Gene Loves Jezebel

Taylor Swift leads U.S. pop chart as sales slide (Reuters)

Reuters - The year is off to a bad start for the music industry with U.S. album sales off 6.2 percent from the first week of 2008, according to data issued Wednesday.

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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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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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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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Judge seals records in Eddy Arnold paternity case (AP)

AP - A judge has sealed records in a paternity suit filed by a California man who claims he is the biological son of the late country singer Eddy Arnold.

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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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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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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.

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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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Jay-Z, Bruce, Miley Providing Inaugural Soundtrack (E! Online)

E! Online - HOVA's in the (white) house.

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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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Michael Jackson leases pricey Bel Air estate (AP)

AP - The King of Pop is back in town, that is.

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Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson 'targeted by Islamic extremists' (Yahoo! Music)

Yahoo! Music - Reports have emerged today (January 7) claiming that Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson have been included on a "terror target" hit list made in reaction to the current conflict in the Gaza region.

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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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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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Taylor, BeyoncÃ© Open 2009 on Top (E! Online)

E! Online - Taylor Swift haters have nothing to fear but Fearless itself.

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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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'Dark Knight' sweeps People's Choice Awards (AP)

AP - Holy, People's Choice Awards, Batman! "The Dark Knight" soared away with every trophy it was nominated for Wednesday at the 35th annual fan-favorite CBS ceremony. The caped crusader flick won five awards, including favorite cast, superhero, action movie and on-screen matchup for Christian Bale's Batman and the late Heath Ledger's Joker.

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Jay-Z to play concert on eve of Obama inauguration (AP)

AP - Jay-Z isn't performing at President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, but he is planning to make a big splash on the eve of the event.

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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.