Ne-Yo the artist is busy these days, touring with Alicia Keys and preparing for the Aug. 15 release of his third Def Jam album, "Year of the Gentleman." But Ne-Yo the songwriter is equally, with rash of high-profile tracks either just out or coming.
One surprising entry on his docket is an uptempo track called "Bossy" the he worked on with Stargate for Lindsay Lohan's next album. "I gotta admit, we were like ... Lindsay Lohan?'" Ne-Yo says with a laugh. "I mean, I've written for Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Celine Dion and ... Lindsay Lohan? But I will say this; we gave her a quality record and she did a ridiculously fabulous job. I was so shocked I had to call her and apologize for what I was thinking because she did so good. I think the world is gonna be surprised."
Just out is the Ne-Yo-penned "Spotlight," the first single from ex-"American Idol" contestant and "Dreamgirls" Academy Award-winner Jennifer Hudson's self-titled debut, due in September. Ne-Yo says "they're still putting the (album) together right now" but that he's "really, really proud" that his song was chose to be its calling card.
On-sales for Madonna's upcoming Sticky & Sweet tour continue to sizzle in many markets. In Europe, high demand for tickets in Paris for Madonna's scheduled Sept. 20 performance led to a second show added the following night.
The Zurich show at the Military Airfield Deubendorf scheduled for Aug. 30 has topped the 70,000 mark in sales. Tickets remain for the tour opener in Cardiff, Wales on Aug. 23, as well as shows in Nice (Aug. 26), Berlin (28), Amsterdam (Sept. 2), Dusseldorf (4), Rome (6), Frankfurt (9), and London (11).
In Vancouver, Madonna's first North American stadium onsale for Oct. 30 at BC Place Stadium moved 50,000 tickets in 29 minutes. Rapid sellouts in Toronto at Air Canada Centre for Oct. 18, and Montreal at the Bell Centre on Oct. 22, called for second shows in both markets, on Oct. 19 and 23, respectively.
Previous sellouts include three shows at Madison Square Garden shows in New York on Oct. 6-7 and 11, and shows in Boston (Oct. 15) and Chicago (Oct. 26); a second show for Oct. 27 at the United Center in Chicago will go on sale on June 2.
North American stadium shows go on sale this weekend for Los...
Paul McCartney can now add one more honor to the numerous awards, accolades and the knighthood he has already received. The ex-Beatle yesterday (May 26) was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale University.
In granting the honorary degree to McCartney -- Sir Paul McCartney since he was knighted in 1996 -- the university said no one compares with the legendary songwriter.
Yale said the 65-year-old McCartney awakened a generation, giving a fresh sound to rock'n'roll and to rhythm and blues.
A band played "Hey Jude," a Beatles hit, as McCartney walked on stage to accept the honorary degree. Yale University President Richard Levin evoked some of the songwriter's most memorable lines.
"Here, there and everywhere," Levin said, quoting a line from a Beatles song, "you have pushed the boundaries of the familiar to create new classics. We admire your musical genius and your generous support of worthy causes."
New Haven was the site of a British invasion of sorts on Sunday, as McCartney and former Prime Minister Tony Blair were in town for Yale's 307th commencement. Blair's eldest son, Euan, is...
British punk-dance duo the Ting Tings conceded top spot on the U.K. singles chart yesterday with "That's Not My Name" (Columbia) to Rihanna's "Take a Bow" (Def Jam/Universal), but had the major consolation of debuting atop the album chart with "We Started Nothing."
The duo of Jules De Martino and Katie White are now at No. 2 with the current single and also debuted at No. 33 with its predecessor, "Great DJ." The two songs were first released together as a double A-side by the group's former indie label Switchflicker last May. "Shut Up and Let Me Go," yet another track from the new album, entered the singles chart on download sales at No. 49.
The group's debut album replaced Columbia labelmate Neil Diamond's "Home Before Dark" at No. 1, as the veteran singer/songwriter fell to No. 2. "Pretty Amazing Grace," the lead track from Diamond's album, slipped 49-50 after last week becoming his first U.K. singles chart entry for 16 years.
As a fresh wave of recognition for Diamond accompanied his promotional U.K. visit ahead of a tour beginning June 5, MCA/Universal's re-promoted "The Best of Neil Diamond" entered at No.8 to give him...
Actor-rapper Shad Moss, aka Bow Wow, is focusing on acting full time. Moss has joined the upcoming fifth season of HBO's "Entourage" in a recurring role, playing Charlie, a new stand-up comic client of E (Kevin Connolly).
Additionally, he has landed a role opposite Forest Whitaker, rapper Lil Wayne and Isaiah Washington in the Weinstein Co.'s sports drama "Patriots," about a high school basketball team in post-Katrina Louisiana.
"After 16 years in the music industry and six successful albums, I've decided to shift my energy to something else I'm passionate about, acting," Moss said. "I'm going to try to be the next Will Smith."
Like Moss, Smith started off as a rapper before segueing into acting.
Moss released a collaborative album last year with fellow recording star Omarion titled "Face Off." Later this year, he is set to return to the studio to work on his seventh album, titled "H.I.M. (History in Making)."
On the acting side, he recently wrapped the indie "Driving Lessons" and has appeared in the features "Roll Bounce," "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," "Johnson Family Vacation" and "All About...
Rappers Kanye West, Method Man, Redman, Common and their record companies were sued yesterday (May 22) by late U.S. jazz musician Joe Farrell's daughter, who accused them of using her father's music without approval.
The lawsuit, filed by Kathleen Firrantello in the U.S. District Court in New York, names the rappers along with various labels owned by Universal Music Group.
None of the record companies or representatives for the rappers were immediately available for comment.
The lawsuit said all the rappers used portions of Farrell's 1974 musical composition "Upon This Rock" in three separate songs -- West in "Gone," Common in "Chi-City" and Method Man and Redman in their song "Run 4 Cover."
Firrantello is seeking punitive damages of at least $1 million and asked that no further copies of the songs be made, sold or performed, according to the lawsuit.
COPYRIGHT: (c) Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo...
A judge in Upper Marlboro, Md., has vacated a $1.5 million judgment awarded to a woman who filed a defamation suit against rapper DMX after he alleged that she raped him.
Prince George's County Circuit Judge Thomas Smith ruled last week that DMX (real name: Earl Simmons) was not properly served with court papers in the case filed against him by Monique Wayne.
Wayne became pregnant after an August 2003 encounter with Simmons in a Washington hotel room. She gave birth to a boy in April 2004 and DNA tests showed it was Simmons' son.
But in a 2006 magazine interview, Simmons, without referring to Wayne by name, said she "raped" him while he slept. Wayne denied the claim, and said in a court hearing this year that she awoke to find Simmons on top of her, which led to consensual sex. She said she filed the lawsuit because "he lied to the whole world on me" about what happened.
Wayne was awarded the $1.5 million at a January hearing after Simmons failed to appear. But his lawyers challenged that claim, saying Wayne did not properly serve him with lawsuit papers and was unaware of the case against him.
After a three-week break, Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" featuring Static Major returns to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week. It's the longest chart-topping hiatus since Usher's "U Got It Bad" went four weeks between No. 1 stints in January 2002.
Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" is No. 2 for a second week, while last week's chart-topper, Rihanna's "Take a Bow," slips 3-1 despite being the fastest-growing track at radio. Usher's "Love in This Club" featuring Young Jeezy rises 5-4, trading places with Jordin Sparks' "No Air" featuring Chris Brown.
Ray J & Yung Berg's "Sexy Can I" holds at No. 6, and Madonna's "4 Minutes" featuring Justin Timberlake remains No. 7. Natasha Bedingfield's "Pocketful of Sunshine" rises 9-8, trading places with Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body." Danity Kane's "Damaged" holds at No. 10 to round out the top tier.
Another new Usher song, "Love in This Club, Part II," soars 63-18 in its fourth week, thanks to digital sales of 44,000.
The Hot 100's greatest digital gainer is Duffy's "Mercy," which sold 59,000 downloads en route to a 66-27 climb. The U.K. artist's debut Mercury album, "Rockferry," debuted...
T-Pain is eyeing a Sept. 30 release for his third album, "Thr33 Ringz," which will be released by Konvict Muzik/Zomba. The first single, "Snap You Fingers" featuring Lil' Wayne, is expected to hit radio next month.
According to a Zomba spokesperson, a video for "Snap Yo Fingers" is in the works and T-Pain is currently hard at work producing the new album with Akon.
This week's Hot 100 chart boasts three songs featuring T-Pain, including Flo Rida's breakout single "Low," which sits at No. 16 after 27 weeks.
The R&B singer garnered five BET Awards nominations last week, including nods for best collaboration for his work with Chris Brown ("Kiss Kiss"), Kanye West ("Good Life") and Flo Rida ("Low").
"Epiphany," T-Pain's 2007 album, has sold 819,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Rapper LL Cool J is gearing up to release his next album, "Exit 13," July 18 via Def Jam. The veteran artist released the first single, "I Cry" featuring R&B singer Lil' Mo, yesterday (May 21) on the Web.
"Exit 13" will be LL Cool J's last release on Def Jam because his contract has come to an end, the rapper told New York radio station Hot 97. The MC signed to the label as a teen and has released 12 albums on Def Jam.
Last year, LL Cool J publicly expressed his distaste with how Jay-Z was running Def Jam, and lately told Hot 97 he's optimistic about the label's fortunes now that Jay-Z has departed.
LL Cool J's last album, 2006's "Todd Smith," has sold 335,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
