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Day in Pop Report for 03/11/2015


Robin Thicke and Pharrell Ordered To Pay $7.3 Million For 'Blurred Lines'
(Radio.com) We finally have a decision in the "Blurred Lines" case that pitted the family of Marvin Gaye against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams: on Tuesday a jury awarded $7.3 million dollars to the Gaye family, CBS Los Angeles reports.

The jury had been deliberating since last week on the case, which claimed that the massive 2013 hit song from Thicke, Williams and T.I. stole from Gaye's 1977 hit "Got to Give It Up."

Though Thicke and Williams had denied the charges, the jury decided that portions of the song had been copied from the 1977 hit in its decision. Journalist Pamela Chelin tweeted the specifics of the decision, which included $4 million in damages from Willaims and Thicke, plus profits from the song, including $1.6 million for Williams and $1,760,099 for Thicke.

Over the course of the trial, Thicke and Williams maintained their innocence, while many interesting tidbits were revealed along the way, including the actual cost of recording the song, Thicke's substance abuse issues during the recording and the money that Williams and Thicke made off the song. Read more including Thicke and Pharrell's statement about the verdict here.

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Angie Stone Arrested For Allegedly Knocking Daughter's Teeth Out
(Radio.com) Grammy-nominated R&B singer Angie Stone was arrested and taken to a Dekalb County, GA, jail after a physical confrontation with a metal stand that resulted in her daughter losing some front teeth.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, a police incident reports reveals that the confrontation between Stone, 53, and her 30-year-old daughter, Diamond Stone, began after the singer demanded that her daughter control her children who were allegedly running around the star's home unclothed.

"Ms. Diamond Stone then went on to state that Ms. Angie Stone started (getting) in her face, telling her she needed to leave because she is tired (of) her," per the police report. 'Ms. Diamond Stone then stated her and Ms. Angie Stone started to argue, and that's when a physical altercation started to occur."

Angie Stone claims her daughter was the first to throw punches and that she retaliated. Read more here.

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Iggy Azalea Reschedules The Great Escape Tour
(Radio.com) Iggy Azalea's The Great Escape spring tour has been rescheduled for the fall, with Def Jam citing "tour production delays," according to a Billboard report.

In a statement to Billboard, Def Jam stated that "to accommodate for creative team availability and tour productions, it was determined that the tour will not be ready this spring."

The tour, which was to feature Nick Jonas, was scheduled to begin next month (April 14) in Fresno, Calif., and run through May 24 in Austin, Texas. See the new dates here.

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Ariana Grande Falls On Stage
(Radio.com) Ariana Grande was caught falling at a recent performance in Toronto while on stage, but in the clip, she definitely gets her inner Chumbawamba on and gets back up again.

A fan-shot video shows Grande dashing over to another ledge of the stage during the performance of "Bang Bang," her collaborative hit with Jessie J and Nicki Minaj.

She stumbles onto her knees but gets up fairly quickly, fast enough to launch into another choreographed dance. In fact, if anyone in attendance had looked away for more than a second, it's doubtful they'd have seen. Read more and watch the video here.

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Will Hoge Announces 'Small Town Dreams' Tour
(Radio.com) Will Hoge is gearing up to release his newest studio album, Small Town Dreams, on April 7, and in support of the album, he just announced his Small Town Dreams headlining tour, which will kick off April 10 in Tallahassee, Fla.

'Small Town Dreams is a reflection of where I am in my life and about my upbringing and I'm really excited to share the new songs and stories with fans out on the road," Hoge said in a press release.

Small Town Dreams will be Hoge's first album since 2013's Never Give In, which was his first major charting country album, peaking at No. 23 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. See the tour dates here.

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Wiz Khalifa Makes WWE RAW Debut
(Radio.com) Wiz Khalifa brought a medley of hits and a genuine stab at acting to WWE RAW last on Tuesday night (March 9) in the rapper's hometown of Pittsburgh.

Khalifa, replete in a classic John Cena t-shirt, hit the RAW stage to the strains of last year's "We Dem Boyz," followed by performances of signature song "Black and Yellow" and for the first time on TV, "Go Hard or Go Home," his contribution to the upcoming soundtrack to Furious 7 that's set for release on March 17. The album version is a collaboration with Iggy Azalea, who was absent for the WWE gig.

While Khalifa performed to a mostly positive response from his hometown crowd, not everyone was on-board with the rapper, with the camera capturing one wrestling fan hiding behind a mask while holding up a decidedly anti-Wiz sign with the slogan, "he's so wack."

Khalifa carried on unfazed, ending the show with an onstage appearance by wrestler Damien Mizdow, sporting a sweatshirt emblazoned with "TGOD," a reference to Khalifa's crew the Taylor Gang. Read more here.

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'Zoolander 2' Announced Via Surprise Fashion Week Appearance
(Radio.com) Ready or not, here comes a sequel to the 2001 send-up of the fashion industry, Zoolander. The sequel Zoolander 2 will in theaters on February 12, 2016.

The film's iconic characters, Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson), announced this fact in fairly spectacular form, surprising the audience at the Valentino Women's Collection Fall/Winter 2015-2016 Fashion Show during Paris Fashion Week.

They walked out to the Human League's "Don't You Want Me," struck a pose (to the delight of the audience) and then left. And if Hansel's getup is to be believed, pajamas and trench coats are going to be the "in thing" next year. Something to look forward to. See the video here.

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'Mad Men: The Fan Cut' Gets Fans Involved
(Radio.com) Ever dreamed of being courted by Don Draper? How about playing the part of the dashing and tormented creative director from Mad Men? Fans of AMC's gorgeous 1960s (and '70s) advertising industry drama now have their chance to play either role and more.

AMC is putting together a remake of Mad Men's first episode that will be acted out entirely by fans. The project is timed to coincide with the end of the series (the final seven episodes begin airing April 5).

Mad Men: The Fan Cut is an online project that allows fans to 'claim" scenes from the pilot episode, 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," and then shoot their own remakes of those scenes and upload them to YouTube.

AMC will select the best of the fan-made scenes and stitch them together into a coherent remake of the premiere featuring a cast of hundreds of different people playing series favorites Don, Peggy, Pete, Joan, Betty, and of course, Roger Sterling. AMC says it will then air the fan cut sometime during the run of the final seven episodes. Read more here.

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Marvel Releases New 'Daredevil' Trailer
(Radio.com) Can you un-see the image of Ben Affleck in red leather fighting a bald Colin Farrell in a trenchcoat? Marvel and Netflix are inviting you to try. Twelve years after a decidely lukewarm Daredevil movie bowed in theaters, the blind lawyer-turned-brawling Marvel Comics superhero is getting his own series on Netflix come April 10.

And so far, it looks promising, taking much different tone under the hand of series creator Drew Goddard, who previously wrote the movies Cabin in the Woods and Cloverfield. We've seen glimpses of his new grittier take on Daredevil in a few short teasers, but the first full trailer for the series landed, and shows much more of Charlie Cox as lead Matt Murdoch, aka Daredevil, as well as an angry Vincent D'Onofrio as his other bald nemesis, the Kingpin.

Daredevil's costume and extrasensory powers have been toned down considerably from the previous film, as the trailer reveals. Gone are the cheesy overdone echolocation effects, replaced with a more subtle blur to show how he perceives the world. Daredevil's costume is mostly black, making him look like a ninja.

The trailer is appropriately full of shadow and paints Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan as a violent and scary place in need of cleaning up (in real life, it's hardly been that way for years, but no matter). 'I realized the city was a part of me, it was in my blood, and I'd do anything to make it a better place," says a throaty voiceover. A few quick shots indicate that the series will stick closely to the Daredevil origin story from the comic: Matt Murdoch is blinded by a radioactive substance as a child and is molded into a superior fighter by his boxer father, Jack. Read more and watch the trailer here.

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Alabama Shakes Perform 'Don't Wanna Fight' On Letterman
(Radio.com) Sound & Color, the upcoming album by Alabama Shakes, is easily one of the most anticipated albums of the year, and the band is making the rounds lately to get the word out.

Recently, they performed on Saturday Night Live, and Monday night they made what is likely to be their final appearance on Late Show with David Letterman.

Introducing them Dave said, "Please welcome back to the program' it's about time!' Alabama Shakes!" The band mentioned on their official Facebook page that they're "really going to miss Dave so we're going to give him all we got." And they did, with an impassioned take on "Don't Wanna Fight," with their expanded group that sees the quartet (singer/guitarist Brittany Howard, bassist Zac Cockrell, guitarist Heath Fogg and drummer Steve Johnson) augmented by three backing singers and two keyboard players.

Watch it here.

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Christina Aguilera Goes Big Hair For 'Nashville' Role
(Radio.com) Christina Aguilera is going country for an upcoming role. The Voice mentor is heading to Nashville for a guest spot that will have her playing a rather mysterious role on the show.

So far, all Aguilera has said is that she's playing a "pop singer who desperately wants to move into the country world," but her label isn't so happy about the move.

But now, fans have been given a sneak peek of what Aguilera's character looks like and it turns out she'll have some big country hair. And for this role, she's ditching her platinum locks for something a bit darker.

In a tweet, Aguilera wrote, "Look at all that hair! Having lots of fun on the set of #Nashville. More to come!" Bigger the hair, closer to God, they say. Perhaps Xtina's getting closer to the country music gods. Though, she does already sit pretty close to Blake Shelton, so hopefully some of his country goodness is rubbing off on her. See the photo and read more here.

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Jennifer Hudson Reveals Song For 'Empire'
(Radio.com) Jennifer Hudson asks that you never forget the music on her new track from Empire. J.Hud is set to appear on the Fox show this Wednesday (March 11) as Michelle, a singer who forms a musical bond with eldest son Andre, but before she does, she's revealing the new song "Remember the Music."

The emotional ballad focuses on the power music can have. It also encourages us all to keep going, keep trying, perhaps, those are her words of wisdom to Andre when he doesn't get chosen to take over the family business?

Hudson wasn't saying, but she did tell People, "In my own life and my own art, I have always aimed to move past barriers and step outside my comfort zone as much as possible, and music has always been a tool that has allowed me to do so. This song really showcases the ability that music has in helping people to find strength and clarity."

Hear the new song, which premieres on tonight's episode, here.

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Kelsea Ballerini Releases 'Love Me Like You Mean It' Video
(Radio.com) Kelsea Ballerini has found a new fan in Taylor Swift. On Monday, Swift tweeted that she's been driving around with Ballerini's EP on repeat. "SO lovely," she wrote.

Ballerini's latest single 'Love Me Like You Mean It" off her self-titled EP was the most added female debut on country radio last year. The video for "Love Me Like You Mean It" debuted on CMT over the weekend.

What starts out as three guys running from a dog to wind up at Ballerini's house, turns into a party with her friends. As Ballerini sings that she doesn't have time "to waste on the boys that are playing the games and leaving the girls crying out in the rain," her crew is shown playing an intense game of Twister and musical chairs before dancing the night away. Watch the video here.

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Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Release New Track 'Peaches N Cream'
(Radio.com) Snoop Dogg, Pharrell and Charlie Wilson are chasing that 2004 success with their new single "Peaches N Cream." The trio (plus some assists from Justin Timberlake) last had a major hit together with their work on Snoop's album that year, R&G: The Masterpiece, spawning hits like "Drop It Like It's Hot" and the sonically similar "Let's Get Blown."

Snoop and Pharrell go in for that laid back West Coast sound while Wilson handles the background vocal work on "Peaches." And yes, the whole thing is an ode to the female posterior, because what else could it be?

The little Pharrell-esque touches, like the '70s disco whistle and accompanying high-pitched beats, give Snoop's lamentations a harmless sort of feeling-rather like your dirty old uncle talking about a 20-year-old girl on the street.

Other things from the mid-2000s making appearances in this track: the freakum dress (popularized by Beyonce in 2006), white limousines and bottle service. Check out the song and read more here.

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Justin Bieber Praises Beck's Incredible Album
(Radio.com) On Monday (March 9), Justin Bieber logged on to Twitter to make a potentially startling declaration: he's a fan of Beck's Morning Phase, the most recent Album of the Year winner at the GRAMMYs. Not even just a fan; the word may not be enough.

He thinks it's "incredible." The tweet received over 30,000 retweets and even more favorites, most of its responses ranging from "hi" to "where's your album?" with the occasional 'yeah, but it shouldn't have won the album of the year' take.

At the very least, perhaps Bieber's tweet will thrust Beck into an audience that didn't know him already, which is probably a dwindling number given how much he was all over the news thanks to Kanye West. Read more and see the tweet here.

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Bette Midler Sings Kim Kardashian's Tweets
(Radio.com) On Monday night (March 9) on Jimmy Kimmel Live! a platinum blonde Bette Midler sang the tweets of a newly platinum blonde Kim Kardashian Like a cabaret for the technology age, Midler sat by the piano ready to make the Kardashian's 140 characters sing.

Midler put an emotional spin on a tweet about #TheDress. "What color is that dress?" she sweetly coos. "I see white and gold Kanye see's black and blue. Who is color blind?"

Then there's that jaunty number about falling asleep with all your makeup on. Turns out, Kim hates when she does it, but we love when Bette sings it. Of course, we must wonder, if she doesn't like Ariana Grande's sexy act, we can't imagine what she has to say about Kim. That must be for another time. Another song.

Watch it here.

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Shawn Mendes Releases 'Life of the Party' Video
(Radio.com) Last year saw Shawn Mendes make quite a leap, from amassing a following on Vine with his cover songs, to scoring his own breakthrough hit with "Life of the Party." And while the lyric video for the song has already been a hit, now Mendes is giving his big single a proper video treatment, ahead of his debut album's release on April 28.

"Life of the Party" finds Mendes at� guess where� a party! The clip opens with a young woman obviously upset, looking at her phone, and clearly not receiving a reply to the texts she is sending. As she departs, Mendes arrives, and slowly trots around the house mothing the words to the song in a continuous shot.

Is he looking for the woman? Is it unrelated? We may never know. But, for fans who like watching Mendes do anything, be it for six seconds or a few minutes, the video is obviously a treat. Watch it here.

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Extra's Terri Seymour Gives Birth To Baby Girl
(Extra) "Extra's" Terri Seymour is officially a mommy! The correspondent and her long time boyfriend Clark Mallon welcomed their baby girl into the world Monday at a Los Angeles Hospital.

The baby who is 9 pounds and 22 inches long is the first child for the couple who were "extremely excited and happy" when they broke the news that they were expecting to "Extra" in September.

No word on the little bundle of joy's name just yet though at her baby shower Terri did tell us they had something in mind, "We want to meet her first and see if she looks like she matches the name." Read more here.

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