Day in Pop for 08/28: Beyonce Added To MTV VMAs- Family Told Cops To Look For Heroine At Michael Jackson's Home- Blackalicious Frontman Gift of Gab Escapes 2 Mars and more top pop music news stories of the day

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MTV reports: MTV has announced that Beyonce will take the stage at the "2009 Video Music Awards" on Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 9PM (Live ET/Tape delayed PT).

Beyonce will perform her current single "Sweet Dreams" off her multi-platinum album I Am� Sasha Fierce. Beyonce, whose "Single Ladies (Put A Ring on It)" received nine nominations including "Video of the Year" and "Best Female Video," will join a line-up of performers including Lady Gaga, Green Day, P!nk, Taylor Swift and Muse.

In addition, MTV has tapped hip-hop's newest challenger, Wale and the legendary go go band UCB as the official VMAs house band, providing this year's audience with what is sure to be some of the night's most exciting and unexpected moments. - more on this story

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Family Told Cops To Look For Heroine At Michael Jackson's Home

AP reports: Police who searched Michael Jackson's home the day after he died were acting on information from family members who said they'd found a bag of heroin in his bedroom, but a person with knowledge of subsequent test results on the substance said it turned out not to be the drug.

The search did, however, turn up a number of other drugs including marijuana, the generic form of Valium and other sedatives. A detective also indicated Jackson's body showed signs of injections.

The disclosure came in an affidavit supporting a search warrant that was executed June 26, three days earlier than any previously reported search of Jackson's rented mansion in Bel-Air. - more on this story

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Blackalicious Frontman Gift of Gab Escapes 2 Mars

PR reports: Gift of Gab, best known as the technically adept of the vaunted Blackalicious, knew that after waiting over five years for a follow-up solo release that he would have to really take this one far. Like other planet kind of far.

Escape 2 Mars signifies the next groundbreaking voyage in the career of an MC who is nothing short of iconic. Cornerstone Recording Arts Society is set to release Escape 2 Mars October 27, 2009 on CD, Vinyl and worldwide digital download.

Production on Escape was placed mainly in the hands of the Bay Area's talented DNAEBEATS, with a few tracks also helmed by Hednodic, from Gab's most recent star collabo project The Mighty Underdogs and Crown City Rockers. Del the Funky Homosapien and Brother Ali, another two undeniably iconic MCs, are featured on "Dreamin'", one of the record's stand out cuts. Gab also recruited some of the talent from the Quannum Collective he helped pioneer, including Joyo Velarde, Lateef The Truthspeaker, and Honeycut's vocalist Bart Davenport. - more on this story

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Dolly Parton, Wynonna, Neal McCoy, Bo Bice, Lee Greenwood, and The Grascals to Perform on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon

PR reports: Fire up the barbies, and the flat screen TVs and join comedy legend Jerry Lewis for his 44th annual Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon this Labor Day weekend, Sept. 6-7.

"I'm determined to keep fighting for a cure for muscular dystrophy because my kids deserve to live long and healthy lives," said Lewis, MDA's national chairman and Telethon star.

The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon will present great entertainment again this year, including Dolly Parton, , Wynonna, Reba McEntire, Tony Orlando, Charo, Train, Bo Bice, Terry Fator, The Grascals, Neal McCoy, comedian George Wallace. Lee Greenwood, Joshua Bell accompanied by Frankie Moreno, Three Dog Night and many more. - more on this story

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Extremely Sorry Deal

PR reports: Volcom Entertainment have announced their partnership with Flip Skateboards to distribute and market the soundtrack to Flip's highly anticipated third film project, Extremely Sorry.

The Flip Skateboards Extremely Sorry soundtrack has been years in the making and was produced by the UK premier league DJ, Baron. Best known for his Drum & Bass productions (Baron's 2005 tracks, "At The Drive In" and "Drive in, Drive by" both reached the #1 spot on the UK Dance Charts), the soundtrack Baron has created for Extremely Sorry instead features an array of musical styles that match each skater's part in the film, crafting a completely unique audio/visual experience.

Baron worked closely for countless hours with Extremely Sorry director, Ewan Bowman, to score original songs that match up with each skater's personal style, including one of the film's stars, Geoff Rowley. It was also Rowley who was the one who helped Baron initially connect with the skaters to legitimize the process with them as well as with the rest of the skateboard industry. And it was through connections of Baron, Rowley and the rest of the Flip team, that a wide assortment of major artists from the Rock, Rap and Punk worlds contributed vocals for the songs on the soundtrack (artists' names providing vocal contributions will be announced at a later date). - http://www.volcoment.com/flipsoundtrack

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Raekwon To Release Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Ii

EMI reports: With Wu-Tang Clan's noisemaking, groundbreaking 1993 arrival on rap's desolate East Coast landscape, the music and the culture were forever altered. Expectations were shattered and rebuilt much more stringently. From that unassailable 9-man collective emerged one particularly salient voice, a true mouthpiece for the people: Raekwon. With uncanny lyrical vividness and poignancy, Raekwon painted bleak, biting portraits of urban life. Never had Staten Island seemed so intriguing, so cinematic.

In 1995, Raekwon aka the Chef stepped out from under the Wu-Tang umbrella to release his solo debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Instantly heralded as a classic, the album retains its sheen and substance fourteen years later. For years, fans have frothed for the promised sequel. Well, salivate no more. Come September 8th, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II is set to impact like no rap record in recent history. In fact, overseas hype already has Cuban Linx II trumping another prominent release, Jay-Z's forthcoming Blueprint 3.

The first imprint off Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II was "New Wu" featuring Clan members Method Man and Ghostface Killah. Produced by the RZA, the production maestro behind Wu-Tang, "New Wu" bears that beloved sparse, eerie boom-bap. "New Wu" set the stage for current single "House of Flying Daggers," which springs from the uncommonly gifted hands and ears of J. Dilla. Dilla, in wanting to work with Raekwon, created music specifically for the Chef to incorporate on Linx II. "House of Flying Daggers" bears Dilla's trademark soulful samples, but the beat is a departure from his headnod fare. Insistent, cantankerous, almost militant, "House of Flying Daggers" takes no prisoners. A full complement of Clansmen- Inspectah Deck, GZA, Ghostface Killah and Method Man- contributes seething verses, as if each MC could barely wait for another to finish before grabbing the mic. Raekwon respectfully likens the song to "Triumph," Wu-Tang Clan's stellar single off their 1997 sophomore album, Wu Tang Forever.

It's been an odyssey for Raekwon, a journey full of epics. Nearing two decades in the rap game and he's as pithy and relevant as ever. He's finishing up the massively successful Rock the Bells nationwide tour alongside artists such as Nas, Damian Marley, the Roots, Ice Cube, Common, Big Boi from OutKast, as well as his Clan kin GZA and RZA. His place is the game is already assured. But Only Built 4 Cuban II, the album everyone wanted but some suspected would never happen, cements the Chef's legacy as one of the best ever. On September 8th, fourteen years after the first installment, history will be made again. Raekwon is the truest Top Chef.
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Tanya Tucker Look-Alikes Wanted

Submitted News reports: Saguaro Road Records is inviting all Tanya Tucker look-alikes to upload their photos and compete to see who best resembles the country music star.

Photos must be uploaded to [email protected] by September 20, 2009 along with their name and contact information. Shortly after, three finalists will be selected.

Fans will vote for the grand prize winner, who will be announced in late September. The winner will receive a special autograph from Ms. Tucker, a copy of her new CD, My Turn, a Saguaro Road Records flash drive and will also be showcased on www.saguaroroad.com. - more on this story

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Jonah Smith Fan Funded Album Released, Tour Announced

PR reports: Lights On, the latest effort from singer/songwriter Jonah Smith, is out now via Smith's own Voluptuary Records. Self-released, the album was recorded with fan funding allowing Smith to bypass the need for a record label.

Lights On pulls from the deep well of American blues and many of its offshoots including soul, country and folk. Smith is supporting the record with a national tour, list of dates below.

In 2007 Smith embraced his industry outsider status upon leaving his label. "Not having to seek approval for my songs or my direction as an artist became too tempting for me," notes Smith. "It was great to work with people who were so passionate about my music, but I needed to forge my own path. For me, it has become about creating a tribe and building a deeper connection with my audience." Smith turned to that audience for help, raising money for his next record via his website. Additionally, fans in D.C. organized a fundraising concert which netted thousands more. Other fans donated goods and services to the cause ranging from web services to road cases for Smith's equipment. - more on this story

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onseeker music Released for iPhone

reports: Houston-based start-up announces onseeker music is now available- free to consumers at the iTunes App Store. The new iPhone app connects fans, artists, and venues in ways never experienced before.

onseeker music is the "how" to the "who, what, when, and where" for music and entertainment. Using the mobile platform, onseeker music provides the unique benefit of real-time interaction between fans, artists, and venues using full multimedia profiles, status updates, location-based content, and more.

Subscriber artists and venues control content and receive consumer-generated feedback, metrics, and analytics that offer intimate insight into tastes and user trends previously unavailable. - more on this story

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Dan Zanes and Friends DVD

PR reports: Grammy Award winners Dan Zanes and Friends' new live concert DVD The Fine Friends Are Here! will be released September 22nd by Festival Five Records/Razor & Tie Entertainment.

This collection of 13 Dan Zanes and Friends favorites includes three new music videos and comes with a bonus audio disc of four, new unreleased solo Zanes songs (including one with his daughter Anna!). The live concert audio will also be available via digital music retailers and danzanes.com. A portion of the proceeds from the DVD will benefit the Mario Batali Foundation, which strives to ensure all children are well read, well fed and well cared for.

The Fine Friends Are Here! is Zanes and Friends' first DVD in over four years. The DVD showcases what the band's trademark rollicking concerts are all about and allows kids and fans alike to participate in the wildly popular and regularly sold out experience. This concert performance of the band's favorite songs was shot on location at The Jalopy Theatre in Red Hook, Brooklyn this past winter and features well-known songs from across the Zanes and Friends catalog including "Let's Shake," "Wabash Cannonball," "El Canario" and "Catch That Train!," among others. Two special guests join the band at the show: spoken word artist Caridad de la Luz a.k.a. La Bruja raps on "The Welcome Table" and is featured in the video for "Pollito Chicken" while break dancer David Alan a.k.a. Cyclone appears on "Jump Up" and "Walking the Dog." The DVD also contains three new music videos for the songs "Wonder Wheel," "Pollito Chicken" and "Night Owl." - more on this story

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