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Day in Pop Report for 05/19/2016


Today's Top Stories


Miley Cyrus Vs Jimmy Fallon In Funny Face Off

(Radio.com) Jimmy Fallon challenged pop star Miley Cyrus to a "Funny Face Off" during The Tonight Show broadcast on Tuesday night (May 17th) and video of the skit has been posted online.

The concept was simple. Viewers sent in video clips of funny faces, and then Fallon and Cyrus tried to recreate the twisted, chin-filled looks. And hilarity ensued.

Miley's "broken doll look" inspired Fallon to talk about creating new characters for future segments. Being willing to be silly and look ridiculous are things you've gotta love about both of these superstars. Watch it here.

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Alanis Morissette Going After Former Business Manager For $15 Million

(Radio.com) Nineties alternative rock icon Alanis Morissette has filed papers in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming her former manager Jonathan Schwartz transferred millions of dollars to his own accounts without her permission (via BBC News).

"Morissette was completely unaware of these cash transfers and had not authorized them," the complaint says. The singer is suing Schwarz and his company GSO for $15 million.

Schwartz handled Morissette's financial accounts between 2009 and 2016 and Morissette is suing him for breach of duty, fraud and negligence. The singer, whose '90s mega-hits included "You Oughta Know" and "Ironic," fired Schwartz in March. Soon after, her new business manager, Howard Grossman, discovered 116 suspicious withdrawals, to the tune of more than $4.7 million.

According to the complaint, Schwartz said the transfers were made to fund a marijuana-growing business investment for the singer, and to avoid extra trips to the bank because Morissette "spends a lot of cash." She denies both claims. Read more here.

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Kesha Responds To Being Pulled From Awards Show

(Radio.com) Kesha has released a response via social media to being banned from performing at this year's Billboard Music Awards after Dr. Luke's record label pulled her from show.

"I was very excited to perform a tribute to Bob Dylan by singing a cover of 'It Ain't me, Babe' at the Billboard awards this year," Kesha wrote on Instagram. "I'm very sad and sorry to say I won't be allowed to do this."

She added that her performance was strictly designed to honor one of her "favorite songwriters of all time," and she had no intention of mentioning Dr. Luke, with whom she is in a legal battle over allegations that he raped and abused her when she was younger.

"I was never going to use a picture of him, speak of him or allude to my legal situation in any way. I simply wanted to sing a song I love to honor an artist I have always looked up to. thank u all for the continued support." Read more here.

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OneRepublic Release 'Wherever I Go' Video

(Radio.com) OneRepublic released a whimsical music video for their new single "Wherever I Go". While they only appear briefly in the video, the storyline instead focuses on a day in the life of a Japanese businessman stuck in his routine.

The businessman, actor Kenneth Choi, wakes up daily at 6am and faces a world of black, white and gray, as everyone dresses the same and the world around him mirrors how he feels inside: dull. But upon entering his office, he flings down his briefcase and begins dancing. His coworkers look at him aghast before giving into his energy and joining in.

Still, he can't woo over the one woman he'd like to. It takes discovering a secret passageway containing OneRepublic to help him transform his boring life into something more colorful. When he steps back into the office after watching OneRepublic sing, everything becomes a colorful hodgepodge straight out of the 1960s. Watch it here.

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Gwen Stefani Opens Up About Blake Shelton Duet

(Radio.com) Gwen Stefani has opened up about her new duet with Blake Shelton "Go Ahead and Break my Heart". Shelton has been candid about collaboration with his co-writer, girlfriend and pop star Stefani.

"The story is that he had written this song and sent it to me on my phone," Gwen Stefani told Netflix talk show host Chelsea Handler. "He's like, 'I wrote this song,' and I was like, 'Whoa what if I don't like it? Huge turn off!'"

After Stefani heard the track she thought to herself, "Oh my God, I love this,'" she said, to which Shelton replied, "Write the rest of it." Stefani added that Shelton asked her about co-writing the song during a difficult time in her life. "There was a time when I was really insecure about writing," she said. "There was such a drought of time when I was so insecure. I think when you have a really long year you start to compete with your own self and get insecure. [You go], 'I did that, but how did I do that?'" Read more here.

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Joe Jonas' DNCE Tease Video Featuring Swimsuit Model Ashley Graham.

(Radio.com) The Joe Jonas-fronted pop band DNCE is currently preparing its third single, "Toothbrush," and has teased a new video featuring Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model Ashley Graham.

In the 20-second clip, Graham and Jonas dance romantically in a sunlit bedroom. It appears to be a fairly literal take on the lyrics: "When you're standing there in your underwear/ And my t-shirt from the night before/ With your messed up hair/ And your feet still bare/ Would you mind closing the bedroom door?"

Graham's appearance on the SI cover earlier this year sparked a conversation about body acceptance--her figure marked a noticeable departure from the magazine's more petite previous cover stars. Watch Graham and Jonas dance about a toothbrush here.

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Britney Spears Releases 'American Dream' Mobile Game

(Radio.com) Pop superstar Britney Spears has entered the world of celebrity mobile video games with Britney Spears: American Dream which has been released for iOS and is available on iTunes.

In Spears' new game, players create their own pop stars-in-the-making and bring them up through the ranks, from local gigs to award show appearances, with all the glitz and glamour that go with it.

Users can record hit singles, design their own cover art, dine in style at Koi Restaurant, beat out rival singers and perform at different venues, including local coffee shops, and even Spears' stage at the Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.

The game includes the master version of Spears' hit "Oops!�I Did It Again" and sing-along instrumentals for "Toxic," "Womanizer," "Piece of Me," "(You Drive Me) Crazy" and "'Baby One More Time." Read more here.

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Lil Kim and Faith Evans End Beef Ahead Of Bad Boy Reunion Tour

(Radio.com) Lil Kim and Faith Evans appear to have put their contentious past aside in order to participate in Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour which will be launching this summer.

The tour doesn't start until August 25, but the family is already rehearsing. Fans may have wondered if Faith and Kim would be okay going out on the road together considering their charged history. More than a beef over snide remarks or bruised egos, the bad blood between these two goes all the way back to when Faith Evans caught Lil Kim in bed with her husband Notorious B.I.G. on Christmas Eve. She discussed that incident in her memoir Keep the Faith.

But time, apparently, heals all wounds. Evans reposted a video on Instagram showing Lil Kim playing around in rehearsal to Junior Mafia's "Get Money." Later in the video, she dances around with Lil Kim. The two look as though they've put their pasts behind them and are moving forward. The video even declares "Family Forever!!!" Watch here.

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Bobby Shmurda's Alleged Associate Sentenced To 98 Years In Prison

(Radio.com) Alleged Bobby Shmurda affiliate Rashid Derrisant was sentenced to 98 1/3 years to life in prison, according to an official statement from the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor in New York City.

Derrisant was convicted at trial on 22 counts, including Conspiracy in the Second and Fourth Degrees, Murder in the Second Degree, Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree, Assault in the First and Second Degrees, Attempted Assault in the First Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree and Criminal Use of a Firearm in the First Degree.

Derrisant was a member of was a member of "GS9" or "G Stone Crips," the street crew based in East Flatbush, Brooklyn Shmurda is alleged to be a member of. Read more here.

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Drake Plans 21,000 Square-Foot Mansion

(Radio.com) Toronto's brightest star, Drake, is building his dream home in the ritzy Bridle Path section of Toronto. The young hitmaker is applying for zoning bylaws exemptions to build a 21,000 square-foot mansion.

The proposed plans feature a basketball court, basement pool, and a covered terrace for a hot tub on the roof. According to The Globe and Mail, Drizzy wants to have rooms in his home specifically for "important artifacts" and a museum for jerseys.

The mansion will also be stocked with a spa, music and screening room, and a space for a tub positioned in front of a big screen television. The home is being designed by Ferris Rafauli and will sit on a two acre lot on Park Lane Circle. Read more here.

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Eric Clapton Says Justin Bieber Has 'Some Substance Now'

(Radio.com) Guitar legend Eric Clapton was disappointed when his three daughters, who range in age from 11 to 14, became Justin Bieber fans. Then he heard the pop star's latest music, and while he's not still exactly a "Belieber," he agreed, "It's got some substance now."

Clapton made the comment in a Billboard article that also addressed the guitar legend's new album I Still Do, which comes out May 20. The record features two originals and covers of songs by Robert Johnson, JJ Cale and Bob Dylan. While I Still Do is filled with Clapton's trademark acoustic and electric guitar licks the actual performances proved to be unexpectedly painful.

Right as he was going into the studio with Glyn Johns, who produced Slowhand with Clapton 40 years ago, the guitarist came down with an intense case of eczema. "It was a nightmare," he said. "I started thinking that it was psychosomatic, that maybe I was nervous. And maybe I was. Who knows? I had full-body eczema and it ended up my hands."

The back cover of I Still Do pictures Clapton's hand in a protective mitt holding the neck of a guitar; only his fingertips are exposed. Read more here.

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Singled Out: Robocode's Hunter Gather

Andrew Braun from the indie electro-pop group Robocode tells us about their new single "Hunter Gather" from their album "Don't Worry It Will Be Dark Soon". Here is the story:

Our latest single "Hunter Gather" was demoed as something remarkably different than the version that was eventually included on our sophomore album Don't Worry It Will Be Dark Soon. It had a very dark and heavy synth intro and big, nasty programmed drums. It had a very Nine Inch Nails vibe to it, which is a pretty long way from the vibe of most of our music. The demo proceeded to build up toward a massive and triumphant chorus that had strings, horns, gang vocals� really dramatic stuff. We were pretty excited about the song, thinking it was definitely a single candidate.

We locked ourselves away in a cabin with our producers Caleb Shreve and Ted Gowans to make our record and the song quickly became a contentious one. We sort of tried starting a few different approaches and couldn't reach consensus, so we kept putting it back on the shelf and finishing off songs that we could all get behind. Eventually it was time to stop procrastinating and fight it out. We tried a really fast version, inspired by The Knife, but scrapped it pretty quick because it was tough to squeeze the vocal phrasing in. We tried a more chill, downtempo version, but that got boring fast. We argued for a while and then decided it would maybe be more productive to try writing something new from scratch. Caleb sampled Laura's voice from another song we were working on and made the intro. A couple of hooks fell into place and we had a little momentum going with this "new song." Then we realized that this was turning into ideal framework for the song we had all but given up on and finally we had something that all four of us could get behind. From there the recording went very quickly as we went back to civilization and added more elements in Vancouver and New York and it turned into one of our favourites on the album and is a blast to play live.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!

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