Michael Jackson Worth More Dead Than Alive?

Short story -- Michael could be entering Elvis territory. more on this story

Aretha Franklin Fighting Movie Release

(TMZ) Aretha Franklin is throwing her significantly reduced weight around ... trying to stop the release of a never-before-seen film documenting the making of her 1972 live album "Amazing Grace."

The film was shot by the late director Sydney Pollack ... but according to Aretha's people film composer Alan Elliott now claims to have retained rights to the footage from Warner Bros. -- and wants to release the concert film this year "in honor of Sydney."

The Queen of Soul has retained attorney Arnold Reed ... who says he plans to seek an injunction in Federal Court in California to immediately block the release of the film.

Reed claims Elliott is breaching an agreement in place with Warner Bros. ... that requires him to get permission from Aretha before using her likeness in the film.

Reed tells us Aretha is open to possibly negotiating a deal ... some time in the future. more on this story

Eleanor McEvoy Album and Tour Coming

(Noble) Eleanor McEvoy will embark on an intimate UK concert tour in support of her forthcoming new studio album "Alone".

"Alone" is a collection of 12 stripped-down songs, recorded in a spontaneous studio session between tours, just Eleanor, her two guitars, and a sound engineer.

The album is released on Monday September 12th by Moscodisc. "Alone" features new tracks, alongside re-workings of Eleanor's best loved songs, including her world famous hit single "A Woman's Heart." more on this story

Christopher Knight's Very Brady Divorce

(TMZ) The "separation" is over ... and now former "Brady Bunch" star Christopher Knight has finally filed for a divorce from his reality star wife Adrianne Curry ... TMZ has learned.

Back in May, the two announced they were separating to rethink the marriage ... but now, it appears Knight has reached a decision -- and he wants out.

Knight filed divorce papers in L.A. County Superior Court on August 19 ... according to court records obtained by TMZ.

Knight married the "Top Model" winner five years ago ... after they co-starred on "The Surreal Life" together. more on this story

Esai Morales In Traffic Accident

(TMZ) Esai Morales got himself a new hit over at Nickelodeon Studios last week ... where the "Caprica" star allegedly smashed his Hummer into the back of another car.

According to an eye witness, Morales was driving on Sunset Blvd. on Wednesday when he crashed into a Saturn that was stopped at the time.

We're told no one was injured in the wreck and the Saturn only sustained minor damage. The witness tells us she recognized Morales and tried to tell the other driver he'd just been hit by a celeb ... but Esai told her to pipe down because, "He'll think I'm rich."

We're told no cops were called and both sides exchanged info and parted amicably.
more on this story

Jason Aldean Sells Out

(PR) Jason Aldean continues to sell out tour dates across the country on his My Kinda Party tour. The tour's second leg claims 12 more cities to its list of advance sell outs.

"Jason's 'My Kinda Party' tour continues to sell out major market buildings in advance, which I stated earlier this year," said Live Nation's Brian O'Connell.

"The only thing that has changed from the Spring is now we are selling out months in advance! This kind of ticket selling success tells me that the word has spread on how good his show is, and frankly, Jason and his band are just scratching the surface of their potential live show. The future is unlimited for these guys, and I am thrilled to watch it happen on a daily basis." more on this story

String Theory To Transform Hollywood Stage Into Giant Playable Harp

String Theory will perform at the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood on Thursday, September 15, at 8pm and will transform the Ford stage into giant playable harp.

String Theory will perform an evening of eclectic music, video installations and dance featuring the signature Curve Harp at the beautiful outdoor amphitheatre nestled in the Hollywood Hills. The Harp will extend the entire length of the theater, over the audience, setting them inside the instrument and under the stars.

The ensemble will premiere new works and present a collaboration with special guest David Poe, who will also perform his own music. The event promises to be a thrilling evening of music, dance and performance art. more on this story

Fear Factor Stuntman Seriously Injured in Fall

(TMZ) A "Fear Factor" stuntman is lucky to be alive -- after a safety mechanism FAILED during a jump from 6-stories high last week and he hit the ground FEET FIRST ... breaking both of his ankles.

Fortunately, the stuntman was attached to a back-up safety mechanism that helped slow down the fall ... but sources tell us people were "very concerned" when the stuntman hit the ground.

We're told the stuntman was testing out a new challenge that will be featured on an upcoming episode of the show.

According to our sources, medics were on standby and quickly transported the stuntman to a hospital to treat his injuries.

"Fear Factor" producers tell us, "Safety is our first priority, and because of that we test these stunts repeatedly with trained stuntmen to ensure our contestants' well-being." They added that this particular stunt was part of their standard safety process."

This is the second accident on the set this month -- as TMZ first reported, a contestant was taken to the hospital (but suffered no major injuries) after the truck she was standing on slammed into a stunt car. more on this story

Little Jackie Set New Album Release

(deviousplanet) Little Jackie will release their sophomore album, "Made For TV," on October 15th.

Producer/Programmer Adam Palin and Singer/Songwriter Imani Coppola first teamed up in 2008 to release critically acclaimed debut The Stoop which featured the hit single "The World Should Revolve Around Me."

The duo's latest effort Made for TV combines words and throwback-to-Motown instrumentals that offer a joyful cathartic release of the evil that lurks, the kind of evil good music can cure, The first single, "Take Back the World," is set to appear in the September film release of "What's Your Number" featuring Anna Faris, Coppola inspires with fast rhythmic lyrics, her own special mix of pop and hip-hop. more on this story

Jack and White Release EP and Free Song

(BH) Jack and White (Brooke White and Jack Matranga) have released their debut EP, Gemini, exclusively on iTunes.

Gemini will be available everywhere next Tuesday, August 30th, on June Baby Records. The first single "Double Trouble" off this six-song collection is featured as this week's iTunes "Single of the Week."

With an instantaneous creative chemistry and common love of music, Brooke and Jack are catching the attention of many for their skilled pop songwriting full of luminous guitar picking and warm vocal melodies - reminiscent of the Buckingham/Nicks pairing of the 70's.

Download "Double Trouble" for free here

Ratatat, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie Guest on CSS' New Album

(Girlie) CSS release their new full-length album, La Liberacion this week via V2/Cooperative Music USA/Downtown Records.

It features collaborations with Ratatat, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie, and Mike Garson (who played piano on David Bowie's "Aladdin Sane").

After wowing audiences earlier this year at Coachella and on their co-headlining tour with Sleigh Bells, the band will take their sweat and glittered fueled live show on the road for a full US tour in October. more on this story

Lil Wayne Vs Jay-Z?- Taylor Swift and Justin Beiber Duet- Amy Winehouse Makes History- Game On Top?- Simon Cowell Vs American Idol Creator- Beyonce VMAs- more

(Billboard) One minute we get the soft side of Lil Wayne and on the next the rapper's verses, on the leaked "It's Good," are being perceived as jabs against Jay-Z. "Talking about that Baby money, I got your baby money/ Kidnap your bitch, keep that how much you love your lady money," Weezy raps on "It's Good." more

(Jam!) Taylor Swift stunned fans at her concert in Los Angeles on Tuesday night by welcoming Justin Bieber on to the stage for a special duet of "Baby". more

(BBC) Amy Winehouse's Back to Black album has become the biggest-selling album in the UK of the 21st Century, the Official Charts Company reveals more

(Billboard) The Game might be seeing red next week at the top of the Billboard 200. Industry prognosticators suggest that the rapper's new "The R.E.D. Album" (Geffen/Interscope) could sell more than 90,000 copies by week's end on Aug. 28. more

(BBC) Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh is to take over Amanda Holden's role in West End show Shrek the Musical, two months earlier than planned. more

(FMQB) Beyoncé will be back on the stage at this year's 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. The singer has three nominations this year for her "Run The World (Girls)" video more

(Billboard) Simon Cowell has some choice words for American Idol creator Simon Fuller: Keep your hands off "The X Factor." Cowell is finally responding to the lawsuit filed in July by Fuller against Fox and producer Fremantle claiming Fuller is owed an executive producer credit and millions of dollars in fees from the Cowell-produced "X Factor," which bows in the U.S. in September. more

(FMQB) Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch The Throne album maintained its crown on the sales chart this week, as the album stayed at #1 for a second straight week, selling 177,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. more

(Billboard) Demi Lovato's upcoming "Unbroken" album, out Sept. 20, will feature contributions from Jason Derulo (on a song called "Together), Dev and Iyaz, as found by the tracklist reveal more

(FMQB) After a group of 35 Michael Jackson fan clubs joined forces to lobby for the cancellation of Michael Forever: The Tribute Concert, set for October 8 in Wales, concert organizers said they will go ahead with the event. more

(Billboard) OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder has signed a deal with Southern Hospitality BBQ to be the first franchise owner of the NYC-based bar and restaurant. more

Christina Aguilera Denies Child Abuse Report, May Take Legal Action

(TMZ) Christina Aguilera is furious over an Internet report implying that she beat her son Max and gave him a black eye ... and now TMZ has learned she's threatening to sue.

Aguilera's attorney, Eric Greenspan, has fired off a letter to MediaTakeOut.com ... after the site published a story under the headline, "CHILD ABUSE???? CHRISTINA AGUILERA'S SON IS PHOTO'D WITH A BLACK EYE!!!"

Greenspan writes, "Christina is a wonderful mother and was not present in the park when Max fell and hurt himself."

He adds, "To imply that she had something to do with this incident, without any investigation on your part whatsoever, is reckless and unconscionable."

After threatening to pursue legal action against the site, Greenspan concludes, "HAVE YOU NO SHAME!!!!"

We called MTO for comment -- so far, no response. MTO has since removed the child abuse reference from the headline. more on this story

Call of Duty For Kanye West

Kanye West has answered the Call of Duty and will take the stage at 8PM on Saturday, September 3rd to close out Call of Duty XP.

The event also promises to deliver the world premiere of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer, the first public hands-on with the title, the finals of the Call of Duty $1 Million tournament sponsored by Xbox 360, Call of Duty-inspired live action-experiences and much more. Call of Duty XP takes place September 2nd and 3rd, 2011, in Los Angeles, California.

"We're pulling out all the stops," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. "We promised our attendees and fans around the world a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the first Call of Duty XP, so we're thrilled to have Kanye on board. Everything about XP will be as epic as the games themselves. Whether you're competing for one of the open slots in the $1 million tournament, playing Modern Warfare 3 for the first time, dodging paintballs in a spectacular life-size recreation of Modern Warfare 2's Scrapyard level or just mingling with developers and fellow gamers, Call of Duty XP is a celebration of one of the greatest games in the world. So what better way to top it off with one of the greatest artists in the world?" more on this story

Michael Jackson Manager Frank DiLeo Dies

(Gibson) Music industry figure Frank DiLeo, who managed Michael Jackson and worked with some of music's biggest stars, has died. The Nashville Scene reports that a family friend broke the news that DiLeo died Wednesday morning in his Ohio home. He had suffered a recent heart attack. DiLeo was 63.

DiLeo worked his way from the bottom of the music business all the way to the top. While with Epic Records, DiLeo helped sign and develop the careers of The Clash, Quiet Riot, REO Speedwagon, Cyndi Lauper and Culture Club – in addition to his work with the King of Pop. DiLeo managed Jackson during the '80s, and again at the end of his career, before the star's death in 2009. He also managed Richie Sambora and worked with Prince many times.

Frank's outsized persona turned out to be a perfect fit for the film world, and he acted in a few major motion pictures, including both Wayne's World movies (as Frankie "Mr. Big" Sharp) and 1995's Kiss of Death. His most famous role was as Tuddy Cicero in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. more on this story

Amy Winehouse Tried To Deal With Drinking Problem Before Her Death

(rock nyc) The results are in, Amy Winehouse did not have any illegal drugs in her system when she died. This is what said a representative for the family:

'Toxicology results returned to the Winehouse family by authorities have confirmed that there were no illegal substances in Amy's system at the time of her death. Results indicate that alcohol was present, but it cannot be determined as yet if it played a role in her death.'

Mitch Winehouse, the soul singer's father, said to British media after his daughter's death that she had beaten her drug addiction 3 years before she died, but was still struggling with her drinking problem: 'She was trying hard to deal with her drinking and had just completed three weeks of abstinence, she said, 'Dad I've had enough of drinking. I can't stand the look on your and the family's faces anymore.' more on this story

Wrestling Star Matt Hardy Rushed To The Hospital

(TMZ) Troubled wrestling star Matt Hardy was rushed to an emergency room in North Carolina yesterday morning after falling down in his home ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Matt tell us ... the ex-TNA star hadn't been feeling well ... but it's unclear as to what caused Matt to fall down.

So far, the extent of his injuries are unknown -- but a family member tells us Hardy is expected to be released from the hospital tomorrow.

It's been a rough month for Hardy -- as TMZ first reported, he was arrested on suspicion of DWI last weekend and was subsequently fired from his gig at TNA wrestling. more on this story

Buck Owens Collection Coming Next Month

(conqueroo) Buck Owens' pre-Capitol Records recordings will be released in a new collection called, Buck Owens -Bound For Bakersfield 1953-1956, on September 27th. Here is the official word with some details:

Buck Owens is synonymous with the Bakersfield sound of country music that also gave rise to the Maddox brothers and Rose, Tommy Collins, Ferlin Husky and in later years Merle Haggard.

The 24-song reissue opens with selections from his first known session in 1953 in Hollywood, which produced two singles ("Down on the Corner of Love" b/w "It Don't Show on Me" and "The House Down the Block" b/w "Right After the Dance") on Claude Caviness' Pico Rivera-based Pep Records. It closes with a 1956 Bakersfield session that produced singles on Chesterfield Records and an album on La Brea Records. Included are previously unreleased alternate takes including an overdubbed version of "Hot Dog." more on this story

Gamble & Huff Tribute Nick Ashford

Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff have issued a statement about the death of Nick Ashford of legendary Motown songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson.

Ashford produced Gamble & Huff smash "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" for Motown; Ashford & Simpson were key link between Motown Sound and Sound of Philadelphia

"Nick Ashford was truly one of our favorite songwriting colleagues and producers. He and Valerie Simpson had a major impact on Gamble & Huff's songwriting career, as Nick was responsible for producing a song we wrote, 'I'm Gonna Make You Love Me,' with Motown. Nick heard the song after we wrote it for Dee Dee Warwick and made it a major hit for Diana Ross and the Supremes and the Temptations together. We also worked with Ashford & Simpson on 'Is It Still Good to You,' which they wrote for Teddy Pendergrass, and they did an excellent job. We're longtime admirers of Ashford & Simpson as one of the greatest songwriting teams ever. Nick was a multi-talented artist, and he will be truly, truly missed by both of us."

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith Appear To Be Just Fine

(TMZ) Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith were laughing together during a romantic brunch at the beach in Malibu ... and TMZ has the photos to prove it!

Sources at Bob Morris' Beach Cafe tell us the two rolled in for omelettes and coffee Wednesday morning and left around 11 AM. No kids, no fighting ... just breakfast.

We're told the two seemed "happy and normal" -- and the pictures of Jada laughing seems to back that up. See photos here

George Clinton, Michael Franti and Neville Brothers For Labor Day

The third annual Snowy Range Music Festival is set to take place on Labor Day Weekend (Sept. 2-4) in Laramie, Wyoming at the Albany County Fairgrounds.

This year's lineup includes headlining acts George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, Michael Franti and Spearhead and The Neville Brothers.

According to the announcement, with a capacity of only 5,000 people it is an intimate festival with top-notch artists. There is also no downtime between performances throughout the weekend, which truly adds to this unique festival experience. more on this story