Jennifer Lopez Returning To American Idol

E! spoke with an anonymous insider that said that the deal with Lopez has not yet been closed. However, they also report that Fox Network President Kevin Reilly revealed at the Television Critics Association press tour that Lopez has been approached to return to the show. Read the E! report for more details.

One Direction Fans Suicide Rumors Blow Up On Twitter

(Radio.com) A new documentary about One Direction fans aired last Thursday night on Channel 4 in the UK titled Crazy About One Direction. The two-hour documentary profiled several young fans of the UK boy band, referred colloquially as "Directioners."

According to DigitalSpy, the film questions whether One Direction ushers in a "new phase of idolatry, a cult now powered by the online community," or if their energetic fanbase is just another form of Beatlemania. We think we have an answer.

Sometime last night, the hashtag #RIPLarryShippers started trending on Twitter. As International Business Times reports, the hashtag refers to a specific group of 1D fans who have purportedly committed suicide over how they were portrayed in the documentary. The rumors first claimed that 14 people died, then 28, then later climbed to 42 people. Under the hashtag are notes of condolences, prayers, pictures, candles, and notes of encouragement to those who are believed to have taken their own life.

The name "Larry Shippers" refer to a subset of 1D fans would like to see a kind of "bromance" happen between two of the band's members, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson (Larry as in a portmanteau of the two names and "shipper" as in relationship).

This fan behavior is explained as part fan fiction and part a way to ensure that Styles and Tomlinson do not start dating someone else — better they date each other than another girl. Some of these "shippers" were portrayed in the documentary and while One Direction fans have a history of getting possessive over members of the band, going so far as to send death threats to band member Liam Payne's new puppy, many fans were angry with the extreme nature of fandom that was portrayed in the documentary.

And so to prove to the world once and for all that One Direction fans are not crazy fans who have a history of overreacting to the media, someone started the hashtag #RIPLarryShippers claiming that the documentary was so mean-spirited towards certain One Direction fans, it drove them to suicide.

As of publishing, there have been no reported suicides. Admittedly, that's a tough thing to concretely know. However, there have been no media reports, no statements from the band, and Channel 4 could find no concrete evidence. More including some of the tweets.

Chubby Checker Can Sue Over Genital-Measuring App

(Radio.com) Chubby Checker doesn't want you to measure your chubby using an app that bears his name. And it now seems he might finally get his way following a judge's ruling.

Last Thursday (August 15), a San Francisco judged ruled that Checker, whose real name is Ernest Evans, could sue Hewlett Packard Co. for copyright infringement over their Chubby Checker app, which claims to measure a man's genitals based on his shoe size. The company created the software in 2006.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the judge wrote in his ruling that the app uses the name Chubby Checker "as a vulgar pun." The judge also ruled against HP's claims that Checker "failed to allege" did not provide evidence that proved HP knew of the infringement writing that Checker "had a detailed application and approval process for the app, and thus knew it violated the trademark." more on this story

Robin Thicke Countersues Marvin Gaye's Family

(Radio.com) Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" may be the song of the summer, but some are saying that it's not really his song. Namely, the family of Marvin Gaye, who are suing Thicke under the claims that his song and Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" "feel" or "sound" the same. The Gayes and Bridgeport Music, which owns some of Funkadelic's compositions and are also filing suit for musical similarities, are reportedly threatening litigation, should Thicke not pay a monetary settlement.

But, Thicke isn't taking this suit lying down. Instead he, along with the song's collaborators Pharrell and T.I. (under his real name, Clifford Harris, Jr.), filed their own suit last Thursday (August 15) against Gaye's family and Bridgeport Music.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the three are claiming that Gaye's family and Bridgeport Music "are claiming ownership of an entire genre, as opposed to a specific work."

As for Thicke's reasoning for the suit, the court documents note, "Plaintiffs, who have the utmost respect for and admiration of Marvin Gaye, Funkadelic and their musical legacies, reluctantly file this action in the face of multiple adverse claims from alleged successors in interest to those artists. Defendants continue to insist that plaintiffs' massively successful composition, 'Blurred Lines,' copies 'their' compositions."

The countersuit also points out that "being reminiscent of a 'sound' is not copyright infringement. The intent in producing 'Blurred Lines' was to evoke an era." more on this story

Lil Wayne and Jay Z Featured on Drake's New Album

(Radio.com) As Rolling Stone confirms in their fall album preview, Drake's forthcoming third album, Nothing Was the Same, will feature Jay Z, Lil Wayne and Scottish DJ/producer Hudson Mohawke (one half of TNGHT), among other "all-star guests."

Weezy is something of an expected guest at this point, given Drake's Young Money association, while Jay was featured on Thank Me Later track "Light Up." Kendrick Lamar, who appeared on 2011′s Take Care, recently told Radio.com that "God willing, hopefully" he'll be making an appearance on Nothing Was the Same. Nicki Minaj has appeared on both of Drake's albums, so a feature from her would not be all that surprising.

Drake's "All Me," released online earlier this month, features Big Sean and 2 Chainz. His "Hold On, We're Going Home," released online last week, features OVO vocalist Majid Jordan. The list goes on. But in way of a full guest list or track list for Nothing Was The Same, Drizzy has released nothing. more on this story

The Band Perry Announce Their First Arena World Tour

(Radio.com) Last week, Country trio The Band Perry (siblings Kimberly, Reid, and Neil Perry) announced they would be embarking on their first-ever worldwide headlining arena tour.

Dubbed the We Are Pioneers World Tour, after their 2013 album Pioneer, the action begins in Gothenburg, Sweden on Nov. 8. The band will then play dates across Europe for five weeks before heading back to North America.

An assortment of local bands will support the group during the European dates; when the North American leg begins in Penticton, British Columbia on Jan. 9, they will be supported by Easton Corbin and Lindsay Ell. Full list of dates below.

If you've seen the country trio lately, you'll find that this tour has some new surprises, including a new set, sound and lights.

As The Band Perry told Radio.com in an interview this spring, touring is very important to them–a big part of their identity. "We are our truest selves on stage," said Reid Perry. "When we play a live show, it's more fun than recess."

And on stage, as well as on record, they are not timid. The show they put on is big. "We're not minimalists live," said Kimberly Perry. "Our musical arrangements are macro." more on this story

Luke Bryan Talks New Album Crash My Party

(Radio.com) By all accounts, Luke Bryan is having a fantastic year. From winning the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year this past spring, to headlining his own national tour (dubbed Dirt Road Diaries) for the first time, to seeing his 2011 album Tailgates & Tanlines go double platinum, it was a new level of success for a guy who's already among the most popular in country music today. "I've been lucky in this business to have each year be the year of my life," Bryan told Radio.com.

Now comes Crash My Party, Bryan's fourth full-length studio album. The 13-song collection (see the lyrics) was only released last week (Aug. 13), but already it's pushing the Georgia-born singer's career to new heights, thanks in good part to the chart success of the title track, as well as the growing popularity of the album's second single, "That's My Kinda Night."

Radio.com spoke with Bryan about picking songs for Crash My Party, singing with a "different mentality," and where he's at with his career.

Radio.com: Can you talk about songs on Crash My Party that musically reflect new directions, or a new side of you?

Luke Bryan: I feel like there are songs for everybody on the album, from your hardcore country people to your really contemporary country people. There's a song called "Drink A Beer," I describe it as the coolest sad song I've ever recorded. And then there's a song called "Goodbye Girl," where I'm singing [with] a different mentality. I think it's a new side of me. And I've got a song called "Blood Brothers that has some really, really neat percussion. The songs, they all do certain little things.

Radio.com: What was challenging about the song "Goodbye Girl" in particular?

Luke Bryan: I've always come out guns blazing with my voice. And this one, I had to really lay it back and be much more tender, and that was just new ground for me. It was fun going there and showcasing that side of my voice that people may have never heard.

Radio.com: And what was it about "Drink A Beer" that first grabbed you?

Luke Bryan: I just thought it was an amazingly written song. It was something that everybody can connect with because so many people out there have lost somebody. And their connection with them was, they used to have a beer in a bar with them, or have a beer anywhere with them. Drinking a beer with a friend is a huge connection, and that song bridges all those emotions together. Like I said, it's one of the coolest sad songs I've ever heard. Read the rest of the interview here.

Lana Del Rey Talks Leaks, the Imitators & the Haters

(Radio.com) By 10:30 p.m, almost 100,000 people have filed out of Chicago's Grant Park following the first day of Lollapalooza 2013, held a couple weeks back. As the mass of coming-down kids move toward the exits, Lana Del Rey sits at a picnic table backstage, just far enough away from the noise. It's so dark where she sits that until you come close enough to catch her eye, the only thing you can really see is the cherry of her cigarette. This post-festival scene is in stark contrast to her "pretty crazy" headlining performance earlier that night.

"I had to go around the world for two years just to have an audience in Chicago," she told Radio.com. "I mean, I could just have been unpopular forever, that probably would have been a lot less tiring."

A year and a half later, after all the panning and parodies of Born to Die have come and gone, there's a touch of fame PTSD in how Lana Del Rey speaks about herself. She references her "not great welcoming into the American public eye," but the truth of the matter is, we're in the midst of the second coming of Lana Del Rey. When tastemakers grow tired, artists of a poppy temperament can try the most mainstream, "of the people" medium: radio.

Those who wrote off Lana Del Rey may be surprised to learn that she has a No. 1 song on a Billboard chart (Dance/Mix Show Airplay) this week. And a Top 5 (Hot Rock Songs, where she has multiple songs charting). And a Top 15 (Digital Songs). And, most noteworthy of all, a Top 20 on the Hot 100, where French house DJ/producer Cedric Gervais' remix of "Summertime Sadness" currently sits at No. 16. Originally released on Born to Die, "Summertime Sadness" has been given new life through its remixes, with Gervais' version racking up adds at Top 40 stations nationwide throughout the last month.

Meanwhile, "Young and Beautiful," Lana's contribution to The Great Gatsby soundtrack, is receiving airplay on alternative, not pop, stations. Radio isn't quite sure what sure what to do with Lana Del Rey, but stations are playing her nonetheless. And not surprisingly, she couldn't be more thrilled. She discussed all this and more in a meandering chat, including her plans for a new album, which she says have been thrown off by the recent barrage of leaks of her songs.

"To be honest, what really happened was, three years ago somebody remotely accessed my hard drive, so even songs I've never emailed to myself [were accessed]," she explained. "There are hundreds of them."

Radio.com: Seeing your set tonight, it's clear that your stage performance is more elaborate now than it was when you first started touring behind Born To Die, particularly because of the video vignettes. What were trying to achieve with this incarnation of your live show?

Lana Del Rey: Well, I'm sort of influenced each day by whatever I come upon. Like I don't listen to that much new music, but I actually really love Father John Misty, who kind of reminded me of my roots. I went back to listening to Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, whose life path really influenced my life path 10 years ago when I was 18. For the visuals, sometimes before the songs even come to me, I definitely have a picture first of something I want to paint with words. I remember when I was 16 and I read Howl by Allen Ginsberg; that was the first time I kind of realized you could paint pictures with words and I wanted to do that.

I actually kind of met my directorial soulmate with Anthony Mandler. I always give him these mood boards and storyboards that he goes through and makes all of the visions I have come to life. He never says no and he asks me why do I want it to be about the kindness of strangers, like in the case of "Ride" [the video/short film] — why am I with different men and things like that? I tell him it's not about being submissive to men or anything like that. It's about not really knowing anyone close to you who can help you, and being really lucky enough to finding people who you just meet randomly, who can take care of you until you can take care of yourself.

This is to say, the visuals kind of come from ideas that I think are important. But when it comes to the live show itself, that's the one thing I really don't think too much about. I'm kind of traditional in that way, where I don't have much of a magic show. I'm just kind of there to sing and I don't have too too much to say. Read the rest of the interview here.

Childish Gambino Releases Short Film 'Clapping For The Wrong Reasons'

(Radio.com) Though Donald Glover announced that he would be pulling back his role on Community to focus on making more music under his alias Childish Gambino, he hasn't quite left the acting game just yet.

Glover released the short film, Clapping For The Wrong Reasons, directed by Hiro Murai last week (August 15), which features not only himself, but Flying Lotus, Trinidad Jame$ and Chance The Rapper, who Glover teamed up with on the young MC's mixtape Acid Rap.

The 24-minute film, which also features Danielle Fisher, better known as Topanga on Boy Meets World, includes music from Childish Gambino.

Glover recently revealed that his character Troy Barnes will appear in only five episodes of Community next season and earlier this month, dropped a new song, "Centipede." Childish Gambino's last album, Camp, was released in 2011. Check it out here.

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame 2013 Inductees Announced

(Radio.com) The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation (NaSHOF) announced last Thursday (Aug. 15) that Randy Owen of country group Alabama and songwriters Will Jennings, Layng Martine, Jr. and Jeffrey Steele are this year's inductees into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The four will be officially inducted during a ceremony on Oct. 13 at Music City Center in Nashville. "Among all the great songwriters who have put the music in Music City, only a few are elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame," said Pat Alger, chair of the foundation's board of directors, in a press statement.

"This year we are delighted to bestow this honor upon Will Jennings and Jeffrey Steele in the songwriter category; Randy Owen in the songwriter/artist category, and Layng Martine Jr. in the veteran songwriter category."

Country fans are certainly familiar with Owen, thanks to his work as lead vocalist and songwriter for Alabama. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame back in 2005, the group has racked up dozens of hit songs and best-selling albums since they first began recording in the 1970s. Alabama songs written by Owens include "Mountain Music," "Lady Down on Love" and "Tennessee River." more on this story

Fans Photos Weren't Originally Meant For Kelly Clarkson's New Video

(Radio.com) Summer is wedding season and Kelly Clarkson is taking advantage of it in her new video, "Tie It Up." It's one of the more country-tinged songs we've heard from the American Idol winner in awhile, and since the song's subject matter deals directly with the matter of "setting the date," she takes the opportunity to put a lot of big white dresses and celebratory moments into the video.

Clarkson dons the knee-length sparkly white dress she wore in the single art for the song, while she performs at a barn dance with bare feet. The rest of the video is made up of fan submitted photos from real weddings and clips of every aspect of the wedding experience, from pictures to all-night reception party.

The photos were originally intended to be part of Clarkson's lyric video for the song, but she said in a Tweet that she loved some of them so much that they had to be part of her actual music video.

The clip also features a fair number of diamond rings, including Clarkson's own which she flashes at the camera while singing, "From a Miss to a Mrs." The theme of this song and video are traveling the same path as Clarkson, who is currently engaged and planning her wedding for after her current tour ends. Watch the video and read more here.

Cherub Cracking Jokes All the Way to the Top

(Radio.com) It was pretty hard to escape Cherub at this year's Lollapalooza. The Nashville duo's faces were plastered everywhere from street kiosks to the festival's many beer stands thanks to a fest sponsor, which was touting Cherub as a band on the verge of stardom.

The guys–Jordan Kelley and Jason Huber–seemed to be a little put off by the whole thing when Radio.com talked to them hours after making their Lolla debut. "It's all a little bizarre," Huber said. "It's cool, but it's weird to see yourself everywhere."

That being said, the weirdness of it all didn't stop Huber from taking a picture next to one of Cherub's Red Bull promos. "That was the first thing the people I was with made me do," he said. "And then immediately everybody started to look over and be like, 'Ah! That's the guy from the thing!'"

The band, who met while attending Middle Tennessee State University for music production, aren't used to putting themselves out there in such an obvious way. Since Cherub started nearly two years ago, they've been releasing their music–a mix between '80s funk and electropop–for free via their website, asking fans to donate a little money if they like what they hear. A bold move for a new band, but one Kelley thinks has paid off.

"The fact that people can find the music, stumble upon it somewhere deep in the Internet and can actually share it with their friends immediately. It's not some thing where it's like, 'This is cool and it's 15 bucks to check it out.' Instead it allows people to pass it along," he explained. "That's really the thing that's kept us going. The word of mouth of everyone around has been the best thing for us."

Word of mouth and a surprisingly funny video helped make their song "Doses and Mimosas" a surprise hit. "I don't know if it's gone viral yet," Kelley said. "But it's got a lot of views on YouTube."

On the song, Kelley calls out the b***cha** hoes and punka** f***s who are making his life a living hell, proclaiming, "Doses and mimosas/Champagne and cocaine help to get me through." It's all tongue and cheek, of course — something not everyone seems to get. "That's actually a depressing song if you think about it," Kelley said with a laugh. "It's about being sad."

Most of Cherub's songs inject humor into honest accounts of past experiences. For one of the more absurd examples of this, listen to "Jazzercise '95," off Cherub's 2013 EP, 100 Bottles. Though Kelley did spend his younger years being dragged to Jazzercise classes filled with women in scrunchy socks and neon, he admits that if song were a truly accurate account of the dance-based fitness program, it would be the saddest song ever written. more on this story

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