Day in Pop for 11/16: DJ AM's Mom Blames Travis Barker Plane Crash For His OD- Harry Pothead Potter?- Judds Ponder Reunion- Robbie Takes That Again and more top pop music news stories of the day

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Full Report for 11/16/2009

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DJ AM's Mom Blames Travis Barker Plane Crash For His OD- Harry Pothead Potter?- Judds Ponder Reunion- Strippers-On-A-Truck- Robbie Takes That Again and more

MTV had this interesting report: Just months after her son died from a drug overdose, DJ AM's mother is picking up the late musician's lawsuit against the airline whose crash nearly killed him, claiming the two events are related. Andrea Gross, the mother of Adam Goldstein, has amended her son's $20 million lawsuit against the manufacturer of the Learjet that crashed upon takeoff in September 2008 with Goldstein and Travis Barker onboard more

Harry Potter is no pot head, he says. Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe has "categorically" denied newspaper allegations that he was photographed smoking cannabis. "Daniel does smoke the occasional roll-up cigarette, but he was not doing anything more than this," said a spokeswoman for the 20-year-old actor. more

Country singer Wynonna says that she and her mother, Naomi Judd, are up for "everything" in 2010, including working together again in some capacity as the Judds. "We are 'in talks,' so there's nothing that's been defined yet," Wynonna said. more

Goofy disaster flick 2012 opened at No. 1 domestically with $65 million and pulled in $225 million worldwide. more

Robbie Williams has confirmed that he has already joined Take That in the studio to record new songs. "Oh sod it, we've been in and the songs are absolutely amazing," he said in a BBC Radio 2 interview set for broadcast on Christmas Day. more

Boy band JLS said they were "so, so sad" about a crowd surge at a Christmas lights switch-on event in Birmingham in which about 60 people were injured. The surge happened as JLS performed before as many as 20,000 people at Millennium Point on Saturday more

Obie Trice readies a new street LP, Special Reserve, which finds him collaborating solely with rising producer MoSS. Obie Trice's Special Reserve will be released on 12-15-09.
Live strippers on the back of a truck is too much � even for Sin City. A Las Vegas strip club has agreed to stop an advertising promotion that involved hauling bikini-clad exotic dancers around in a truck with clear plastic sides. more

After spending the past year with the New Kids on the Block reunion, Joey McIntyre is striking while the iron is hot and resuming his solo career. McIntyre will release a seven-song EP, "Here We Go Again," Tuesday (November 17) via digital retailers. more

Dan Deacon has had to cancel the remainder of his US tour after being hospitalised with back problems. more -

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Will The People Pick Pink?

P!nk has been nominated for a People's Choice Award in the "Favorite Female Artist" category. The awards will be broadcast live on January 6th on CBS.

P!nk recently released the DVD/live album Funhouse Tour: Live in Australia. The DVD features P!nk performing her hits from the past decade as well as songs from her fifth studio album, Funhouse, which has sold over 5 million units worldwide. The concert was filmed entirely in HD in Australia where she sold out a record-breaking 60 shows. The performance will also be available on
Blu-ray on December 8th. The bonus live audio CD, limited to the DVD set only, is made up of a dozen of P!nk's handpicked tour favorites including "So What" and "Sober" and a previously unreleased exclusive studio track, "Push You Away".

P!nk has also recently premiered her new music video for new Funhouse single "I Don't Believe You". Check it out - here

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Serena Ryder Debut Does Ok, Tops A Sub Chart

(PR) Serena Ryder has made a stunning chart entrance with her full-length label debut, "is it o.k." The acclaimed album � which includes the hit singles, "Little Bit of Red" and "All For Love" � premiered at #1 on Billboard's "Heatseekers Albums" chart, marking the week's top-selling album by a new or developing artist.

"is it o.k.," has already received gold certification from the CRIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association) in Ryder's native Canada, where it has earned reams of critical acclaim as well as the 2009 Juno Award for "Adult Alternative Album of the Year." In the U.S., "Little Bit of Red" proved a Top 10 sensation at Triple A radio earlier this year. The track's popularity placed Ryder alongside Grammy Award-nominees Adele and Duffy as one of only three female artists to chart Top 10 at the format in the past year.

"All For Love," the latest single from "is it o.k.," has just shipped to Hot AC radio outlets nationwide. The track's companion video premiered last month as part of MySpace Music's new "Introducing�" program, which champions new artists through a series of specially tailored online and offline promotional opportunities. "All For Love" has since proven a popular clip, with total plays now approaching 125,000. In addition, Serena's official MySpace Video channel features a wide array of original webisodes, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive live performances, such as her stirring cover rendition of Bruce Springsteen's classic "Racing In The Street." "All For Love" was also recently featured as a "Discovery Download" on the iTunes main page and became one of the highest non-holiday download promotions of the year with over 160,000 giveaways. - more on this story

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Marie Digby Hitting The Road and McDonalds

Fresh off the heels of her sold out residency at Los Angeles hotspot, Hotel Caf�, Hollywood Records recording artist, Marie Digby is gearing up for her national tour which begins in Washington, DC, on November 30th.

The singer-songwriter, who has attracted more than 75 million views on YouTube, will be hitting the road to promote her newly released album Breathing Underwater,which debuted at #1 on Amazon's download chart.These special shows will be a combination of new material as well as fan favorites from her debut album, Unfold.

In November, Mari� will join artists such as All American Rejects, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, among others, as a featured artist in McDonalds' new M Channel. Mari�'s single and video for "Avalanche" will be featured in a rotating playlist in over 800 restaurants nationwide. - more on this story

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Cash Money 13th Annual Turkey Giveaway

Cash Money Records Co-CEOs and founders Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams have never forgotten their roots in the projects of New Orleans. Even before they achieved massive success with artists like Lil Wayne, Kevin Rudolf, Drake and Jay Sean, they were giving back to the community in their hometown, and this year will be no different. The brothers will once again host their 13th Annual Turkey Giveaway, on the Tuesday, November 24th at Taylor Park, from 2:00 -5:00 p.m., where they will hand out between 1,400 � 1,600 birds.

The giveaway is meant to provide some holiday cheer to those less fortunate, especially those who have been affected in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Williams brothers have set up a number of philanthropic organizations in the memory of their parents, as part of the Johnny and Gladys Williams Foundation including the Cash Money for Kids program; which rewards local students for their academic performance with free tickets to a New Orleans Hornet home game.

"This makes us feel just as good as those getting the turkeys," says Ronald 'Slim' Williams. "It means a lot to us to be able to use our success to help others not as fortunate." "This is our way of giving back to the community & that City of New Orleans that Cash Money owes its heart and soul to," adds Bryan 'Birdman' Williams. - more on this story

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AM Announces Sophomore Album and Holiday EP

A heady concoction of '60s and '70s-tinged rock, twanging Americana, Brazilian pop, Philly soul and so much more, AM's sophomore album, Future Sons & Daughters, will be released February 9, 2010 via Filter US Recordings. This release follows the L.A.-based artist's acclaimed debut, Troubled Times, which was declared one of the "Best Albums of the Year," by iTunes and earned him the title of "Best Singer Songwriter of The Year," by LA Weekly. Each one of that album's 10 tracks has been used in a dizzying array of movies and TV shows, totaling more than 70 placements, including HBO's "Big Love," MTV's "The Hills" and ABC's "Brothers and Sisters."

For his latest effort, AM found inspiration while mining the crates of his extensive 1960s record collection, ranging from obscure Brazilian music to Italian soundtracks. Armed with a studio of instruments, from guitar to ukulele, and glockenspiel to synths, multi-instrumentalist AM and producer Charles Newman (Magnetic Fields), recruited a host of talented players to add sonic layers to the songs. Together, they set off to create a record that pays homage to the Tulsa-born, New Orleans-raised musician's diverse influences such as Jorge Ben, Brian Wilson, Sergio Mendes and Curtis Mayfield, while showcasing his own songwriting chops, intelligent lyrics and psychedelic grooves.

The resulting 11-track collection does just this and is already impressing press and radio months ahead of its official release. Metromix exclaimed: "The instrumental 'Jorge Ben' is a groovy ode to its Rio namesake. But the album's highlight is far and away 'It's Been So Long,' a Spaghetti Western-ish co-ed duet that calls to mind both Wilco and Sergio Leone in the same melodically whispered breaths." Meanwhile, stations such as KCRW have provided early support, spinning the spacey, sun-kissed track "Grand Opinion," which was also featured as Spinner.com's "Video of the Day." - a holiday EP is coming sooner than this

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Michael Jackson's This Is It Vocal Director and American Idol Vocal Coach Lands New Gig

LA Music Academy College of Music announced today that Dorian Holley is joining the college's staff, effective immediately, and will begin incorporating his coursework into the Vocal Department's syllabus beginning Summer 2010. The 20-plus year music industry veteran is best known for his impressive resume singing on each of Michael Jackson's solo tours including "This Is It," where Dorian was also the Vocal Director. He has worked with platinum selling artists such as Stevie Wonder, Cher, The Eagles and Rod Stewart and is currently American Idol's Associate Music Director and Vocal Coach. The school will host Dorian's three day public workshop, "Art of the Audition," beginning January 29, 2010.

"We are very excited Dorian is joining our staff and eager for him to share his knowledge and experience with our diverse student base," says Tom Aylesbury, President of LA Music Academy. Aylesbury adds, "Dorian is a respected figure in the music and film industries. He is not only prominently featured on hundreds of albums but in many films and television programs as well." Aylesbury is referring to Holley's "endless" resume, which includes, for example, his work on Die Hard, Pretty Woman, American Gangster and South Park the Movie, as well as Saturday Night Live, Good Morning America, Oprah, Dancing With The Stars, VH1's Unplugged.

"With his experience, Dorian will prepare our students for the professional situations that they will encounter during their time at the school and after graduating," says Aylesbury. Immersed in real life situations spanning a variety of contemporary genres, LA Music Academy students are required to play virtually every day in band workshops, featuring L.A.'s top professional musicians. - more on this story

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Mac McAnally Snags CMA's Musician of the Year Again

Mac McAnally was named CMA's Musician of the Year. This is the second consecutive year he has been hailed as Musician of the Year, highlighting his amazing artistry as a guitar player which Billboard Magazine proclaims as one of his many "sought-after skills" that is showcased on his latest album, Down By The River.

"Playin' music is my favorite thing in the world," said McAnally. "And to be honored for that makes me one of the luckiest, happiest people alive."

After the celebration of CMA week comes to an end, McAnally is back to filling concert venues and pleasing fans, both with his own solo dates and as a member of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band. Upcoming solo dates include special performances in Florida at the Snowflakes In The City Tree Lighting and Snowfall Ceremony in W. Palm Beach and in Miami at the NFL's Dolphins-Buccaneers game, as well as two performances in Mississippi next month. - more on this story

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