Bob Dylan is writing a musical. The ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ singer is working on a low-budget production with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter.

The 67-year-old musician first collaborated with Hunter on his 1988 album ‘Down In The Groove’ and 10 of the 11 tracks on his latest album ‘Together Through Life’ - which was released yesterday (29.04.09) - were co-written by the rock lyricist.

Dylan said: “Hunter is an old buddy. We could probably write a hundred songs together if we thought it was important or the right reasons were there.”

“He’s got a way with words and I do too. We both write a different type of song than what passes today for songwriting. We’ll be writing a couple of other songs too, for some off-Broadway play.”

Dylan is not the only major artist working on a musical.

A ‘Spider-Man’ show written by U2 stars Bono and The Edge is due to debut on Broadway next year.

‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ will open in the New York theatre district from February 18, with previews starting from January 16.

The musical extravaganza is set to be the most expensive production in Broadway history, with total costs expected to exceed $40 million. It would have to run successfully for 8,000 years to break even.

Music-news.com April 30th 2009

Monday June 1st sees the release of “T.O.N.Y”, the brand new single from Solange & The Hadley St Dreams. Taken from her fantastic album “Sol-Angel & The Hadley Street Dreams”, which debuted at #9 in the US charts, “T.O.N.Y” is co-written by Solange and Cee-Lo from Gnarls Barkley – “I ran into Cee-Lo in a club and begged him to come and listen to the album in the car after the club, and from there he was on board. We wrote and recorded “T.O.N.Y” and “Sandcastle Disco” that next week.” Currently No.8 in the Billboard Club Play Chart in the US, ‘T.O.N.Y’ is already a dance floor smash.

Recently Solange wowed audiences and international music critics at this year’s SXSW festival where she received rave reviews from the gathered media including NME who said she “delivered a strong set and won over the crowd”. She was also invited personally by celebrity blogger Perez Hilton to play another storming live set at his closing party. UK fans will be able to see Solange perform live next month on a series of exclusive dates throughout May and June, to be announced.

A multi-talented performer, Solange has developed into a notable singer, songwriter and actress, with some fantastic achievements already under her belt. The latest talent from the Music World stable, she co-wrote Beyonce’s “Get Me Bodied” and “Upgrade You” from Beyonce “B-Day” album, “Love Off” for Kelly Rowland’s “Ms Kelly” and Michelle Williams’s club smash “We Break The Dawn”.

“If I had to describe the sound of my record”, says Solange, “I would like to think that it is as if The Supremes, The Marvelettes, Dusty Springfield and Minnie Riperton were to make the music they did in the 60’s and 70’s now with a modern touch.” Her album also includes collaborations with the likes of Pharrell, Jack Slash, The Boards Of Canada, Mark Ronson, Q-Tip, Raphael Saddiq and the legendary Lamont Dozier.”

The brand new video to T.O.N.Y is available to watch online now and features cameo appearances from Cee-Lo and Kid Cudi. A set of killer remixes are also coming, courtesy of Mark Pichiotti and Lost Daze.

‘T.O.N.Y’ will be released on 1st June through Music World.

Rood Media April 30th 2009

Police in Los Angeles have agreed to return jewellery taken as evidence on the night singer Rihanna was allegedly attacked by boyfriend Chris Brown.

Rihanna’s lawyer said police had agreed to photograph the items and return them to the designers who had lent them to the 21-year-old star.

The jewellery had been held since the attack, which allegedly took place in Brown’s car before this year’s Grammys.

Mr Brown, 19, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of assault.

The R&B singer is also charged with making criminal threats. A preliminary hearing is expected next month.

Rihanna is to get her million dollar jewellery back.

The jewellery - earrings and three rings - had been held by police since the attack and logged as evidence, Rihanna’s attorney Donald Etra said on Wednesday.

He said Rihanna “felt bad” about being unable to return the items, worth an estimated $1.4m (£1m).

Probation

Mr Brown, 19, was arrested after rowing with Rihanna in a parked car in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles.

The alleged incident reportedly left the Barbados-born star with facial injuries that forced her to cancel a scheduled performance at the Grammys later that day.

If convicted, the possible sentence for Mr Brown could range from probation to more than four years in prison.

“The hope is that the parties can resolve the matter without the necessity for a preliminary hearing or trial,” said Rihanna’s attorney Donald Etra.

“But apparently, it looks like we’re on track for a preliminary hearing.”

Neither Rihanna or Mr Brown were in court on Wednesday when the agreement regarding the jewellery was reached.

BBC Entertainment 30 April 2009

A US judge has ordered Britney Spears’ former manager Sam Lutfi to stay away from the star for three years.

Lawyer Jon Eardley was also told not to contact the singer, threaten her, or attempt to act on her sons’ behalf.

But the Los Angeles Superior Court’s orders were not extended to her father Jamie, who is looking after the affairs of the 27-year-old.

Both Lutfi and Eardley have said they will appeal against the rulings, which were recommended by Spears’ lawyer.

Samuel Ingham, who was appointed by the court on the star’s behalf, said the move was in her “best interests”.

‘Predators’

Spears’ father and his legal team began moves to seek protection from the two men in January, arguing they had conspired with the singer’s former boyfriend Adnan Ghalib to undermine Mr Spears’ control of her interests.

Last month, Ghalib was issued with a three-year restraining order by the courts.

In a series of hearings, Spears’ hairdresser testified that the singer had told her she was scared of Lutfi.

But the pop star did not appear in court, despite petitions from both Lutfi and Eardley.

Mr Spears’ lawyer Joel Boxer said the restraining order request was necessary to protect the singer from “people who I think are fairly characterised as predators”.

Lutfi’s lawyer said that Spears had asked for his help and he had simply obliged.

“Never before in the history of the world has a restraining order been issued against someone who merely responded to cries for help,” Bryan J Freedman said.

Last month, Eardley challenged the legitimacy of Jamie Spears’ conservatorship in legal papers.

He claims the star’s father is misusing a statute meant for the elderly or severely disabled adults to protect a singer who is currently on an international concert tour.

BBC Entertainment April 29th 2009

Joaquin Phoenix is “dedicated” to his rap career, according to Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess.

The singer - who has worked with the actor on previous musical projects - insists his friend’s change in direction is serious, despite claims his hip-hop career is a stunt for a spoof documentary.

He said: “Have you seen that film where he plays Johnny Cash, ‘Walk The Line’? He’s just like that. Actually, he is really dedicated to whatever cause, whether it’s the music or acting. I’ve seen him do music then have to go off and do a film and he’s more focused than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

“With his new thing, I think historically when he was a kid he used to rap and stuff like that.”

Joaquin’s new career has been the subject of much speculation he is staging an elaborate hoax due to his increasingly strange behaviour - which includes throwing a tantrum after his documentary crew were late to a sound check, attacking a fan and giving a bizarre incoherent interview to David Letterman - and Tim says even he is unsure of the truth.

The rocker added to BANG Showbiz: “I have no idea what’s going on right now because everyone’s sworn to secrecy, even friends of his I know. I mean I’ve not seen him for two years, but whatever’s happening is happening and I think its going the way he wants it to go.”

Music-news.com April 29th 2009

Amy Winehouse is moving permanently to St. Lucia.

The troubled singer has spent the majority of the year on the Caribbean island and, after feeling isolated after briefly returning to the UK last month, has decided to make her home there.

A source said: “Amy is fed up with the stress and trauma that comes with being in London.”

“She has made so many friends in St. Lucia and says it feels like home. When she returned to the UK in March she felt like an outsider.”

Amy - who moved away from North London to the quieter area of Barnet to escape her hard-partying friends when she returned from her original extended vacation - has been house-hunting since returning to the island and has finally found her dream home.

The source added to Britain’s The Sun newspaper: “She has her heart set on one house in particular. It is massive, right on the beach and has its own big garden too.”

Amy’s record company have reportedly decided to embrace the star’s desire to start a new life in St. Lucia. Label bosses are planning to finance a recording studio in her new home, so she can work on new tracks for the follow up to award-winning album ‘Back to Black’.

Music-news.com April 29th 2009

Scrabull releases his debut single, ‘Bad Boys,’ on May 25th, through Seventy Recordings.

Stripped to minimal percussion, ‘Bad Boys’ rallies against the view that gang culture equates recognition and success: “I wanted to play on the stereotypical outlook the subject matter suggests,” says Scrabull, “and highlight alternative paths in life. You don’t need to carry a weapon to command status. Does that really make you a bigger figure?”

It was in the local church hall, usually against a backdrop of rare groove, lovers’ rock, soul and calypso, that Scrabull discovered his taste for debate. Listening to the discussions of his family, his father recognised a curiosity in the youngster, introducing his son to written and spoken word.

By seventeen, Scrabull was experimenting on decks and freestyling on the mic. Influenced by old toasters like Spragga Benz, Mr Vegas, Mad Cobra and Berris Hammond he spent time working on graphics, cutting designs in mates’ hair and searching for an outlet for his music.

Whilst wielding a set of clippers, he met master barber, musician, DJ and aspiring producer, Kriss Kutt. The duo soon forged a strong bond and found themselves either holed up in a studio until the early hours, on stage at nights like Tracks and Penthouse or on pirate stations like Perception and Warrior FM.

“It’s been hard work, but we’re making our own sound,” says Scrabull. “It’s not just hip hop or RnB – we love folk, country, reggae and rock.”

His upcoming debut album, ‘True Brit Language’ is the fruit of this long-seeded collaboration, an album drawn from a wealth of musical influences, with visceral and intelligent lyrics delivered with integrity, humour, wit and flair.

Scrabull’s debut single, ‘Bad Boys,’ is released on 25 May. Meanwhile, Scabull’s debut album ‘True Brit Language,’ will be out this summer.

http://www.myspace.com/scrabull

Emms Publicity April 29th 2009

Pop star Prince has revealed for the first time that he was “born epileptic” and how his parents struggled to cope with his fits.

The 50-year-old gave a rare interview to US talk show host Tavis Smiley to promote his latest three-disc album.

“My mother and father didn’t know what to do or how to handle it but they did the best they could with what little they had,” he said.

The Purple Rain star also revealed he was “teased a lot” at school.

Strained relationship

He recalled how as a child he believed divine intervention had helped him overcome the illness.

“My mother told me one day I walked in to her and said, ‘Mum, I’m not going to be sick anymore.’”

“She said ‘Why?’ and I said ‘Because an angel told me so.’ Now, I don’t remember saying it, that’s just what she told me.”

He also revealed that before the seizures stopped he tried to “compensate” for the illness by being “as noisy as I could and be as flashy as I could”.

The musician has alluded to the condition before in 1992 album track The Sacrifice Of Victor, which contained the lyric: “Epileptic ’til the age of seven.”

In the CD booklet, the word “true” was printed in mirror writing next to this line.

About a third of childhood epilepsies disappear at adulthood, according to Epilepsy Action.

During the interview the star also talked about his strained relationship with his father and how he was forced to keep his piano playing a secret from him.

“I wasn’t allowed to play it when he was there because I wasn’t as good as him.”

“So when he left, I was determined to get as good as him.”

BBC News April 29th 2009

Taylor Swift has warned her enemies that she uses her songs to take revenge against them.

The teen singer said she first realised she could lyrically fight back when she was bullied at school at the age of 10.

She said: “I guess that’s something everyone goes through. But it hit me really hard because I had this big group of cool friends and then one day they just decided not to be friends with me anymore.”

“I don’t know why - in fact, I still don’t. The one thing I had to hold on to was that I could go home afterwards and write a song about it. One of the great joys about it was that it enabled me to have the last word.”

She added: “And I still feel like that now. If someone hurts you and you write a song about it, and that song is going to be played on the radio and everywhere, well that’s just the best revenge you can possibly imagine.”

Swift raised £818 ($1,200) for charity earlier this month after putting her prom dress up for auction.

Music-news.com April 29th 2009

Lawyers for Chris Brown are seeking to have the assault case against him dismissed as they say leaks in the case are ‘outrageous governmental misconduct’.

Brown is accused of assaulting his girlfriend Rihanna on February 8 after the pair got into an argument after leaving a party.

Following the alleged assault, a picture taken by police of a bruised Rihanna was leaked online, prompting the LAPD to launch an internal investigation.

“The leaks can form the basis for a motion to dismiss the case in regards to outrageous governmental misconduct,” Brown’s attorney Mark Geragos told E! News today (April 29).

A delay in the case was granted by a judge today, with the next hearing set for May 28, when it will be decided if there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial. However, a plea deal may be reached before then.

As reported earlier today, Rihanna is to get back the loaned jewellery she was wearing that night. It was held by police as evidence in the case. Today it was agreed that photographs of the jewellery, worth $1.4 million, will serve as evidence.

NME.com April 29th 2009