Britney and Justin’s former love nest is anything but Home Sweet Home right now with the former lovers arguing over who will get to keep the £2m Beverley Hills mansion following their split last month.
The luxury LA apartment was bought by the couple two years ago and the celebrity couple planned to move into the residence once they became married. Justin ended his relationship with Britney last month amid intense speculation that he is now seeing his close friend and dancer, Jenna Dewan.
Britney now has her heart set on keeping the Sunset Strip pad for herself, but Justin believes that he should have first refusal after he found the four-bedroom house during happier times with Britney.
‘I think Brit is quite keen to hang on to it,’ said a close friend of the star. ‘It is a really special place in a great location. They haven’t lived in it yet so it’s not like the place has any bad memories.’
Although it is understood that both sides are now talking to their lawyers about ownership of the property, it is expected that an agreement will be reached with either one of the stars keeping the house, or the sale proceeds being spilt equally.
The Sunset Strip location of the property makes it highly desirable and it also boasts a swimming pool, a spa, a giant entertainment room and a five-car garage.
Commenting on his break-up with Britney, Justin recently told a US TV chat show host: ‘I love Britney with all my heart and I will never do anything to disrespect her or degrade her.
Posted by Jen on Monday, April 15, 2002 @ 05:26 p.m.
Former Page 3 'stunna' and '80s singer Sam Fox provides Britney Spears with some handy career hints… (15 April 2002)
Sam Fox has spoken out on how younger stars like Britney Spears can avoid music business perils and go on to lasting success in their chosen career. It’s all down to taking control, apparently.
The former Page 3 girl spoke out at the Miss Slovakia 2002 beauty contest in Bratislava, where she also performed. Amongst Sam’s recommendations are that Ms Spears writes her own material.
'Britney should begin to create her own tracks and start to mature, otherwise after five years she'll be looking for a new career, ' said Sam, sagely. She added; 'As an artist you have greater opportunity to work much longer and perform into your 50s when you write for yourself.'
No doubt Britney will take the advice – in fact, she already has! Talented Brit co-wrote most of the tracks on her latest album, Britney.
Posted by Jen on Monday, April 15, 2002 @ 05:24 p.m.
Tweet has admitted that Missy Elliot saved her life when the new soul sensation was close to suicide. Missy rescued Tweet’s career with an invite to sing on the So Addictive album, just as Tweet was trying to cope with the failure of her own group, Sugah. Tweet fell into deep depression when it became clear that Sugah wasn’t going to work out. The singer has revealed that she became so depressed and was seriously contemplating suicide until she got the call from Missy Elliot to help her out on her own album.
Tweet is credited on Missy’s So Addictive album under her real name, Charlene Keys. Her contribution led to Missy signing up Tweet to her own label, GoldMine Inc. Tweet finally got to record her own debut solo album, Southern Hummingbird which has a release date of 13 May.
If you want to catch a sneak preview, click HERE to listen to Tweet’s new single, Oops (Oh My).
Tweet is credited on Missy’s So Addictive album under her real name, Charlene Keys. Her contribution led to Missy signing up Tweet to her own label, GoldMine Inc.
Tweet finally got to record her own debut solo album, Southern Hummingbird which has a release date of 13 May. If you want to catch a sneak preview, click HERE to listen to Tweet’s new single, Oops (Oh My). Timbaland is once again involved in working with Tweet on her new material.
Posted by Jen on Monday, April 15, 2002 @ 05:23 p.m.
The missing piece of Our Lady Peace has been replaced.
Detroit-bred guitarist Steve Mazur is the newest member of the Toronto-based band, Sony Music Canada announced Monday. He replaces original guitarist Mike Turner, who split from the group during the recording of their forthcoming album, "Gravity."
"I am really excited and I have always been a fan of the band and this opportunity is a dream-come-true," Mazur said in a press release.
The appointment of Mazur comes after two months of meetings, auditions, and poring over thousands of videotaped submissions for the job.
"We were overwhelmed with the response to our search. We received tapes, videos, DVDs and CDs from as far away as Australia and Japan," bassist Duncan Coutts said.
"It was inspiring to see how many incredible musicians were out there," added singer Raine Maida.
Every single musician who submitted material for consideration will get a response from the band, they said in the announcement.
Meanwhile, OLP's new album, "Gravity", is scheduled for release in Canada June 18. The first single from the Bob Rock-produced album will be "Somewhere Out There," which is already among the top three most added tracks on radio in the U.S. and Canada.
The album was recorded in Hawaii at Plantation Studios, which is owned by Rock, whose production resume includes Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, The Cult, Metallica, and Aerosmith. (More on: Our Lady Peace).
Posted by Jen on Monday, April 15, 2002 @ 05:21 p.m.
Pink has revealed why she wanted to name her dog after a swearword.
Speaking to Radio 1, she explained;
"I always wanted a dog named F****r and also when I got him, he was so little and so cute, he was a really cute little f****r. I’ll take him to the beach and I’ll yell ‘F****r!’, and 50 people’s heads will turn, I’ll be like, ‘not you, not you, not you - him’, and he’ll come running."
Posted by Jen on Monday, April 15, 2002 @ 05:16 p.m.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A federal judge in Los Angeles has cut off a lawsuit against pop group 'N Sync (news - web sites) brought on by puppet makers Sid and Marty Krofft.
Their company sued in December 2000 seeking damages because an 'N Sync program and backstage passes featured a likeness of the puppets the Kroffts made for their "Bye Bye Bye" performance at the American Music Awards in September 2000.
The suit claimed the use of the puppet pictures violated the company's copyright. But the judge dismissed all claims against the group members.
Posted by Jen on Monday, April 15, 2002 @ 05:13 p.m.
(4/15/02, 6 p.m. ET) -- The Backstreet Boys are planning to shock fans with their next album. Though a spokesperson for the group says a title and release date have not been set, the members are making a concerted effort to transcend the their trademark pop boy-band sound, according to member A.J. McLean.
McLean discussed the record Sunday (April 14), when arriving at the taping of MTVIcon: Aerosmith. "It's not anything like it was before," he told LAUNCH. "It's a whole new direction. We're going to be doing rock, we're going to be doing R&B, we're going to be doing pop, probably going to be working with Max Martin again, hopefully. It's going to be a broad range of music. And hopefully, we can work with these guys (Aerosmith) in here."
On the R&B front, the group is working with hip-hop and R&B producers Jermaine Dupri and Soulshock & Karlin in hopes of winning the acceptance of the R&B community. McLean was pleased with the success of *NSYNC's "Gone" last year, which made it into the top 20 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and even earned a nomination at the 16th Annual Soul Train Music Awards for best R&B/soul single, group, band, or duo. "Yeah, I was, very surprised," he said. "I'm shocked when a group like us is ever nominated for anything in real heavy R&B urban, urban area. And hopefully with some of the stuff we've done, we'll finally be played on urban radio."
Another hurdle McLean is anxious to overcome is his battle with alcohol. McLean, who has been sober for 10 months, says he has a huge support group to thank for helping him through his difficult times. "My fiancee, my family, and the other guys, and God. I'm really just taking my time with it day by day. It's a day-by-day process," he said.
-- Billy Johnson Jr., Los Angeles
Posted by Jen on Monday, April 15, 2002 @ 05:12 p.m.
(4/15/02, 1 p.m. ET) -- Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson's recent visit to Chicago raised more than $56,000 for his environmental foundation, Just Within Reach (JWR). JWR promotes education, personal responsibility, and accountability with regards to the health of the planet. The singer's trip on April 6 was highlighted by a gala dinner and auction held at the local Peninsula Hotel.
"It's really touching that so many people would come out to support a cause I've committed part of my life to," said Richardson. "I'm glad more people are joining our efforts to improve the environment. We have a big battle to fight. And even though a single person can make a difference in how they impact the Earth, there's strength in numbers--our strength comes from knowing that we're fighting for the right things and for the right reasons."
At the dinner, Richardson and his wife Kristin presented the very first JWR Visionary Award to 9-year-old Lucas Musil and 13-year-old Kylie Musil of Naperville, Illinois. The brother-and-sister team was saluted for best personifying the goals of JWR. The pair earned the honor for their "initiative and achievement in building environmental awareness and cleanup programs in their schools and local community."
Later that evening, Richardson performed the Backstreet Boys (news - web sites)' recent hit "Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely" with singer-songwriter Richard Marx(*NSYNC (news - web sites), Michael Bolton). Marx and Richardson also both played piano on Marx's 1989 hit "Right Here Waiting."
Richardson also put in a solo performance of John Lennon's anthem of hope for the future, "Imagine." "I was trying to think of the perfect song for this evening," explained Richardson. "'Imagine' has a strong message and was written by someone who did what he could to make a difference in the world. After all these years, it still tells us there is hope for saving this world we're living in."
More fundraisers in support of JWR and the environment will take place in several regions of the United States this year, according to the organization's website(justwithinreach.org). The JWR Visionary Award gala dinner will now be an annual event hosted by the organization. Richardson noted, "We have so much to do to improve this planet. But just think of what we can do if we work together...just imagine."
-- Jason Gelman, New York
Posted by Jen on Monday, April 15, 2002 @ 05:10 p.m.
Mon Apr 15, 1:17 PM ET
By CHELSEA J. CARTER, Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Sure, there are Grammys (news - web sites) and a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There are MTV's Video Music Awards and platinum albums, too.
But Aerosmith (news - web sites)'s Steven Tyler said the ultimate accolade comes when well-known artists cover the songs that made his band a household name.
"We've had people cover our stuff for years. You can go into a lot of bars and hear it. That's an honor in itself. But then when you hear Kid Rock or Run-DMC or somebody else perform your songs, it brings it to a whole new level," Tyler told The Associated Press.
Now Tyler and his bandmates get to see it firsthand when they are honored on "mtvICON," a star-studded cover-song salute. It airs Wednesday at 9 p.m. on MTV.
Among those taking the stage to perform versions of Aerosmith's music: Kid Rock, Pink, Train, Papa Roach, Shakira and Nas. Aerosmith also performs.
The show includes testimonials from Mila Kunis of "That '70s Show" and Alicia Silverstone, who have appeared in Aerosmith videos, as well as Janet Jackson, who was the subject of the first "mtvICON" special a year ago.
Aerosmith, with its 32 music videos, was a natural choice for the honor, said Brian Graden, MTV's president for programming.
"They were one of the first to play in other genres. They embraced the infusion of rap and rock and they have continued to work with other artists," he said. "They really have become generational icons."
Guitarist Joe Perry shrugged off the icon status.
"You stick around long enough and you get noticed," he joked. "It's fun. It's another adventure for us. That's why we're doing it."
He and Tyler formed Aerosmith in 1970. They became the U.S. answer to British invasion bands like the Rolling Stones and The Who, with hits like "Dream On."
But along with success came alcohol, drugs and infighting that caused the band to split.
A sobered-up band reunited in the mid-1980s. They teamed with rappers Run-DMC for a remix of Aerosmith's signature song "Walk This Way." The success continued in the '90s. They won Grammys and hit the top of the singles charts for the first time with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (the love theme for the movie "Armageddon").
In preparation for "mtvICON," which includes Aerosmith interviews, the band members admitted to reflecting on their careers.
Tyler said one night recently before he went to bed he compiled a list of the band's ups and downs.
"Aerosmith has been eaten, beaten, cheated, ignored. We've been loved, hated, censored, quoted, banned, scanned, honored, offered, rewarded and reported. We've been seen, heard, read, near dead. So where do we see Aerosmith going?" he read from the list.
The answer, he said: "Wherever the road doesn't take us, that's where we'll be."
After three decades, Perry said he has come to recognize that his association with the band is "about the journey and getting the most out of it."
"As long as I still get goose bumps playing and watching Steven hit those high notes, I know I'm doing OK," he said.
For bassist Tom Hamilton, the show has brought the band full circle from its beginnings.
"All these things that were supposed to replace us have come and gone — disco, punk, new wave. It's all gone and we're still lingering," he said.
It's that staying power that has the attention of many performing in the show.
"If there's anybody to look up to for that, it's them. They are one of the only rock bands left from the 70s," said Papa Roach guitarist Jerry Horton. "They are still doing it and doing it well. ... We definitely are going for that kind of longevity in our careers."
Shakira said she admired not only the band's longevity but its generational fan base.
"So many people — children, older people — know who they are," she said.
Horton, whose band performs "Sweet Emotion" during the tribute, admitted to a few nerves prior to taking the stage before Aerosmith.
"I don't normally get nervous. But it's one thing to cover a song from a band, it's another to cover it while they are listening to it," he said.
Posted by Jen on Monday, April 15, 2002 @ 05:07 p.m.
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