Makers

Wii boosts UK games sales, music resilient (Reuters)

Reuters - British retailers sold a record combined number of DVDs, games and music in 2008 despite the economic gloom, boosted by the popularity of Nintendo's Wii and single downloads, trade bodies said on Wednesday.

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New Eminem, 50 Cent songs hit radio and Web (Reuters)

Reuters - There's still no solidified release dates for upcoming albums from Eminem and 50 Cent, but new music from both rappers has emerged in the past 24 hours.

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The Dead to Roam the Earth (E! Online)

E! Online - The Dead have turned the page on their differences.

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Apple to sell copy protection-free songs (Reuters)

Reuters - Apple Inc has reached a deal with major record labels to sell digital songs without the copy protection software that had prevented fans from sharing music bought from its iTunes store, the maker of the iPod and iPhone said on Tuesday.

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Katy Perry No Longer Kissing Travis McCoy (E! Online)

E! Online - "Hot N Cold" singer Katy Perry's relationship with Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes is officially on ice. A source close to the couple has confirmed to E! News that the two called it quits just before New Years.

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Lisa Marie Presley defends Scientology (AP)

AP - Lisa Marie Presley is expressing her condolences over Jett Travolta's death and defending Scientology, the religion that Presley, John Travolta and Kelly Preston follow.

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Mariah Carey told off by scientists for E=MC2 claims (Yahoo! Music)

Yahoo! Music - Scientists have criticized Mariah Carey's mathematics skills, after she appropriated Albert Einstein's mass-energy equivalence formula for an album title.

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Big Bopper's coffin to be sold on eBay (Yahoo! Music)

Yahoo! Music - The son of iconic '50s rock n' roller the Big Bopper has said he plans to sell his late father's casket--which he was buried in for 48 years--on eBay in the next few weeks.

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Pop singer Annie readies album after label split (Reuters)

Reuters - After a worldwide record deal with Island Records collapsed last year, Norwegian electropop songstress Annie is forging ahead with plans to release her second album, "Don't Stop," sometime in 2009.

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T.I. cuts $8,000 check for overdue lawyer fees (AP)

AP - Rapper T.I. went to court and promptly paid an $8,000 overdue lawyer bill for the mother of two of his sons, telling a judge the debt was an oversight.

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Britney Spears' official Twitter account hacked (Yahoo! Music)

Yahoo! Music - An anonymous hacker has reportedly hacked into Britney Spears' official Twitter account, leaving an obscene message.

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The Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton found dead at 60 (AP)

AP - Ron Asheton, the guitarist for the Stooges whose raw sound helped inspire the first generation of punk musicians, has died. He was 60.

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Stooges guitarist Asheton found dead in Michigan (Reuters)

Reuters - Ron Asheton, a guitarist and founding member of the influential rock band The Stooges, was found dead at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Tuesday, police said.

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Bon Jovi to Hillary Clinton: I'll Be There for You (E! Online)

E! Online - Forget government bailouts! Former first lady Hillary Clinton is hoping Jon Bon Jovi can help with her financial crisis.

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Knowles, Keys, Hudson grab music, film Image noms (AP)

AP - Beyonce Knowles, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson are all multitasking for the NAACP Image Awards, earning nominations Wednesday in both music and film categories.

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Lupe Fiasco abandons rap and launches post-punk band? (Yahoo! Music)

Yahoo! Music - Rapper Lupe Fiasco is rumored to have started a post-punk band called Japanese Cartoon.

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Aerosmith gets back to work after '08 break (Reuters)

Reuters - Aerosmith is ready to return to work on its next studio album, according to drummer Joey Kramer.

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Modern music patron Betty Freeman dies at 87 (AP)

AP - Betty Freeman, patron to such contemporary musical masters as John Cage, Philip Glass and Pierre Boulez, has died. She was 87.

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Is Madonna's Little Girl Meant for Stardom? (E! Online)

E! Online - We've been anxiously awaiting the acting/singing/modeling debut of Madonna's firstborn, Lourdes Ciccone Leon, for a while. The 14-year-old, who looks like she just fell out of an American Apparel ad, always seemed destined to follow in her mother's creative footsteps.