Queen of Soul has cancer

A family friend has announced to the world that The Queen of Soul, 68 year old Aretha Franklin is battling cancer.

Rumor has it the singer has pancreatic cancer, and that family and friends are “very concerned” about the singers health. Some reports are even coming out saying that she has less than a year to live, however these reports have not been confirmed.

The singer has been in hospital and underwent an unspecified operation – Franklin’s cousin has reportedly said that “she I doing better than doctors expected", and also noted the singer is due to be released from hospital this weekend.

Franklin had just last month cancelled all her concerts and personal appearances through to May 2011 on the advice of her doctors.

The legendary singer has had a tough time recently – she broke her ribs in a fall in August this year, causing her to miss two concerts in New York and in September her son, Eddie, was beaten by three men at a Detroit gas station.

Busy day for commemorations

Dec 1^st has been a busy day for commemorations.

Firstly, Dec 1^st marks the Today is the first day of Hanukkah, a Jewish eight long day festival known as the Festival of Lights which commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt during the 2nd century BC. Famous celebrities that may be celebrating on this day celebrities include a cast of thousands - Adam Sandler, Adrian Brody, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and the list goes on – you can check out the list here - 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_American_entertainers.

Secondly Dec 1st 2010 marks the 55th anniversary of the day Rosa Parks boarded a bus in Montgomery, Alabama to head home and refused to obey the orders of bus driver James Blake when she was asked to give up her seat to make room for a white passenger, etching forever her place in the modern Civil Rights movement.

Thirdly, and by no means finally, Dec 1st is world AIDS day. For a message on AIDS in the UK from singer and HIV activist Annie Lennox, please view the attached video -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-1daCo0OQ&feature=player_embedded

Actor Leslie Nielsen dead at 84

Actor Leslie Nielsen, whose motion picture and television career spanned more than 60 years, passed away peacefully in his sleep around 5.30pm EST Nov 28^th. He was 84.

Nielsen passed away in a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida due to complications from pneumonia and was surrounded by his family and friends at the time of his death. Dr. Doug Nielsen, Nielsen's nephew, announced the news of Nielsen’s death to the CJOB radio station in Winnipeg, Canada that day.

Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada on Feb 11, 1926, Nielsen was married for times, most recently to Barbaree Earl (since 2001), and also has two children from his second marriage.

He is probably best remembered as the bumbling people detective Lt. Frank Drebin from “The Naked Gun” series of pictures, as well as the 1980 spoof movie Airplane!, and other movies about flying. Overall he appeared in over 100 films and 1500 television programs during his career. Nielsen’s most distinguishing and best remembered characteristic as a comedian was his ability to play serious characters that were seemingly oblivious to their absurd surroundings.

An Urban Thanksgiving

Australian-born country singer Keith Urban is in Dallas for Thanksgiving Day, following a few days off back in his adopted home town of Nashville. The last few weeks he has spent on a huge promotional tour for his new album, 'Get Closer.'

Urban will make a half-time performance at the NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saint, which will go to air live on FOX-TV as well as serve as the start of the Salvation Army's 119^th Red Kettle Campaign.

Urban discovered his love for NFL through actress wife Nicole Kidman. He said Kidman turned him onto the game when they first started dating and at that point Keith discovered his love for the game and now passionately supports the Tennessee Titans.

Urban and Kidman have 1 child together, daughter Sunday Rose. Recently Urban described his latest album “Get Closer” as his greatest work and proclaimed that his family provided him great encouragement to make that album. He also said that Kidman and he share the same values in life and that family is his number one priority, despite his enjoyment of his music career.

“Ugly Betty” actor in jail after murdering mother

Bit-part actor Michael Brea, who appeared in an episode of the TV series “Ugly Betty”, is in jail after allegedly hacking his mother to death using a 3 foot long sword while screaming Biblical passages and Masonic references.

Brea was convinced his mother was possessed by the devil and the Brooklyn apartment where Brea, his mother and twin brother lived was turned into a bloodbath according to police sources.

Neighbors said they saw 55 year old Yannick Brea flailing and screaming at the bathroom window, where the window sill and the room were both covered in blood as evidenced by police photos.

Other photos from inside the apartment showed a gut wrenching sight - an apartment with four blood stained bedrooms, bits of blood and flesh in the hallway, kitchen and living room as well as footprints in blood on the floor and a bloody hand print on the wall.

Friends and family are shocked at the extremity of the violent outburst and Brea still remains in Bellevue Hospital under guard at the current time awaiting his fate.

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American Music Awards 2010 – the winners you need to know about!!

It’s that time of year again, time for the American Music Awards 2010 edition. It’s worthwhile to remember that these awards are slightly different, as the results are determined by the fans.

Many a performance during the show – it all opened with Rihanna sporting some very curly red hair to the suave Enrique Iglesias to 18 year old sensation Miley Cyrus. The Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry and Justine Bieber also performed, as did Kid Rock, Pink Ne-yo, Santana, Taylor Swift, Jon Bon Jovi and a finale from the Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block, just to take us down memory lane a bit!

The big winner was Justin Bieber – and during the acceptance speech for Artist of the Year he invited his mentor and best friend, Usher up on stage with him – at 16 years old he is the youngest ever recipient of that award. Apart from the Artist of the Year award, other awards presented during the show were as follows -

- Favorite Soul/R&B Album. - Usher "Raymond vs. Raymond".
- Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group - The Black Eyed Peas
- Favorite Country Female Artist  - Taylor Swift.
- Favorite Latin Music Artist - Shakira
- Favorite Soul R&B Female Artist - Rihanna.
- Favorite Country Male Artist - Brad Paisley
- Breakthrough Artist Award - Justin Beiber
- Favorite Pop/Rock Male – Justin Bieber.
- Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group - Lady Antebellum.
- Favorite Alternative Rock – Muse

- Favorite Adult Contemporary Music Artist - Michael Bublé

- Favorite Soul R&B Male – Usher

Alan Parsons "Rip Off"??

Alan Parsons claiming country band lady Antebellum “ripping off” their song.

Representatives for Alan Parsons have alleged that the Lady Antebellum song “Need You Now” is a “lazy rip off” of the classic Alan Parsons Project song “Eye in the Sky”.

A letter was received by the editor of www.nashvillescene.com sent by a lady called Lisa Marie Parsons, claiming that she was the “Personal Assistant to Mr. Alan Parsons”, however not mentioning of any family connection. The letter went on to describe Parsons career included 11 Grammy nominations and even mentioning that he was boss of Abbey Road Studios in London at one point, and then stated that “our fans are reaching out to us by the hundreds telling us how Need you Now…..is one of those "lazy rip offs" of Eye in The Sky…..”.

So even though borrowing bits and pieces from other songs is not unheard of in country music circles, the front part of the chorus in both songs seems very similar however once the back part of the chorus is reached and the rest of the song doesn’t seem to match up.

Storm in a teacup? You decide for yourself based upon the video at http://youtube.com/watch?v=sS1z2inwJ2o.

Parker cheating, Longoria and Parker split - ALL OVER!

It’s been a turbulent 24 hours for Eva Longoria and Tony Parker. Yesterday we reported that there were split rumors, which were denied by Longoria’s reps forcing a withdrawal of an article run by TMZ.com.

However finally the TRUTH emerged Wed morning when Longoria filed for divorce from Parker in a Los Angeles court stating “irreconcilable differences” as the grounds on which to divorce.

She used Twitter to confirm the divorce and tweeted "It is with great sadness that after 7 years together, Tony and I have decided to divorce".

Good friend to Longoria, Mario Lopez confirmed that Longoria found many text messages on Parker’s phone suggesting Parker was having an affair with the wife of a former Spurs team mate. Lopez also added that “she (Longoria) is devastated; she wants us all to know that. But she's strong”.

Sports Illustrated staff writer Bryan Armen Graham later tweeted that he “had it on good authority” Parker’s affair was with Erin Barry, the wife of Parker’s former San Antonio Spurs team mate Brent Barry, and that the Barrys were also going a divorce at the moment. A picture of Parker, Longoria, Brent Barry and Erin Barry is above!

Eva Longoria and Tony Parker – All Over??

RELAX, IT’S FALSE!
 

Celebrity website TMZ.com has published an article today saying that Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria and her husband of three years, San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker had filed for divorce in Bexar County Courthouse in Texas yesterday. 

Although TMZ stated that two court clerks in Bexar County provided them with details on the case and that the divorce had already “been filed and …….sealed by a judge”, by late on Tuesday afternoon they had hastily replaced the original article with another stating that the Desperate Housewives star had denied the rumors claiming they were “100% false”.

Now we can all wait for Longoria’s attorneys to be contacting TMZ.com about running the false article.