Pop

07 Nov 2024

Judge ‘Inclined’ to Rule in Mariah Carey’s Favor in ‘All I Want for Christmas’ Copyright Lawsuit

More than two years since Mariah Carey was hit with legal action for allegedly stealing her perennial holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You”, a California judge has said she feels “inclined” to grant Carey’s request for the motion to be dismissed.

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The legal saga dates back to the summer of 2022, when Mississippi artist Vince Vance (real name Andy Stone) filed a copyright lawsuit, claiming that Carey’s seasonal blockbuster infringed upon his 1989 song of the same name. Vance sought $20m from the lawsuit but ultimately dropped the case that November.

One year later, in November 2023, the lawsuit was refiled with the same basic accusations, though with greater detail added, and the addition of co-plaintiff Troy Powers, who claims to have co-written the earlier song.

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 “Carey has without licensing, palmed off these works with her incredulous origin story, as if those works were her own,” Vance’s lawyers wrote in the complaint. “Her hubris knowing no bounds, even her co-credited songwriter doesn’t believe the story she has spun. This is simply a case of actionable infringement.”

The new lawsuit went into further details about the similarities, noting “unique linguistic structure” and specific musical elements, and claiming it’s a “greater than 50% clone of Vance’s original work”.

This past August, Carey’s legal team requested the lawsuit be dropped, noting that Vance’s claims fail the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal’s “extrinsic test for substantial similarity in protectable expression” — essentially arguing that any similarities between the two songs are coincidental. 

Now, as Rolling Stone reports, U.S. District Court Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani says she’s “inclined” to grant that request. Furthermore, Almadani has stated she is “seriously considering” granting a related motion filed by Carey’s team requesting sanctions against the plaintiffs for what is alleged to be a “frivolous” filing.

In his argument, Gerald P. Fox, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, noted it is “not required” they show the song is “identical” or “virtual plagiarism”, but rather that only “a certain arrangement of notes has to be unique, or the melody, or any aspect of the composition that’s copied or similar”.

Carey’s lawyer, Peter Anderson, argued that the similarities that have been identified by musicologists hired by the plaintiffs amount to phrases such as “Santa Claus” and “mistletoe” – lyrics which Carey’s team have claimed are public domain.

“These are random similarities. Five or so Christmas tropes that make these Christmas songs,” Anderson claimed. “Importantly, there are eight or nine other Christmas tropes in their work that don’t appear in ours. And eight or nine in ours that don’t appear in theirs.”

Judge Almadani has not yet issued a ruling on the case, and has not indicated when a ruling is expected.First released in October 1994 as the first single from Carey’s Merry Christmas album, “All I Want for Christmas is You” is one of the most popular holiday songs in history. For the past four years, it has re-charted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the holiday season.

07 Nov 2024

Here’s How Rosie Perez Hooked Up Madonna With Tupac Shakur

Rosie Perez is the ultimate wingwoman.

The White Men Can’t Jump actress sat down with Drew Barrymore on the latter’s talk show this week, where she recalled a pivotal moment in the 1990s when she and her late friend Tupac Shakur had each other’s backs. “So I was going to the Soul Train Music Awards and my date calls me up a half an hour before I’m getting in the car and says, ‘I can’t go with you because my girlfriend will see me,’” Perez recalled of the 1993 event.

“I was like, ‘You mother…,” she continued, noting that she hung up the phone on the shady man. When her phone rang again, she expected it to be him calling her back but then realized it was Tupac, and she started crying over the situation. “And he said, ‘You know what, I’m gonna go with you, we’re gonna walk up in there, we’re gonna act like we’re on a date, and he’s going to die,’” Perez said of the “Dear Mama” rapper.

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Things were going well at the event when Madonna approached Perez asking if she and Pac were a couple. “She goes, ‘Hook me up. I said, ‘You got it,’” Perez recalled.

Madonna and Tupac went on to date secretly from 1993 to 1994. The Queen of Pop later confirmed the relationship in a 2015 interview during an interview with Howard Stern. During their conversation, Madonna was asked about a 1994 appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman, where she repeatedly used swear words. “I don’t know, I was in a weird mood that day,” she said of the situation. “I was dating Tupac Shakur at the time, and the thing is he got me all riled up about life in general. So when I went on the show I was feeling very gangster.”

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07 Nov 2024

Britney Spears’ ‘…Baby One More Time’ Music Video Joins YouTube’s Billion Views Club

Hit it, baby, a billion times. One of Britney Spears‘ most iconic music videos — “…Baby One More Time” — has joined YouTube’s billion views club, making it the pop star’s second to reach the milestone after “Scream & Shout” with Will.i.am.

First uploaded to the site in October 2009 — more than 10 years after Spears first released the Max Martin-produced single — the “…Baby One More Time” video opens with the then-16-year-old star in braided pigtails and a revealing schoolgirl outfit, tapping her foot and pencil with boredom in class. After the bell rings, she embarks on one of pop music’s most legendary dance sequences in the school hallways, later performing choreography outdoors in a sports bra and sweatpants and serenading her love interest in a gymnasium.

“My loneliness is killin’ me/ I must confess, I still believe,” she sings on the smash. “When I’m not with you, I lose my mind/ Give me a sign/ Hit me, baby, one more time.”

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“…Baby One More Time” served as the Princess of Pop’s debut single, spending two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1999. It was also the title track of her first-ever LP, which topped the Billboard 200 for six weeks.

Though slightly scandalous for its time, Spears revealed in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me, that the video’s concept was her idea. “The mock-up I saw had me looking like a Power Ranger,” she wrote. “That image didn’t resonate with me, and I had a feeling my audience wouldn’t relate to it, either. I told the executives at the label that I thought people would want to see my friends and me sitting at school, bored, and then, as soon as the bell rang, boom — we’d start dancing.”

“I thought we should wear school uniforms to make it seem more exciting when we started dancing outside in our casual clothes,” she added. “Making that video was the most fun part of doing that first album.”

Watch Spears’ billion-times-viewed “…Baby One More Time” music video above.

07 Nov 2024

BTS’ Jimin Will Be In Solo Spotlight in ‘The Truth Untold’ Exhibition in Los Angeles

BTS member Jimin will be in the solo spotlight in an upcoming exhibit in Los Angeles titled “The Truth Untold.” The immersive experience promises to give ARMY a unique look into the creative process behind Jimin’s solo albums, 2023’s FACE and this year’s MUSE, with a peek into his personal diaries, lyric notebooks and other behind-the-scenes materials, according to a release announcing the exhibition that will set up at the Ace Missions Studios in L.A. from Nov. 29 through Dec. 15.

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Tickets for the event organized by HYBE INSIGHT and Live Nation will go on sale on Nov. 12 at 12 p.m. local, with fans encouraged to sign up for a waitlist presale here now; prices start at $29.99. The exhibition’s hours will run from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with organizers saying it will take approximately 60-90 minutes to explore.

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“The space is thoughtfully designed to immerse attendees in the emotions Jimin experienced during the creation of his solo albums,” reads the release. “The space is divided into two main sections: FACE and MUSE. The FACE section, inspired by water ripples, features a media wall and distorted mirrors symbolizing the waves of confusion that Jimin experienced on his journey to self-discovery. As visitors move to the MUSE section, the waves calm, representing Jimin’s success in embracing his true self.”

The assembled set pieces will recreate the vibe from Jimin’s videos for “Like Crazy” and “Set Me Free Pt. 2,” and include a photo zone inspired by the tracks “Who” and “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band,” which both appear on Jimin’s sophomore solo LP, MUSE. The release also promises to display, for the first time, handwritten letters expressing Jimin’s “deepest, unspoken feelings,” as well as costumes and props from music videos and performances and solo trophies and awards.

BTS went on hiatus in 2022 to allow all seven members to complete their mandatory South Korean military service, with announced plans for the septet to reunite in 2025.

07 Nov 2024

ROSÉ Delivers Tearful Last Words to Beloved Dog Hank While Struggling to ‘Survive’ on ‘Hot Ones’

BLACKPINK‘s ROSÉ was almost taken down by the spicy wings on Hot Ones, but not before she could deliver a final message to someone very important in her life — her dog Hank.

Appearing on an episode posted Thursday (Nov. 7), the singer found her body turning against her as the series’ famously intense hot sauces got increasingly spicy. Her nose started running, she couldn’t help but let out several screams of anguish and she furiously struggled to quell the pain with ice cream and ice cubes before joking that the wings were “going to kill me.”

After coming to that realization, ROSÉ looked into the camera and shared some heartfelt “last words” with her beloved canine, whom, she explained earlier in the video, was named after actor Tom Hanks. “Hank, I love you so much,” she said as off-camera violins swelled and a photo of the dog appeared onscreen. “I hope I survive this, but if I don’t ever see you again, I love you — just know that.”

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Of course, the New Zealand native did make it out of the Sean Evans-hosted series alive, but not before admitting: “This is hurting my ego … I thought I’d be better.” Elsewhere in the clip, ROSÉ spoke about her “raw and honest” upcoming debut solo album rosie and explained what unites her and BLACKPINK bandmates JENNIE, JISOO and LISA.

“The one thing that’s so strong about BLACKPINK is the fact that each one of us, we want such big things for ourselves and we work so hard everyday,” she said on the latter subject. “I’ve never seen someone that’s just like, ‘I just want to rest.’ Even if we’ve said that before, I don’t think anyone means that. BLACKPINK is really hardworking.”

Ahead of rosie‘s Dec. 6 release date, ROSÉ and Bruno Mars dropped a single titled “APT.” in October. The track has since spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

As the star explained to Evans, “APT.” was inspired by a Korean drinking game of the same name. “It’s one of many drinking games, but that seemed to be the one that all my friends in the studio were like vibing to,” ROSÉ said on Hot Ones. “I was like, ‘Huh, this is interesting’ … I was really lucky enough to have Bruno jump on it. Craziest experience of my life.”

Watch ROSÉ on Hot Ones above.

07 Nov 2024

TOMORROW X TOGETHER Take a Sunny Road Trip in ‘Over The Moon’ Video: Watch

TOMORROW X TOGETHER dropped the colorful video for the English-language version of their latest single, “Over the Moon (Our Sanctuary ver.),” on Thursday (Nov. 7). In it, the six-member K-pop boy band embark on a road trip — under the full moon, naturally — with SOOBIN, YEONJUN, BEOMGYU, TAEHYUN, and HUENINGKAI spreading love and good vibes as they enjoy a sunny day and special night in the countryside.

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The clip directed by HEADHEAD for the group’s latest single from their seventh mini-album, The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY, finds the gentlemen looking for love in all the right places, while chilling in the grass and munching on oranges, climbing trees to listen to tunes, taking a drive on rural roads and riding a bicycle through verdant fields.

“You bring me back to myself/ I’ better and stronger because/ You’re the sunlight, when the day is gone/ Yeah, you know you are my favorite/ You know you got it baby/ Shining on me like the moon and the stars,” they sing over the song’s bouncy, jazzy rhythm.

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TXT released The Star Chapter on Monday (Nov. 4), which dropped seven months after minisode 3: TOMORROW. “The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY will open a new chapter in Gen Z Icons’ one-of-a-kind narrative, building upon the intriguing saga established throughout The Dream Chapter [2019] The Chaos Chapter [2021] and The Name Chapter [2023],” read a press release in reference to three of the group’s previous studio albums.

The group has been criss-crossing the globe this year on their ACT: PROMISE run off gigs, with just two more tour dates left on their roster this year, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 gigs at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan.

Check out the video for “Over the Moon (Our Sanctuary ver.)” below.

07 Nov 2024

Luke Combs Says Tracy Chapman Pointed Out a Lyric Mistake in His ‘Fast Car’ Cover: ‘I Wanted to Crawl In a Hole’

In 2023, Luke Combs earned a No. 2 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with his rendition of Tracy Chapman‘s 1988 pop hit “Fast Car.” Combs’ version was named single of the year at the CMA Awards, and netted a Grammy nomination for best country solo performance.

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But according to Combs himself, he actually recorded one of the song’s lyrics incorrectly — and it was pointed out to him by none other than Chapman herself, who is also the sole writer on “Fast Car.”

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During one of his recent concerts, Combs told the crowd that it was a conversation with Chapman that made him realize that he had recorded the song’s final line — “we gotta make a decision” — as “still gotta make a decision.”

“That was the first time I knew I had recorded the song incorrectly,” Combs told the crowd, as seen in videos captured by fans. “I remember when she said it, I wanted to crawl in a hole. Luckily, she was awesome about it. I think about it every single time I sing this song, and I will think about it every single time I sing this song for the rest of my whole life, but she was so cool about it.”

He continued, “So the words you know as ‘Still gotta make a decision’ is not the words … not the words … I just made that up in my head … so tonight I will probably sing ‘We gotta make a decision’ because Tracy Chapman told me to and damn it, I’m gonna do it.”

Combs and Chapman performed the song together during the 2024 Grammy Awards. Chapman previously told Billboard of Combs’ version, “I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there. I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car.’”

07 Nov 2024

Liam Payne’s Body Released For Return to England

Nearly a month after his shocking death following a fall from a third-story hotel balcony, Liam Payne‘s body has been released to his family in order to repatriate his remains to the singer’s native U.K. for burial.

According to Reuters, an unnamed senior cemetery source in Buenos Aires told the news service that Payne’s body was taken from the city’s British cemetery on Wednesday (Nov. 6) in the first leg of its repatriation journey. The 31-year-old singer’s body had been held by local authorities since Payne’s Oct. 16 death in order to complete toxicology and other lab tests.

BBC News also reported that Payne’s body had been released to his family according to a public prosecutor in charge of his case.

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Two weeks ago, the luxury Argentinian hotel where Payne died was raided by police, who reportedly took away a number of items, including hard drives and CCTV footage. An autopsy report revealed that Payne died from a number of injuries, including internal and external bleeding caused by the fall. In addition, investigators reportedly found a number of illicit substances in his body at the time of death, including a recreational drug called “pink cocaine,” a mixture of substances that often contains ketamine combined with MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids and/or psychoactive substances.

The first planned posthumous single from Payne, “Do No Wrong,” was slated to drop on Nov. 1 before Grammy-winning producer Sam Pounds announced that he’d decided to hold off on releasing the song until the late singer’s family felt comfortable with issuing it. “I want all proceeds go to a charity of their choosing (or however they desire),” Pounds wrote on his socials on Oct. 29. “Even though we all love the song it’s not the time yet. We are all still mourning the passing of Liam and I want the family to morn [sic] in peace and in prayer. We will all wait.” No updated release date has been announced.

07 Nov 2024

Halsey’s ‘The Great Impersonator’ Debuts at No. 1 on Top Alternative Albums Chart

Halsey’s The Great Impersonator debuts atop Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts dated Nov. 9.

The set earned 93,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending Oct. 31, according to Luminate. That sum includes 81,000 via traditional album sales.

Halsey previously ruled Top Alternative Albums for a week each with If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power in 2021 and Badlands in 2015.

The new LP is Halsey’s first No. 1 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums since the chart in 2022 became inclusive of releases that are alternative-leaning but not firmly within the rock genre.

As previously reported, The Great Impersonator starts at No. 2 on both the all-genre Billboard 200 and Top Album Sales charts. Of its sales total, 26,000 are from vinyl, sparking its No. 3 start on Vinyl Albums.

Leading up to the collection’s Oct. 25 release, Halsey posted photos on social media impersonating artists and the album’s songs that they inspired, including David Bowie, Cher, Dolly Parton, Britney Spears and Bruce Springsteen.

Two tracks from The Great Impersonator appear on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. “Panic Attack” debuts at No. 25, led by 2.7 million official U.S. streams, while “Ego,” the set’s current radio single, ranks at No. 30 with 2.8 million radio audience impressions, 1.4 million streams and 1,000 downloads sold. (The latter debuted at its No. 24 high in September.)

“Ego” has reached No. 25 on the Adult Pop Airplay chart and No. 28 on Pop Airplay. Preceding single “Lucky” spent a week on the latter list at No. 40 in August.

07 Nov 2024

Sabrina Carpenter Tells Seattle Fans ‘Sorry About Our Country’ At First Show Following Presidential Election

Like a lot of musicians who supported Vice President Kamala Harris in her losing bid to deny former President Donald Trump a second White House term, Sabrina Carpenter took the stage on Wednesday night (Nov. 6) with a heavy heart.

During her show at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, Carpenter did not refer to Trump by name, but in fan video of the show she tried to offer some peace and security to any fans who might be disheartened or disappointed and who came to her show to escape the news cycle. “I hope we can be a moment of peace for you, a moment of safety,” she said while kneeling on the stage. “Sorry about our country and to the women in here I love you so so so so so much & I really hope for the rest of this night that you can enjoy yourselves because you absolutely deserve it.”

While Carpenter did not name Trump specifically, at her show in Nashville on Wednesday night, Harris supporter Billie Eilish did not mince words about the victory by Trump, who will become the first convicted felon to ascend to the nation’s highest office. Also without directly naming him, Eilish referred to Trump as a “convicted predator” during a show in which she also alluded to the twice impeached President elect as someone who “hates women so, so deeply.”

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Trump was found liable in 2023 for sexually abusing, and defaming, advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996 and ordered to pay nearly $5 million in damages in that case, as well as $83.3 million in a second, related case; Trump, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than two dozen women dating back to the 1970s, has appealed the verdicts in the Carroll cases and denied all the allegations of sexual abuse.

Also on Wednesday, HeadCount.org said that Carpenter got more voters engaged and registered in this year’s election than any other artists who works with the organization, inspiring 35,814 to register and getting another 263,087 voters to take other actions outside of registering, including checking their registration status and polling location.