State Circuit Judge Jack Early has been told by special administrators appointed to look into the handling of
James Brown's estate that former trustee David Cannon may have misappropriated up to $7 million of the singer's
money. Cannon was ordered to pay $350,000 back to the estate last month and has now been ordered to pay an additional
$370,000 in the next 10 days and $30,000 (in attorney fees) in 20 days as well as to produce other documents. An
attorney for several of Brown's adult children is seeking to remove all 3 of the trustees and have the special
administrators appointed to handle the estate. The judge also ruled that attorneys general in Georgia and South
Carolina can intervene on behalf of needy children who are supposed to benefit from Brown's "I Feel Good"
Trust. A motion has been filed by a woman claiming to be Brown's daughter to have all those named in Brown's will
as his child to take a DNA test.
According to the NY Post, Jimmy Buffett has filed a lawsuit against Six Flags claiming that their "Carrothead
Club" (for young fans of Bugs Bunny) infringes on Buffett's "Parrothead" community.
Elton John is facing an investigation from child porn police after a photo he donated to an art exhibition was
seized by cops. John has responded to requests for information about the photo at his Web site saying that it has
been exhibited around the world without issue in the past. "The photograph entitled 'Klara and Edda belly-dancing'
(1998) is one of 149 images comprising the 'Thanksgiving' installation by renowned U.S. photographer Nan Goldin."
Music producer Phil Spector saw his murder trial end in a mistrial on Wednesday (Sept. 26th) due to a deadlocked
jury on the 12th day of deliberations. District Attorney Steve Cooley issued a statement, "We will seek the
court's permission to retry the case and begin immediately to prepare for retrial." A hearing for the case
was set for Oct. 3rd.
Reba McEntire's new studio album, Reba Duets, selling 301,000 copies in its debut on the Billboard 200 album chart
both taking the #1 spot on the chart for the first time and setting a new personal record for most first-week sales.
Barry Manilow's The Greatest Songs Of The Seventies debuted at #4 becoming his third top 5 album in a row.
Ian Brown's new studio album, The World Is Yours, debuted at #4 on U.K. Album chart. Phil Collins' Hits climbed
2 spots to #8 while Luciano Pavarotti's The Ultimate Collection fell to #16.
Reba McEntire's Reba Duets debuted at #5 on the Canadian Album chart. Bon Jovi's Lost Highway fell from #3 to #12
in 14 weeks on the chart followed by Mark Knopfler's Kill To Get Crimson at #13 and Paul Anka's Classic Songs My
Way at #17.
Information Society's new studio album, Synthesizer, has debuted on the German Alternative Chart at #10. The album
will be released in the U.S. and Canada on Oct. 9th and Europe on Oct. 5th.
Taylor Dayne's latest single, "I'm Not Featuring You," has taken the #3 spot on the Billboard Hot Dance
Club Play Charts.
John Mellencamp, the Beastie Boys, Madonna, Donna Summer, Chic and Leonard Cohen are among the nominees for induction
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
Bono was awarded the prestigious Liberty Medal for his humanitarian efforts by the National Constitution Center
which honors leadership in the pursuit of global freedom. Bono's DATA organization will receive a $100,000 donation
in conjunction with the award.
Darryl McDaniel (DMC of Run-DMC) has won an Emmy at the 28th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards for his
VH1 rockumentary DMC: My Adoption Journey.
Deborah Gibson's recent feature film, Coffee Date, has been released on DVD and can be found at Netflix, Amazon.com,
CDUniverse.com or at TLAReleasing.com.
Melissa Belland of Voice Of The Beehive is one of the winners of The Ultimate Connection Contest. Winners met with
Ivanka Trump in person and received a $25,000 Yahoo! Search Marketing campaign budget. Belland runs MadeInHeavenByMissy.com
where she sells her clay and porcelain fairy creations.
Poison's Bret Michaels ended the successful VH1 series Rock of Love on Sunday choosing Jes to be his "rock-star
girlfriend." For those that are upset they missed the finale, a reunion show is expected this week.
Simply Red will release "The World And You Tonight" as their next single on Oct. 29th. The CD single
will include the bonus live tracks "Debris," "Stay" and "So Not Over You." The live
tracks were exclusively recorded for Sirius Satellite radio in April.
Ozzy Osbourne is asking fans to help select the next single from his Black Rain album. You can do so by visiting
http://www.ozzy.com/node/16174
Bassist Paul Ryder of the Happy Mondays has a new project called Big Arm. "Sunrays" has been released
as the second single from Big Arm's debut album, Radiator. "Flashbacks" was the first single from the
album, due out Oct. 15th.
Whitney Houston is scheduled to release her new retrospective, Whitney: The Ultimate Collection, on Oct. 29th in
the U.K. A DVD version of the Ultimate Collection will be released on the same date featuring 21 video clips and
many extras. Reports that the diva has signed a new deal with Arista Records valued at $100 million have surfaced
while contrary citations claim she is still under an existing deal she signed in 2001 with Sony BMG. What is known
is that her financial arrangements have been adjusted allowing her to be compensated enough to continue to work.
She's expected to return to the studio shortly to resume recording on her next album.
The Rolling Stones' other guitarist Ron Wood is also releasing an autobiography. Ron Wood: The Autobiography is
due out on Oct. 30th. Meanwhile, the band's A Bigger Bang Tour has been certified by the Guinness Book of World
Records as the most successful music tour with $437 million earned over two years. Madonna was also added to the
record book for her $200 million-grossing Confessions tour earning her the title of world's most successful female
touring artist.
Progress on UB40's upcoming new studio album is going well and they have announced an early 2008 release date for
it.
Martin Scorsese has already finished documentary films on the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan and now plans to produce
and direct one on the late George Harrison. Archival material for the film is already being assembled as well as
extensive interviews.
Ratt frontman Stephen Pearcy is finishing work on his third solo album, Under My Skin, which will be released on
his Top Fuel Records label. One song, "You're A Lot Like Me," from the album is currently up on his MySpace
page. Pearcy kicks off his Metal In America XXX-Mas Tour in late November/early December.
Paul Simon has recorded a guest appearance on a song on Wyclef Jean's new studio album, Carnival II: Memoirs Of
An Immigrant, due out Dec. 4th.
David Gilmour has spoken out about rumors Pink Floyd will reunite. He has said that he's more interested in getting
back to recording his new album (which he was in the middle of when Live 8 came along.)
Danger Danger have signed a new recording deal with Frontier Records for the release of a new studio album in 2008.
Marillion have returned to the recording studio to work on new tracks for what will be their 15th album. The group
also recorded a version of "Let It Snow" for this year's Web Fan Club Christmas CD.
Expect to see your television invaded by Duran Duran in the next few months as, among other appearances, they are
confirmed to perform on Good Morning America on Nov. 16th. The group have also announced a 9-show run at the Barrymore
Theater on Broadway in New York which will feature hits and a complete performances of their new album, Red Carpet
Massacre, due out Nov. 13th. Meanwhile, the Israeli Tourism Board has approached the group about being able to
use their 1981 instrumental song, "Tel Aviv," in a 2008 tourism campaign.
Pam Tillis' first holiday album, Just In Time For Christmas, will be released via her own Stellar Cat label on
Nov. 13th.
The Flaming Lips are nearing completion on their long-awaited film project, Christmas On Mars, with a possible
spring release. Their hopes are to premiere the flick at the South By Southwest film and music festivals next March.
The band have also contributed music to the upcoming film, The Heartbreak Kid, and written and recorded the theme
song to an upcoming Disney cartoon.
The Jesus And Mary Chain will release "All Things Must Pass" as a new single. The song is also marked
for inclusion in the soundtrack to NBC's Heroes.
Kurt Cobain About A Son, a new documentary based on more than 25 hours of previously-unheard audio-taped interviews
conducted with music journalist Michael Azerrad, will be screened on Oct. 3rd at the IFC Film Center in New York.
Toto's Steve Lukather and David Paich haven't spoken in over 6 months. The rift is reportedly over a fake Toto
band performing a fake track in a recent TV commercial. Paich wrote the song that was used but the band didn't
want to do the commercial.
Plimsouls bassist Eddie Munoz, Flamin' Groovies guitarist Cyril Jordan and Blondie drummer Clem Burke have a new
project with vocalist Paul Kopf called Magic Christian. The band have just ended their Northwest tour and have
been writing material for their sophomore album.
Metal Mind Productions plans to reissue Diamond Head's 1982 album, Borrowed Time, and 1983's Canterbury, on Oct.
15th.
Annie Lennox releases her fourth solo album, Songs Of Mass Destruction, this week. Lennox recently told Billboard.com
that she hopes to be more prolific in the future with her children a little older and a home studio to work in.
Graham Nash is finishing work on an upcoming 65-track career retrospective box set entitled Reflection due in February.
The set includes his work with the Hollies, CSN and solo recordings as well unreleased tracks.
Toyah will release her new single, "Latex Messiah," as a digital download on Oct. 29th. The song is the
first single from her upcoming album, In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, due out in the spring.
B.J. Thomas will be shipping out copies of his new 12-track studio album, Love To Burn, on Oct. 5th. Pre-orders
are available at BJThomasMusicStore.com. An actual street date for the album, his first new studio release in 7
years, has not been announced.
Liberation Entertainment will release Dee Vee Dee -- Sparks At The London Forum on DVD on Nov. 26th. The concert
was recorded before a sold-out audience on Sept. 30, 2006 and features music from their latest album, Hello Young
Lovers.
Former Byrds vocalist Gene Clark will see the release of a collection of 80's and 90's music via Collectors' Choice
Music on Oct. 30th.
U.K. metal act Tank will see the release of a complete discography, The Filth Hounds Of Hades: Dogs Of War 1981-2002,
on Nov. 19th. The set will be released in two editions: a 6 LP box and a 9 disc box (8-CDs + DVD.) The group's
albums were remastered using a 24-bit process for this release.
Punk bassist Mikey "Offender" Donaldson, 46, of the Offenders, M.D.C. and D.R.I. passed away in his sleep
on Sept. 22nd in Barcelona, Spain, of unknown causes. Donaldson left the music industry for nearly a decade before
reuniting with the Offenders in 2002 and MDC in 2003 (recording a new album, Magnum Dominus Corpus, the following
year.)