Day in Pop for 09/08: R Kelly To Finish Michael Jackson Songs- Jay-Z's Blue Print Coming Early- Ludacris Gives Away Cars- 3OH!3 Expanded and more top pop music news stories of the day

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Launch reports: R Kelly has said he is planning to complete work on a series of collaborations he started work on with Michael Jackson prior to his death on June 25.

The singer told Black Voices that he had worked on five songs with Jackson, and was adamant that they would see the light of day.

"We're going to get it out," he said of the songs, which were recorded in Kelly's home studio. "Michael liked the way I would try to sing the songs just like him. I recorded five joints for [Jackson]." - more on this story

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Jay-Z's Blue Print Coming Early

antiMusic reports: Billboard dug up some good news for Jay-Z fans. Hint: you won't have to wait until Friday for his new album. Here is part of their report:

"The Blueprint 3" becomes the latest superstar album release to shuffle its release date, according to changes on Amazon.com, Rhapsody.com and WEA's distribution Web site.

The Roc Nation set, originally scheduled for a Friday, Sept. 11 launch, has been pushed forward to Tuesday, Sept. 8. The title was intended to drop on Sept. 11, on the eighth anniversary of the first "Blueprint's" release. - more on this story

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Ludacris Gives Away Cars

AP reports: Talk about a one-man stimulus package: Grammy-winning rapper Ludacris has given away 20 cars to people who wrote about their struggles to keep their jobs for a lack of wheels of their own.

Ludacris said he was taken aback after reading thousands of essays by people struggling or unable to buy cars needed to get to and from work or find jobs.

The 31-year-old rapper felt he could step in and move them ahead, partnering with a suburban Atlanta dealership for Sunday's giveaway. - more on this story

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3OH!3 Expanded With Katy Perry

PR reports: Photo Finish recording duo 3OH!3 has announced the upcoming release of an expanded edition of their breakthrough debut album, "Want." The deluxe version � which includes the new single, "Starstrukk (Feat. Katy Perry)" � will be available in stores and at all DSPs on September 8th.

Having first met on Warped Tour in 2008 and quickly becoming friends, Katy Perry and 3OH!3 have shared the stage numerous times and have finally found the opportunity to collaborate together.

"WANT" has proven a true digital phenomenon, with close to 4 million tracks sold to date. In addition to the "Starstrukk" remix, the deluxe edition also appends a Kid Cudi remix of 3OH!3's blockbuster hit single, "Don't Trust Me" and the "Still Around (Big Mix)" by beatmaster Nathaniel Motte and MC Sean Foreman themselves. The deluxe digital version will also include music videos for both "Don't Trust Me" and the original "WANT" version of "Starstrukk." - more on this story

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Binary Go Digital For Debut

PR reports: Spanning the electronic music spectrum from laid back synth-pop and hard-hitting electro to its self-coined "dreamwave" sound, Binary's debut release, Binary Presents: LA Lights, will be released digitally on October 13.

The label's inaugural album culls together 14 tracks from a variety of Los Angeles-based electro musicians, producers and DJs, giving an impressive sampling of its eclectic roster that has begun to carve out a niche at home and abroad.

The introductory offering from the L.A. label features two tracks each from their seven artists: Alfa, Fabian, Keenhouse, LexiconDon, NightWaves, Short Circuit, and The Kids Are Radioactive. While the tempo varies from song to song, the album is threaded together with a unifying desire to capture the essence of L.A., from the sun-kissed waves of the Pacific Ocean to the palm tree-lined streets of Hollywood and the neon and grit of the downtown cityscape. - more on this story

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Royksopp Offer Up Tricky Tricky Remix Challenge

PR reports: Royksopp, aka Svein Berge & Torbj�rn Brundtland, announce a very special remix competition for their fantastic track 'Tricky Tricky'.

Featuring the unmistakable vocals of Karin Dreijer Andersson (The Knife, Fever Ray), 'Tricky Tricky' is the six minute operatic tour de force that is one of the stand-out tracks on R�yksopp's highly acclaimed 'Junior' album.

Svein and Torbj�rn are offering the chance to remix 'Tricky Tricky', with the winning entry being released digitally in the UK. - more on this story

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Kelly Clarkson Helps Eric Hutchinson Become A Heatseeker Again

PR reports: Eric Hutchinson's full-length debut, Sounds Like This, bowed at No.1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart in September 2007. Now - two years later - Sounds Like This is back on the Heatseekers chart, where it was last week's Greatest Gainer.

The album has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide to date and this week sales of the album on the iTunes store surged, increasing 17% after Hutchinson's playlist was posted on iTunes' homepage and Pop page. Sounds Like This still has the distinction of being the highest-charting album ever by an unsigned act on iTunes. (Hutchinson self-released the record initially, then signed with Warner Bros. Records in 2008.)

He has been touring non-stop since the album's release, mixing headlining dates with supporting stints for artists such as Jason Mraz, One Republic, O.A.R., Jack's Mannequin and, currently, Kelly Clarkson. When Clarkson was forced to cancel her performance at the Minnesota State Fair last Saturday night, Hutchinson played a full, 70-minute set for the 8,000+ audience - and improvised a song to answer the question that was on everyone's mind, "Who is Eric Hutchinson?" - more on this story

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VMA Weekend

MTV reports: MTV is warming NYC up for the "2009 MTV Video Music Awards," which will air live from Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, September 13th at 9PM ET/PT, with a trio of music-filled events that will culminate with the massive music awards extravaganza.

Music fans will be able to check out performances from 3OH!3, Fefe Dobson, Cobra Starship, Kid Cudi, and Phoenix at locations across the city. On Thursday night, the VMAs and [corporate sponsor name removed] kick off the week with a performance from 3OH!3, and [corporate sponsor name removed] welcomes Fefe Dobson and Cobra Starship, along with DJ Vice, to the stage on Friday night. On Saturday night, the VMAs and [corporate sponsor name removed] present "A Refreshing Night of Music" featuring DJ Clinton Sparks, Kid Cudi and Phoenix, with the event benefiting LIFEbeat, The Music Industry Fights AIDS.

Tickets for The 2009 Video Music Awards and [corporate sponsor name removed] Present: A Refreshing Night of Music with DJ Clinton Sparks, Kid Cudi and Phoenix a Benefit for LIFEbeat, The Music Industry Fights AIDS, an all ages event, are $40.00 for General Admission in advance, with limited tickets at the door available for $50.00. - more on this story

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Human Nature Reach Out To America

PR reports: Australia's most popular & successful vocal group, Human Nature released their first album Reach Out in the U.S. on September 1st. Reach Out is being released exclusively via Barnes & Noble physically and will be available widely digitally. The album will be released to all retailers physically on February 2, 2010.

Since they signed with Sony in 1994, Human Nature have earned 23 Platinum Awards in their native Australia and have toured throughout the world. Their largest audience was at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 where they performed before 4 billion viewers worldwide. The band has had 17 Top 40 Hits and Five Top Ten Hits since 1996, has opened tours of Asia and Europe for both Michael Jackson and Celine Dion, and have won several Arias (Australia's version of the Grammy's) and virtually every other major entertainment award that country has to offer. Their last four releases in Australia have reached #1 on the charts there!

Now Human Nature has set their sites on America. Human Nature are launching their assault via a headlining run at The Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, in a show presented by their mentor & friend Smokey Robinson. The show, billed as "The Ultimate Celebration of the Motown Sound" is running now through May, 2010. During their run, the boys will also be performing select dates in key US markets around national media and promotional activities. - more on this story

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Michael Jackson Tribute Group Who's Bad? Plot World Tour

PR reports: North Carolina's Who's Bad? aren't just America's best Michael Jackson tribute band, they are a full-blown celebration of the King of Pop, with a show that captures all the high-energy emotion of his groundbreaking music and dance steps. And now, for the very first time, they are taking their acclaimed act where Michael was most beloved�all around the world�starting Sept. 23 in Queretaro, Mexico, and finishing with seven dates in the U.K. in March, 2010. The tour, in which the group will perform in thousand-seat and larger venues, will also include stops in Vancouver, Curacao, Aruba, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia and Switzerland before concluding in Cheltenham, England, on March 13, 2010.

The untimely passing of Michael Jackson on the eve of his 50-date "This Is It" shows in London caused an outpouring of grief and a renewed interest in his music. Jackson album sales have soared past three million, with his catalogue dominating the charts over the summer, with Number Ones holding down the top spot until just recently. Who's Bad, widely acknowledged as the world's ultimate Michael Jackson show, is now trying to satisfy the world-wide demand to hear his music and honor his memory.

"We are here to keep the memory of the King of Pop alive, wherever in the world that might be" says the band's founder Vamsi Tadepalli. "We are undertaking this world tour for the first time largely because of the overwhelming demand from the fans in these countries. We look forward to entertaining as many of Michael's fans out there as we can in a spirit of global community Michael's fame transcended national borders.." - more on this story

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