Bodyguard blunder causes injury to Beyonce
It happens to the best of us right where someone accidently steps on your toe and it hurts like hell but seldom does it break but in the case of R&B diva Beyonce Knowles that was exactly the case.
You see her bodyguard who weighs in at more than 300lbs trod on the sexy diva's toe while trying to protect her from a crowd of fans seeking pictures and autographs.The songstress was walking through a revolving door during a shopping spree in New York when her massive protector "Shortie" lost his balance.
An onlooker says, "There were some fans on his tail and he was too busy watching them to see where he was putting his feet."
"Beyonce let out a shriek and hobbled back to her car, wincing in pain. She looked angry at first, but then she burst out laughing because you would have thought she had been shot by the way he was reacting."
Doctors have told the singer to take it easy for a couple of weeks and she is being looked after by "Shortie," who is said to be mortified that he caused his boss so much pain.
A friend says, "Beyonce knows that Shortie is there to protect her and she also knows that he will always do his best to be by her side."
- - Source: spotlightonR&B.com
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Beenie Man homophobic lyrics lands him in court
Dancehall superstar Beenie Man could be investigated by British Police for one of his songs that has homophobic lyrics. The Crown Prosecution Service and a leading UK barrister (lawyer) are meeting to discuss whether charges can be brought against the Jamaican reggae star.
J-Flag, the Jamaican gay rights group, believes that violent lyrics have contributed to attacks upon and even the murders of gay men and lesbians in his native land but now sees that some action can now be taken on the part of the artists with protest.
Puma, the sportswear company, last week announced that it would not support singers who performed songs with anti-gay lyrics or made "hate statements of any sort", following controversy over Buju Banton's appearance at an Olympics show it was sponsoring.
Last week the tobacco giant RJ Reynolds dropped Beenie Man from a tour it had organised in the US, saying it did not "tolerate this or any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation".
Peter Tatchell, a spokesman for the gay rights group Outrage!, said yesterday: "The campaign against murder music is escalating across the US and Europe. We're teaching these singers that inciting homophobic violence does not pay. It is costing them dear in lost revenue and income."
But a prosecution over the lyrics would be contentious, with complicating factors including arguments over free speech, varying translations of the patois Beenie Man uses and the question of who should face charges for which offences.
- Source: VH1.com
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Top artists pay tribute to Luther with Jazz comp.
The tributes just keep on coming for R&B crooner Luther Vandross, who nearly lost his life to a diabetes-related stroke more than a year ago.
The latest tribute is an album titled Forever, For Always, For Luther, uniting some of today's top singers and musicians from R&B and contemporary jazz world. The all-star effort celebrates the music of Luther Vandross and helps to raise the awareness of the disease that strickened the beloved singer - diabetes.
Guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr., playing the Luther Vandross hit "Never Too Much," is one of 11 smooth jazz giants contributing to the album. Singer Lalah Hathaway, daughter of the late Donny Hathaway, will reworks his classic 'Forever, For Always, For Love'.
Like other artists on the CD, Jackson is a close friend of Luther and collaborator who wanted to give something back to the man who gave us such memorable hits such as 'See Me ', 'Bad Boy', 'Give Me The Reason' and 'She's so good to me'.Trumpeter Rick Braun performs the title song from the album that earned Luther Vandross four Grammy Awards in 2004, 'Dance With My Father'.
At 53, Luther Vandross is making progress towards a full recovery. In the meantime, Verve Music Group and The American Diabetes Association are inviting fans to Write A Love Letter To Luther' by going to www.luthervandross.com or www.diabetes.org. The campaign was launched on 'Luther Vandross Day' in Manhattan on August 4.
Part of the proceeds from sales of Forever, For Always, For Luther will go towards diabetes research and education.
- Source: voanews.com
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The next Destiny's Child studio album, which hits stores Nov. 16 via Columbia, will capitalize on CD/DVD flip-side technology, according to the group's manager, Mathew Knowles. The audio side will feature songs by the group, as well as turns by the individual members. Flip it over, and you have a DVD.
Knowles made the announcement during his keynote session last week at the fifth annual Billboard/American Urban Radio Networks R&B/Hip-Hop Conference. He added that as many as three or four singles from the Destiny's Child record will be worked to radio simultaneously.
While Knowles did not elaborate on the DVD features or plans for his daughter Beyoncé's next solo outing, he did outline a four-year scenario for the Destiny's Child franchise.
Propelling the new album will be a string of appearances, including a two-hour TV special on ABC. As previously reported, the trio will also appear Sept. 9 on ABC's National Football League "Opening Kickoff" broadcast and Sept. 12 on the network's "Play for a Billion" game show.
Meanwhile, DC's Michelle Williams has another solo album slated for later this year, and third member Kelly Rowland has a second solo set due in 2005.
Destiny's Child begins a world tour in April 2005, and Beyoncé will be making films in 2005 and 2006, Knowles said. The group will take a break in 2007 before releasing another Destiny's Child album in 2008
- Source: billboard.com