, citing that the politician had done nothing to help him or his mother during their tenure in the United States.
After receiving Shyne earlier this week, Prime Minister Barrow expressed his hope that his son will recover from the physical and emotional scarring of a decade in prison.
“When I saw him yesterday I really was stunned,” Barrow explained to Belize’s 7 News. “You don’t go to jail for that period of time without it obviously exacting a huge toll on you but I really was shocked to see what it had physically done to him and clearly it will take some time for him to be able to recover from that experience. Not having gone through it myself, I don’t know whether anyone is ever able to recover.
“But it was wonderful to see that he is free at last and good to have him in Belize. Although he appeared physically frail, it was obvious that he is mentally as strong as ever and certainly kept talking to me about what his presence here at home could mean for this country, what opportunities he could cause us to be able to, [and] he could create for us.”
At press time, Shyne will be spending with weekend with his Belize family and awaiting the arrival of his legal advisor Professor Charles Ogletree.
Read more…
AllHipHop Reports
Young Jeezy has responded to former Boyz N Da Hood group member Jody Breeze, who recently released a diss track titled "Uptown" calling the CTE boss out.
Jody Breeze is a member of the gold-selling group Boyz N Da Hood, which hit big with their single "Dem Boyz."
The group originally featured Young Jeezy, Jody Breeze, Big Gee and Duke, but Jeezy left the group in 2005 to go solo and was later replaced by Atlanta rapper Gorilla Zoe.
Last month, Jody Breeze released a song and video for "Uptown," which takes a number of shots at Young Jeezy.
On the track, Jody Breeze calls Young Jeezy a fraud and questions the rapper’s alleged street ties.
"It could never be no situation, because little homie already know what it is with me," Young Jeezy stated today (October 29). "At the end of the day, I just take it for what it is. Ni***s f**ked up, ni***s talking reckless. If the ni**a wanna get signed and need some money, we’ll do that. But Jody knows what it is with me, I aint to be played with like that. I aint never disrespected the lil homie, I aint never brought his name out of my mouth of none of that bulls**t."
Simmering tension between the two almost flared last May in Atlanta, when a group of men affiliated with Young Jeezy approached Jody Breeze during a record release party for R&B singer Ciara.
The confrontation appears to have been the reason for Jody Breeze releasing "Uptown," which makes a number of disparaging comments about Young Jeezy.
"I see Jeezy across the club, I throw my hands up, I see this n***a looking at me," Jody Breeze stated in an interview. "He tried to act like he aint lookin at a n***a, like you aint just send these n***as over here. That’s some real hoe s**t."
Last week footage of CTE affiliate 2Eleven hit the Internet featuring the rapper dissing Jody Breeze in response to the "Uptown"
Today (October 29), Young Jeezy confirmed the incident at Ciara’s album release party took place, but denied that it would have turned into a confrontation.
"I’m a real n***a," Young Jeezy said of the confrontation in Atlanta. "I just tried to holla at the n***a. I sent the homies to tell the n***a to come over here and f**k with me drink a little bit, but I guess he took it the wrong way."
Young Jeezy is currently preparing to release his new album Thug Motivation 103, while Jody Breeze is prepping a new mixtape with DJ Scream.
Jody Breeze "Uptown Freestyle" (Young Jeezy Diss)USDA "CTE 4 Life" (Jody Breeze Diss)Read more…
TheWrapUp.com Reports
“This will definitely echo around the halls of Viacom in New York,” said Don Harris, executive VP of distribution for Paramount on Sunday, shortly after it was announced that “Paranormal Activity” would lead the weekend box office with $22 million.
Harris’ jubilation was understandable.
Set to further expand its run this weekend from 1,945 locations to around 2,400, and having grossed $65.1 million through Wednesday on a sub-$15,000 production budget, “Paranormal” has already exceeded the film it is most often compared to, “The Blair Witch Project,” as the most profitable movie of all time.
“Blair Witch’s” $248.6 million worldwide haul a decade ago – juxtaposed against its $60,000 production costs – represented an almost unthinkable 414,233 percent return on investment.
Doing the same basic ROI math on “Paranormal” (65.1 million minus 15,000 divided by 15,000 times 100) yields an equally unfathomable result of 433,900 percent.
Harris was perhaps as relieved as he was giddy Sunday that the distribution strategy for the film fulfilled the hype surrounding Paramount’s viral marketing campaign.
The little film picked up steam in late September when a social-media initiative helped it make an impressive $77,900 out of a dozen midnight shows.
Almost from the beginning, Harris said he and his team resisted industry pressure to roll the movie out wide faster.
Since Paramount had spent less than $10 million to create awareness for “Paranormal,” Harris believed that a slow, methodical roll-out would be better.
“Everybody else thought we should be going faster than we were,” he told TheWrap. “But I thought we were doing a pretty good job of seeding the ground as we went. I don’t know that we would have done a lot more last weekend if we would have added a bunch of runs then.”
Indeed, while increasing venues from 12 to 33 to 160 to 760 to last weekend’s 1,945, “Paranormal’s” platform expansion was even more gradual than that of “Blair Witch,” which went from 27 to more than 2,000 in a span of four weeks in the middle of the 1999 summer blockbuster season.
“Once we went to over 2,100 theaters, the existing locations started to take a big hit,” noted a distribution official who worked under the late Steve Rothenberg, the Artisan Entertainment distribution president who masterminded “Blair Witch’s” rollout strategy.
That’s true: “Blair Witch” didn’t start seeing declining box-office returns until its fourth week, when it rolled out to 2,142 North American theaters, dropping 16.6 percent from the previous end-of-July weekend, when it was in 1,101 locales.
“Once we rolled out to that many theaters, the craziness surrounding the movie -- people seeing it as more of an event than just a film -- began to die down,” the former Artisan official added.
For its part, “Paranormal” is finally expected to see its own week-to-week decline, with tracking projections for the coming weekend set at around $15 million.
Still, regardless of whether its spectacular run begins to ebb this weekend, given the recent cash situation at Paramount – the studio notably pushed back the premiere of its Martin Scorsese-directed “Shutter Island” from October to February because of a lack of promotional wherewithal in fiscal 2009 – “Paranormal” has already proven to be a game-changer.
“For Viacom, this movie is probably more important than one that does $300 million or $400 million,” Harris added.
“That’s not even mentioning all the free cash flow it’s going to generate.”
Read more…
Video After The Jump
West Coast rap legend Snoop Dogg or "The Master Of Munchies" as Alexa Chung refers to him. Shows off his sense of humor and culinary skills in this interview. The Doggfather also talks about his new executive position at Priority Records and new cd "Malice In Wonderland" which drops December 8th.
NY Post Reports
After years of lavish spending that took him to the brink of bankruptcy, Marc Ecko has been forced to give up control of his own trademark.
Confirming a Sept. 22 report in The Post, the hip-hop clothing kingpin yesterday signed over a 51 percent interest in the Marc Ecko brand to Iconix, a New York company that owns a slew of fashion brands including Joe Boxer, Candie's, Rocawear and London Fog.
Scrambling to avoid yesterday's defeat and keep creditors at bay, Ecko this year had laid off workers and auctioned off his watch trademarks and Avirex brand.
Sources said Ecko is still struggling to lease out pieces of his luxurious 280,000- square-foot headquarters in Midtown, which houses everything from a recording studio to a basketball court.
Still, in an exclusive interview with The Post, the debt-ridden designer took it all in stride.
"I've had a crazy, wild ride. I've done a lot of things that have been naive," Ecko told The Post. "I'll take my lumps for a lot of things that, in retrospect, were a little indulgent. Life happens. I don't regret any of it."
Ecko likewise noted that, with creditors breathing down his neck for the past year, losing the title to his brand name yesterday wasn't such a big change.
"I've lived through a leveraged position," Ecko said. "I don't know whether, once you grow up your business like that, you have full control anymore anyway."
Under the terms of his deal with Iconix, Ecko is surrendering majority control of his trademark in exchange for $63.5 million in cash plus $90 million in financing for a newly formed joint venture.
Iconix, which will keep Ecko as chief creative officer for the joint venture, projects between $42 million and $44 million in yearly royalties.
While critics say the urban styles that fueled Ecko's growth have fallen out of fashion, Ecko said his designs are still evolving.
"Reports of my demise have been reported often and early," he said.
"Kids are not wearing big, baggy things with logos on them -- it just looks different now," added Iconix CEO Neil Cole, noting that Rocawear's sales are up recently. "I promise you these kids are not naked out there and they're not wearing my father's clothes."
Still, Marc Ecko's sales at Macy's, the brand's most important wholesale account, dropped by $18 million last year -- more than 10 percent. No improvement at Macy's is expected this year, Marc Ecko's longtime business partner, Seth Gerszberg, admitted.
On the bright side, comparable sales at Marc Ecko's overgrown retail chain are now up 7 percent from last year's steep declines that had fueled big losses. Helped by even deeper cost cuts this year, the brand expects to swing back to profitability.
Elsewhere, Gerszberg and Ecko bristled at reports that they've been squabbling through their recent business woes.
Asked if they planned to keep the basketball court at their offices despite the cost cuts, Gerzberg said he was trying.
"What do you care?" Ecko chimed in. "You gonna come down and shoot? You got game?"
Read more…
London Mail Reports
Most people would provoke a shudder by dressing up as a pregnant nun for Halloween.
But when it is 'Octomum' Nadya Suleman and she also disguises her eight babies as little devils, the shudder becomes more of a convulsion.
The mother of fourteen - including her octuplets born in January this year - poked fun at herself as she headed out with her eight IVF babies to celebrate Halloween.
The effort of thinking up eight different costumes for the babies was apparently too much for her, however, as she dressed them all the same - as little red devils.
Complete with two giant prams draped in spider webs, the familiy made for a bizarre sight as they headed out for some trick or treating in La Habra, California, in the run up to Halloween this week.
Ms Suleman is poised to star in her own reality TV show after the saga over her babies' controversial birth
The unemployed single mother faced a backlash after the birth of her babies in January when she and the doctors who treated her were criticised for going ahead with the pregnancy.
The babies, born in California, were only the second set of octuplets in America to survive for more than a few hours after birth.
All eight babies are believed to be doing well.
SixShot.com Reports
The driver of a vehicle involved in an Ohio gun battle that killed a member of the rapper T.I.'s entourage during a wild highway chase has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other charges.
Forty-one-year-old Padron Thomas was initially charged with murder. But he struck a deal with prosecutors that allowed him to plead to lesser charges in exchange for testifying in December against his brother, who pulled the trigger.
A judge on Wednesday scheduled a sentencing hearing for Nov. 17. Thomas faces 10 years in prison. He's already serving 17 years on unrelated federal drug charges.
Thomas's younger brother, Hosea Thomas, was sentenced to 66 years in prison for shooting Philant Johnson in May 2006 after a T.I. concert in Cincinnati.
Three others were injured in the shooting. T.I. wasn't hurt.
Read more…
7NewsBelize Reports
As we reported at the top of the news, Jamal Shyne Barrow – or Moses Michael Leviy, as he is now known is in Belize tonight. He was deported today after 9 years in a maximum security prison in New York. And so what did Shyne do in his first hours of freedom after 9 years in jail? Well he visited the Princess Royal Youth Hostel on the Western Highway. He went there to give residents a motivational visit. He told them they were his priority and that’s why instead of going to the hotel, before eating, and even showering – he went there because he knows what they are going through. And he should, because as Shyne explained, he spent two years in a youth facility. Keith Swift has that story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
The convoy of SUVs rolled into the Youth Hostel compound at 4 pm. That is when we got the first good look at the unassuming rap star as he jumped out of the Ford Excursion and casually walked to the diner area – stopping on the veranda to embrace and talk to Youth Hostel residents.
From there he headed into the dining room which is where the taping stop. He didn’t allow us to film the exchange with students. But it took about 15 minutes – and he spoke to residents about the mistakes he made.
Keith Swift,
“You just met Shyne, how do you feel?”Ian Wade, Resident – Youth Hostel“Well I nuh feel no way because he is a Belizean like we and he gaan dah foreign, he gaan do ih lil rapping and he got caught up, just like how we get caught up. Like he said, all of us make mistakes.”Keith Swift,
“Is this advice that you’ll follow?”
Ian Wade,“Yeah because he gave some positive choice and some good advice for the youths.”Keith Swift,
“Will you follow the advice he gave you?”
Rigoberto Garcia, Resident – Youth Hostel"Yes, that everybody makes mistakes and everybody learn from your mistake too.”Keith Swift,“How do you feel about the fact that as he told you guys, this is the first place he came?”Rigoberto Garcia,"Well that makes me feel soft hearted because the man just came out of jail and he came to see we.”
We were allowed to begin filming at the end of the meeting which is when he was posing for pictures with residents – and just about anyone who wanted one. The Chief Supervisor at the Youth Hostel Glenda Mae Martinez hopes the impression Shyne left on these students will be long lasting.
Glenda Mae Martinez, Chief Supervisor – Youth Hostel“This is an opportunity for our residents in our care to recognize that in life we make mistakes but you don’t lay down and die. I want them to take time and reflect tonight on what happened today and where do we want to go from here. Youths in our care, all they need is guidance and I am sure that Shyne will be a very good motivator for them. So let us see where this will take us but we will try to get the best result from this.”
Keith Swift,
“So you see him as being an example of what not to do?”Glenda Mae Martinez,“Definitely.”
And at the end of it, Shyne jumped back into his SUV and left. He promised residents that he’ll be back.
Shyne left the Youth Hostel and headed to the Radisson Hotel. His legal advisor Professor Charles Ogletree will address the media when he arrives on Saturday.
Read more…
Video After The Jump50 Cent teams up with Danny Dyer to cause some trouble in crime thriller 'Dead Man Running.' In his British movie debut, 50 gives the lowdown on playing a violent gangland loan shark. The movie opens October 30th in the UK.
Read more…
Chace Infinite Of Self Scientific drops this long awaited mixtape to keep fans satisfied until a full SS album is ready. Anything Chace spits on is fire so make sure you cop this. Download link belowDownload HereRead more…
Tracklist:
01 Swag Surfin’
02 Ice Cream Paint Job
03 D.O.A.
04 Interlude
05 Wasted
06 Watch My Shoes
07 Break Up f. Gudda Gudda & Short Dawg
08 Banned From TV
09 Throw It In The Bag (rmx)
10 I Think I Love Her f. Tyga & Shanell
11 Interlude 2
12 Wetter
13 I’m Good f. T-Streets
14 Make Her Say f. Jae Millz
15 Run This Town
16 I Gotta Feeling
17 Outro
Download HereRead more…
Rap-Up Reports
Chris Brown returned to the stage on Tuesday (Oct. 27) at Power 105.1’s Powerhouse ’09 concert for the first time since pleading guilty to assaulting Rihanna. Despite technical difficulties, the pop star braved the rain and thrilled the audience with his new single “I Can Transform Ya” with Swizz Beatz, wearing a Michael Jackson “Thriller”-inspired outfit.
Keri Hilson, Mario, Ryan Leslie, Fabolous, Trey Songz, Jim Jones, Omarion, and The-Dream also performed at the New York radio station’s annual show at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J.
Video After The JumpBBC Radio 4's Today presenter Evan Davis speaks to 50 Cent about how overcoming your fears can help you get ahead in business. 50's book, The50th Law is currently on the New York Times Best Seller's List and is available at local book stores everywhere. His new album "Before I Self Destruct" drops November 23rd.
Read more…
NY Daily News Reports
A "desperate" Philadelphia Phillies fan was arrested for offering to exchange sex for tickets to see her beloved team play the Yankees, investigators said.
Cops say Susan Finkelstein, 43, posted a pleading ad on craigslist saying she needed two tickets to baseball's biggest game.
"DESPERATE BLONDE NEEDS WS TIX!" the ad was headlined.
"Diehard Phillies fan - gorgeous tall buxom blonde - in desperate need of two World Series Tickets," she allegedly wrote.
Describing the price as "negotiable," she ended the ad flirtatiously: "I'm the creative type! Maybe we can help each other!"
Bucks County Public Safety Director Fred Harran said an officer with the special investigations unit spotted the ad and set up a meeting with Finkelstein at a local bar.
The officer told her he and his brother had tickets to sell.
Finkelstein offered to perform sex acts on both of them, saying, "Well, I'd rather have two tickets, and I could take care of both of you."
"There was no confusion at all," Harran said. "She was pretty explicit in what she was going to trade."
Finkelstein is charged with a misdemeanor count of prostitution. No one answered her home phone yesterday, but she posted on Facebook that she "is wondering about the integrity of our 'police.'"
Read more…
Video After The Jump
As big as it gets: Jay-Z won the BET Hip-Hop Awards' MVP of the Year trophy, beating Lil Wayne, Drake, T.I. and Kanye West. Hov also opened the show with a performance of "As Real as It Gets" with Young Jeezy. Taped earlier this month in Atlanta and aired Tuesday night (October 27), the ceremony showcased the hip-hop nation, from the New Boyz to OGs like Jigga.
Read more…
Posted by Mr.I Get It on October 28, 2009 at 7:37am
www.ballerstatus.comGucci Mane is gearing up for the release of his first major label album, The State Vs. Radric Davis, due in stores in December.The album follows a slew of independent releases, mixtapes and features over the past few years, which has upped his stock and landed him at #6 on MTV's "Hottest MCs in the Game" list this year.MTV said of Gucci: "No artist this year has more effectively merged the underground with the mainstream. He's broken through in '09 and shined through the clouds of controversy that have continued to dampen his career."2009 has been a very busy year for the Atlanta native. His popularity has landed his on four Top 20 singles this summer including Mario's "Break Up," Trey Songz' "LOL" featuring Soulja Boy, and landing the feature on Mariah Carey's "Obsessed" remix, as well as his first single "Wasted."He also boasts more than 150 songs on over 40 different mixtapes and albums.Despite his success, Gucci Mane remains true to his underground cult following, who continue to demonstrate their devotion to the battle-tested hero. His set-up single, "Wasted" featuring Plies (with OJ Da Juiceman on the remix), is the rapper's most successful single to date. It has earned over 15 million plays on MySpace, and is currently the #5 most streamed song on all of MySpace.(Watch the official video for "Wasted" right here Icon - Video)Gucci's next single from the new album is "Spotlight," featuring Usher.While Gucci continues to release mixtapes, including his latest The Cold War series (available over at MixtapePass.com), the new album will contain ALL new, never-before-heard music, both mainstream and for the street, he promises.Gucci Mane first shot ontoo the scene in 2005 with his smash single, "So Icey" featuring Young Jeezy, off his debut album, Trap House. Disputes over the song's rights resulted in a well-publicized and deadly beef between the two artists and would be the source of legal headaches for years to come. His follow-up album, Back to the Trap House, spawned the hit "Freaky Gurl," which peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks.Now, we have The State Vs. Radric Davis, due in stores December 8th.
Read more…
}