Music
BEYONCÉ - POLICE TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Will they or won't they? Police
unions in a number of cities are calling for a boycott of officers
working security for Beyoncé's concerts because of her new song
"Formation. Unions in Miami; Tampa, Florida; and Nashville, Tennessee
want members to skip volunteering to do security for her shows in those
cities. This all started after Super Bowl Sunday when Beyoncé performed
"Formation," a day after releasing the video online. Because the
performances feature pro-black images and denounced the shooting of
unarmed black citizens, some critics considered it "anti-police.
Beyoncé's tour kicks off with a show in Miami on April 27. A Tampa
police spokeswoman says there's no indication officers are heeding the
call to skip the voluntary shifts for the show and that the idea of a
widespread boycott "has been blown way out of proportion. TAYLOR SWIFT
- KESHA NEW YORK (AP) Taylor Swift is among the stars giving both
support and money to help Kesha's cause. Kesha has been involved in a
drawn-out court battle to get out of a contract with Dr. Luke who she
claims sexually assaulted her. A representative for Swift has confirmed
that the singer has donated a quarter-million dollars to Kesha as part
of what Swift calls a "show of support. On Friday, a judge in New York
denied her effort to get out of her contract with Dr. Luke, who has
denied the allegations. While the ruling isn't the final judgment in
the case, the decision has led to an outpouring of support from Kesha
on social media from other celebrities. Sound: 3:32 aes LOCK OF HAIR
FROM JOHN LENNON SOLD DALLAS (AP) A lock of John Lennon's hair snipped
as he prepared for a film role has sold for $35,000. The auction house
that ran the sale says the 4-inch lock was purchased by a U.K. -based
memorabilia collector. The hank of hair was kept by a German
hairdresser after giving the former Beatle a trip. The haircut came
before Lennon began work on the comedy "How I Won the War. The hair was
one of the more interesting pieces in the lot. But it wasn't most
expensive one. A photo of the Beatles signed by all four members went
for $42,500. J-LO AND SAOIRSE RONAN NEW YORK (AP) Jennifer Lopez might
have declared that she's "from the block. But she isn't the only home
to claim the New York City borough of The Bronx as her home. That point
was driven home recently when actress Saoirse Ronan met Lopez on a red
carpet. Ronan says she called out to J-Lo and let her know she was from
the Bronx, too. Ronan says Lopez acknowledged the shout-out, but didn't
say more. Ronan says doesn't think Lopez understood what she meant but
says she's "delighted" she and J-Lo share a Bronx connection. RAY
CHARLES TRIBUTE WASHINGTON (AP) A bunch of big recording artists will
be in Washington this week to celebrate the musical legacy of the late
Ray Charles. The White House says Usher, Demi Lovato, Andra Day and The
Band Perry will be taking part in the Charles celebration. The
performers will be around Wednesday to tape "Smithsonian Salutes Ray
Charles: In Performance at the White House. The program is to be
broadcast Friday on PBS stations nationwide. It's the 16th such program
held under President Barack Obama. The day of the taping, first lady
Michelle Obama has planned a daytime workshop with some of the invited
artists for more than 130 middle, high school and college students from
around the country. Ray Charles died in June, 2004. by Oscar Wells
Gabriel II Follow Oscar Wells Gabriel II on Twitter at
https://twitter.com/OWGabriel2 ;
