Lady Gaga Sidelined By Illness- Glee Geek Inks Record Deal- Bobby Charles RIP- Boyband Idol- DJ AM Plane Crash Suit Settled and more

This is sure to suck: Spice Girls founder and "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller has teamed up with Jamie King and Perez Hilton to look for talented boys and create "The Boyband for the Next Generation". more -

Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing Hits The Road

Composer and virtuoso violinist Mark O'Connor has announced the live return of his critically acclaimed band Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing -- O'Connor's tribute to friend and mentor Stephane Grappelli -- with a January tour.

On January 16, Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing will perform as part of the Kennedy Center's 102nd anniversary of the birth of violinist Stephane Grappelli. The concert will close with a rousing finale featuring O'Connor's Hot Swing with his powerhouse duo of guitarists Frank Vignola and Julian Lage, along with French guitarist Dorado Schmitt of the Django Reinhardt Festival. Together, the groups will recreate the 1930's heyday of Reinhardt and Grappelli's Quintet of the Hot Club of France.

The group will then tape a live session of Mountain Stage in Morgantown, WV on January 17. Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing is just one of many projects for the prolific musician. Most recently, he has developed an innovative school of teaching violin: The O'Connor Violin Method, which focuses on American music and is the first new method of its kind in decades. - more on this story

David Copperfield Attorney Addresses False Rape Claim

The Smoking Gun Reports: A two-year FBI probe into a Seattle woman's claim that she was raped by David Copperfield was closed this week, shortly after federal investigators learned that the alleged victim is being investigated for prostitution and lying to cops about a sexual assault that purportedly occurred last month, police records show. more

A PR company sent us the following statement by David Copperfield's attorney, Angelo Calfo of Yarmuth, Wilsdon, Calfo PLLC in response to the FBI's announcement: "David Copperfield, his family and friends are relieved that federal prosecutors finally closed their investigation without bringing a single charge, after Bellevue police recommended that the so-called victim be charged as a criminal for making a false rape claim last month against a Seattle-area man," Calfo said.

"Her lies to Bellevue police support what David has said all along: her two-year old claims against him are patently false, absurd and contradicted by each and every witness and by documentary evidence. - more on this story

Shelby Lynne Sets April Album Release

On April 20th, Shelby Lynne will release her latest album, Tears, Lies, And Alibis, on her own newly founded label, EVERSO RECORDS, which is being distributed through Fontana, the award-winning independent distribution division of Universal Music Group. This sparse, intimate collection of 10 songs, all written and produced by the GRAMMY award-winning artist, follows 2008's Just a Little Lovin', a lush, pop collection paying tribute to Dusty Springfield that was produced by Phil Ramone.

"I've made records for 20 years and never been more excited," says Lynne, who has released 10 studio albums in that period, including her 2000 breakthrough, I Am Shelby Lynne. "I finally have the creative control I've needed to get my vision out there."

"Shelby has always been a true original," stated Ron Spaulding, President of Fontana. "She stands atop the list of innovative songwriters and soulful vocalists. Tears, Lies, And Alibis is a stunning and true revelation by one of the world's most insightful and unpredictable artists. The entire Fontana family is thrilled to be part of the next chapter in an already critically-acclaimed career." - more on this story

Semi Precious Weapons Releasing EP, Continue Lady Gaga Tour

Filthy glamour front man Justin Tranter utters lyrics that are both tongue-in-cheek and a sincere expression of his core philosophy. The outrageous "I can't pay my rent but I'm fking gorgeous!", is carrying this band a long way!

Semi Precious Weapons' new ep features three songs, the eponymous Semi Precious Weapons from which the aforementioned lyric is taken, as well as Magnetic Baby and Put A Diamond In It and gives everyone and opportunity to get an early blast of the band's forthcoming new album before it is released this Spring! All tracks were recorded in Los Angeles in November and December and were produced by Jack Joseph Puig (Green Day / Beck) and Semi Precious Weapons and executive produced by Lady Gaga. The recordings took place just before and during Semi Precious Weapons special guest spot with Lady Gaga on the Monster Ball Tour which continues worldwide throughout 2010. The new album will be released this Spring!

The band are among the first artists using iTunes' "Complete My Album" feature for an EP release. The purchase of the EP on iTunes, priced at $2.99, will count toward the purchase of the whole album upon release! A great way to download the whole album at a reduced price. - more on this story

Lucy Schwartz Sets Release, Offers Free MP3

Sultry voiced singer-songwriter, Lucy Schwartz, is set to release her Help Me! Help Me! EP, on January 26. The 20 year-old songstress exudes a maturity musicians double her age yearn for - not to mention a resume they would be interested to claim as well. Schwartz has written original songs for the opening and closing credits to the 2009 Warner Brothers film The Women and the upcoming Sony Pictures Classics' release Mother and Child, starring Naomi Watts. In addition, her music been synced with pivotal moments in Grey's Anatomy, ER, Private Practice, Cashmere Mafia, Privileged and more.

Help Me! Help Me!, is a perfect introduction to Schwartz's light and dark sides. On board are producers Mitchell Froom (Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney, Coconut Records), Barrie Maguire (The Wallflowers, Amos Lee), d.Fly Schwartz (Arrested Development, Deadwood). From acoustic piano/vocal tracks to jaunty horn-driven arrangements, Schwartz crafts songs that are as emotionally resonant as they are addictive. Renowned tastemaker radio station KCRW took note, and declared Schwartz an "Emerging Artist to Watch," and will sponsor her record release show January 27th at the Hotel Café (in Los Angeles).

Stay tuned for Lucy's new video for "Help Me! Help Me!" - set to premiere on Yahoo! Music February 2nd!
- Grab a free download of the track

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief Soundtrack

ABKCO Records will release both the physical and digital soundtrack from Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, the much anticipated feature film based on the first book in author Rick Riordan's best selling Percy Jackson series. The Twentieth Century Fox film was directed by Chris Columbus (Gremlins, The Goonies, Home Alone, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Night at the Museum) and will debut in theaters nationwide on February 12TH. ABKCO will release the album, featuring Christophe Beck's original score digitally on February 9TH, with a physical album release to follow on February 16TH.

In the film, trouble-prone teen Percy Jackson is having problems at school – but that's the least of his challenges. It's the 21st century, but the gods of Mount Olympus seem to have walked out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology texts and into his life – and they're not happy. Zeus' lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now, Percy and his friends must embark on a cross-country adventure to catch the true thief, save Percy's family, and unravel a mystery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief stars Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Kevin McKidd, Joe Pantoliano and Uma Thurman. - more on this story

Kenny Gamble And Leon Huff Pay Tribute to Teddy Pendergrass

Teddy Pendergrass, one of the leading soul singers of all time and R&B's reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and '80s, died Wednesday night following a prolonged illness.

The legendary, Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter, whose powerful vocals helped define The Sound of Philadelphia, first with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes before breaking out with an incendiary solo career, passed away at Bryn Mawr Hospital in suburban Philadelphia, where he had been hospitalized since August. He was 59.

In a joint statement, legendary producers and recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who brought Philadelphia soul music ("The Sound of Philadelphia") to "people all over the world" said: "Teddy Pendergrass was one of the greatest artists that the music industry has ever known, and there hasn't been another one since. We've lost our voice and we've lost our best friend, but we're thankful for what we had. It was beautiful. He was one of the best." - more on this story

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