Meat Loaf Collapses on Stage

"I f**king fainted. I have asthma ... I can't breathe ... and then ... oh wait, I forgot ... I got poked by a pin and bled half to death ... and then I got slapped in the face and my tooth is loose." more on this story

Charlie Daniels, Phil Vassar and Sawyer Brown Christmas 4 Kids

(Webster) Charlie Daniels has announced that Phil Vassar and Sawyer Brown will join him for the 10th Anniversary of the Charlie Daniels Band & Friends Concert to benefit Christmas 4 Kids.

This year's event is set to take place on Monday, November 21, 2011 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN.

Christmas 4 Kids is a not-for-profit organization that has been in existence for over 25 years providing many children, each year, with their very own shopping spree. The funds generated by the concert, and the Tour Bus Show/Artist Meet and Greet event, are used to give over 400 children from 29 different schools, a day-long shopping excursion. more on this story

Behind The Music: Enrique Iglesias Premieres On Sunday

Behind The Music: Enrique Iglesias will premiere this Sunday, July 31 at 10 PM ET/PT on VH1. The network sent over some quotes from the episode:

"A lot of people always ask, do you feel bad that your dad wasn't able to take you to school every day. And I always think, I go, no. No, cause I never looked at it that way. I wouldn't change anything. My father was great, he loves his career. He probably loves his career more than anything but I understand." - Enrique Iglesias, reflecting on his childhood and growing up with a famous father

"Growing up with a father like mine, you know, he was a big star, sold a lot of albums and sold many, many tickets around the world. That was my point of reference, my comparison. So the way I looked at it was, okay, if I'm going into this, it's because I gotta get to that level or even better." - Enrique Iglesias, on setting goals prior to getting into the music industry more on this story

Lindsay Lohan Ends Speaker War

(TMZ) The speaker installer who TRASHED and sued Lindsay Lohan has totally changed his tune -- claiming the actress not only PAID her bill ... but insists she is "actually very nice" ... and blames HIMSELF for the mix up.

TMZ spoke with Stephen Clark -- who called Lindsay a "born druggie" after accusing her of stiffing him on an $1,100 job at her Venice pad back in June.

Clark tells us, "She paid and I canceled the small claims file." He adds, "Lindsay is actually really nice and I think my invoice got mixed up or something ... It's all good now!"
more on this story

WWE's Shad Gaspard Won't Be Prosecuted

(TMZ) Former WWE wrestler Shad Gaspard -- the guy who was PINNED DOWN by 3 officers in Ohio after allegedly JAYWALKING back in March -- will not be prosecuted for resisting arrest ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... part of the arrest was captured on tape ... and Shad -- a very large African American gentleman -- can be heard screaming, "Why am I being arrested? Because I'm big and I'm black?"

Gaspard was charged for resisting arrest -- but according to documents filed in Franklin County Municipal Court this week, the charge has finally been DROPPED. However, he was hit with one lesser charge of obstructing official business and had to pay a fine.

TMZ spoke to Gaspard who tells us he no longer plans to file a lawsuit against the Columbus PD over the arrest ... explaining, "I feel that everything has run its course the proper way, and it's best I move on from this in a positive light."

He adds, "My only regret is that this incident even happened and I hope that the good police officers in Columbus aren't judged by the actions of a few bad ones." more on this story

Rufus Thomas, The Dramatics, and Shirley Brown Reissues Coming

(Conqueroo) Concord Music Group's Stax remasters series continues on September 13 with reissues from Rufus Thomas, The Dramatics, and Shirley Brown. Here are details:

In 1968, on the heels of the label's severance from Atlantic Records, Stax Records president Al Bell decided to initiate a massive 28-LP release program that would auger the label's return to the top. The initiative fostered a new generation of Stax hitmakers including the Dramatics and Shirley Brown. And, it proved an artistically and commercially fertile time for Stax veteran Rufus Thomas.

On September 13, 2011, Concord Music Group, as part of its Stax Remasters series , will reissue Rufus Thomas's Do the Funky Chicken, the Dramatics' Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get and Shirley Brown's Woman to Woman — each featuring a chart-topping title track. All three reissues feature 24-bit remastering, rare bonus tracks, and new liner notes to frame the recordings in historical context. more on this story

Soulja Boy Buying $55 Million Jet?

(TMZ) Soulja Boy doesn't know the meaning of the word recession -- because TMZ has learned, the 21-year-old rapper is dropping $55 Million on a new private jet.

A member of Soulja's management team tells us ... the kid bought himself a G5 jet as a birthday present to himself this week.

The jet cost $35 mil ... but that's just the beginning. We're told the birthday boy is dropping an additional $20 million to pimp out his ride with all sorts of cool stuff ... like 12 custom Italian leather seats, flat screen TVs, 4 liquor bars, a special travertine tiled floor, and Brazilian hardwood cabinets.

We're told S.B. is also gutting the in-flight lavatory -- and replacing it with a giant, LUXURIOUS bathroom. Oh, he's also giving the jet a custom paint job ... to include his logo.

And if that's not enough for someone's 21st -- we're told Soulja's also spending $300,000 to throw himself a blowout birthday party at a Miami nightclub tonight ... and Dwight Howard, Bow Wow, and Sean Kingston are all expected to attend.

Kids these days. more on this story

NFL Star Accused of Assault

Former All-Pro running back Larry Johnson is accused of beating the living daylights out of a man ... who allegedly told police, "This ni**er is going down" -- referring to Johnson.

In a civil lawsuit, filed last week, the alleged victim -- John Phillip Graney -- claims he was leaving a Miami Beach party in May when Johnson punched, tackled, and kicked him ... leaving Graney "beaten and brutalized."

Miami Beach police responded, and according to the official report ... Graney told an officer, "This ni**er is going down. He needs to learn a lesson, it's going to cost this prick."

TMZ obtained photos of Graney's alleged battle scars ... and according to the suit he suffered cuts to his face and ear, bruised chest and knees ... 3 herniated discs, and a torn rotator cuff.

Graney claims the whole fight was unprovoked. As for using the n-word ... his attorney Jonathan Davidoff says Graney is not a racist and "does not recall making those statements."

Johnson denies all the allegations in the lawsuit -- and his attorney tells TMZ, "This is a straight extortion claim designed to seek money." more on this story

Kat Von D Says She Warned TV Show

(TMZ) Kat Von D says she had a DAMN good reason for walking off "Good Day L.A." this week -- telling TMZ, she made one reasonable request ... and producers repeatedly BLEW HER OFF.

Kat tells us, she agreed to answer a question about her breakup from Jesse James on one condition -- that the anchor didn't mention the split in his introduction.

But according to Kat, that request was IGNORED -- and as we previously reported, anchor Jeff Michael read out an introduction that highlighted Kat and Jesse's breakup.

Kat says she saw what was on the teleprompter long before Jeff read it -- and even pulled a producer aside to have someone change the script ... but nothing happened.

According to Kat, she "very politely" informed them ... if it wasn't changed, she wouldn't be able to go on. But no one changed squat, so Kat beat it.

Later, during the show, the executive producer went on the air -- explaining Kat's only prior request was not to bring up Sandra Bullock or Michelle McGee ... a request "Good Day" honored.

Nevertheless, Kat adds, "I have no interest in going back on, but I wish them all the best." more on this story

Amy Winehouse's Last Words

(Gibson) Last March, The Telegraph's Neil McCormick interviewed Amy Winehouse about her collaboration with Tony Bennett for his upcoming duets album. It would be the late singer's final interview. McCormick wrote in the Telegraph: "The Amy I saw seemed well on the way back to her best, which makes our brief encounter all the more poignant."

Nervous about working with her hero Bennett, she was, according to McCormick, upbeat and positive and looking forward to learning guitar or trumpet. She told him: "I would love to study guitar or trumpet. I can play a lot of different instruments adequately but nothing really well. If you play an instrument, it makes you a better singer. The more you play, the better you sing, the more you sing, the better you play."

As for her duet with the 85-year-old Bennett, who was recording an album of duets, she was clearly excited. "I'm so happy to be here," she told Bennett. "It's a story to tell my grandchildren, to tell their grandchildren, to make sure they tell their grandchildren." more on this story

Jay-Z and Kanye West Expand Watch The Throne Tour

Jay-Z and Kanye West have announced plans for additional dates for their upcoming Watch The Throne Tour.

As a result, the tour schedule has been modified. The new presale date moves to Tuesday, August 2nd. The new tour schedule will be announced on Monday, August 1st.

Both JAY-Z and Kanye West have each appeared as guests on the other's stage, and now they come together for never-before-seen performances not only from their collaboration, Watch The Throne but also songs from their classic catalogue.

Katy Perry Sets New Record

(EMI) Katy Perry has set a VMA record, becoming the first artist in MTV history to be nominated for four separate videos in one year.

Katy's nominations include "Video of the Year" and "Best Female Video," for her No. 1 smash "Firework," "Best Pop Video" for "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," and "Best Collaboration" for her No. 1 single "E.T." featuring Kanye West.

Katy has been nominated for the following awards: Video of the Year and Best Female Video for "Firework," Best Pop Video for "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," Best Cinematography for "Teenage Dream," and Best Collaboration, Best Art Direction, Best Direction, Best Editing, and Best Special Effects for "E.T." (featuring Kanye West). The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live from Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre Sunday, August 28th. more on this story

Former Yankees Star Commits Suicide?

(TMZ) Former New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu has been found dead in his California home.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, it appears he committed suicide by hanging himself. L.A. County Coroner is still trying to locate next of kin.

Hideki played for the Yankees, Expos, and Rangers -- last pitching in the big leagues in 2002. He won World Series rings with the Yanks in 1998 and 1999. more on this story

NBC Denies Offering Casey Anthony Money

(TMZ) NBC News tells TMZ ... it did not offer Casey Anthony any money for an interview with her.

An NBC rep tells us, "NBC News has not and will not be in a bidding war for a Casey Anthony interview. No money has or will be offered, no licensing or other arrangements. If we were to conduct an interview it would be under our standards."

The rep confirms ... NBC did indeed foot the bill for Jose Baez' suite at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City last week. As we reported, Baez met with famed celeb lawyer Mark Geragos last Thursday in the hotel bar, discussing negotiating strategy and talking about the "big price tag" for the interview.

And sources connected with ABC insist there was indeed a bidding war between the networks. ABC now says it will no longer pay for photos and videos connected with interviews. more on this story

Joe Jonas To Preview New Songs This Weekend

Joe Jonas is set to guest host American Top 40 With Ryan Seacrest this weekend, July 30 and 31.

In addition to counting down the Top 40 songs, Jonas will answer questions directly from fans; spin exclusive song previews from his upcoming debut solo album "Fastlife," which hits stores this fall.

He will also discuss myriad topics, including his recent video shoot in Paris, his lead single "See No More", and embarking on his solo career.

Patriots Chad Ochocinco May Pay Aaron Hernandez For No. 85

(TMZ) He's been traded to a new team ... but Chad Ochocinco DOES NOT want a new jersey number -- and sources close to the NFL star tell TMZ .. he's willing to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to sport #85 for the New England Patriots this season.

Problem is .... the number currently belongs to Patriots STUD tight end Aaron Hernandez -- who rocked #85 in 2010 ... when he DOMINATED all season long.

We're told Ochocinco -- who CHANGED HIS LAST NAME to match his jersey number a few years ago -- wants to PAY Hernandez to give up the digits ... and sources say Chad feels "no number is too high."

FYI -- jersey numbers don't come cheap -- it cost Clinton Portis a cool $18k to buy the #26 from a teammate when he was traded to the Washington Redskins a few years ago. more on this story

Annihilation For Call of Duty: Black Ops

Activision have delivered Annihilation, the latest downloadable content pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops on PlayStation3 and Windows PC.

Fans have logged billions of hours in Call of Duty: Black Ops since its record-setting debut in 2010.

Annihilation packs four of the most varied and intense Black Ops maps to date, along with a new Zombies experience filled with countless hours of new gameplay more on this story

Ben Folds Gets Retrospective

Legacy Recordings have set an October 11th release date for Ben Folds' The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective.

The most comprehensive and definitive Ben Folds collection ever assembled, and first-ever domestic overview of Folds' music, The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective is remastered from original master tapes, bringing together Ben's biggest hits, deep catalog fan favorites, hidden treasures, and collectible rarities while premiering the first newly recorded Ben Folds Five tracks in 11 years.

Available as a single disc or in an expanded three disc set, The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective features liner notes and track-by-track song annotations by Ben Folds. more on this story

Singled Out: Peter Baldwin's Rob The Bank

Today Peter Baldwin tells us about "Rob The Bank" from his brand new EP "Peter Baldwin in Vodville," which was released this week. Here is the story:

"Rob The Bank" is the only song on my EP that's fictional so creating it was nothing like working out the more truthful songs. The idea for the song came together all in one night while I was sitting in my room. I wanted to come up with a beat that would make people move differently, and I decided to tell the story of a boy with a dead end job and a wistful girlfriend. He decides they have a future as infamous bank robbers!

While recording the vocals for the track, several kids randomly showed up and the atmosphere in the studio turned into a party. I usually prefer to be on my own in a more quiet atmosphere, but being in front of a crowd gave me confidence and cool vibrations. All those cameo appearances inspired me to approach the background vocals as if my friends were in the booth with me. In some sections, there are about a dozen vocals all with different characteristics and vibrato.

The best thing about recording "Rob The Bank" was everyone's contribution on the production end. I and my mates, Vodville, went above and beyond with every sound. We layered all the instruments including the bass. We spent hours choosing the right tones, and I spent extra hours making sure everything was in the right place. The end result is something simple and fun and a perfect addition to the EP.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself right here!