Music
TAYLOR SWIFT DONATES TO LOUISIANA NEW YORK (AP) Taylor Swift will give
a million dollars to help the residents of Louisiana recover from
massive flooding. Swift says she wanted to help after she began her
"1989" world tour in Louisiana and the fans made her feel at home. She
says it's "heartbreaking" that so many people have been forced from
their homes. The flooding has killed at least 11 people and damaged at
least 40,000 homes. BILLY CORGAN SAYS ORIGINAL SMASHING PUMPKINS ARE
TALKING AGAIN ORLANDO (AP) Billy Corgan says he's been in communication
with the original members of Smashing Pumpkins, but don't get your
hopes up for a reunion just yet. Corgan says in a Facebook video
message he's been in contact with the rest of the band, including
bassist D'Arcy Wretzky for the first time in 16 or 17 years. He says of
Wretzky, "It's awesome to have my friend back. Corgan says people
naturally hear that the relationships are good and ask about the band
getting back together. He says they're not at that point and it's a
good thing, because they aren't rushing into anything. He says if they
do reunite, it will be because of the music and not because of a big
stack of money. In the meantime, Corgan has just been named president
of Impact Wrestling. He says he's still committed to being a musician.
MEMPHIS POLICE DENY RACIAL PROFILING AT ELVIS VIGIL MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)
Two Tennessee lawmakers are looking into complaints of racial profiling
during a Black Lives Matter protest during the annual candlelight vigil
past Elvis Presley's grave at Graceland on Tuesday. State senator Lee
Harris and state Representative G.A. Hardaway say they've gotten
complaints that officers blocked about 60 protesters, most of whom were
black, from entering a permitted area for the vigil. Harris and
Hardaway say people who said they were going to the vigil were allowed
to pass, and most of them were white. Memphis police have denied the
allegations. BLAKE SHELTON ISSUES APOLOGY AFTER OLD TWEETS COME TO
LIGHT UNDATED (AP) Blake Shelton is apologizing after his old tweets
resurfaced with racist and homophobic references. Shelton says comedy
has always been part of his career and sometimes he can be
"inappropriate" and "immature. He says he is never hateful but he is
sorry to those he offended. The tweets in question appear to have come
out in 2011, just as the first season of "The Voice" started. One tweet
states, "Standing in line at a coffee shop in LA talking with the man
in front of me. He orders a skinny caramel latte. I couldn't tell he
was gay!!! Another mentions wishing the guy in the next room "would
either shut up or learn some English so I would at least know what he's
planning to bomb!! STING'S BRAIN SCAN REVEALED MONTREAL (AP) What's
going on inside Sting's head? Researchers at Montreal's McGill
University have an idea. Cognitive psychologist Daniel Levitin
conducted a scan of Sting's brain to see how it organizes music. Sting
is a fan of Levitin's book "This Is Your Brain On Music" and asked to
visit Levitin's lab during a tour stop in Montreal. Levitin asked if he
could scan Sting's brain while he was there and Sting agreed. Among the
findings were that Sting associates the tango song "Libertango" by
Astor Piazzolla with "Girl" by The Beatles, and he connects Booker T
and the MG's "Green Onions" with his own song, "Moon Over Bourbon
Street. Levitin says the methods could be used to understand how
artists, athletes or scientists organize thoughts. JOHN PAUL WHITE
RETURNS WITH "BEULAH NASHVILLE (AP) Part of the reason The Civil Wars
dissolved is because John Paul White was burned out. White says he
could not hear any songs in his head and he was OK with that. He spent
his time after the breakup making up for lost time with his wife and
children. White says little by little, songs would come to him and it
would drive him nuts. He says he'd sing into his phone so it wouldn't
be on a loop in his head. Those pieces turned into White's new album,
"Beulah," out tomorrow. White says he's booking shorter tours in
smaller venues and adds, "I will never burn the road up the way I used
to. EMINEM SURPRISES AUDIENCE AT DRAKE SHOW DETROIT (AP) Guess there's
no bad blood between Drake and Eminem. The Detroit Free Press reports
Eminem was a surprise guest at Drake's concert in Detroit on Tuesday.
Eminem rose from below the stage while Drake performed "Forever. Drake
bowed to Eminem and said, "Make some noise for the greatest rapper to
ever get on a microphone. Eminem, meanwhile, told the crowd to share
the love with Drake. Drake and Joe Budden have had some nasty exchanges
lately. Budden is signed to Eminem's Shady Records. DREAMVILLE ACTS SAY
J. COLE IS NOT A BOSS BUT A FRIEND CHICAGO (AP) If you ask the rappers
signed to J. Cole's Dreamville Records if he's their boss, they just
bust out laughing. Bas (BOZ) says Cole is not a "corporate exec-type
dude," but just a friend who wants him to make the best music he can.
Omen says Cole is more of a brother than a boss and they've "been
through the trenches" together. Cozz says Cole is very particular about
the music he likes and he's proud that Cole signed him off one song.
Sound: 005-a-12-(Omen, rapper, in AP interview)-"through the
trenches"-Omen says he knew J. Cole for years before Cole signed him to
his Dreamville label. (18 Aug 2016) < <
