News on the marriage of longtime partners Tameka “Tiny” Cottle and T.I. (Clifford Harris) have proven to be false, according to the Atlanta star’s publicist.
Yesterday (May 27), Essence magazine broke the story that the couple had wed several weeks ago in a private Miami ceremony.
Rumors began immediately that the quick, unannounced marriage was done since T.I. would begin serving his one-year and a day prison sentence this month.
However, the superstar’s publicist Sydney Margetson today dismissed the reports as “absolutely not true” to Sister to Sister magazine.
Last weekend, T.I. completed an emotional farewell concert at Atlanta’s Philips Area, where he brought his children on stage to promise them a better future and father upon his release.
On Tuesday (May 26), he reported for his sentencing after being denied a request to be housed closer to Atlanta.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, through good behavior T.I. can become eligible to have up to 55 days lowered from his sentence.
At press time, T.I. and Tiny are maintaining their two-year engagement.
Source : Allhiphop.com
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It seems Jay-Z has more labels than a fashion house. The rapper/ businessman is negotiating a number of multi-million dollar deals for two new record labels, according to multiple reports. The longtime Def Jam star recently split from that label after buying out his contract for a rumored $ 5 million.
Music industry Web site Hits Daily Double first reported on Tuesday (May 28) that Jay-Z is close to inking a deal with Sony Music for distribution for his Roc Nation banner. According to the report [], executives for Sony and members of Jay-Z's business team have been spotted in recent weeks both in New York and Los Angeles meeting together to discuss a deal. It's being speculated that Jay-Z's long-awaited Blueprint 3 album will be released this fall through a Roc Nation/ Sony Music union; Jay has a longstanding connection with Sony Music head/ hit producer Rick Rubin, who helmed Jay's "99 Problems" and appears in the song's video.
MTV News inquiries made earlier this week and on Thursday (May 28) to representatives for Jay-Z had not been returned as of press time.
On Thursday, New York's Daily News reported that Jay-Z is also in talks with Warner Music Group to launch Carter Music Group, a label that may see the rapper release his own solo albums on Atlantic Records after his next effort.
Warner is headed by veteran Jay-Z allies Chairman Lyor Cohen and Executive Vice President Kevin Liles. All three men once worked together during Def Jam's heyday, when Jay-Z released albums through a partnership with the label. After Liles left Def Jam to work with Cohen at WMG, it opened the ranks for Jay-Z to assume the presidency of label, a position he held for three years.
In January of this year, Jay-Z spoke with MTV News about this plans for Blueprint 3 and his partnership with concert-promotion giant Live Nation. The rapper reportedly signed a $150 million deal with Live Nation in April 2008, following in the footsteps of U2 and Madonna who also signed hefty 360-styled deals with the company. Part of Jay-Z's pact included the launch of Roc Nation, a separate company to develop talent and to which Jay-Z has already signed pop producers Stargate to a deal.
"Well, whatever it is, it'll be Roc Nation. It's gonna be a partnership with someone," Jay-Z said earlier this year about his next album. "So whether it's going to be Def Jam or someone [else], that's yet to be determined."
No official word on when either deal will be finalized has been made public as of press time.
Source : MTVNEWS
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Several weeks after Depeche Mode canceled a string of European dates because singer Dave Gahan was reportedly suffering a severe case of gastroenteritis, a spokesperson for the band announced on Thursday that Gahan had undergone surgery to remove a malignant tumor on his bladder.
"On May 12th, lead singer Dave Gahan suffered a severe bout of gastroenteritis, leading to his hospitalization and the cancellation of the [May 12] Athens concert," read the statement. "While in hospital, further medical tests revealed a low-grade malignant tumor in Dave's bladder, which has since been successfully removed. At doctors' orders, Dave Gahan must take a break until June 8th to ensure that he makes a full recovery."
While Gahan underwent surgery and recovered, the band was forced to cancel nine European shows, which may or may not be rescheduled. In addition, a May 30 show at the O2 Arena in London will be rescheduled, and appearances at the Pinkpop Festival in Landgraaf, Netherlands, has been canceled. Shows in Hamburg (June 2) and Dusseldorf, Germany (June 4, 5), as well as a July 2 show in Bergen, Norway, will be rescheduled. And while the June 7 show in Leipzig, Germany, is canceled, the June 8 show is expected to go on as scheduled.
"Dave Gahan sincerely thanks his fans for their support, understanding and patience," the statement continued. "Depeche Mode deeply regret any problems or inconveniences the cancellations and postponements may have caused." Assuming Gahan, 47, is fully recovered, the long-running synth-pop group is expected to play out a full roster of June and July dates at European festivals, stadiums and amphitheaters.
Source : MTVNEWS
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Last week, we dropped a bombshell of OME proportions when we announced that the cast of "New Moon" will be presenting exclusive footage from their upcoming "Twilight" sequel during the MTV Movie Awards. Now we can reveal that the never-before-seen video that Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner will be introducing on Sunday's live show is the movie's first trailer.
The stars will present the premiere of the "New Moon" trailer on the Movie Awards, airing at 9:00 pm ET on Sunday. Then at 10:45 p.m., the high-definition video will debut online.
This year, "Twilight" leads all other films at the Movie Awards with seven nominations, including nods for Breakthrough Performance Male nods for Pattinson and Lautner, and Best Performance Female for Stewart. Cam Gigandet, who plays evil vampire James in the movie, has been campaigning heavily (with the help of FunnyOrDie.com) to win Best Fight for his battle with Pattinson. Voting in the Best Movie category, for which "Twilight" is also nominated, will stay open until the end of the live telecast.
Joining the "Twilight" trio will be an all-star group of Hollywood presenters, including Denzel Washington, Will Ferrell, Lil Wayne, Cameron Diaz, Sandra Bullock, Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Abigail Breslin, Shia LaBeouf, Leighton Meester, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Sienna Miller and Channing Tatum.
In addition to this cavalcade of celebrity presenters, the Movie Awards will feature musical performances by Eminem, who will perform music from his new album, Relapse, and Kings of Leon, who will perform their hit "Use Somebody."
Will the vampires grab more trophies than the slumdog? What was the year's ultimate onscreen WTF moment? It's up to you to decide the winners of the 2009 MTV Movie Awards. Vote now, and tune in on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, when the big show airs live from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California.
Check out everything we've got on "Twilight" and "New Moon."
Source : MTVNEWS
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Several major acts, including U2, No Doubt, Taylor Swift and the Dave Matthews Band, have already announced they'll offer discounted tickets for their tours this summer — good news to concertgoers during a recession. Beyoncé is following suit: According to a press release from her label, the singer will set aside 2,000 seats for each date on her forthcoming North American tour at a discounted price of $20. The tour is in support of her recent I Am ... Sasha Fierce LP.
The last 1,000 (per show) specially-priced tickets will be made available to the public on Friday through Ticketmaster (with the exception of the artist's four-night residency at the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas).
Also at the concerts, fans will have the opportunity to participate in food drives, as part of the Show Your Helping Hand initiative that will be present at each date. This national hunger relief campaign was created by General Mills Hamburger Helper in partnership with Beyoncé and her Survivor Foundation.
Beyoncé's North American Tour dates, according to her label:
» 6/21-22 New York @ Madison Square Garden
» 6/23 Baltimore @ First Mariner Arena
» 6/24 Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
» 6/26 Philadelphia @ Wachovia Center
» 6/27 Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum Complex
» 6/29 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Bank Atlantic Center
» 7/1 Atlanta @ Philips Arena
» 7/4 Houston @ Toyota Center
» 7/5 Dallas @ American Airlines Center
» 7/7 Phoenix @ US Airways Center
» 7/9 Sacramento, CA @ Arco Arena
» 7/10 Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
» 7/11 Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
» 7/13 Los Angeles @ Staples Center
» 7/17 Chicago @ United Center
» 7/18 Detroit @ Palace of Auburn Hills
» 7/20 Toronto @ Molson Amphitheatre
» 7/23 Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun
» 7/30-8/2 Las Vegas @ Encore Theatre, Wynn Las Vegas
Source : MTVNEWS
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Imagine a professional mixed martial arts competition between an inexperienced, untrained 44-year old, 253-pound man and a 7’2, 330-pound, Korean kick boxer.
Now, imagine that the first guy is the washed up baseball player and steroid abuser Jose Canseco, and the other guy is the professional, K-1 heavyweight fighter Hong Man Choi. Now imagine that this isn’t some sort of really weird dream and that this fight actually happened in real life.
In another case file for “things that could only happen in Japan”, former Oakland Athletics’ slugger Jose Canseco stepped into the ring in Yokohama, Japan, against the monstrously tall Hong Man Choi as apart of the Japanese DREAM’s Super Hulk Tournament.
You can watch the entire fight--catch it while you can--online here.
Surprisingly, Choi did not immediately destroy Canseco. It happened eventually, of course, but Canseco actually managed to survive for more than a full minute before being taken down.
Even though the majority of the fight consisted of Canseco scurrying around the ring while being stalked down by a Goliath-like Choi, Canseco managed to land a few decent punches and kicks.
However, hitting Choi is probably somewhat akin to punching a brick wall, because after Canseco’s initial effort, he looked visibly exhausted.
Between the wild punches, the multiple laps Canseco ran around the ring to escape from Choi, and his overall lack of conditioning, Canseco was clearly not prepared to take on anyone let alone a professional MMA fighter.
Around the 0:50 mark, Choi either got bored of chasing Canseco (either that, or his contract didn’t allow him to knock out Canseco earlier) because he punched Canseco and then tossed the MLB star onto the mat.
Choi rained a deadly onslaught of punches onto Canseco and, even though none of the punches really connected, Canseco evidently had enough and tapped out a minute and sixteen seconds into the first round.
“I have no idea if I’ll do this again,” Canseco said to Yahoo Sports after the fight. “I’ve gotta get my knee better before I commit to anything like this.”
It is worth noting that Canseco had absolutely no illusions about winning going into the fight.
“"I’m not gonna lie to you, I’m scared. This guy is huge,” Canseco said before the fight. “I’m a 44-year-old rookie and have had a lot of challenges in my baseball career and hopefully, I can do well tomorrow.”
Previously, Canseco took on NFL player Vai Sikahema. Canseco lost badly after getting punched in the head repeatedly. He also fought Partridge Family star Danny Bonaduce to a draw despite weighing more than 70 pounds than his opponent.
Choi’s previous opponents were a little more credible in the field of martial arts. He holds a win over Bobby Ologun, but was defeated by UFC superstar Mirko Filipović and Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko.
Our Take
Besides quite possibly being one of the most awesome and hilarious fights in the history of MMA, the Choi-Canseco fight should serve as a clear warning to future and past steroid abusers (I’m looking at you Manny Ramirez) that if they are not careful, they could end up needing money as Canseco. Money is great and everything, sure, but it’s worth asking “just how much money is it worth to be beat up on live television?”
Source:CollegeNews.com
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Rapper Corey "C-Murder" Miller has reportedly pleaded "no contest" to attempted murder charges and will be sentenced to ten years in prison.
The decision was made Wednesday (May 27) afternoon.
Rapper C-Murder has pleaded no contest to two counts of attempted second-degree murder. In the plea agreement, C-Murder, whose real name is Corey Miller, will be sentenced by the judge to 10 years in prison. The formal sentencing will be August 25th. (WAFB News)
While the initial jury selection process began yesterday (May 26), jurors had not yet been chosen.
Jury selection finally got under way Tuesday in Miller's attempted murder trial, nearly eight years after the rapper allegedly tried to shoot two men at a Baton Rouge nightclub. In the Baton Rouge case, Miller is accused of trying to shoot the owner of Club Raggs and a bouncer. Jury selection will resume today. No jurors were picked Tuesday. Three dozen of the nearly 50 potential jurors being questioned said they have heard of Corey Miller. The trial is expected to last until Friday,state District Judge Tony Marabella said. (2TheAdvocate)
A majority of the potential jurors were familiar with the rapper which caused an extended jury-selection process.
Judge Tony Marabella of the 19th Judicial District greeted about 45 prospective jurors. And then Marabella asked whether anyone knew the defendant, Corey Miller. "Mr. Miller is a rap artist, or a hip-hop artist, if the terminology is correct," Marabella said. "He sometimes goes by C-Miller. He sometimes goes by C-Murder." In the crowded courtroom, 37 people raised their hands, setting in motion an extended jury-selection process that is scheduled to resume Wednesday. (The Times-Picayune)
The attempted murder lawsuit was initially placed on hold for a later date.
A Baton Rouge judge has placed on hold a nightclub owner's lawsuit against Miller until a murder charge against Miller is resolved in Jefferson Parish. He is accused of trying to shoot two men, including the owner of Club Raggs, in August 2001. Club Raggs owner Norman Sparrow sued Miller for damages after the alleged incident. Miller faces attempted second-degree murder charges in Baton Rouge and a second-degree murder charge in Jefferson. State District Judge Kay Bates said the stay is necessary to protect Miller's constitutional right against self-incrimination. (Nola News)
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Eminem just discovered a 13th step to recovery.
Nearly five years since his last studio album, the rehabbed rapper has returned to No. 1 as Relapse sold 608,000 copies, per Nielsen SoundScan, for his fifth straight chart-topper.
The Motown MC last crowned the charts with 2004's Encore and his retrospective Curtain Call: The Hits in 2005.
Eminem also lowered the boom on a pair of rock superstars. Relapse dropped Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown to No. 2 (with 166,000) and bested U2's No Line on the Horizon (484,000 back in March) as the year's biggest bow.
Six other newcomers hit the Top 10.
Roping in the No. 3 spot, Kenny Chesney sold 89,000 copies of Greatest Hits II, a CD-only release. Method Man & Redman followed at No. 4, selling 63,000 copies of Blackout! 2. Dane Cook laughed it up at No. 5, selling 61,000 copies of ISolated INcident, while Busta Rhymes sold 59,000 copies of Back on My B.S. at No. 6.
Tori Amos and Kate Voegele wrapped up the Top 10, with Amos' Abnormally Attracted to Sin selling 41,000 at No. 9 and Voegele's A Fine Mess taking the 10 spot on 37,000.
Other notable debuts included Mat Kearney's City of Black & White at No. 13, Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood's Live from Madison Square Garden at No. 14 and former American Idol champ Ruben Studdard at No. 36 with Love IS.
The slew of new discs drove sales up 13 percent compared to last week, but the tally was still down 9 percent compared to the same sales week in '08.
Here's a Top 10 recap:
1)Relapse, Eminem
2)21st Century Breakdown, Green Day
3)Greatest Hits II, Kenny Chesney
4)Blackout! 2, Method Man & Redman
5)ISolated INcident, Dane Cook
6)Back on My B.S., Busta Rhymes
7)Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack, various
8)The Fame, Lady Gaga
9)Abnormally Attracted to Sin, Tori Amos
10)A Fine Mess, Kate Voegele
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