More Top Stories: Axl Rose, Kanye West, Dr. Dre
The legal battle between Guns n’ Roses’ Axl Rose and his former manager, Live Nation Entertainment CEO Irving Azoff, got off to a rocky start as tensions between lawyers on both sides forced a recent deposition to be suspended. At one point during questioning, Azoff reportedly hurled a newspaper at one of Rose’s lawyers, though Azoff’s lawyer denies the claim. As Rolling Stone previously reported, Azoff sued G n’ R for $1.8 million in tour commissions, while Rose countersued claiming Azoff conspired against the band to orchestrate a reunion of the classic Guns lineup. The trial is scheduled to begin next April. [ Press Telegram ]
Check out 30 seconds of Duran Duran’s new Mark Ronson-produced track “Blame the Machine,” off the group’s upcoming 13th studio album. [Slicing Up Eyeballs]
Watch Robyn’s new music video “Hang With Me,” the first single from her forthcoming Body Talk Pt. 2. [Robyn.com]
Kanye West’s old website KanyeUniverseCity.com received a facelift this weekend plus a tease of a new song called “My Dark Twisted Fantasy,” which has since been removed. The track is reportedly on his upcoming album, due out this year. [Nah Right]
More proof that Dr. Dre has been working on his much-delayed Detox LP: the MC is being sued for $1.2 million in unpaid studio bills. [All Hip-Hop]
MTV is moving forward on a new reality show based on the raunchy girl band Electric Barbarellas. The show will focus on “bisexual young women… on their quest for fame and fortune.” The series is reportedly a pet project of Sumner Redstone, the CEO of Viacom, which is the parent company of MTV. [ The Hollywood Reporter ]
Perhaps looking for the next unlikely Susan Boyle-style smash, Universal Records has signed a group of Benedictine nuns in Southern France to a record contract. The group’s debut will be Voices — Chant From Avignon, which features Gregorian Chants that the nuns sing eight times a day. Back in 1994, the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos sold three million copies of their own Chant album. [AP]
Live Aid organizer Bob Geldof was awarded an honorary degree from England’s University for the Creative Arts. Geldof was recognized for his contribution to the arts and his humanitarian work. [BBC]
Songwriter Margaret Ann Rich, who penned songs for Kris Kristofferson, Tom Jones and Rita Coolidge, passed away in Memphis, Tennessee following a battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Rich, the widow of Grammy-winning country singer Charlie Rich, was 76. [ The Hollywood Reporter ]