Thursday, June 24, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Ryan Leslie Splits With Universal; Works On Indie Album
I couldn’t get into him when he was with cassie (she has no talent so I wrote him off by association) but when his self titled album dropped I checked it out and I enjoyed it I also have his last release as well. He’s kind of underrated so hopefully his decision will work out for him.
Ryan Leslie enamored old and new fans alike last night (June 23) during the first of two back-to-back performances at New York City's Bowery Ballroom. The R&B singer/rapper/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist -- who parted ways with former label Universal Motown last month -- celebrated his new-found independence with performances of former hits like "Addicted" and "How It Was Supposed to Be," as well as two new tracks: "Glory" and "Maybachs and Diamonds."
"Never had a top ten, but they still respect my art," Ryan Leslie sang during "Glory," which is slated to be included on his third release, "Les Is More" -- his first independent album following 2009's self-titled debut and "Transition." "Maybachs and Diamonds" is a slow, groovy tune about flourishing his partner with more than just material things, like "Maybachs and Diamonds."
Initially, Leslie had a four-album deal with Universal, but toward the end of that contract, "Universal was interested in reshaping my deal to more of a 360, and they actually made a counter-offer from the initial recording fund," Leslie tells Billboard.com. "At that point I saw that as a window to potentially branch off and try something that was going to be new and dynamic."
Now that Leslie is an independent artist, the 31-year-old hopes to incorporate more of a DIY, grassroots formula to help promote his upcoming project -- the performances at Bowery being the kick-off event. Having already partnered with Lexus for a TV ad campaign and having worked with Adidas in the past, Leslie hopes to use similar partnerships as a main marketing tool moving forward.
Leslie, who graduated from Harvard University at the age of 19, also plans to include more merch into his promotions, like giving away free merch and two tickets for the price of one with every ticket purchase. "I'm learning as much as I can about the space that I want to occupy from a business standpoint," he says.
Hoping to further liberate himself from labels' "strict loyalty and revenue guidelines," Leslie, who just returned from a U.K. opening stint for Ne-Yo, is looking to bank more on touring this time around. Although he made appearances at the African American Heritage Festival and Essence Music Festival last year, he expressed a deep interest in broadening his touring horizons, name-checking festival staples Coachella and Bonnarroo in "Glory."
"In 2011, I really, really want to do Coachella and Bonnaroo and it seems like for those venues it's usually pretty skewed [for R&B performers]. I think it would be rare if we saw Trey Songz or someone who is considered 'R&B' to be at one of those festivals," he says. "I think that's something that I'd like to change and I think that the energy of my shows is much more aligned to that type of festival than sort of the choreographed dance of [say] an Usher show."
And his show last night proved him right. Leslie was energetic as he performed for the ecstatic crowd of fans -- including actor Denzel Washington -- who sang along to every song, including "Diamond Girl" and Stevie Wonder's "You and I."
While Leslie didn't make any formal announcements about his departure from Universal Motown during the set, he took some subtle jabs at his previous label home. "I've always wanted to play these songs but I couldn't before," he said while singing "Guardian Angel." "I always felt like this song should be a single."
Although Leslie is mostly mum about the details of "Les is More," which doesn't have a release date yet, he did reveal he's been in the studio producing tracks for Keri Hilson, Asher Roth, Ne-Yo, Game, Lil Wayne and more.
Billboard
Drake Debuts At No. 1 On Billboard 200 ( Is this really a shock)
This picture is adorable to me LOL!!!
Drake I hate your fans and your attitude at times rub me the wrong way but be thankful that your music is listenable. I won’t stan for you but I tolerate you congrats immigrant.
Drake's Thank Me Later" bows, as expected, with an eye-popping 447,000 copies at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's the third-best sales week of the year for a single album.
The top two sales weeks of 2010 are owned by Sade's "Soldier of Love" (502,000 off its debut week in February) and Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" (481,000 in its first frame in January). And since both Lady Antebellum and Sade are technically groups, "Thank Me Later's" start is also the biggest debut week for a solo act's album since Susan Boyle's "I Dreamed a Dream" entered at No. 1 with 701,000 upon its release last November.
Drake also has the highest new entry on the Digital Songs chart, where his "Up All Night" enters at No. 22 with 57,000 downloads sold. Katy Perry's "California Gurls" retains the No. 1 slot with 337,000 (down 6%) while three songs in the top 10 make big gains. Mike Posner's "Cooler Than Me" rises three spots to No. 6 (142,000; up 42%), Drake's "Find Your Love" climbs eight rungs to No. 8 (112,000; up 46%) and 3Oh!3's "My First Kiss" jumps two spots to No. 9 (112,000; up 24%).
Back on the Billboard 200 albums list, the entire top four slots house new entries for the first time since last December. The second-highest debut belongs to Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' "Mojo" starting at No. 2 with 125,000. It marks Petty's best debut sales week since SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991 and his highest charting album since 1980. "Mojo's" handsome bow was aided by a successful concert ticket/album download offer, which accounted for a fair amount of the set's first week.
Next up, Sarah McLachlan's new studio set "Laws of Illusion" opens at No. 3 with 94,000. The latter's last proper studio album, "Afterglow," was released way back in 2003 and started at No. 2 with 361,000. (In the interim, she's charted with two remix sets, a live effort, a rarities collection, a greatest hits package and a holiday album.)
The final top 10 debut comes in at No. 4 from the new "Now 34" compilation with 88,000. Not to be the bearer of bad news, but with 88,000 this marks the first album in the main "Now" series -- not counting its various genre-specific offshoots -- to debut with less than 100,000 since the first "Now" compilation started with 48,000 in 1998.
As for the rest of the top 10 this week, Jack Johnson's "To The Sea" falls one spot to No. 5 (68,000; down 24%) and the "Eclipse" soundtrack slips four rungs to No. 6 (55,000; down 63%). Justin Bieber's "My World 2.0" drops one slot to No. 7 (47,000; down 4%), Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" holds at No. 8 (40,000; up 4%) and Christina Aguilera's "Bionic" dips six positions to No. 9 (40,000; down 64%). Closing out the top 10 is last week's No. 1, "Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals" (39,000; down 64%).
Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending June 20) totaled 6.14 million units, up 9% compared to the sum last week (5.61 million) and down 9% compared to the comparable sales week of 2009 (6.76 million). Year to date album sales stand at 142.4 million, down 11% compared to the same total at this point last year (159.7 million).
Digital track sales this past week totaled 21.4 million downloads, down 4% compared to last week (22.3 million) and down 1% compared to the comparable week of 2009 (21.6 million). Year to date track sales are at 554.4 million, up less than 1% compared to the same total at this point last year (552.3 million).
Billboard
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Wrestler's widow suing WWE, Conn. Senate candidate
HARTFORD, Conn. — The widow of a World Wrestling Entertainment performer who died in a televised 1999 stunt filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Connecticut-based company and its leaders, including Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon.
Martha Hart said she learned three months ago that McMahon, who stepped down as WWE chief executive in the fall to run for Senate, and her husband, Vince, the current chairman, have for years used the image of her late husband, Owen Hart, in at least 37 videos and other materials without her knowledge and permission, and despite her objections to his likeness being associated with the pro-wrestling company.
"They'd have to be living under a rock if they didn't get that I don't want any association with them whatsoever or Owen to be associated with them whatsoever," said Martha Hart, who lives in Calgary, Alberta, with the couple's two children, now 18 and 14.
"I believe it is morally, ethically and legally wrong for the WWE to seek profit from Owen's death," she told reporters at a news conference held at a hotel in downtown Hartford. The WWE is based in Stamford.
Jerry McDevitt, an attorney for the WWE, called the lawsuit "a political stunt" coming as McMahon campaigns. Martha Hart's suit and accompanying news conference were the first time the company has heard from her since she legally settled with them in 2000, he said.
"I don't think you'd see what happened today if Linda wasn't running for Senate," McDevitt said. Martha Hart denied her case had anything to do with the campaign but said voters in Connecticut should question Linda McMahon's moral character.
McMahon recently won the endorsement of the Republican Party to seek retiring Democrat Christopher Dodd's seat. She faces a primary challenge from Weston businessman Peter Schiff, and Republican former Rep. Rob Simmons has not removed his name from the Aug. 10 primary ballot.
McMahon, who has pledged to spend up to $50 million of her own money on the race, trails the Democratic candidate, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, in public opinion polls on hypothetical general election matchups.
"The death of Owen Hart was a tragic accident and this claim is nothing more than pure political orchestration," said Robert Zimmerman, a spokesman for the WWE, to which McMahon's campaign had referred requests for comment.
McDevitt, the company's attorney, argued that the WWE has the right to use copyrighted material featuring Owen Hart. The publicly traded company released a video in April called "Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology," which features Owen Hart and other wrestlers in the Hart family, some of whom still perform for the WWE.
"Martha Hart does not have some exclusive right to the story of her husband; it's just that simple," McDevitt said.
Besides stopping the WWE from using Owen Hart's images, Gregg Rubenstein, a Boston-based attorney for Martha Hart, said his client, as the personal representative of her late husband's estate, is seeking any profits due from his appearances in the videos and other materials that would be due under his contract with the WWE. The WWE attorney said it will be up to a court to decide whether the estate is owed any money from the sale of the videos.
Owen Hart died May 23, 1999, after falling from an apparatus about 80 feet high into the wrestling ring before a crowd of 16,500 people at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. Hart, who was making an aerial descent into the ring, fell after the device that connected his body harness to the rigging malfunctioned, McDevitt said.
Both McDevitt and Rubenstein agree there is nothing in a wrongful death settlement that WWE reached with Martha Hart in 2000 addressing the company's use of Owen Hart's image.
Rather, Rubenstein points to a provision in Owen Hart's 1996 booking contract with Titan Sports — a former name of the wrestling company — that says control of "original intellectual property," such as his legal name, ring name, likeness, personality, character, caricatures, voice, gimmicks and routines, reverts to the wrestler after the contract is terminated.
Rubenstein said that the contract was terminated when Owen Hart died and that Martha Hart and Owen Hart's estate control his likeness, name and celebrity.
The same contract, which was signed by Linda McMahon, says the promoter, its licensees and sublicensees "may continue to exploit materials, goods, merchandise and other items incorporating any original intellectual property made before such termination until all such materials, goods and merchandise are sold off."
AP
Martha Hart said she learned three months ago that McMahon, who stepped down as WWE chief executive in the fall to run for Senate, and her husband, Vince, the current chairman, have for years used the image of her late husband, Owen Hart, in at least 37 videos and other materials without her knowledge and permission, and despite her objections to his likeness being associated with the pro-wrestling company.
"They'd have to be living under a rock if they didn't get that I don't want any association with them whatsoever or Owen to be associated with them whatsoever," said Martha Hart, who lives in Calgary, Alberta, with the couple's two children, now 18 and 14.
"I believe it is morally, ethically and legally wrong for the WWE to seek profit from Owen's death," she told reporters at a news conference held at a hotel in downtown Hartford. The WWE is based in Stamford.
Jerry McDevitt, an attorney for the WWE, called the lawsuit "a political stunt" coming as McMahon campaigns. Martha Hart's suit and accompanying news conference were the first time the company has heard from her since she legally settled with them in 2000, he said.
"I don't think you'd see what happened today if Linda wasn't running for Senate," McDevitt said. Martha Hart denied her case had anything to do with the campaign but said voters in Connecticut should question Linda McMahon's moral character.
McMahon recently won the endorsement of the Republican Party to seek retiring Democrat Christopher Dodd's seat. She faces a primary challenge from Weston businessman Peter Schiff, and Republican former Rep. Rob Simmons has not removed his name from the Aug. 10 primary ballot.
McMahon, who has pledged to spend up to $50 million of her own money on the race, trails the Democratic candidate, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, in public opinion polls on hypothetical general election matchups.
"The death of Owen Hart was a tragic accident and this claim is nothing more than pure political orchestration," said Robert Zimmerman, a spokesman for the WWE, to which McMahon's campaign had referred requests for comment.
McDevitt, the company's attorney, argued that the WWE has the right to use copyrighted material featuring Owen Hart. The publicly traded company released a video in April called "Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology," which features Owen Hart and other wrestlers in the Hart family, some of whom still perform for the WWE.
"Martha Hart does not have some exclusive right to the story of her husband; it's just that simple," McDevitt said.
Besides stopping the WWE from using Owen Hart's images, Gregg Rubenstein, a Boston-based attorney for Martha Hart, said his client, as the personal representative of her late husband's estate, is seeking any profits due from his appearances in the videos and other materials that would be due under his contract with the WWE. The WWE attorney said it will be up to a court to decide whether the estate is owed any money from the sale of the videos.
Owen Hart died May 23, 1999, after falling from an apparatus about 80 feet high into the wrestling ring before a crowd of 16,500 people at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. Hart, who was making an aerial descent into the ring, fell after the device that connected his body harness to the rigging malfunctioned, McDevitt said.
Both McDevitt and Rubenstein agree there is nothing in a wrongful death settlement that WWE reached with Martha Hart in 2000 addressing the company's use of Owen Hart's image.
Rather, Rubenstein points to a provision in Owen Hart's 1996 booking contract with Titan Sports — a former name of the wrestling company — that says control of "original intellectual property," such as his legal name, ring name, likeness, personality, character, caricatures, voice, gimmicks and routines, reverts to the wrestler after the contract is terminated.
Rubenstein said that the contract was terminated when Owen Hart died and that Martha Hart and Owen Hart's estate control his likeness, name and celebrity.
The same contract, which was signed by Linda McMahon, says the promoter, its licensees and sublicensees "may continue to exploit materials, goods, merchandise and other items incorporating any original intellectual property made before such termination until all such materials, goods and merchandise are sold off."
AP
Monday, June 21, 2010
Adam shaved Head
Adam will only shave half of his hair we know he's very picky when it comes to his style . He know the hair is his mojo.
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