Entertainment News:
Google inks music service deals with Sony, Universal: report
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc has signed licensing deals with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment to launch a subscription music service that would compete with fast-growing start-up Spotify, according to a report on Tuesday in technology blog The Verge. Google, the world's No. 1 search engine, could unveil the streaming music service at its annual developer conference, which kicks off on Wednesday, according to the report, which cited anonymous sources. ...
Why YouTube cover sensation Sam Tsui turned down record labels for his debut album
By Lucas Shaw NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Michael Jackson landed Sam Tsui on Oprah, but now Tsui must rely on someone else's music - his own. A 24-year-old Pennsylvania native, Tsui blossomed into one of the most popular cover artists on YouTube while at Yale, covering everyone from Jackson to Britney Spears to Adele. His channel amassed more than 500,000 subscribers with the help of childhood friend and producer Kurt Schneider, who helped deliver Tsui's covers and mash-ups to millions of fans. ...
Palestinians unite behind Gaza Strip "Arab Idol" star
By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA (Reuters) - The fractious factions in the Gaza Strip and across the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories have found one voice to unite behind - a 22-year-old youth singing songs about a lost homeland on the Middle East's version of 'American Idol'. Gaza native Mohammed Assaf has become the first Palestinian to qualify for 'Arab Idol', a TV talent show staged in Beirut, in which singers perform for judges and voting viewers. ...
Cee Lo Green, Miley Cyrus, Hayden Panettiere to present at Billboard Music Awards
By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Past (and future) "Voice" coach Cee Lo Green will be on hand to dole out a trophy at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, along with a slew of other presenters that includes Celine Dion, Kelly Rowland, Hayden Panettiere, Kid Rock, Chloe Grace Moretz and Miley Cyrus. The presenters will also include Shania Twain, Ke$ha, Carly Rae Jepsen, Alyssa Milano, Jenny McCarthy, Emmy Rossum, Stana Katic, Gabriel Mann, Jennifer Nettles, Psy, Sky Blu, Jennifer Morrison, Florida Georgia Line, Wiz Khalifa and Alanis Morissette. ...
Country, soul singers battle in all-female 'American Idol' finale
By Patricia Reaney (Reuters) - Soul singer Candice Glover vied with country crooner Kree Harrison on Wednesday in an all-female finale of "American Idol" to become the first woman to win the TV singing competition since 2007. In a finale that judge Randy Jackson described as "so close," Glover, the 23-year-old former travel agent from St. Helena, South Carolina, brought the judges and the audience to their feet after belting out Tom Jones' "I Who Have Nothing." "You are such a powerhouse singer," judge Keith Urban said. "The song is like a planet exploding. ...
Emeli Sande wins two top UK singer-songwriter awards
By Paul Casciato LONDON (Reuters) - An invitation from the White House robbed Emeli Sande on Thursday of the chance to celebrate the latest mark of her success in an unstoppable rise to the front ranks of British female singers. The Scottish singer-songwriter's "Next To Me" single won both the best song and most performed work categories at Britain's 58th Ivor Novello awards for songwriting, putting her on a par with some of Britain's biggest music names. ...
Music's Dr. Dre, Iovine give $70 million to USC academic program
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rapper Dr. Dre and music mogul Jimmy Iovine have donated $70 million to establish an entrepreneurial undergraduate program at the University of Southern California, the Los Angeles school said on Wednesday. The gift will create a new degree pulling faculty members from the university's business, fine arts, music and engineering departments. The Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation will begin in the fall of 2014 and enroll a first class of 25 students, USC said. Dr. ...
Denmark's Emmelie de Forest wins Eurovision Song Contest
MALMO, Sweden (Reuters) - Denmark won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday before an international TV audience of around 125 million, winning with the annual competition with a barefoot performance backed by flutes and drums. The 20-year-old won with the song "Only Teardrops", competing against 25 other countries in a final held in Malmo in southern Sweden. (Reporting by Mia Shanley)
Elton John biopic 'Rocketman' to launch foreign sales effort at Cannes
By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Rocket Pictures' Elton John biopic "Rocketman" will be taking off at Cannes, with Good Universe launching the international sales effort at the upcoming Cannes Film Market. Michael Gracey is directing from a script by Oscar nominee Lee Hall ("Billy Elliot"). Steve Hamilton Shaw and David Furnish ("Gnomeo and Juliet") will produce, while Sir Elton John will executive produce. ...
Google launches streaming music service ahead of Apple
By Alexei Oreskovic and Edwin Chan SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc launched a music service on Wednesday that allows users to listen to unlimited songs for $9.99 a month, challenging smaller companies like Pandora and Spotify in the market for streaming music. With its new service, announced at its annual developers' conference in San Francisco, Google has adopted the streaming music business model ahead of rival Apple Inc, which pioneered online music purchases with iTunes. ...
