Legal Notes
The selection process for the Phil Spector murder trial finished up this week. A jury of nine men and three women were chosen after four days of questioning. They are to decide if the producer is guilty of the murder of Lana Clarkson who died of an apparent self inflicted shotgun to the head at Spector's home on Feb 3, 2003. However questions remain as to whether she killed herself or that Spector had a hand in her death.
Spector's chauffeur has stated to police that he saw Spector on the night in question holding a shotgun with what looked like blood on his hands and stating "I think I killed somebody," Spector has claimed that he is bipolar and on the night in question he hadn't been taking his medication regularly. He is also notorious for his fondness for guns and erratic often bizarre behavior when working with artists in the past.
The prosecutors have a difficult task before them because it has been near impossible not to find someone who hasn't heard some or all of the details of the case. This compounded with the impression that many people believe that celebrities have an easier time when it comes to legal justice as in the recent trials of O.J. Simpson and Robert Blake. The jury selection will continue on Monday so that six alternates can be selected and opening statements will begin on thursday of this week.
The murder of Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay (b. Jason Mizell) may soon be solved. In the December 2002 Jay was shot in the back of the head by an unknown assailant in his Queens studio.
It has been reported by the New York Daily Post that Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, a convicted drug dealer and longtime friend of Murder Inc. heads Irv Gotti and Chris Gotti, targeted Mizell because he defied an industry blacklist of rapper 50 Cent that was imposed because of "Ghetto Qur'an", a song written about the drug history of McGriff
Prosecutors believe that either Ronald Washington was an accomplice or even the killer of Jay who has been convicted of several armed robberies since the murder. He is also a suspect in the 1995 killing of Randy Walker a friend of the late Tupac Shakur. Washington has denied any involvement in Jay's murder and alleges that the detectives have been hostile and hounded him about the killing of a Mizell who he says was a "childhood friend." A spokesperson for Jay's family have stated that they are happy that police have found a suspect and will be waiting when more information becomes available.
On a personal note this author believes that Jam Master Jay didn't deserve to die this way. The group Run-DMC was the first hip-hop/ rap group that I discovered. They have had some violence in the past at their concerts which they condoned and have pretty much remained above the violent lyrics that dominated hip-hop in the early nineties and today.
I wonder how the individual(s) could commit such a crime and not feel remorse ? Maybe, it was a "crime of passion" and given a different set of circumstances the outcome might have been that Jam Master Jay had lived and the issues could have been resolved peacefully.
The New York Post reports that the Suffolk County Magistrate of New York Aletha Fields-Ferraro has ordered rapper 50 Cent to pay $10,000 in child support for his ten year old son Marquise Jackson. The mother of the child Shaniqua Tomkins was also granted $15,000 a month for expenses that the rapper hasn't been paying. It is reported that when Fifty arrived at the courthouse to met with the magistrate he demanded VIP treatment caused a commotion and refused to go through metal detectors at the courthouse. The next court date is set for June 11 of this year.
Beyonce is being sued by Des'ree because according to her she didn't get permission to cover a song called "I'm Kissing You." Most know Des'ree for her 1994 hit "You gotta be."
The suit filed April 19th states that there was a deal for her to use the song originally but the fell through. Des'ree is seeking to put a stop to the distribution of the song. Beyonce featured the song on her solo album ' "B" Day-Deluxe Edition' and titled it "Still In Love (Kissing You).
WTF DEPT.
The seven month old Swedish baby named Metallica Tomaro will be allowed to keep her name. It wasn't the band that objected to the naming of the child rather the Swedish tax officials objected to the name. Because it was the name of a band and it resembled the word "metal" to closely. Karolina Tomaro the girls mother took her case to the county court where she won a victory over the taxing authority. They appealed the decision but dropped the appeal last week so Metallica will be able to keep her name.
MUSIC NOTES
Damon Albarn of the band 'Gorillaz' has confirmed that they won't release any more studio albums. He has said that the only project left for the band will be a film featuring a score composition that has been rumored to be linked to Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame.
Albarn spoke to the BBC last week and said "We're trying to make a film next, starting in September hopefully. It will be a film score. There won't be another pop record." The virtual band was formed in 1999 with Damon Albarn, and Jamie Hewlett creator of the comic "Tank Girl" providing the design and background of the virtual band.
They have always been mysterious about who the members of the band were but it has been suggested that there are anywhere from two to fifty different individuals contributing to different aspects of the album. When the band played live there were specially designed screens on stage that projected the bands animated characters. Their first tour featured two screens on with animated characters the other with just silhouettes of the band playing instruments.
'Gorlliaz' had two albums the first being 'Gorillaz' which debuted in 2001 and the other 'Demon Days' which debuted in 2005. Singles from the two albums were "Clint Eastwood" and "Feel Good Inc."
Radiohead a band that hasn't been heard from since 2003's 'Hail to the thief' has posted a short sample of a new song on their website. The song titled "15 Step" can be heard on the official website "Dead air space." The song can be heard when you click on the banner "Hodaiu Drektion" and the lyrics can be read at the fan site Ateaseweb.Com. They premiered the track on the first date of the 2006 tour at KB Hallen in Copenhagen, Denmark. They are getting ready to release a new album sometime in the summer or fall of this year.
Tom Morello the former lead singer of Rage Against the Machine has announced that he will release an album under the guise of "Nightwatchman" the disc will contain 13 tracks and have songs of bitterness, revenge, and a dark response to a world in turmoil. On one track " One Man Revolution" Morello plays the acoustic guitar for the first time. He plans to play a handful of selected dates in the UK in June.
Richard Fairbain the former singer of the 90's one hit wonder Right Said Fred wants to be London's next mayor. Fairbain said"I want to stand as an independent candidate with a manifesto for the real working people of London, they make it a brilliant city."
Rap star Romeo Miller will attend the University of Southern California in the fall of 2008 where he will play basketball. Miller who was once known as Lil Romeo and announced three years ago that he would someday be playing in the NBA when he was all of 5' 6' at age 14 fortunately has grown some in the past few years. Currently, he's a high school junior and is
6' 1" and plays guard on his Beverly Hills high school team in Beverly Hills, Ca.
He has stated that he will be known as Percy Miller while attending the university. A spokesman for the university Dave Tuttle said "We can't comment on any potential recruits until we receive a signed letter of intent." Basketball runs in Miller's family his father hip-hop mogul Master P tried out with two NBA teams in the 90's but failed to make either team.
It has been ten years since Jeff Buckley died of an accidental drowning n the Mississippi river near Memphis, Tn. To commemorate his passing on May 28th an album titled ' So Real: Songs from Jeff Buckley will contain recorded and live tracks including his popular version of Leonard Cohen's song "Hallelujah." The track listing will be as follows
Last Goodbye Lover You Should Have Come Over Forget Her Eternal Life Dream Brother (alternative take) The Sky Is A Landfill Everybody Here Wants You So Real (acoustic live performance) Mojo Pin (live) Vancouver Je Ne Connais Pas La Fin Grace Hallelujah I Know Its Over
Morrissey has decided to snub the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies that are to be held in 2008 for The Smiths. His ongoing rivalry with drummer Mike Joyce seems to be the reason. Morrissey and Joyce were involved in a lawsuit over The Smiths royalties and who deserved what amount. Since the lawsuit Morrissey has publicly stated that he hasn't forgiven him and the only way that he would show up would be if Joyce didn't attend.
Here are the birthdays for the week of April 22-April 29, 2007
April 22
Charlie Mingus (1922 – 1979)
American jazz bassist,
composer, bandleader,
Glen Campbell (1936)
Grammy Award,
Dove Award winning
American Country Pop singer and guitarist best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a television variety show called "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television. His hits include "Gentle On My Mind", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and "Rhinestone Cowboy"
Peter Kenneth Frampton (1950)
Grammy winning English musician,
best known today for his solo work
in the mid-70s as an "arena rocker".
Paul Carrack (1951)
Keyboardist, singer and songwriter
Mike + The Mechanics
Aaron Fink (1977)
lead guitarist and
backing vocalist for
Breaking Benjamin.
Jason Stollsteimer(1978)
lead vocalist and guitarist
of The Von Bondies,
Daniel Johns (1979)
vocalist, composer,
guitarist and pianist,
for the band Silverchair.
Amelle Berrabah (1984,)
recent member of the
English girl band, Sugababes
April 23
Ray Peterson (1939 - 2005)
pop music singer scored
a hit in the 60's with
"Tell Laura I Love Her,"
"Corrina, Corrina.
Roy Orbison (1936 – 1988)
Singer-songwriter
and a pioneer of rock and roll
" Ooby Dooby," "Only The Lonely,"
"In Dreams," "Oh, Pretty Woman,"
"Crying," "Running Scared," and "You Got It.
Glenn Cornick (1947)
the first bass player in
the rock band, Jethro Tull.
David Cross (1948,)
electric violinist
known for playing with
progressive rock band King Crimson
Stephen Clark ( 1960 – 1991)
Co-lead guitarist for British rock
band Def Leppard
Carlos "D" Dengler (1974)
the bassist for New York
indie rock band Interpol.
April 24
Barbra Streisand (1942)
Academy Award-winning American singer
theatre and film actress, composer,
liberal political activist, film producer
and director. Satirized on South Park
in the episode called "Mecha-Streisand",
which she tried to take over the world by
transforming herself into a giant robot
and is then defeated by the robot
Robert Smith of The Cure
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford (1945)
played drums in the band,
Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Captain Sensible (1954)
born Raymond Burns,
singer and guitarist
founded the punk rock
band The Damned.
Boris Williams (1957)
Drummer known for
his work with The Cure (1984-1994).
previously worked with
the Thompson Twins,
Kim Wilde and Tomato City.
Billy Gould ( 1963)
musician and producer.
He played bass for
Faith No More
Tyson Ritter (1984)
lead singer and bassist
of The All-American Rejects.
April 25
Ella Fitzgerald (1917 – 1996)
Considered one of the
most influential jazz
vocalists of the 20th Century.
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (1945)
Swedish musician and composer,
most notable as a member of ABBA.
Stu Cook (1945)
played bass guitar in the band
Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Andy Bell (1964 )
the lead singer of
the English Synthpop
duo Erasure.
Eric Avery(1965)
played bass guitar in the band
Jane's Addiction
April 26
Roger Taylor (1960)
the drummer for
the pop/rock band
Duran Duran.
Chris Mars (1961)
was the drummer for
The Replacements
T-Boz (1970)
bTionne Watkins
Lead singer
of the group TLC.
Joey Jordison (1975)
best known
as the drummer
for band Slipknot
April 27
Casey Kasemi
born Kemal Amin Kasem
American radio personality
and voice actor.
Ann Peebles (1947)
international singer and songwriter .
Two of her better known songs are
I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down"
"I Can't Stand the Rain"
Kate Pierson (1948)
Vocalist and lead singer and
founding member of The B-52's.
Ace Frehley (1951)
born Paul Frehley,
Guitarist best known as founding member
for the rock band Kiss.
played with the group from
1973 - 1982. Rejoined in
1996 to play for the reunion
tour and left in 2002.
Patrick Stump (1984)
Musician, composer and producer and
the lead singer and rhythm guitarist
of the band Fall Out Boy.
April 28
Kim Gordon (1953)
musician, vocalist, and artist
plays bass and guitar in the
band Sonic Youth.
Too $hort (1966 )
born Todd Shaw
rapper and producer
of "no-nonsense" pimp
rap.
Daisy Berkowitz(1966)
born Scott Mitchell Putesky
Was the lead guitarist and co-founder
of the rock group Marilyn Manson until
1996, during the recording of
Antichrist Superstar.
April 29
Phil King (1960)
Known for being
the bass guitarist
in the alternative band
Lush.
Master P (1967)
born Percy Robert Miller
entrepreneur, businessman
marketing expert, and rap artist.
founder and CEO of
No Limit Enterprises.
Carnie Wilson (1968)
American singer and television
hostbest known as a member
of the early-90s singing group
Wilson Phillips.
Well until next week GETOUTOFMYHEAD !
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