Music
GEORGE MICHAEL'S PARTNER SPEAKS OUT AFTER CORONER'S REPORT UNDATED (AP)
George Michael's partner says "the truth is out" about the cause of the
singer's death. Fadi Fawaz tweets he hopes now to "receive some real
love. A British coroner has determined Michael died of heart disease
and a fatty liver. The coroner says because those are natural causes,
no further inquiries will be made into Michael's death. Fawaz says all
the nasty comments after Michael's death and the leak of his emergency
call when he found Michael unresponsive were "very cruel and
unnecessary. Sound: 3:32 aes MICHELLE OBAMA THANKS CHANCE THE RAPPER
FOR HELPING SCHOOLS UNDATED (AP) Former first lady Michelle Obama has
given a shout-out to Chance The Rapper for his philanthropy. This week,
Chance announced he was donating $1 million to Chicago Public Schools.
Obama tweeted her thanks to Chance "for giving back to the Chicago
community, which gave us so much. Both Obama and Chance are Chicago
natives. Obama calls Chance "an example of the power of arts education.
CHER SUED OVER "CLOSER TO THE TRUTH" TYPEFACE LOS ANGELES (AP) Cher is
caught up in a legal battle over a typeface. Billboard reports Cher has
been sued by graphic artist Moshik Nadav, who claims his Paris Logo
typography was copied for Cher's 2013 "Closer to the Truth" album
cover. Both logos are stylized letters surrounded by swirling lines.
Cher's lawyers asked the court on Monday to dismiss the case, citing a
section of copyright code that states variations on typeface are not
protected. KELLY CLARKSON'S HOUSE IS ON THE MARKET NASHVILLE (AP) Kelly
Clarkson is selling her mansion outside Nashville so she can build
another one on a farm. The Nashville Tennessean reports Clarkson's
20,000-square-foot home features seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms and
three half bathrooms. It also has a fountain out front, a saltwater
pool, spas inside and outside, a theater, a private dock and bar stools
that have saddles instead of seats. Asking price is $8.75 million.
BLAKE SHELTON'S CHILDHOOD HOME IS ON THE MARKET ADA, Okla. (AP) Blake
Shelton's mom is selling the house where he grew up in Ada, Oklahoma.
The three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath house is going for $250,000.
Listing agent Tyler Thompson tells Realtor.com there's no mark-up
because of the celebrity connection and the house is reasonably priced
for the area. The house is about 3,100 square feet and has an updated
kitchen, an enclosed porch and a wraparound deck. MOBY RECALLS HIS
FIRST MEETING WITH RUN-DMC CHICAGO (AP) Moby has met Darryl "DMC"
McDaniels of Run-DMC a few times over the years, and mercifully, DMC
doesn't remember the first time they met. Moby was just starting as a
DJ in New York when Run-DMC showed up to the club he was working. DMC
started freestyling while Moby spun records and the crowd went crazy --
until Moby bumped the turntable and skipped the needle. The vibe was
dead, the crowd booed and Moby wanted to slink away. Moby says while
that was a huge deal for him, DMC has only a faint memory of that.
Sound: ASIA PLAN TRIBUTES TO JOHN WETTON UNDATED (AP) Guitarist Steve
Howe and keyboardist Geoff Downes of the band Asia will lead a tribute
to late singer John Wetton. The band says on its social media they are
planning four dates at the end of November, one of which will be in
London. Drummer Carl Palmer will not be a part of it because of prior
commitments. Foreigner and John Parr will also be on the bill. Wetton
died Jan. 31 of cancer. PINK FLOYD PAINTINGS FROM "THE WALL" WILL BE
SOLD SAN FRANCISCO (AP) The paintings created as part of Pink Floyd's
"The Wall" album and movie are for sale. San Francisco Art Exchange
will display and then sell eleven original paintings by English artist
Gerald Scarfe. The images include "The Scream," 'Wife with Flaming
Hair," 'Giant Judge and Hammers," 'The Mother" and "The Teacher. The
exhibit will be held in July. "Giant Judge and Hammers" will be on
display in London in May as part of the Pink Floyd exhibition at the
Victoria and Albert Museum. SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST TAKES OUT LANGUAGE
REGARDING IMMIGRATION FROM CONTRACT AUSTIN, Texas (AP) The South By
Southwest festival is removing language in its contracts that had
warned musicians that if they didn't behave, U.S. immigration agents
could be notified. South By Southwest says it will take out the clause
about notifying "appropriate U.S. immigration authorities" starting
next year. Festival organizers say the clause was there as a safeguard
in case artists did something truly awful, like start a fight or create
a safety issue. Felix Walworth of the New York indie band Told Slant
announced a boycott of the festival on social media and included a
screenshot of the contract. FIRST PERFORMERS ANNOUNCED FOR ACM AWARDS
NASHVILLE (AP) The Backstreet Boys will join Florida Georgia Line to
perform on the Academy of Country Music Awards on April 2. Other
performers include Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Maren Morris, Miranda
Lambert, Little Big Town and hosts Luke Bryan and Dierks (DURKS)
Bentley. The show will air live from Nashville on CBS. ROLES OF TUPAC
SHAKUR, BIGGIE SMALLS CAST FOR TV SERIES LOS ANGELES (AP) The actor who
played Tupac Shakur (TOO'-pahk shah-KOOR') in the film "Straight Outta
Compton" will play him in a TV series about the death of Shakur and
Biggie Smalls. Marcc Rose made his acting debut as Shakur in "Straight
Outta Compton" and will play Shakur again in the USA Network series
"Unsolved: The Murders of Biggie and Tupac. Newcomer Wavyy Jonez will
play Smalls. The series is based on the experience of Los Angeles
Police Department detective Greg Kading, who worked on both cases. An
air date on the series has not yet been announced. MELISSA ETHERIDGE,
ANDY GRAMMER WILL PERFORM IN BOSTON JULY 4 BOSTON (AP) Melissa
Etheridge and Andy Grammer already have plans for Independence Day.
They will be guest performers with the Boston Pops for Boston's July
Fourth concert and fireworks. Bloomberg Television will carry the
concert live. CODY JOHNSON STEPS IN FOR OLD DOMINION NASHVILLE (AP)
Cody Johnson will replace Old Dominion today at the Houston Livestock
Show and Rodeo. Old Dominion has called off their appearance there
because of the death of an immediate family member. by Margie Szaroleta
