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Rap superstar JAY-Z has become close friends with U.S. President BARACK OBAMA - but insists he will not tone down his hard-hitting lyrics to please his politician pals.
The Run This Town hitmaker admits he has Obama’s number "on speed dial" in his cell phone since joining the Democrat’s election campaign last year (08).
But he is adamant his close association with policy-makers in Washington, D.C. will not stop him keeping it real in his songs.
He tells the BBC, "Sometimes there are hard truths in rap, they’re not packaged with pretty ribbons. Sometimes the realities of the situations are harsh and they need to be told.
"We’re the poets of our generation! Those truths and those honesties need to be told and sometimes that will rub people the wrong way but that don’t mean you don’t tell them… I think when rap is done brilliantly it can inform you of a problem, things that are going on."

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PATRICK SWAYZE was considering poking fun at his two greatest movie roles as a zombie in a TV project that has become a much-hyped new film.
The Dirty Dancing star was approached to play a member of the undead in horror comedy Zombieland, but had to turn the cameo down when he became ill.
Film writer Rhett Reese tells ShockTillYouDrop.com that Swayze, who died last week (14Sep09), was interested in a cameo when the Woody Harrelson movie was a TV pilot - and the writers planned to lampoon classic scenes in Ghost and Dirty Dancing.
He says, "It was many years ago, before he got sick. It was going to be a Patrick Swayze zombie. The stars get attacked by him, zombified and we had these wonderful moments, where they find a potter’s wheel and there’s (character) Columbus on the wheel and these other hands come up behind him and it’s Patrick Swayze, the zombie.
"Ultimately, they fight and Patrick bull rushes (character) Tallahassee who grabs him and lifts him into the air, a la Jennifer Grey (in Dirty Dancing), and smashes him into a pillar." Reese admits Swayze wasn’t the only star they approached to cameo as the undead in the zombie project - Sylvester Stallone, Joe Pesci, Kevin Bacon and Matthew McConaughey were also considered, but none of them worked out.
The TV pilot became a much-anticipated movie project, starring Harrelson, Abigail Breslin and Jesse Eisenberg. The film opens in America on 2 October (09).

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Acclaimed singer/songwriter BUDDY MILLER pulled off a near-clean sweep at the eighth Americana Music Association Honors & Awards show in Nashville, Tennessee last week (17Sep09).
Miller took home trophies in almost every category for which he was nominated, including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for Written In Chalk, Duo/Group of the Year and Song of the Year for Chalk, which he performed with Patty Griffin.
Versatile multi-instrumentalist and producer Gurf Morlix was honoured with the Instrumentalist of the Year award, keeping Miller from a clean sweep.
The full list of winners at the Ryman Auditorium event was: Album of The Year - Written in Chalk by Buddy & Julie Miller Artist of The Year - Buddy Miller Duo/Group of The Year - Buddy & Julie Miller New & Emerging Artist of The Year - Justin Townes Earle Instrumentalist of The Year - Gurf Morlix Song of The Year - Chalk by Buddy Miller and Patty Griffin Lifetime Achievement Award (Performance) - Asleep At The Wheel Lifetime Achievement Award (Executive) - Ken Levitan Lifetime Achievement Award (Songwriter) - John Fogerty Lifetime Achievement Award (Producer) - Jim Rooney Lifetime Achievement Award (Instrumentalist) - Sam Bush President’s Award - Lowell George
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Late punk icon JOHNNY RAMONE’s 61st birthday will be celebrated with a classic horror show at the Los Angeles cemetery where he was laid to rest in 2004.
The Ramones star’s widow Linda and former bandmates Tommy and C.J. Ramone will join fans at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where the rocker’s statue has become a place for devotees to pay homage, on 3 October (09) - three days before he would have turned 61.
After a signing session and celebration of the rock star’s life, Ramones concert movie It’s Alive! and classic zombie film Night of The Living Dead will be screened on the wall of the cemetery’s mausoleum.
Proceeds from the evening will benefit the Johnny Ramone Research Fund at the USC Westside Prostate Cancer Center in Los Angeles.
Tommy Ramone tells WENN, "It gives us the opportunity to keep the Ramones legacy alive and to share special times together."

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Music mogul SCOTT STORCH cut all ties with billionaire oil heir BRANDON DAVIS after the socialite allegedly stole one of the producer’s diamond watches.
Storch considered the Hollywood party king one of his good pals until he realised Davis had swiped his $100,000 (£66,670) timepiece during a bash at his Palm Island, Florida mansion.
The producer searched everywhere for his prized watch and then checked surveillance camera footage to make sure it hadn’t been picked up at his party.
The footage prompted him to phone Davis, who broke down in tears and confessed to the crime.
But the producer agreed not to turn Davis in to police after he begged for forgiveness, reports Details magazine.
And Storch admits his former drug habit often left him so strung out, he couldn’t care less about anything that happened around him.
He tells the men’s publication, "People tell me they couldn’t talk to me when I was high. I was uninterested in anything. My attention span was like, two seconds." Storch has since kicked his drug addiction after a stint in rehab. He was forced to file for bankruptcy earlier this year (09).

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Singer MYA’s hopes of winning the new season of hit U.S. show DANCING WITH THE STARS has suffered a setback - she needed hospital treatment on Sunday (20Sep09) after slicing her foot on broken glass.
Just 24 hours before the new season of the hit show debuts, the star - a pre-show favourite - is hobbling around after a deep gash was stitched up.
In a Twitter.com post, she wrote, "Went 2 the hospital late last night 2 get stitches (sic). Deep cut from glass. Only caught 2hours of sleep but feel great. Must be adrenaline." She insists she won’t be sitting out any dancing as a result of her injury.
Mya is the latest in a long line of Dancing contestants struck down by injury; prompting rumours of a show curse.
Last season, singer Jewel pulled out of the programme before it aired after fracturing a tibia in rehearsals; and actor Gilles Marini is still recovering from a surgical procedure after separating his shoulder practising his dance moves.

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New mum ANA ORTIZ relies on the crew of her hit TV show UGLY BETTY to remind her when it’s time to pump her breast milk - they keep a watchful eye on her expanding bosom during filming.
The actress and her musician husband Noah Lebenzon welcomed little Paloma in June (09) and her daughter has been accompanying Ortiz to work.
The star admits she is constantly taking breaks from shooting the show to nurse the tot - and she has her colleagues to thank for avoiding any embarrassing situations on camera.
She tells People.com, "The team will be like, ‘Uh, Ana, do you need a break?’ And I’ll be like, ‘What are you guys looking at?!’"

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British actor HUGH LAURIE has shot down reports he’s considering quitting hit medical show HOUSE after allegedly developing a real-life hip injury from his character’s limp.
Laurie plays grumpy protagonist Dr. Gregory House on the TV drama and his character uses a cane to walk.
But the fake injury has started to cause Laurie real pain, and he recently sparked rumours he was prepared to sacrifice his job for the sake of his health.
He said, "The show might last through to series seven, eight or nine but I don’t know if I will because I’m starting to lose my knees. It’s a lot of hip work. There are things going badly wrong." However, Laurie, 50, insists he’s not quite ready to hang up his stethoscope after six seasons as Dr. House.
His representative assures fans reports of his retirement are "not true" and laughs off claims of his hip trouble, branding them "hysterical".

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INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS has become QUENTIN TARANTINO’s highest grossing film ever.
The war movie, starring Brad Pitt, has surpassed Pulp Fiction at the box office, grossing over $108 million (GBP72 million) in North America alone since its release in August (09).
Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, the film’s producer, tells WENN, "We have been Quentin’s biggest fans since the beginning. It was extremely gratifying to see Inglourious Basterds put up such huge numbers. It is a kick-ass film from a director who always keeps me and audiences on their toes."

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Socialite-turned-reality TV star KHLOE KARDASHIAN is to marry her basketball player beau LAMAR ODOM in a shock wedding this weekend (27Sep09), according to U.S. reports.
The pair started dating last month (Aug09) and now the Los Angeles Lakers hunk, a father of two, is planning to make Kim Kardashian’s little sister his bride.
Odom and Kardashian will exchange vows at a private residence in Los Angeles on Sunday, according to Life & Style magazine.
A close friend of the couple tells the publication, "The wedding planner, photographer, groomsmen and bridesmaids have all been chosen. It’s chaos at the Kardashian household!"

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DAVID HASSELHOFF is fighting off reports he’s relapsed in his battle with alcohol addiction - blaming his recent hospitalisation on an "equilibrium imbalance" caused by new prescription medication.
Hasselhoff was reportedly rushed to the hospital on Sunday night (20Sep09) amid allegations the star was suffering from alcohol poisoning.
According to TMZ.com, the Baywatch star’s 17-year-old daughter Hayley discovered her father "extremely drunk" and rang her mother Pamela Bach, whose friend called the emergency services.
Hasselhoff was taken to the hospital from his home in Encino, California.
Just last May (09), the actor was hospitalised with alleged alcohol poisoning, although his spokesperson played down the incident.
And Hasselhoff is blaming his latest health scare on a drug he has been prescribed to treat an ear infection.
A spokesperson says the star suffered an "equilibrium imbalance" when Antivert - which has side effects including drowsiness, dry mouth and blurred vision - reacted with the Antabuse medication he is taking to treat his alcoholism.
The rep adds Hasselhoff was voluntarily taken to the hospital for treatment, and released after one hour.
The 57 year old’s drink problem was exposed in 2007 when home video footage of the star in a drunken state leaked onto the internet. He later checked into a rehabilitation facility in a bid to kick his drink demons.

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MISCHA BARTON has blasted tabloid critics for convincing people she has "lost her marbles", insisting her recent health troubles are firmly in her past.
The former The O.C. actress has been forced to assure fans she has fully recovered after she was admitted to a mental health facility in Los Angeles in July (09).
She has since blamed her heavy work schedule and a botched surgery to remove two wisdom teeth for her meltdown.
Barton said, "I was overwhelmed. I had too much work on, I just had surgery on my wisdom teeth that went really badly… They had to drill into my jaw, I was in excruciating pain… It was just too much to have this surgery go so wrong." She admitted she "hit rock bottom" when she was hospitalised but is now "really healthy".
However, the 23 year old claims critics are still trying to portray her as an "unstable" actress - and she’s fed up with the reports.
She tells OK.co.uk, "One stay in the hospital was turned into this huge, ‘She’s lost her marbles’ thing, and people look at me like I’m unstable and they should probably cross the street when they see me." And the star is keen to put the whole incident behind her and move forward with her life.
Barton adds, "I just had a bad time of year and now it’s all over and done with. I’m just very happy to be feeling happy again and back on top of it and not so worried about everything. It was just too much to handle for me at the time."

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Rap superstar JAY-Z stunned his pal CHRIS MARTIN on Friday (18Sep09) when he joined the rocker and his band COLDPLAY onstage during their London concert and began wrestling him to the ground.
The Run This Town hitmaker, real name Shawn Carter, has been entertaining fans as the support act on Coldplay’s current U.K. tour - but he had a surprise in store for Martin when the Violet Hill stars performed at Wembley Stadium.
According to reports, Jay-Z appeared on stage as Martin was playing a song on the piano and embraced him in a bear hug before playfully tackling him to the floor.
The friends rolled around on stage before Martin managed to climb to his feet and resume his set.
A source tells OK.co.uk, "It was a strange moment, Everyone went wild when Jay-Z joined the boys on stage but seeing him grab Chris away from the piano and on to the floor was a bit weird to say the least." But that wasn’t the audience’s only surprise - Star Trek actor Simon Pegg also joined Coldplay at their London gig and showed off his skills on the harmonica during the band’s rendition of Trouble.
Jay-Z and Martin have been close friends since collaborating in the studio together in 2006 and the pair is regularly spotted out on dinner dates with their respective wives Beyonce and Gwyneth Paltrow.

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Former NEW ORDER bassist PETER HOOK is writing a new book about the rise and fall of the iconic Hacienda nightclub the band once owned.
Hook, his bandmates and their bosses at record label Factory founded The Hacienda in their home town of Manchester, England, back in 1982 - inspired by their experiences on the New York nightclub scene.
The venue became a huge success before collapsing and closing in 1997 due to financial problems.
The club was immortalised in Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 movie 24 Hour Party People and will be further documented in Hook’s book, The Hacienda - How Not To Run A Club, which will hit bookstores on 5 October (09).

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Rap newcomer DRAKE has slammed producer KIA SHINE for alleging he co-wrote the hit BEST I EVER HAD, insisting he came up with the lyrics for the track by himself.
Kia Shine recently boasted he helped to pen Drake’s debut single and has received a quarter of the publishing royalties from the track.
But his claims have been dismissed by Lil Wayne’s protege, who is adamant he’s never worked directly with the beatmaker.
In a post on his blog, Drake, real name Aubrey Graham, says, "There have been questions posed to me the last few days about the writing of Best I Ever Had and I figured I’d take the time to clear the air directly.
"I have never met Kia Shine or worked with him. I wrote the entire composition in Toronto (Canada) and I borrowed one line from a Lil Wayne song that he produced the BEAT for.
"The claims of 25 per cent ownership are false and for a (sic) artist to brag about splits on a song is distasteful to begin with."

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COLDPLAY are facing yet another plagiarism claim from a disgruntled singer, who alleges the band’s new video is "awfully similar" to previous release.
Just weeks after settling a copyright dispute with guitarist Joe Satriani over their single Viva La Vida, singer/songwriter Andy J. Gallagher is pointing the finger at the group’s new promo Strawberry Swing - made using stop animation and featuring the band acting alongside chalk drawings.
Gallagher claims it bears similarities to his music video for Something Else, which he released last year (08).
The singer tells CMU Music, "While I can’t say they copied me, there are an awful lot of similarities between my video and theirs. I think it’s unfair that Strawberry Swing will probably be nominated for numerous awards and is being universally-acclaimed as groundbreaking, when (Something Else director) Owen Trevor had virtually the same idea at least a year before." Gallagher and Satriani aren’t the only artists accusing Coldplay of copying - pop legend Yusuf Islam claims Viva La Vida borrows directly from his song Foreigner Suite.

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Former KORN rocker BRIAN ‘HEAD’ WELCH has hit out at reports he’s trying to rejoin the band, but admits he’s keen to discuss a reunion with his ex-bandmates.
Four years after Welch quit Korn to devote his life to God, fellow guitarist James ‘Munky’ Shaffer claimed he had approached the band to enquire about rejoining their ranks.
Shaffer said, "Brian actually contacted us recently and wanted to come back to the band. And it was not the right time… for us. We’re doing well." But Welch is baffled by the claims, insisting Korn’s managers have been trying to convince him to return to the band since he left.
He says, "For about a year, ever since (frontman) Jonathan (Davis) publicly said he wanted me back in Korn, Korn’s managers have been requesting my manager to work on getting me back into Korn. The calls were initiated by Korn’s managers, not my manager. I shut the door on their requests many, many times." He admits he agreed to meet with his ex-bandmates to discuss a reunion after bassist Reginald ‘Fieldy’ Arvizu reached out to him - but claims David and Shaffer backed out of the get-together.
Welch adds, "Fieldy personally called me during Korn’s last tour in Europe and we talked as friends for a long time. He also told me if I ever wanted to rejoin Korn, or open for Korn as a solo artist, the door was always open.
"Fieldy thought that Jonathan, Munky, and I should all meet as friends, reconnect, and maybe discuss the possibilities. Both Jonathan and Munky refused that meeting."

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LADY GAGA and KINGS OF LEON are set to be the stars of the show at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards after landing five nominations apiece.
American pop dominated the list of nominees for the November (09) event, with Beyonce also securing four nods.
The Halo hitmaker will face off against Poker Face singer GaGa in the categories of best song, best live act and best female.
GaGa - who is up for best new act - will also fight for the title of best world stage performance against Coldplay, Kid Rock, Linkin Park and Kings of Leon.
Kings of Leon will also compete against GaGa and Beyonce for best song and best live act.
Meanwhile, Beyonce’s Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) will go up against Briney Spears’ Circus, Katy Perry’s Waking Up in Vegas, Shakira’s She Wolf and Eminem’s We Made You in the best video category.
The rapper will also have a chance to pick up awards for best male and best urban, if he can beat out Kanye West and Jay-Z.
Other artists competing for top honours in 13 categories include Muse, Paramore, Placebo, The Killers and The Prodigy in the best alternative category, and Daniel Merriweather, La Roux, Pixie Lott and Taylor Swift for best new act.
Nominations for Best European Act will be announced on 12 October (09).
The show is set to take place in Berlin, Germany on 5 November (09) and will feature performances by Green Day, British singer Leona Lewis and German band Tokio Hotel.

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