The R&B singer describes his style as "flashy classy" and he is
known for seamlessly moving between three-piece banker suits and
leather jackets. He admires edgier designers such as Rick Owens,
Marc Jacobs and Kris Van Assche.
Usher has enough business savvy to say it's not the right time for
him to launch his own label, but he is in New York to promote his
new fragrance, Usher VIP, a follow-up to Usher He, which ranked in
the top 40 of men's prestige fragrance sales this year, according to
market data researcher NPD.
This is all moonlighting for him, though. Musically, Usher had the
No. 3 hip-hop song according to Nielsen/BDS with "Papers."
On this day Usher is in a luxurious hotel suite wearing a long blue
cardigan sweater, dark jeans and black leather boots to answer
fashion questions from The Associated Press:
_AP: What's the most important element of your look?
Usher: It's about how you feel, not about `fashion.' It's about
healthy living, the combination of foods you eat. ... Those
ancillaries are what lead you to `fashion.' Fashion can be a
beautiful scarf, soft cashmere sweater or cool boots.
_AP: Where do you find inspiration for your style?
Usher: My taste develops the more I'm introduced to things, the more
I travel and experience different lifestyles. I always go out and
embrace where I am _ I don't stay locked up in a hotel room. I am an
eclectic spectator.
_AP: Why isn't there an Usher fashion label yet?
Usher: I'm building a lifestyle brand and I'm not rushing to do
clothes. I feel like I'm speaking to my customer now with the
fragrances, and, in this economy and with my style and attention to
detail, my clothes won't come cheap. It's not the right time.
_AP: What did you wear when you sang at President Obama's holiday
concert earlier this month?
Usher: I worked with the president's tailor. I wanted an edge but be
appropriate and I wanted to be warm. The scarf I wore was attached
to the jacket, which was cashmere and had waxed silver thread. I
wore a slim pant that was dressy and well tailored _ and I'm in good
shape now so I didn't mind showing off a little. I wore black boots
that were like spats with French buttons by Dsquared2. ... It was
all new for the president.
_AP: What's with the beard?
Usher: It keeps me warm.
Fan convicted in NYC of harassing Ashanti's mother
By: JENNIFER PELTZ
The Associated Pres
A
would-be rapper was convicted Tuesday of harassing Ashanti's mother
with a flurry of dirty photos and lewd text messages about the
Grammy Award-winning R&B star.
Devar Hurd shook his head as a Manhattan jury delivered its verdict
after two days of deliberations, finding him guilty of stalking and
aggravated harassment for messages the singer's mother called scary
and disgusting.
Hurd, a sometime model and car salesman from Griffith, Ind., said he
thought the crude messages, photos of his genitals and a picture of
the home where Ashanti's family lives were welcome.
The 31-year-old is being held without bail until his sentencing, set
for Jan. 11. He faces up to two years in prison. His lawyer, Richard
Verchick, left court without speaking to reporters and didn't
immediately return a phone call afterward.
Ashanti's mother, Tina Douglas, told jurors she didn't know Hurd
when he began calling her and leaving messages recounting bizarre
and rambling sexual fantasies about the singer. Douglas manages her
daughter's multiplatinum-selling career.
Douglas said she told Hurd to leave her alone but he went on to send
dozens of revolting text messages and pictures.
"It was just disgusting and humiliating and extremely frightening,"
Douglas testified, adding that she pulled Ashanti out of a rehearsal
of "The Wiz" after Hurd sent a message that mentioned seeing the
singer's car outside the theater
Ashanti starred as Dorothy in an off-Broadway revival of the musical
this summer. Hurd told jurors he was nowhere near the theater when
he sent the message.
Punctuating his testimony with occasional rap lines and
finger-snapping, Hurd said the messages and photos were just
intended as bawdy banter and jokes.
Hurd, who said he performs around his Chicago-area hometown while
working jobs ranging from landscaping to selling timeshares, told
the jury he was working on an unspecified business deal with the
singer's parents. He said he got Douglas' cell phone number from her
daughter's record label.
The picture of the car and another showing the family's Glen Cove,
N.Y., home _ accompanied by a message about being in the
neighborhood and stopping by to visit _ were just images he found
online while more than 700 miles away in Indiana, he said.
"Why would I want to annoy (Douglas) or harass her or whatever in
any kind of way?" he asked jurors. "Doing anything to her or to
Ashanti ... that's not my style."
Ashanti didn't testify.
Since signing her first record deal at 14, she has recorded hits
including "Foolish" and "Only U." She also has acted in such films
as "Coach Carter" and "John Tucker Must Die.
"
VB Music Feed
Rock Hall takes a chance on ABBA, Genesis, Stooges
The Associated Press
ABBA is dancing its way into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame, along with Genesis, Jimmy Cliff, The Hollies and The
Stooges.
The list of the next class of inductees was
released Tuesday by the Cleveland hall. ABBA and The Stooges made it
in this time after being nominated previously but not making the
cut.
ABBA, a Swedish pop group that became one of the
most successful acts in pop history, continues to sell millions of
records each year and has been finding new fans through the
popularity of "Mamma Mia," a stage musical and film incorporating
its songs, including "Dancing Queen," "Money, Money, Money" and "The
Winner Takes It All."
ABBA's name is an acronym formed from the first
names of band members Agnetha Faltskog, Benny Andersson, Bjorn
Ulvaeus and Annifrid Lyngstad. They broke up in 1982 and have
resisted reunion offers.
Genesis began in the late 1960s as an art-rock
act fronted by Peter Gabriel and evolved after his 1975 departure
into a more mainstream act, with drummer Phil Collins taking over as
lead singer. Some of the band's more familiar songs include "Follow
You, Follow Me," "Tonight Tonight Tonight" and "Invisible Touch."
Cliff, a Jamaican singer, is credited with
introducing reggae music to a broader audience through his album
"The Harder They Come" and the movie of the same name, in which he
starred in the early 1970s.
Part of the British Invasion, the Hollies had a
long string of pop hits in the 1960s characterized by the three-part
harmonies of original members Allan Clarke, Graham Nash and Eric
Haydock.
Led by the Iggy Pop, The Stooges came sneering
out of Ann Arbor, Mich., in the late '60s with a primal, growling
sound that paved the way for punk, new wave, grunge and other,
edgier music genres.
The Rock Hall also announced that its Ahmet
Ertegun Award for non-performers would go to music industry
executive David Geffen, the songwriting teams of Barry Mann and
Cynthia Weil and Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, and individual
songwriters Jesse Stone, Mort Shuman and Otis Blackwell.
Ertegun, the founder and chairman of Atlantic
Records, died in 2006.
The hall's 25th annual induction ceremony is
scheduled for March 15 in New York City.
Rihanna: The Making of SEXY
Biography
Full Name:Rihanna
Birth Place:St.
Michael, Barbados
Birth Date:February
20, 1988
Rihanna was born as Robyn Rihanna Fenty in Saint
Michael, Barbados to Ronald and Monica Fenty. Her mother is of
Guyanese heritage and her father is of both African and European
heritage. She has two younger brothers named Rorrey and Rajad.
Rihanna went to Charles F. Broome Memorial School, a primary school
in Barbados, and then on to one of Barbados' Grammar schools, the
Combermere School, where she formed a musical trio with two of her
classmates. In 2004, she won the Miss Combermere Beauty Pageant and
performed in the Colours of Combermere School Show, singing Mariah
Carey's "Hero". At the age of 15, Rihanna received her big break
when one of her friends introduced her to music producer Evan
Rogers, who was vacationing in Barbados with his wife. Rogers, along
with his partner, Carl Sturken, helped Rihanna record material in
the U.S. which was sent to various recording companies. One copy of
Rihanna's work was sent to Jay-Z, who eventually signed her to Def
Jam Records.
Rihanna's debut album Music of the Sun was released 30 August 2005
from which, further singles were released, the first being "Pon de
Replay" which was released on October 11, 2005 and reached position
#2 in both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Further ventures include her
being recently named 2007 Venus Breeze 'Celebrity Legs of a
Goddess' by Gillette, which she followed by insuring her legs for
$1,000,000
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Lil Wayne to be sentenced in February
The Associated Press
Lil Wayne heads to court in February for
sentencing in his New York gun case, just days after his next album
comes out.
The rap star's sentencing date is Feb. 9, set in
a Manhattan state court Tuesday. The Grammy winner said nothing
during his brief court appearance.
He pleaded guilty in October to attempted
criminal possession of a weapon. The charge stemmed from a 2007
traffic stop of his tour bus. His plea deal calls for a year in jail
Cash Money Records co-founder Birdman announced
on his Twitter account last week that Lil Wayne's next album,
"Rebirth," is due for release Feb. 1.
(This version CORRECTS to reflect that rapper
heads to court for sentencing))
Man robs rapper Nelly's
house, steals electronics
Police
say a man broke into rapper Nelly's house in suburban St. Louis and
stole electronics and video games.
Authorities say the Grammy-winning artist was not
home when during the robbery early Friday morning.
St. Louis County police spokesman Rick Eckhard
says a man used a window to get in and out of Nelly's home. He said
three people were inside the house at the time and one confronted
the intruder
Top 50 Concert Tours of Decade
By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Top 50 Concert Tours of Decade
ranks artists by total box office gross and includes the total
tickets sold for shows in North America. The list is based on data
provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and
venue managers.
TOP 50 CONCERT TOURS OF DECADE
1. Dave Matthews Band; $529.1 million; 11.6 million.
2. Celine Dion; $522.2; 4.
3. Kenny Chesney; $455.6; 8.6.
4. Bruce Springsteen; $444.3; 5.7.
5. The Rolling Stones; $426.9; 3.2.
6. U2; $391; 4.4.
7. Madonna; $325.3; 2.1.
8. Eagles; $313.4; 2.8.
9. Elton John; $286.4; 2.5.
10. Jimmy Buffett; $285.8; 4.5.
11. Toby Keith; $273.8; 6.4.
12. Cher; $263.5; 3.5.
13. Elton John/Billy Joel; $261.6; 2.3.
14. Bon Jovi; $241.4; 3.2.
15. Metallica; $225.5; 3.6.
16. Rascal Flatts; $222.4; 4.5.
17. Paul McCartney; $221.4; 1.4.
18. NSYNC; 196.4; 3.8.
19. Britney Spears; $195.7; 3.5.
20. Trans-Siberian Orchestra; $194.9; 4.7.
21. Aerosmith; $193.2; 3.2.
22. Tim McGraw/Faith Hill; $189.9; 2.7.
23. George Strait; $184.7; 3.1
24. The Police; $181.2; 1.7.
25. Neil Diamond; $179.4; 2.7.
26. Barry Manilow; $173.9; 1.7.
27. Bob Dylan; $161.1; 3.4.
28. "American Idols Live"; $156.8; 3.
29. "Ozzfest"; $154.9; 3.4.
30. Rod Stewart; $153.9; 2.1.
31. "Vans Warped Tour"; $152.9; 5.1.
32. Van Halen; $147.8; 1.6.
33. Fleetwood Mac; $146.2; 1.7.
34. Brooks & Dunn; $144.4; 3.8.
35. AC/DC; $144.3; 2.1.
36. Coldplay; $142.9; 2.6.
37. Eric Clapton; $139.3; 1.9.
38. Luis Miguel; $137; 2.1.
39. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers; $136; 3.
40. Nickelback; $135.8; 3.3.
41. Dixie Chicks; $134.9; 2.6.
42. Tim McGraw; $133.7; 2.7.
43. Backstreet Boys; $132.4; 2.6.
44. Brad Paisley; $129.7; 3.3.
45. Tina Turner; $127.9; 1.7.
46. Bette Midler; $126; 1.1.
47. Billy Joel; $123.4; 1.4.
48. Barbra Streisand; $119.5; 0.4.
49. Phish; $116.7; 2.6.
50. James Taylor; $116.3; 2.6.
Latin Grammy winner freed from
Mexican jail
The Associated Press
Latin
Grammy winner Ramon Ayala was released from jail for health reasons
Wednesday, but authorities said he remains under investigation for
alleged ties to a drug cartel.
Ayala, a Texas-based norteno singer, was arrested Dec. 11 when
troops raided a lavish party hosted by the Beltran Leyva cartel
outside the central mountain town of Tepoztlan. His lawyer has said
Ayala and his band, the Bravos del Norte, were hired to play at the
party and did not know his clients were drug traffickers.
Cartel chief Arturo Beltran Leyva, who is believed to have fled
the party, was killed in a shootout five days later when marines
raided an apartment in the city of Cuernavaca.
The Attorney General's Office said in a statement that Ayala was
released because of his "critically deteriorating health" but did
not specify what his ailment was. The agency said Ayala still faced
possible charges of organized crime and taking illicit money.
The rest of Ayala's band members were released last week, but
seven musicians from two other groups remain jailed. Eleven
suspected cartel members were also arrested in the raid.
Mexican norteno bands often sing about drug trafficking and
violence, and many have been rumored to perform at drug traffickers'
weddings and other parties, although few have been caught.
It was unclear where Ayala, who lives in Hidalgo, Texas, went
after his release. His lawyer, Adolfo Vega, could not be reached for
comment.
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A
would-be rapper was convicted Tuesday of harassing Ashanti's mother
with a flurry of dirty photos and lewd text messages about the
Grammy Award-winning R&B star.
ABBA is dancing its way into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame, along with Genesis, Jimmy Cliff, The Hollies and The
Stooges.
Latin
Grammy winner Ramon Ayala was released from jail for health reasons
Wednesday, but authorities said he remains under investigation for
alleged ties to a drug cartel.