Locals look inside the car in which TLC band member Lisa Lopes was killed when it was involved in a collision on a road near the Honduran coastal town of La Ceiba, April 26, 2002. Lopes was killed after the rental SUV she was driving in with members of her family and another R&B band rolled. Lopes often traveled to Honduras on vacation. Photo by La Prensa/Reuters
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Posted by Jen on Friday, April 26, 2002 @ 06:10 p.m.
Genie In A Bottle star Christina Aguilera has revealed surprise details about her forthcoming album, the follow-up to her self-titled debut, a Christmas album and Spanish language album Mi Reflejo.
Speaking in the May issue of Allure Magazine in the US, Christina revealed she is moving in a new direction and taking real control for the first time. 'I'm getting to do my own material and letting people know that there's an artist behind the singer,' she said. Most of the album will be written and produced by the two-time Grammy-winner as she moves away from pure pop.
She also revealed R&B legend Etta James had proved to be a special inspiration, saying, 'I did a cover of hers, At Last, on tour, and I'm doing one on my album: I Prefer You - a sassy up-tempo song.'
Other possible tracks for the new release include Beautiful, Cruise, Make Me Over, Don't Make Me Over and Can't Hold Us Down, an R&B style girl power track. The chorus includes the lyrics, 'What do we do, girls? / Shout louder!'
Expect strong messages and harsh lyrics this time around. Fighter deals with backstabbing friends while another track, described by Christina as a 'twisted lullaby' tackles domestic violence.
It's also been reported that Aguilera has covered the '80s soul hit Sign Your Name by UK artist Terence Trent D'Arby.
Another track titled, titled Infatuation, has already been given a public airing. Christina unveiled the possible future single during her performance at the closing ceremonies of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City earlier this year. Infatuation was co-written by Aguilera and producer Scott Storch, who has previously worked with Dr Dre.
It's looking increasingly likely Aguilera will cover different styles of music judging by the variety of writers and co-producers she's been working with. Studio cohorts assisting in the creation of new material include ex-4 Non Blondes singer Linda Perry (Pink), Glen Ballard (No Doubt / Aerosmith / No Doubt) and Dallas Austin (Madonna).
The album does not yet have a title or a release date scheduled for the UK or US.
Posted by Jen on Friday, April 26, 2002 @ 04:21 p.m.
Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes died in a place that she loved. For years, the 30-year-old member of the Grammy-winning trio TLC would escape to her condo on Honduras' northern coast, attending a nearby healing village and returning "spiritually cleansed," her publicist said today (April 26).
Lopes was in Honduras most recently with her brother, sister, and several members of a little-known R&B band called Egypt when she was killed yesterday evening. The driver of her rental car lost control and crashed on a highway near Jutiapa, 150 miles north of Tegucigalpa, the capital, and a few miles from her condo. It wasn't clear who was driving.
"The car rolled for reasons that we still don't know, and that are being investigated," police spokesperson Luis Aguilar said.
Lopes was killed instantly, according to her publicist, and the seven others in the car sustained non-life-threatening injuries: three members of the band Egypt; Lopes' brother and sister; and two producers working on a multimedia project with Lopes.
They were taken to a hospital in nearby La Ceiba, and are expected to be released in a few days. Lopes' body was taken to La Ceiba, where it was being prepared to be flown to the U.S.
Lopes often spent weeks or months in Honduras, and had purchased her condo near a healing village that promotes and practices a form of African herbal medicine. "She absolutely loved the country," her publicist said. "She wanted to live there."
She had traveled to Honduras most recently to work on a line of clothing and finish up a book about her life, the publicist noted. She also wanted to introduce members of the band Egypt to the healing village. "It was something very personal to her," the publicist said. "And it was something she liked to share with people. Lisa loved to travel, loved to find new places. She loved cultures that were really truly spiritual."
Posted by Jen on Friday, April 26, 2002 @ 04:17 p.m.
SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Two years ago, Rob Zombie learned that music from his triple platinum 1998 album ``Hellbilly Deluxe'' had been used without his permission for a Mazda Truck TV commercial. Upon first hearing from fans about the commercial, Zombie believed that they were mistaken, but after viewing the TV spot himself, he realized it was true. Zombie immediately called his attorney, Jeffrey Light, and proceeded with a law suit.
``They [Mazda and The Doner Agency] don't seem to understand that once the cat's out of the bag it's hard to get him back in there,'' Zombie explains. ``It's like [my policy is] 'I don't do this' and then there's a car commercial running on television with my music. How do you explain to every kid that you didn't sell out and didn't do exactly what you said you weren't going to do? Basically it's a question of what your reputation is worth. And Mazda takes it so lightly -- like, 'Oh, whatever.' And I just don't see it that way.''
``It is a colossal shame that these people have stolen this music,'' says Light. ``Rob is a guy who has stood as far apart from corporate America as any artist I've ever worked with and for somebody to come along and unilaterally say, 'We're just going to take this music and deal with the aftermath later -- fix it with a dollar figure,' is not really my idea of responsible corporate citizenship.''
After two years of preliminary court proceedings, the case will finally make it to trial in mid-July. Mazda has refrained from commenting on the case or making any settlement offers to Zombie and company. Among the issues to be resolved before a judge are whether Doner willfully stole the music from the original recording, whether Mazda was complicit in that theft and/or whether the original music was used by mistake on the part of the ad agency. Whatever explanations are posited, copyright infringement is only part of the issue. For Zombie, it's a case of corporate infringement on principles that he holds dear.
``Someone like Britney Spears doesn't have any integrity to maintain so it doesn't matter -- she's a corporate puppet from the get-go,'' Zombie observes. ``But for people who AREN'T, it's different. I don't want to play that song live and see the kids go,'Hey! It's the truck song!' Corporate America doesn't understand that some people actually have values about things. Everything isn't for sale.''
Posted by Jen on Friday, April 26, 2002 @ 04:15 p.m.
LOS ANGELES, April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Industry veteran Henry Winkler and Producer Michael Levitt have been named the new Executive Producers for King World Productions' daily syndicated series Hollywood Squares. The duo will produce episodes to begin airing in the series' fifth season, which kicks-off in September 2002.
``This is incredibly exciting,'' exclaimed CBS Enterprises and King World CEO Roger King. ``Nobody knows the classic format of Hollywood Squares better than we do, and, with the addition of the Winkler/Levitt team's expertise in talent relations, writing and producing, the show's going to be more fun to watch than ever.''
Recognized the world over for his role as the ``Fonz'' on Happy Days, in recent years Mr. Winkler has served as an Executive Producer and Director on many award-winning television projects, including the hit series MacGyver, which he co-executive produced for seven seasons. In 1984, Winkler founded Fair Dinkum, a production company through which he served as Executive Producer for the FOX series Sightings, currently airing on the Sci Fi Channel, So Weird for the Disney Channel and various ABC After School Specials and CBS Schoolbreak Specials. He also has directed episodes of the popular primetime series Sabrina, The Teenage Witch and feature films, such as Cop and a Half starring Burt Reynolds. In addition, Mr. Winkler, a two-time Golden Globe Award winner and four-time Emmy Award nominee, has continued his acting career in the feature films Nightshift, Wes Craven's Scream and The Water Boy, and has guest-starred on television favorites The Practice and Law & Order: SVU. Most recently, he starred on Broadway in Neil Simon's The Dinner Party.
``I'm thrilled to become part of one of television's most beloved syndicated series, and to be teaming with Michael Levitt, whose energetic imagination will make our work together not only fun but a productive collaboration that I look forward to,'' said Winkler.
Levitt has produced top televised entertainment specials, including The Billboard Music Awards from 1997-2001, The Blockbuster Awards from 1997-2001, The Teen Choice Awards from 1999-2001 and the 2001 TV Guide Awards. In 1999, Levitt founded Michael Levitt Productions, and under this banner produced the 2001 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards, Britney Spears: There's No Place Like Home, Britney in Hawaii and *NSYNC *Ntimate Holiday Special, among others.
``To be partnered with someone as talented and highly regarded as Henry Winkler is not only an honor but a privilege,'' said Levitt. ``I'm delighted to be working together on this franchise that truly is a part of American pop culture.''
Entering its fifth season in September 2002, Hollywood Squares has been renewed through the 2003-2004 season. The series is currently co-produced by King World Productions, Inc. and Columbia TriStar Television in association with Moffitt-Lee Productions and One Ho Productions. It is distributed by King World to 166 stations representing more than 87% percent of the U.S., and is distributed worldwide by CBS Broadcast International. In addition, the series' format is sold around the world by King World International Productions, a subsidiary of CBS Broadcast International.
King World Productions, Inc. ranks among the premier production and distribution companies in domestic television syndication. Its products include such landmark first-run programs as Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, the two highest-rated series in syndication, and daytime's #1 talk series, The Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as Inside Edition, The Ananda Lewis Show, Martha Stewart Living, Bob Vila's Home Again and CBS Marketwatch Weekend. Additionally, King World distributes the hit CBS network series, Everybody Loves Raymond, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and other primetime favorites. In September 2002, it will launch the new, highly anticipated, daily syndicated series, Dr. Phil.
Winkler and Levitt are represented by ICM. The agreement was brokered by Cal Boyington.
Posted by Jen on Friday, April 26, 2002 @ 04:13 p.m.
LONDON (Reuters) - The Beatles look set to top the charts next week at an auction in London of pop memorabilia dating back to the hallucinogenic heyday of the 1960s.
"The market in pop memorabilia is very buoyant at the moment, and the Beatles are especially strong. They are at the top of the tree," auction house Christie's pop specialist Sarah Hodgson told Reuters Friday at a preview of the collection.
Centerpieces of the auction are a draft manuscript of Paul McCartney's chart topping ballad "Hey Jude," which is expected to fetch up to $116,200, and two previously unreleased recordings by John Lennon expected to fetch a similar sum.
Publicity postcards, record covers, fan magazines, autographs, posters, pictures, drawings and autographs charting the Fab Four's rise to fame from Liverpool's Cavern Club to New York are also up for grabs.
While the Beatles may be top of pops at the auction on Tuesday, they are at the head of a strong line-up that includes stars ranging from Andy Warhol to Elton John, Carlos Santana and Bob Dylan.
A 1967 Gibson J-160E guitar and its battered carrying case owned by Noel Redding, bassist for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, is expected to fetch over $30,000.
An eight-page hand-written letter from Rolling Stones founder member Brian Jones to a fan in 1963, and detailed questionnaires completed by each band member will also vie strongly for attention.
All five members of the Rolling Stones -- except Jones, who was found dead in his swimming pool six years later -- included "girls" among their likes. Jones said his favorites were "sleeping" and "getting out of London."
Stones guitarist and fellow song-writer Keith Richards, whose drug and alcohol-fueled lifestyle were the stuff of legend, describes his eye color as "brown (and bloodshot)."
"The letter and the questionnaires are wonderful. They give a real insight into the characters in the group," said Hodgson.
A selection of letters and cards to Bob Dylan dating from a visit he made to London in 1965, is likely to go for around $9,000 pounds.
A suit and gaudy pink shirt owned by Elton John jostle for position with a tan sweater owned by Eric Clapton, a red sweater worn by Elvis Presley in the film Viva Las Vegas and a pair of black trousers worn by U2 singer Bono.
Reuters/Variety
Posted by Jen on Friday, April 26, 2002 @ 04:11 p.m.
Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, the most flamboyant and outspoken member of the multi-platinum trio TLC, has died according to a spokesperson for the group's label, Arista Records. Lopes was 31.
Additional details were unavailable, however CNN.com reports that Lopes perished in a car accident late Thursday night while she was vacationing in Honduras.
"We had all grown up together and were as close as a family. Today we have truly lost our sister," Lopes' TLC partners Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas said in a statement released to CNN.
Six other people were reportedly traveling with Lopes at the time of the accident, all of whom escaped injury.
Born in Philadelphia, Left Eye later moved to Atlanta where she formed TLC with Watkins and Thomas. The trio’s 1992 debut LP, Ooooooohhh...On the TLC Tip, spawned the top ten hits "Baby-Baby-Baby," "Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg," and "What About Your Friends."
The group's hip-pop beats -- provided by Jermaine Dupri and Dallas Austin -- and their identifiable b-girl style captivated fans, helping the trio become instant stars. With condoms on their clothes, their hats shifted to the back and their sagging, baggy pants, TLC exuded girl powered audacity. As the resident rapper among two singers, Left Eye immediately stood out.
Two years later, TLC proved their staying power with the blockbuster LP Crazysexycool. The group expanded its message while expanding its fanbase, offering songs like "Creep" (exploring relationship infidelity) and "Waterfalls" (which addressed a number society's ills).
Away from the studio, the trio brought the drama that would keep the world fixated on them. In the five years between Crazysexycool and their third LP, Fan Mail, the group publicly quarreled amongst themselves, fought with their former manager, Pebbles, and their record label, declared bankruptcy, and disclosed life-threatening illnesses among other things. Lopes upped the controversy even further when she set fire to the home of her her on again-off again boyfriend, football star, Andre Rison in 1994.
Throughout it all, Left Eye held her head high and spoke her mind on everything. No matter how outrageous the situation, Left Eye would seem to trump it with an even more outrageous opinion. More than any other member of the group, Left Eye became a character, and what she did off stage, became just as (if not more interesting) than what she did onstage.
Last year, Lopes was engaged in another beef with her label when they decided not to release her long-talked about solo debut Supernova domestically (see "Left Eye Plans To Stream Delayed Album"). Although TLC were said to be working on the their fourth LP for months (see "Reconciled TLC Recording New Album, Solo Projects"), Lopes dropped another shocker at the beginning of this year when she announced that she had aligned herself with Suge Knight’s Tha Row label. Lopes said that she would record a new solo album in Los Angeles under the name N.I.N.A. While "Nina" is slang for a 9 mm handgun, Left Eye said her Row moniker stood for "New Identity Non-Applicable" (see "Left Eye Signs With Suge Knight's Tha Row" ).
There is no word yet on how much material Left Eye recorded for her new solo album or for the next TLC project or what plans (if any) there are for the release of those albums.
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