Comedy star Matt Lucas splits from partner & other: June 2008

Monday 30 June 2008

Russian Linesman

Artist: Russian Linesman

   Genre(s):
Techno

Discography:

Gerpur

Year: 2006
Tracks: 4

Mini-Me's sex tape co-star revealed

Verne Troyer's sex tape co-star has been revealed as 22-year-old actress Ranae Shrider.

The 39-year-old Austin Powers star - who is famous for his 2ft 8in height - is seen passionately kissing Ranae in the short teaser clip posted on gossip website Tmz.com.

Ranae has lived with The Love Guru star for the past six months and is reportedly planning to marry the actor.

However, the aspiring model is less than happy about the footage emerging, and claims the home movie was stolen and illegally distributed without her knowledge or consent.

Confronted by photographers in Los Angeles yesterday, Ranae snapped: "Do I look like I should be smiling about this?"

It has been reported that celebrity porn broker Kevin Blatt - responsible for the worldwide fame of Paris Hilton's sex tape One Night In Paris - has purchased the footage and is in negotiations for its distribution.

Verne is so distressed by the footage's release that he has filed a $20 million lawsuit against Tmz.com, claiming they violated his privacy rights and infringed on his copyright and trademark by putting a teaser clip for the tape on their site.

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Sunday 29 June 2008

Organized Konfusion

Artist: Organized Konfusion

   Genre(s):
R&B: Soul
   Rap: Hip-Hop
   Other

Discography:

Best of

Year: 2005
Tracks: 20

Somehow, Someway (Single)

Year: 1997
Tracks: 6

Somehow, someway

Year: 1997
Tracks: 6

Bring It On (The Lost Rmx) 12

Year: 1996
Tracks: 4

Bring it on (the lost remix)

Year: 1996
Tracks: 4

Stress: The Extinction Agenda

Year: 1994
Tracks: 13

Stress

Year: 1994
Tracks: 6

Walk into the sun

Year: 1992
Tracks: 5

Who stole my last piece of chicken

Year: 1991
Tracks: 4

Organized Konfusion

Year: 1991
Tracks: 15

Fudge Pudge (Single)

Year: 1991
Tracks: 3

Fudge pudge

Year: 1991
Tracks: 3

The Equinox

Year:
Tracks: 20

Organized Konfusion are a Queens-based couple world Health Organization specialize in levelheaded rhymes, to the hurt of their normally lacklustre production. Formed by region friends Prince Poetry and Pharoahe Monch, world Health Organization began rhyming as Simply 2 Positive, Organized Konfusion began working with producer Paul C and scored a cope with Hollywood Records for their 1991 self-titled debut album. Three years later, the duo returned with Emphasis: The Extinction Agenda, their last album for the label. Organized Konfusion moved to the more rap-conscious Priority label for 1997's The Equinox, a song cycle following the life and times of deuce inner city teens.

Saturday 28 June 2008

Britney Can Tuck the Kids in at Night!

TMZ has learned the Commish has awarded Britney overnight visitation with her boo boos. Break out the Star Wars pjs!

Sources tell us Brit Brit, who has been slowly gaining visitation back inch by inch, has made such progress the Commish agreed in court today she's ready to have sons Jayden James and Sean Preston with her overnight.

We hear Britney's parenting coach Lisa Hacker was at the hearing today, and answered several questions from the Commish. Britney, who was all business in the courtroom, smiled as she left the courthouse.

They'll be back in court again July 15th.

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MC Lyte

Artist: MC Lyte

   Genre(s):
Rap: Hip-Hop

Discography:

Rhyme Masters

Year: 2005
Tracks: 10

Seven and Seven

Year: 1998
Tracks: 21

Bad as I Wanna B

Year: 1996
Tracks: 10

Ain't No Other

Year: 1993
Tracks: 17

Act Like You Know

Year: 1991
Tracks: 19

Eyes on This

Year: 1989
Tracks: 13

MC Lyte was one of the first gear female rappers to point out the sexism and misogynism that oft runs rampant in rap, oft taking the guinea pig head on lyrically in her songs and portion exposed the door for such future artists as Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Lyte began riming at the historic period of 12, which eventually light-emitting diode to a exclusive, "I Cram to Understand U," which light-emitting diode to a recording undertake with the First Priority judge. MC Lyte's debut full-length, Lyte As a Rock, surfaced in 1988, spell a follow-up, Eyes on This, followed a year later. Both discs are considered to be the finest of the rapper's career, particularly her soph effort, which spawned the remove single "Cha Cha Cha" (peaking at number one on the rap charts) and the anti-violence cart track "Cappucino." Lyte turned to Bell Biv DeVoe's writers and producers Wolf & Epic for her third passing overall, 1991's Pretend Like You Know, a more person music-based work than its predecessors and in 1993, issued Ain't No Other (the album's popular unmarried, "Ruffneck," earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Single and turned extinct to be the number one gold exclusive of all time achieved by a distaff rap creative person).

By the mid-'90s, Lyte had relocated to a newfangled record label, Elektra/Asylum, issuance such farther releases as 1996's Sorry As I Wanna B, which featured a duet with Missy Elliott on the data track "Cold Rock a Party," and 1998's Sevener & Seven, which included further guest appearances by Elliott, as well as Giovanni Salah and LL Cool J, the latter of which produced the data track "Play Girls Play." In addition to her have albums, MC Lyte has teamed with other artists from time to time, including Atlanta's Xscape on the Soul Train Award-winning "Keep on Keepin' On" (a data track that likewise appeared on the Sundown Park soundtrack and became Lyte's second gold single), and has well-tried playing, appearance on several TV shows, including such comedies as Moesha and In the House, plus the offense drama New York Undercover. Lyte has likewise place aside time to become active in several social projects/organizations, including anti-violence campaigns, Rock the Vote, and AIDS benefits. In 2001, Rhino Records issued the 16-track career overview The Very Best of MC Lyte. Lyte then mounted a comeback in 2003 with Da Undaground Heat, Vol. 1.

The Kills delayed by Glastonbury loo break

The Kills played an afternoon slot in the John Peel tent at Glastonbury this afternoon (June 27), although a call of nature delayed their set.

A minute after the band were introduced on stage, at 4.45pm (BST), the stage host sheepishly returned to the stage.

"They'll be on in a minute," he said. "Alison's just gone for a piss." Sure enough the duo, Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince, strolled on stage as soon as Mosshart had emptied her bladder.

The duo played a slew of songs from their recent album, 'Midnight Boom', plus hits 'Fried My Little Brains' and 'Pull A U', living up to their enigmatic image by keeping conversation to a minimum.

The Kills played:

'URA Fever'
'Pull A U'
'Sour Cherry'
'Tape Song'
'No Wow'
'Alphabet Pony'
'Wait'
'Last Day Of Magic'
'Kissy Kissy'
'Hook And Line'
'What New York Used To Be'
'Getting Down'
'Cheap And Cheerful'
'Fried My Little Brains'
'Goodnight Bad Morning'

Keep up with all the action from Glastonbury this weekend (June 27-29) as it happens on NME.COM. For news, pictures and blogs keep checking NME.COM's Glastonbury Festival page. Plus make sure you get next week's issue of NME � on UK newsstands from July 2 � for the ultimate Glastonbury review.

Stars, relatives honor special-effects wiz Winston

LOS ANGELES —

Friends, relatives and show-business colleagues gathered Sunday to remember Oscar-winning special-effects maestro Stan Winston, the man responsible for bringing the dinosaurs of "Jurassic Park" and other iconic movie creatures to life.

Winston died at his home in Malibu surrounded by family June 15 after a seven-year struggle with multiple myeloma. He was 62.

Winston's son Matt recounted his father's last day as being filled with laughter, hugs, kisses, tears and music from the Beatles. At the end of the private memorial service at the Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary, Matt played the last song Winston heard before he died: the Beatles' "All My Loving."

Colleagues including "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau, Sigourney Weaver, Tom Arnold, Ernie Hudson and Robert Patrick joined Winston's family and friends to reminisce and listen to personal stories from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rabbi Judith Halevy, brother Ronny Winston, uncle Mitchell Karlan, son-in-law Erich Litoff, and directors James Cameron and Steven Spielberg.

"What Stan did is that he took our dreams - he took all of our dreams - and he blended them with his own dreams," Spielberg told mourners in attendance. "He then workshopped those dreams with pencil, clay and later years on the computer. He would basically give life to all of our ideas. He would make them come to life."

In a career spanning four decades, Winston created some of the most memorable visual effects in cinematic history. He helped bring the dinosaurs from "Jurassic Park," the extraterrestrials from "Aliens," the robots from "Terminator" and even "Edward Scissorhands" to the big screen. He was a pioneer in merging real-world effects with computer-generated imagery.

Winston won visual effects Oscars for 1986's "Aliens," 1992's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and 1993's "Jurassic Park." He also won a makeup Oscar for 1992's "Batman Returns." He was nominated for his work on "Heartbeeps," "Predator," "Edward Scissorhands," "Batman Returns," "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" and "A.I."

Frequent collaborator Cameron told those gathered he spoke with Winston the day before he died. Cameron said Winston expressed something that he never had before: Winston told his colleague and friend that he loved him. Cameron also let "the fans speak for Stan" by reading several messages posted after Winston's death by users of the movie news and gossip Web site Ain't It Cool News.

"He inspired a generation of fans," Cameron said. "I think that just maybe the words of a bunch of people who didn't even know him personally may be his best tribute."

Winston's survivors include his wife, Karen; and his son, daughter, brother and four grandchildren.

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Paul Anka - Anka To Pen Memoirs

Songwriting legend PAUL ANKA has signed a deal to write his autobiography.

The 66-year-old - who found fame as both a singer and composer of classics such as Frank Sinatra's My Way and Tom Jones' She's a Lady - will reveal all in the memoir, to be published by St Martin's Press.

Anka says, "I just signed a deal. I'm at a stage in my life where I'm happy and content."

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Brian Scott Bennet

Artist: Brian Scott Bennet

   Genre(s):
New Age

Discography:

Music Meditation - Awaken

Year: 2001
Tracks: 4

Ainadamar, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

Osvaldo Golijov's chamber opera Ainadamar has won many fans through its Grammy award-winning recording and various stagings in America, but whether it works in concert performance is open to question.The murder of the poet Federico García Lorca by Falangist fascists early in the Spanish Civil War is the pivotal event of Golijov's piece, with the scene of his death at the ancient well of Ainadamar ("fountain of tears" in Arabic) giving its title. Told in flashback through the eyes of Lorca's friend and colleague, the actress Margarida Xirgu, the strength of David Henry Hwang's libretto lies in its combination of historical veracity and symbolic force. Xirgu - about to play the eponymous heroine of Lorca's play Mariana Pineda, an 18th-century revolutionary who died for her cause - agonises not only that Lorca foretold his martyrdom, but that she herself could have prevented it.

Soprano Dawn Upshaw realised this vividly, and the resonances with the passion of Christ and, through Xirgu and her pupil Nuria, with the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene, were potent, but the element of Lorca's persecution for his homosexuality is more confused. There is ambiguity in having the role of Lorca and his ghost sung by a mezzo-soprano (Kelley O'Connor), but the tangle of emotions across time was not always convincing in the less-than-intimate space of Symphony Hall and without recourse to the effects of proper theatrical lighting. More chilling was the Moorish inflection of Jesus Montoya's Ruiz Alonso, who orders Lorca's execution, and the incorporation of the gunshots into a rhythmic fusillade.Golijov's eclectic score was strongly delivered by Robert Spano with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Grammy award-winning lineup. However, it is a curious mix, with its undeniable Latin energy counteracted by an indulgent sentimentality sinking into the cliche of musicals, rather than conveying operatic truth.