Jackson 5 turn BMI Urban Awards into family affair
The Jackson 5 returned to the stage in California on Thursday (04Sep08) night to accept a BMI icon award - but Michael and Jermaine Jackson were nowhere in sight.
The ABC hitmakers - consisting of brothers Jermaine, Tito, Marlon, Randy, Jackie and Michael - were honored with the lifetime achievement accolade at the BMI Urban Awards.
Tito, Marlon, Randy and Jackie were on hand to collect the prize, which was presented to them by sister Janet Jackson, but Jermaine and the Thriller star were notable absentees.
And when asked about Michael's whereabouts, Marlon chose to poke fun at his younger brother's bizarre superstar lifestyle saying: "I don't know (where he is). I think he's in Egypt riding a camel or something."
But the siblings refused to let the absentees spoil the occasion, as they enjoyed a tribute performance by the likes of R+B singers Mario, Keri Hilson, JoJo and Lloyd, who teamed up to deliver a cover of I'll Be There.
The tribute - at the Wilshire Theater Beverly Hills - was capped off with a rousing rendition of Never Can Say Goodbye from Mario, Bobby Valentino, Lloyd and Ray J.
After the show, Tito said, "It's a great honor to know your music influenced a generation. We're very proud of this moment."
And the occasion was turned into a real family affair when the Jackson 5 members - who did not perform - posed for photos on stage with parents Joseph and Katherine, and sisters Janet, LaToya and Rebbie after receiving the Icon prize.
Other winners on the night included Ne-Yo, who won Song of the Year for Irreplaceable, a track performed by Beyonce Knowles and written by the Closer hitmaker, along with Espen Lind and Amund Bjorklund.
Kanye West, T-Pain and Jonathan 'J.R.' Rotem were named Producers of the Year, while T-Pain scored the Songwriter of the Year title for writing hits including West's Good Life and Flo Rida's Low.
The BMI awards pay tribute to the music industry's top songwriters, composers and producers.
Rodney Jerkins, will.i.am, Polow Da Don, and Soulja Boy were also noted on BMI's list of 2008's Top Urban Producers.
Simpson feared she'd vomit at her country showcase
Jessica Simpson was so nervous at a listening party for her new country music album, she warned guests she might vomit.
The singer performed all the tracks from new LP Do You Know for 200 record industry figures at Nashville, Tennessee's Shermerhorn Symphony Center on Thursday (4Sep08).
After stepping onstage with a backing band comprising of three acoustic guitars, a bongo player and a fiddler, Simpson said, "Thank you so much for coming and for giving me a chance. I hope you get to experience what my heart's been going through the last few years.
"I'm a little nervous. If I throw up, I'm sorry."
When she made it through the gig, a relieved Simpson exclaimed, "I didn't throw up!"
Simpson's country debut Do You Know will hit stores next week (09Sep08).
Mel B: 'Spice Girls will never reform'
The Spice Girls will never reform again, insisting their recent reunion tour was the "final goodbye".
Fans hoped the group had kept the door open on further concerts, following their 2007/2008 world tour - particularly after bandmembers refused to rule out a second reunion.
But Scary Spice Melanie Brown dismissed the suggestion at the BMI Urban Awards in California on Thursday (04Sep08), telling reporters, "No. (That tour) was our final goodbye."
Brown did admit she misses her bandmates, and enjoyed the chance to perform with them again, saying: "I think we always really enjoyed the whole journey. It was really nice to tour again. Really nice. We're all still friends."
Mel C listens to mum for parenting tips
Former Spice Girls star Melanie Chisholm has snubbed parenting advice from her ex-bandmates - in favor of tips from her own mother.
The first-time mum-to-be, who confirmed her pregnancy last month (Aug08), reveals her former group mates have offered her wise words on raising kids.
But the 34-year-old insists the only person she is listening to is her own mum, Joan.
She says, "The girls are made up (happy) for me and have all offered to guide and advise me, but I'm sticking with my mum. She's my best friend and you don't get any better than that.
"I used to love the fact that I was the only Spice Girl who didn't need to lug around loads of baby stuff. Mad, innit (isn't it)? Me, a mum."
Chisholm is the last of the Spice Girls to fall pregnant - Melanie Brown has two daughters; Posh Spice Victoria Beckham has three sons with soccer ace David Beckham; and Geri Halliwell and Emma Bunton each have one child.
Slipknot crowned Kings of Europe
Slipknot have knocked Coldplay from the top of the European album charts - their new LP All Hope Is Gone has debuted at number one.
The masked rockers' new reign means Coldplay's Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends has been pushed into second place, with Welsh soul star Duffy moving down one spot to third with Rockferry.
The Verve score the only other new entry in the top five with Fourth, while the soundtrack to movie musical Mamma Mia! slips two spots to five.
Meanwhile, there's no change at the top of the European singles chart - Katy Perry's I Kissed A Girl enjoys another week in pole position, while Kid Rock's All Summer Long sits at two, and Coldplay's Viva La Vida remains at three.
Dunst could be required to testify against alleged thief
Kirsten Dunst may be forced to take the stand to testify against a man accused of breaking into the Spider-Man star's New York hotel room and stealing her belongings.
James Jimenez, 33, and Jarrod Beinerman are alleged to have broken into the penthouse suite of the SoHo Grand Hotel while Dunst was staying there last year (07).
Beinerman has confessed to illegally entering the hotel suite and taking Dunst's $13,000 Marc Jacobs purse. He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail this week (ends05Sep08), after pleading guilty to the lesser charge of attempted burglary.
But Jimenez has yet to enter a plea and his case looks likely to go to trial.
It means Dunst could be called upon to testify that the stolen items - including $2,500 in cash, a cell phone, digital cameras and a Balenciaga bag - belonged to her. Many of the items have still not been returned to the star.
According to the New York Post, Jimenez is pushing for the case to go to trial, but his lawyer Daniel Hupert has refused to confirm the reports, simply stating the case was "proceeding".
The actress was staying at the SoHo Grand Hotel while filming scenes for her forthcoming movie How To Lose Friends and Alienate People.
Madonna 'bans Lourdes from acting'
Madonna has vetoed her 11-year-old daughter Lourdes' plans to star in a new movie and banned her from any showbiz work until she has finished school.
Lourdes - whose dad is fitness trainer Carlos Leon - has been approached to appear alongside Paul Bettany and Dakota Fanning in forthcoming comedy drama The Secret Life of Bees, reports Star magazine.
But a source tells the publication, "Madonna didn't work 'til after school and she wants it to be the same for Lourdes. She doesn't want her to enter that harsh world."
However, the insider hints the pop superstar may have trouble keeping her daughter away from the bright lights of fame: "Lourdes is pretty determined, so I predict a battle in the future."
Bardem faced backlash in Spain
Javier Bardem faced a severe backlash in his native Spain after winning an Oscar last year (07) - his countrymen accused him of "selling out".
Bardem won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a sociopath killer in No Country For Old Men, becoming the first Spanish actor to win the coveted prize.
But he insists he had to work hard to convince Spaniards the recognition he found in Hollywood hadn't inflated his ego.
He says, "The Spanish are tough. They criticize my work and say I sold out. You want to say, 'Stop it - you're a bunch of stupid people.'
"But you are never going to be liked by everybody. After the Oscars, I came back to Madrid, where I live. I wanted to get back to the real world.
"After something like the awards, you've changed a little bit, but everyone around you has changed tremendously. You have to bring them back - you have to show that you are the same stupid, limited guy and not this kind of golden boy."
Pantoliano lobbies for mentally ill at Republican Convention
The Sopranos actor Joe Pantoliano headed to the Republican National Convention in Minnesota this week (begs01Sep08) to lobby politicians on behalf of the mentally ill.
The star, who suffers from clinical depression, runs the No Kidding charity, an organisation which aims to remove the stigma surrounding brain disease.
Pantoliano campaigned outside the Republican Party's annual event - during which Senator John McCain formally accepted his party's nomination to run for presidency - in a bid to raise awareness and defend sufferers of the illness.
He tells the New York Post's PageSix, "My mum was bi-polar, and it runs in my family.
"We want to take the sting out of mental illness, so it's like having diabetes or asthma, so the all-American brain gets the same constitutional privileges as our gallbladder."
Gossip Girls to appear on 30 Rock
Gossip Girl stars Blake Lively and Leighton Meester have reportedly signed a deal to guest-star on TV show 30 Rock.
The actresses, who play spoiled students in their hit TV series, will feature in a Gossip Girl-inspired flashback sequence on 30 Rock during main character Liz Lemon's 20-year high school reunion, according to EW.com.
But fans of the program will be in for a shock as the sequence will reveal geeky Lemon, who is played by the sitcom's creator Tina Fey, was actually a bullying teenager.
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