Administrators of Florida’s long-troubled compensation fund for infants born with catastrophic brain injuries have resolved one of the program’s thorniest and longest-standing disputes: the claim that they avoided hundreds of … Click to Continue »
21 Savage says Nas isn’t relevant in a recent interview as Nas’ house was robbed over the weekend.
A tourism minister for the Bahamas is throwing cold water on Billy McFarland‘s comeback plans. In a statement Monday (Nov. 14), Chester Cooper, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister for Tourism, said that the creator of the disastrous Fyre Festival is still considered a “fugitive” in the country and that anyone knowing his whereabouts should contact the Royal Bahamian Police Force. In response, McFarland issued a letter to the Bahamian government later that day apologizing for Fyre Fest and promising, “I will spend the rest of my life working to right my wrongs.”
The news — first reported by local newspaper The Tribune — comes after McFarland was earlier this year released from prison and later home confinement for crimes he committed while raising money for the 2017 festival. Last month, McFarland released a video on TikTok teasing out a new Bahamas-based project that would be promoted through a treasure hunt set to begin this week on the Caribbean island nation.
“The public is advised that no application has been made to the Government for consideration of any event promoted by Billy McFarland or any entity or parties known to be associated with him,” said Cooper in a statement. “McFarland was the organizer of the Fyre Festival several years ago, a notorious charade for which McFarland was convicted and sent to prison in the USA.
“The Government of The Bahamas will not endorse or approve any event in The Bahamas associated with him.
“He is considered to be a fugitive, with several pending complaints made against him with the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF).”
McFarland first announced his plans for PYRT on Oct. 24 after serving four years in prison, noting he’s “working on something new” that’s “a little crazier but a whole lot bigger than anything I’ve ever tried before.” In the video announcement, he then flipped a whiteboard to reveal a treasure map taped to the other side and a phone number to call for more information.
In addition to his prison sentence, McFarland was ordered to pay roughly $26 million in restitution for his crimes. In May, his attorney Jason Russo told Billboard that McFarland was focused on finding “the best way to generate income to pay this restitution back and make amends,” adding, “Any new projects that he does become involved in will be done solely for the purpose of generating the restitution for paying back his victims.”
Later Monday, a representative for McFarland provided Billboard with a copy of a letter McFarland says was sent to the Bahamian government in response to Cooper’s statement. In it, he says he has been working to “make amends” with the Bahamian people and pledges to “make these families whole as soon I am allowed.” He goes on to “ask for guidance on whom to speak with to begin my journey to do right by the incredible people of the Bahamas and Family Islands.”
Read it in full here:
Dear Government of The Bahamas,
I am writing to you to profusely apologize for my actions 5 years ago. I was completely wrong and I wholly regret my actions.
I’ve now served my punishment in prison and now that I am out, my main focus is how I can right my wrongs and how I can make the Bahamas and Family Islands, a region I care so deeply about, whole again.
Over the years, and particularly since my release on August 30, I have been in constant touch with the people throughout the Islands. Their generosity and kind hearts have been a constant guide and motivation for me. I have been re-engaging with the families of the islands to see what I can do to begin making amends.
I don’t have much right now, but I am committed to make these families whole as soon I am allowed. I ask for guidance on whom to speak with to begin my journey to do right by the incredible people of the Bahamas and Family Islands.
I truly acknowledge the hurt I caused to the people, and region, and I will spend the rest of my life working to right my wrongs.
Sincerely,
Billy McFarland
The ongoing legal battle between Megan Thee Stallion and her label 1501 Certified Entertainment has taken another nasty turn around this weekend’s American Music Awards.
According to court documents obtained by Billboard, the “Savage” rapper (born Megan Pete) was granted a restraining order against 1501, along with her distributor 300 Entertainment, after claiming 1501 “unlawfully” took steps “to block or interfere with Pete exploiting, licensing, or publishing her music” in the lead-up to the upcoming AMAs on Sunday (Nov. 20). Filed in Harris County District Court in Texas, the order says Megan “provided evidence” that the company “recently engaged and will continue to engage in threatening and retaliatory behavior that will irreparably harm” her music career.
Without providing further detail on what 1501 or 300 allegedly did, the court notes that it filed an ex parte order — essentially, a type of emergency order granted without waiting for a response from the other side — “because there was not enough time to give notice to Defendants, hold a hearing, and issue a restraining order before the irreparable injury, loss, or damage would occur.” It adds that voting for the AMAs, where Megan is nominated for favorite female hip-hop artist, closes on Monday night (Nov. 14) at midnight, and that Megan “will suffer irreparable harm if her music cannot be used in conjunction with her promotion for the AMAs.”
Under the order, 1501, 300 and anyone acting “in concert or participation with” them are restricted from “preventing or blocking the use and exploitation” of Megan’s music in promotional content for the AMAs, — including by “threatening or otherwise attempting to intimidate or coerce” third parties not to use it — through Nov. 20. It also sets a hearing on Megan’s restraining order request for Nov. 22.
The restraining order is just the latest volley in a more than two-year-old legal battle that began in 2020 when Megan filed a lawsuit alleging that 1501 founder Carl Crawford tricked her into signing an “unconscionable” record deal in 2018 that was well below industry standards. She claims that upon signing a management deal with Jay-Z‘s Roc Nation the following year, she got “real lawyers” who showed her that the 1501 agreement was “crazy.”
In February, Megan filed a separate lawsuit claiming 1501 had refused to count her 2021 Something for Thee Hotties release as an album — a pivotal definition, as her 1501 deal states that she must produce three albums to fulfill her obligations. 1501 quickly countersued, arguing that Thee Hotties included just 29 minutes of original material and therefore didn’t qualify.
In September, Megan filed yet another lawsuit seeking more than $1 million in damages, claiming that 1501 “systematically failed” to pay her the proper amount of royalties she was owed and had “wrongfully allowed for excessive marketing and promotion charges,” in addition to allegations that the label leaked her most recent album Traumazine. In response, attorneys for the label argued it was actually Megan who had failed to pay 1501 its fair share of money she made from endorsements, partnerships and other business deals, as well as requirements related to publishing royalties. They further added that any claims of underpayment of royalties should be redirected to 300 Entertainment.
Representatives from 1501 and 300 did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s request for comment.
Harry Styles sat down with the cast and director of My Policeman for a roundtable discussion about the LGTBQ drama, explaining why he was the first to sign on for the Prime Video project.
“I just thought it was a really beautiful script,” the pop star said about his first impressions of the film. “I was really moved by, there’s so many parts of the story that kind of show the great nuances of being a human.”
During the discussion, director Michael Grandage said the superstar came “phenomenally prepared” for his first day on set, adding, “He’d read it so much. Quite often, directors have to sit opposite actors and convince them to be in things. That’s sometimes how it works. It was really gorgeous being opposite somebody who wanted to play the role and could talk articulately about the role, and already knew bits from the script.”
The sextet of actors who star in the film — Styles and Linus Roache as the younger and older Tom, Emma Corrin and Gina McKee as Marion, and David Dawson and Rupert Everett as Patrick — all take part in the roundtable discussion, and they reveal that Grandage asked them all to meet with their counterparts to discuss their joint roles.
“I was more excited at the premise that I might end up looking like Linus,” Styles deadpanned, to laughter around the table. “I’ll take that ,thank you,” Roache said with a warm grin. “I’m very flattered to be the older Harry Styles!”
Roache said he channeled Styles’ “natural” acting abilities to connect the two Toms, 40 years part.
Watch the full roundtable discussion below, and see how to watch My Policeman on Prime Video now.
BMG has acquired the songbook of beloved, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson for an undisclosed amount, the company announced Monday (Nov. 14).
The deal includes Nilsson’s publishing catalog and writer revenue streams of songs including “One,” “Coconut,” “Jump Into the Fire,” “Gotta Get Up” and “Me and My Arrow” as well as songs co-written with John Lennon (“Mucho Mungo/Mt. Elga” and “Old Dirt Road”), Danny Kortchmar (“(Thursday) Here’s Why I Did Not Go to Work Today” and “Moonshine Bandit”), Dr. John (“Daylight Has Caught Me”) and Ringo Starr (“How Long Can Disco On”). The deal additionally includes artist revenue streams of Nilsson’s recordings, also including hits he didn’t write like “Everybody’s Talkin’” and “Without You.”
Over his career, Nilsson released 18 studio albums, including his 1966 debut Spotlight on Nilsson, Harry, Nilsson Sings Newman, Nilsson Schilsson, A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night, the Lennon-produced Pussy Cats, Knnillssonn and Flash Harry. The list also includes soundtracks for Skidoo, Son of Dracula and Popeye, as well as the posthumous album Losst and Found. Nilsson died of a heart attack in 1994 at age 52 while recording the latter album, which was finished and released 25 years later in 2019.
As part of the acquisition, BMG will collaborate with Nilsson’s family to explore opportunities around his other creative assets. These include Nilsson’s story for The Point! — the 1971 ABC TV special for which he also wrote the soundtrack — as well as his name, image and likeness, including for film, TV, stage and books.
Nilsson launched his music career in 1960s Los Angeles as a songwriter for groups including The Monkees and Three Dog Night. He broke through with his cover of Fred Neil’s “Everybody’s Talkin’” in 1969, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and netting him a Grammy for best contemporary vocal performance, male. He cemented his status as a left-field hitmaker with his seventh album, 1971’s Nilsson Schmilsson. That set was nominated for album of the year at the 1973 Grammys and ultimately was RIAA-certified gold on the strength of hit singles, including the No. 1 smash “Without You” (a cover of the song by Badfinger), “Jump Into the Fire” and “Coconut.” He followed that with the Gold-selling Son of Schmilsson the following year. That album’s biggest hit, “Spaceman,” peaked at No. 23 on the Hot 100.
Over the decades, Nilsson’s music has found new generations of fans thanks to placements in films and TV shows like Goodfellas (“Jump Into the Fire”), Reservoir Dogs (“Coconut”), Russian Doll (“Gotta Get Up”), Forrest Gump (“Everybody’s Talkin’”) and You’ve Got Mail (“The Puppy Song”).
The Nilsson family’s team was led by John Rudolph of 1.618 Industries, Inc. (formerly Music Analytics) with counsel provided by Jason Karlov and Amanda Taber of Barnes & Thornburg.
“We are delighted to have found a partner that shares our love and reverence for Harry’s legacy,” said the Nilsson family in a statement. “We look forward to a long relationship with BMG, working together to celebrate this true genius of pop music.”
Thomas Scherer, BMG president of repertoire & marketing, Los Angeles and New York, added, “For generations, Harry Nilsson’s timeless music has captivated millions of people all around the world. A brilliant songwriter with an exceptionally beautiful and unique voice, we will ensure his spirit thrives for generations to come. We are honored the Nilsson family chose BMG to entrust as the custodians of his musical legacy and are proud to represent the cherished works of Harry Nilsson.”
Other recent acquisitions by BMG include the publishing and/or recorded music catalogs of John Legend, Mötley Crüe, John Lee Hooker and ZZ Top.
Miami Gardens police say David Mitchell is a hit-and-run driver who killed Eddie Pascale Aurelien when he smashed into her car at 109 mph on a residential street. Online records … Click to Continue »
SNL‘s December schedule will kick off with SZA as musical guest and Keke Palmer as host on Dec. 3.
“first december show!” the Saturday Night Live Instagram announced on Sunday (Nov. 13), following this weekend’s episode with Dave Chappelle and Black Star.
“Can’t believe this is happening lmao . I plan on acting a f—ing fool . See you soon New York,” SZA shared on her own account on Sunday.
Palmer wrote on Instagram, “I can’t wait!! The stage awaits @nbcsnl.”
SZA recently shared a teaser trailer for “PSA,” just two weeks after she released her new single “Shirt.” Last month she revealed that her long-awaited sophomore album is coming “any day” now.
See the SNL lineup announcement below.
Louis Tomlinson‘s latest solo album, Faith in the Future, has topped this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Nov. 11) on Billboard, choosing Faith in the Future as their favorite new music release of the past week.
Tomlinson’s latest release brought in more than 62% of the vote, beating out new music by Wizkid, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna and more.
Although he unfortunately kicked off release week for his new album with a broken arm and some rescheduled appearances, Tomlinson dropped his sophomore solo album on Friday. The 14-track LP features lead single “Bigger Than Me,” “Out of My System” and “Silver Tongues.”
“I think this record, every song is about something slightly different But I think there is something, there’s the element of change that keeps coming back. There’s definitely a lot of nostalgia in there, because I’ve been thinking about getting older and all that kind of thing. So I think there is a kind of invisible concept that ties it all together, if you know what I mean,” he told Billboard of the pop/rock-oriented collection of songs.
In comparison to his first solo album, Walls, Tomlinson noted, “I think that was a lot of me working out who I was coming out of the band. And it’s not to say I wasn’t true to myself in the band, but I was in that band and I was part of that band — it wasn’t just me. It took a second to me to work that development stage out, whereas I think I did have a clearer picture on this record.”
Trailing behind Tomlinson’s Faith in the Future on the fan-voted poll is Wizkid’s More Love, Less Ego — the Nigerian singer’s first follow-up to 2020’s Made in Lagos — with 33% of the vote.
See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.
Ballast Books is postponing the release date of its planned Aaron Carter memoir, Aaron Carter: An Incomplete Story of an Incomplete Life, following the singer’s death.
The decision was made, according to Scott Atherton, Atherton Galardi Mullen & Reeder PLLC founder and rep for both the publisher and the memoir’s co-writer, Andy Symonds, “out of respect for the Carter family.”
“My client has decided to defer the further release of the book at this time,” Atherton said in a statement. “Mr. Carter was not just a celebrity but also a father, a brother, a son and a friend to many still grieving for him.”
A new date was not given for the unfinished memoir, which was previously set to be released Nov. 15, according to the publisher. The delay follows a statement from Carter’s rep denying the singer was involved or wanted the title to be published.
“Aaron, in the midst of [working on the book], said, ‘I want nothing to do with this’ and stopped, so the fact that the publisher is saying it’s greenlit, it’s not,” a rep for Carter told Page Six. “That’s against Aaron’s wishes.”
As part of the delay announcement, Atherton asserted in a statement that “Aaron Carter wanted his story told.”
“And he wanted our client, Andy Symonds, a well-respected journalist and author, to tell that story with all its beauty and rawness,” the statement continued. “Public attention has recently focused on a small number of interactions during Mr. Carter’s early years. The more important story is about Mr. Carter’s life and what people can learn from his professional success, personal struggles and tragic passing.”
Symonds had worked with Carter on the memoir for three years, according to a Nov. 9 release announcing the publication of the unfinished book.
In a separate statement previously given to Billboard, the late singer’s management called the decision to release the “unauthorized” memoir posthumously “obscenely disrespectful.”
“In the few short days following our dear friend’s passing we have been trying to grieve and process while simultaneously having to deal with obscenely disrespectful and unauthorized releases,” Carter’s team said. “This is a time for mourning and reflection not heartless money grabs and attention seeking.”
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to a rep for Carter.
The singer and brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter was found dead at the age of 34 in his Lancaster, California, home on Nov. 5 with no cause of death given at the time.
This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.
