Rihanna - Rihanna Brown Offered Free Kfc

Lovers RIHANNA and CHRIS BROWN have been offered a free meal at KFC - after they inadvertently promoted the fast food company when they were caught kissing in one of its Florida chains.

The couple finally went public with their romance when the two young hitmakers were photographed kissing and cuddling in the Miami restaurant earlier this month (07May08).

And now the firm's chief marketing officer, James O'Reilly, has sent Rihanna a letter offering the couple a free meal, reports New York gossip column PageSix.

It reads: "Clearly, like our founder Colonel Sanders, you two know how to kick it up a few degrees. We could feel the heat - literally - in our restaurant that night. So much so that we'd like to invite you and Chris back to any KFC for a free meal."

And O'Reilly vows that if the couple repeat their show of affection he will make a donation to their favourite children's charity, Believe.

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Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon Wedding Photo, Comments Are Released

If there was any doubt remaining that pop diva Mariah Carey and actor Nick Cannon were married on April 30 in the Bahamas, it was dispelled on Wednesday morning (May 7), when People.com published a wedding photo and quotes from the newlyweds.

In the photo, Carey is shown wearing a white dress, and is all smiles while locked in an embrace with Cannon, who rocked an all-white suite.

The couple also made their first — albeit brief — public comments on the marriage. "We really do feel we are soulmates," Carey said. "I never felt a love like this was in the cards for me." Cannon added that Carey is "beautiful on the outside and 10 times as beautiful on the inside."

The development follows on the heels of last week's reports that the couple had secured a marriage license in Eleuthera, which is located next to the island of Windermere, where Carey reportedly owns a home.

In the absence of official comment on the wedding from Carey or Cannon's camps, several people close to the couple confirmed it over the past few days. On May 2, People reported that Bishop Clifford Petty of the National Church of God in Governor's Harbour in Eleuthera confirmed he presided over the proceedings, but provided no further details beyond saying he did not give a sermon during the ceremony.

Cannon himself squirmed when asked a battery of questions by MTV News about engagement rumors on the Monday before the ceremony.

Earlier, a relative of Cannon's, Linda Cannon (her relationship to the singer was not detailed), reportedly told E! News that the couple were, indeed, husband and wife. "He called us and told us all about it," she said. "We are happy for him. If that is what he wants then we are happy for him. I'm not going to give you any details, but we are happy for him."






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Singing their praises

The touring and recording success of the Soweto Gospel Choir has proved a blessing for its singers, reports Scott Kara
Like many of the singers in the Soweto Gospel Choir, Sipokazi Luzipo had little before she joined its ranks.She had graduated from high school but, because her mother was a single parent, the family had no money and no chance to give her a higher education. "I was just hoping that something like what has happened in my life would happen," she says.The choir begins a New Zealand tour on Wednesday with a concert at the Auckland Town Hall."It's amazing really how God is always on time because there was no money," continues Luzipo, who was born in Port Elizabeth and moved to Soweto in 2002 when she was selected for the choir."Before liberation in 1994, we as a nation had been through so much - the riots and the strife - and living in shacks, but being in the choir has allowed me, and all of us, privilege in life and we can now be the financial providers in our families." She says these days Soweto, an area of Johannesburg which became a symbol of the struggle against apartheid, is a beautiful place. It is developing as a city on its own and while there are still squatter camps and shacks, there are also malls, high-quality homes and a better standard of living all round.




"It's a place of hope. It's colourful. And, if you're young, that's where you want to be in the weekends because that's where you find the diversity and faith. It's where everybody wants to be now. That is where life is," she says.It takes more than just a great voice to make it into the Soweto Gospel Choir and Luzipo sees her role not only as an entertainer but also as a missionary."It is like a ministry for us and we have a duty as performers to not only sing but to change peoples' lives and to deliver messages of hope and peace."There could be a room of 3000 people and you might find half of them are in pain, half of them just need one song to change their situation. So that's why we see it more as a ministry than an entertainment and we spread the gospel through music and song."But never fear, they won't be preaching and you don't have to be religious to enjoy the show."We are entertainers at the end of the day so you don't have to be a believer," Luzipo chuckles.The show the choir performs in New Zealand is called African Spirit, taken from the title of its latest album. It is a mix of African gospel music, traditional hymns and popular tunes - including Bob Marley's One Love - with dancing, a live band and percussionists.The choir started in 2002 almost by accident. When a Welsh choir that was meant to tour New Zealand and Australia cancelled, concert promoter Andrew Kay asked Bev Bryer (now the choir's director) to put together an African group to take its place.

Bassnectar

   
Artist: Bassnectar

   Genre(s): 
Electronic
   Dance
   

---

Discography:


   
 Underground Communication

   Year: 2007   
Tracks: 16


   
 Snakecharmer

   Year: 2006   
Tracks: 1


   
 Mesmerizing the Ultra (2 of 2)

   Year: 2005   
Tracks: 17


   
 Mesmerizing the Ultra (1 of 2)

   Year: 2005   
Tracks: 18

---

It's hard to avoid Bassnectar's have self-definition, which appears somewhere in all the press materials for the San Francisco-based turnout: "A free form project that merges music, art, modern media, social participation, and community values; dedicated to a always evolving ethos of collaborative creation, ego reinvention, and boundary-pushing experimentation." Or, to put it more than succinctly, Bassnectar is a breakbeat-oriented electronic saltation music act with a fine line in public relations and a sponsorship deal with Red Bull. On record, Bassnectar is DJ, producer, and remixer Lorin Ashton (aka Lorin Bassnectar) with occasional guest performers, but live Bassnectar shows ar freewheeling affairs with close to twenty-four citizenry onstage, from instrumentalists, DJs, and rappers to graffiti and video artists. Ashton began working as a DJ and remixer under the Bassnectar name in the tardy '90s, development the live feel under heavy influence from the multimedia Burning Man Festival that takes place each summer in the California desert. Bassnectar debuted on vinyl with the 2002 single "Float," followed by 2004's "Foundation Lullaby" and a downtempo album, Tempo Rosso, that was released as a promo point for Red Bull. The first gear proper full-length Bassnectar album, Mesmerizing the Ultra, was released in 2005, followed by Subway system Communication in 2007.





Butthole Surfers back on the road for summer shows

Heath Ledger post-mortem results inconclusive

Results of a post-mortem on Hollywood star Heath Ledger are inconclusive, US authorities said today.
The 28-year-old actor was found dead at his New York apartment yesterday.
Police are treating his death as possibly drug-related and said sleeping pills were found close to his body.
But a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office said an autopsy had proved inconclusive and further tests were needed - which could take around 10 days.
There were unconfirmed reports today that the 'Brokeback Mountain' star was suffering from pneumonia at the time of his death.
The actor's family have said that his death was a tragic accident.
Reading a statement outside the family home in Perth, his father Kim said: "We, Heath's family, can confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda."
New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said: "We are investigating the possibility of an overdose... There were pills within the vicinity of the bed." He added that the prescription medicine included sleeping pills.
The star's housekeeper found him at 3:26pm (US time) yesterday, and tried to wake him for his appointment with a masseuse.
Paying tribute to Heath Ledger, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said: "Heath Ledger's diverse and challenging roles will be remembered as some of the great performances by an Australian actor."
The actor's compatriot and 'The Patriot' co-star Mel Gibson said: "I had such great hope for him. He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss."
Australian actress Nicole Kidman said: "What a terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to his family."
The bosses of Warner Bros, Alan Horn and Jeff Robinov, said: "The studio is stunned and devastated by this tragic news. The entertainment community has lost an enormous talent. Heath was a brilliant actor and an exceptional person. Our hearts go out to his family and friends."
Ledger was nominated for an Oscar for his part in the film 'Brokeback Mountain' and had recently finished work on the Warner Bros blockbuster 'The Dark Knight'.
Last year he broke up with actress Michelle Williams, who played his wife in 'Brokeback Mountain' and was the mother of their two-year-old daughter.
The actor had recently been working on 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' with director Terry Gilliam; they previously collaborated on 'The Brothers Grimm'.
To view our photo gallery on the life and career of Heath Ledger click here.

Photographers arrested after Spears chase

Four photographers have been arrested for reckless driving after chasing pop singer Britney Spears.
Police confirmed that the paparazzi were arrested on the outskirts of Los Angeles late last night.
Los Angeles police spokesperson Sara Faden said that the four were among a group of paparazzi seen driving at high speed on the trail of the singer.
Faden said: "Britney Spears was part of the group, but was not driving recklessly."

RCA Music Group Dominates the Billboard Top 10 Album Chart

Clay Aiken's On My Way Here Debuts at #4
Leona Lewis at #6 with SPIRIT
Gavin DeGraw's Self Titled Sophomore Album Debuts at #7

NEW YORK, May 14 - RCA Music Group artists dominate the
Billboard album chart this week with three of the country's Top Ten
best-selling albums. Additionally, RCA Label Group tops the Digital Album
Chart with GAVIN DEGRAW at #1, Clay Aiken's ON MY WAY HERE at #3, and Leona
Lewis's SPIRIT at #4.

Clay Aiken's RCA Records/19 Recordings, ON MY WAY HERE debuts this week
at #4 with 94,071 units sold this week, making this Aiken's fourth Top 5
debut. Released on May 6th, ON MY WAY HERE is Aiken's fourth album and his
first album of original songs since his 2003 chart topping, double platinum
debut Measure of a Man. The title track and first single from the album "On
My Way Here" debuted at #1 on the AOL streaming chart week of release,
rocketed to #1 on the Amazon chart the week it was made available as a
pre-release, and debuted at #1 on the Amazon download chart the day it was
released. Aiken appeared on Good Morning America, The View, The Today Show,
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, AOL Sessions, Entertainment Tonight, Access
Hollywood, Insider, Extra!, E!, CNN, ABC Nightline, Fox News, and CBS News
Path, all the week of release.

Leona Lewis' J Records/SyCo Music debut album SPIRIT claims the #6 spot
on the album chart with 555,472 units sold, to date. British sensation
Leona Lewis has achieved many record-breaking milestones since her debut
album entered the Billboard chart at #1 on April 16th. She became the first
British female artist in music history to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top
200, and was the first time ever that a British artist overall has debuted
on the chart at #1 with a first album. It was also the biggest female
artist first album debut since Carrie Underwood in 2005, and had the
biggest digital album sales week ever for a new artist. When her album
SPIRIT debuted at #1, Leona was the first British female artist ever to
score both a US Number One album and single in the same week. Her single
"Bleeding Love," which has scanned almost 2 million in single sales, topped
the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a fourth, record-breaking week last week,
becoming the first British-born female solo artist ever to hold the #1 spot
on the singles chart with a debut charting single for 4 weeks.
Additionally, the song holds the radio spin record with the most weekly
plays ever, in a one week period, at the Top 40 radio format with 10,665
spins.

Gavin DeGraw's self-titled J Records sophomore release debuts at #7
with 66,112 units sold this week. Released on May 6th, GAVIN DEGRAW is the
long-awaited follow up to his platinum selling debut album Chariot released
in 2003. Gavin DeGraw, produced by Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson,
showcases an edgy pop/rock sound evident on the first single, "In Love With
A Girl." "In Love With A Girl" has been in the Top 10 for three weeks on
the Hot AC radio chart. The single's video, directed by acclaimed director
Wayne Isham and featuring "Laguna Beach" beauty Kristin Cavallari,
premiered on Yahoo! Music, and is currently in large rotation on VH-1.
Gavin DeGraw appeared on CBS Early Show, Live with Regis & Kelly, The Ellen
DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, two nights on Last Call with Carson
Daly, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, and CNN all the week of
release.




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