Wild Writings May 2004 News:
>>  www.wildwritings.com

Britney Ends German Concert in Tears
Kriselen
Relatives of troubled pop beauty Britney Spears are seriously worried about her mental health - after she rushed off stage in Berlin, Germany in tears. The Toxic superstar, 22, has been struggling to cope with her huge workload as she continues her Onyx Hotel tour in Europe, and sources close to Britney fear the situation is only going to get worse. Britney is reportedly desperate to return home to her mother Lynne after suffering the worst reviews of her career for the raunchy stage show. But with contractual obligations preventing her from ditching the tour, miserable Britney is getting more and more depressed. And the depth of her anguish was clearly demonstrated when she ran off the stage in the German capital and fled to a waiting car, before ignoring fans as she ran into her hotel. A source tells British newspaper the Sun, "Dozens of fans were waiting for her outside the hotel. She rushed straight past them with her baseball cap pulled right down over her eyes. But everyone could see she had been crying her eyes out on the limo journey. Her mascara was streaming down her face." The singer has now taken her tour to France.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jessica Simpson's Nightclub Nightmare
Kriselen
Jessica Simpson and her sister Ashlee are the new spokespersons for Ice Breakers Breath Mints and at the press conference for their new commercial Jessica was breaking news about a recent nightclub incident. "I did have a run-in with a bouncer at an LA nightclub because he was doing something that wasn't very nice to somebody who was in my entourage," Simpson told Access Hollywood. Jessica left Hollywood club, Nacionale, in tears recently but fortunately she and her sister were able to laugh about it now. "He made me cry," revealed Jessica. "It was so sad," added Ashlee. However, Jessica was intent on setting the record straight that contrary to some reports, it was not she and husband Nick Lachey who were having an argument at the club. But rather Nick arrived to console her after the confrontation. "I was bawling. He made me cry and Nick came to console me... He was a big man. He scared me," said Jessica.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mandy Moore Signs With Sire
BillBoard
Pop singer/actress Mandy Moore has signed with Sire Records, the Warner Bros. imprint whose roster includes the Distillers, the Von Bondies and Hot Hot Heat. Moore, 20, recently parted ways with Epic, for whom she released four albums, the most recent being 2003's "Coverage," a collection of '70s cover tunes written by the likes of Todd Rundgren, Joan Armatrading and Cat Stevens.

Moore said she has started writing songs for her new album, but does not yet know how it will sound. She has been focusing on her movie career recently, and returns to theaters May 28 with "Saved!," a satire set at a religious high school.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charlotte Church calls J.Lo "boring"
www.WildWritings.com
HANDBAG.COM reports "Singer Charlotte Church blasts three-time married star Jennifer Lopez by calling her life, uh "boring." "J.Lo, although she’s gorgeous, she works out three hours a day, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink and doesn’t eat certain foods,” Church said. “That sounds really boring to me.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking Back, Brandy Says End Of Marriage Wasn't Painful  
MTV
The last time Brandy made the rounds to promote a new album, it was 2002 and she had a new marriage and a baby on the way to discuss. A few things have changed.

This year, while doing press for Afrodisiac (June 29), the side news is that since Full Moon, Brandy gave birth to a daughter, Sy'rai, with all of MTV's audience watching on "Special Delivery." And about a year ago, she split from husband Robert Smith.

Since then, Brandy's had a chance to reflect on the changes in her life, and she says the dissolution of her marriage was something she had to address, of course, but it wasn't especially painful for her.

"It was just a realization for me that I wasn't in love. I think if I was deeply in love, it would have been tough," she said. "I had thoughts about my daughter and [Robert's] feelings, so I wanted to consider that, but for me, just totally alone by myself, I wasn't really heartbroken, no."

Maybe that's because she's now snuggling up with the Los Angeles Clippers' Quentin Richardson (see "Brandy Gets Love From Kanye, Timbaland On New Album"), or maybe it goes deeper.

"I realized that that was a relationship where I felt secure and just comfortable, and I just couldn't live the rest of my life like that," Brandy explained. "I had to say, 'You know what? This ain't it for me. I've gotta do my thing.' I'm just celebrating the fact that I was brave."

Brandy also expressed sympathy for a couple of her pals who've been facing legal woes lately: Kobe Bryant and Michael Jackson. "I haven't talked to Kobe in so long," Brandy said of the man who accompanied her to her high school prom, "but I know what's going on. Definitely."

As for Jackson's troubles, Brandy admitted she doesn't have the heart to stay on top of the latest developments in his child-molestation case (see "Michael Jackson Hit With 10 Felony Charges At Arraignment"). "I want to keep my own idea about Michael Jackson," she said. "I don't want to watch too much [TV] that tries to change my mind about them. I think that's being a cop-out, but I want my own personal view of those two people."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jessica Simpson Heats Up With Summer Tour
MTV
Between television appearances, acting stints and meetings with book publishers, Jessica Simpson will sing her heart out across North America this summer.

On May 14, she'll perform in Chula Vista, California, at KHTS-FM's Channel 93.3 Presents Your Show 5, the first of five scheduled radio-sponsored concerts. She'll wrap up the stint on the evening of May 22 at the KISS-108 FM Concert in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Earlier that day, she'll headline Allure magazine's Play Safe in the Park event at Central Park in New York. A portion of the proceeds for the show will go to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

After her double-header on May 22, Simpson will take a brief sabbatical from the stage, but she'll launch a full-scale summer tour a couple of weeks later. The opening date is June 4 in New Orleans, and 41 shows are booked through August 1 in Paso Robles, California, including an Independence Day performance in Camden, New Jersey. It will be Simpson's first headlining tour since the March re-release of her album In This Skin.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Slow Ticket Sales Cited For Aguilera Tour Cancellation 
Popdirt
A music industry insider tells The New York Post reports don't buy Christina Aguilera's explanation of strained vocal cords for cancelling her summer tour with Chingy. "People strain their vocal chords all the time," the insider said. "There are treatments they give, and people usually take a week or two off, but never have they canceled a three-month tour." The real culprit, the insider notes, is "slow ticket sales. Her shows were only selling at 40 to 60 percent capacity. She needs a hit album to reboost her fan base."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Behind The Scenes Of Britney's Reality Show 
Popdirt
Britney Spears is the latest celeb to jump on the reality TV bandwagon. There are no details as to when or where the show will air - MuchMusic only knows that it will follow the sexy pop siren for 6 weeks of her Hotel Onyx tour and they can barely contain their excitement. Really.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't Mess With Avril Lavigne
Popdirt
In an interview with The London Times, Avril Lavigne spoke about drinking, how she hates her breakout single 'Complicated', getting signed to Arista, dating, and her last bar fight, which happened a couple months ago. "Some girl came over and said, right in my face, 'You ruined punk rock.' So I stood up and kicked her in the box, then I fu**ing pushed her — and then she got kicked out." Incensed by the memory, Lavigne acts out the scene, complete with kicks, for writer Robin Eggar's benefit. Then her other side takes over and she looks worried. "Every time I've ever talked to an interviewer about me getting into fights, it ends up being a big thing. I don't want to make it sound like I like fighting, because I don't."

Avril Lavigne is also Wild Writings' Artist of the Month! Check it out here.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marc Anthony's Lopez Confession 
Popdirt
Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez may be keeping a low profile these days, but previously Marc was very open about their friendship. Jenny was on the set of Marc's 'I Need To Know' video, watching intently in the wings as he worked and 'Access Hollywood' cameras even captured a kiss between the two. "She would go to my concerts and I never got to meet her but I knew she was there," revealed Marc.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brandy Gets Love From Kanye, Timbaland On New Album
MTV
From her new boyfriend — Quentin Richardson of the Los Angeles Clippers — to producers Kanye West and Timbaland, to a certain critically acclaimed group from Great Britain, Brandy's new album is deeply inspired by the men floating in her circle.

"It's called Afrodisiac," the singer said last week as she soaked up the sun in beautiful Montego Bay, Jamaica. "It's about love, it's about passion. It's romantic, and that's where I am in my life right now. I really feel love and passion right now."

Props to the Q-Dog.

Brandy sings literally about love on her first single, "Talk About Our Love," which was produced by Kanye West ("Whom I love, whom I think is a genius," she says). The love Brandy sings about is so strong that it can't be swayed by busybodies poking into her business. "I swear they got some nerve, spreading what they heard," she laments on the cut. "I can't give them no burn/ I can't be concerned with all that talk/ ... That's my word."

"We collaborated and we just came up with a great melody," Brandy said of working with West, who also raps on the single. "It's about two people in a relationship where everybody is in and out of their business, which is something that everybody in a relationship goes through."

Brandy and Kanye play love interests in the song's video. "Kanye is a great person and he's so passionate about his music," she said. "He really believed in this song. He told me this was one of the best songs he's done all year and he really sold it to me: 'Look, you got to do this song.' With that much passion and confidence, I had to do it."

The other beatmaker in Brandy's life is Timbaland, who replaced Rodney Jerkins as her main producer for the new album. "I needed to change my sound, I wanted to explore my versatility and my creativity and my art," she said about parting ways with Jerkins, who helmed most of her last two LPs. "I wanted to do my own thing, and I've always wanted to work with Timbaland."

Timbo provided the singer with a plethora of tracks, one of which she holds especially dear.

"When we hooked up, it was like magic," she gushed. "He let me be me, and I let him be him. One of my favorite songs is called 'Coldplay.' It's definitely inspired by the band Coldplay, whom I love. That song is just raw: It puts me into a position where I am very open and you can hear the struggle and the pain in my voice. It's autobiographical."

Brandy implied that lyrically, she dove into plenty of firsthand experiences for Afrodisiac's material. "Everything I do has something to do with what I've gone through in my life," she said. "I definitely wanted to incorporate that in my art. It makes it more real when you add what's been going on in your life in your music. I've grown and I've gone through some things in my life, and I celebrate that, I honor that."

Afrodisiac is due June 29.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clay Aiken Says Goodbye Kelly, Announces Solo Tour
VH1
If Clay Aiken's co-headlining tour with Kelly Clarkson was a sure thing, his upcoming North American solo tour might be the real measure of the man.

Aiken, who wrapped up his stint with Clarkson April 16, will return to the road on July 8 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The crooner will play 28 concerts, eight of which are at state fairs. Dates are scheduled through September 19 in Springfield, Massachusetts, and one additional show has been booked for October 18 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Before launching his tour, Aiken will play the KIIS-FM Wango Tango show on May 15 in Pasadena, California, which features 21 acts including Janet Jackson, Jessica Simpson, JC Chasez, Maroon 5, Big Boi, Hilary Duff, J-Kwon and William Hung.

On May 11, Aiken will sing a cover of Neil Sedaka's "Solitaire" on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." A recording of the track was released on March 16 as a B-side for his new single, "The Way."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pink Ready For Janis Joplin Film Challenge
www.wildwritings.com
Pink tells the Herald Sun she's determined to do justice to Janis Joplin's talent starring in the biopic about the singer. "It's kind of bizarre that this role brings my life full circle," she said. Pink also professed other ambitions. "I want to be a bar tender, I really do," she said. "And I want to study psychology so I can figure out why my mind is so fu**ed up – and raise my dogs."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Halle Berry & Orlando Bloom have the "best noses"
www.wildwritings.com
Halle Berry has been picked as the female star with the nicest nose. Kylie Minogue came second, with Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz trailing behind.

British actor Orlando Bloom, who plays Legolas in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, was voted the male celebrity with the best nose, according to the survey from Waitrose. He beat Brad Pitt and David Beckham in the poll of 2,500 people.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Backstreet Boys Want "One Sweet Day"-Like Duet
MariahInc.cjb.net
Backstreet Boys star Kevin Richardson tells Details Magazine the group would like to work with Christina Aguilera on their upcoming album. "There is a song we all co-wrote together." A ballad, which Kevin describes as "reminiscent of Mariah Carey's 'One Sweet Day.'"

"We have everything ready but we need a female vocalist to record the verses. Our hopes are set on Christina Aguilera, so we hope she can do it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christina & Missy new spokes people for MAC cosmetics
www.wildwritings.com
MAC cosmetics has introduced five new spokespeople - including Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott - for Viva Glam products that will benefit the MAC Aids Fund.

All proceeds from Viva Glam V Lipstick and Lipglass will go to the fund, which provides money to organisations that give care and daily essentials to those with HIV/Aids and that offer education, awareness and prevention programmes.

Aguilera, Elliott, supermodel Linda Evangelista, Chloe Sevigny and Boy George were introduced at a press conference on Wednesday. MAC President John Demsey said they were asked to join the project because they represent the many faces of Aids patients - 'all ages, all races, all sexes.'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lil' Kim Pleads Not Guilty, Released On $500,000 Bail
MTV
Lil' Kim pleaded not guilty at her arraignment hearing Wednesday, hours after she was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice, charges that could put her away for more than 30 years.

Accompanied by her attorney Mel Sachs, Kim (real name: Kimberly Jones) entered the plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Debra C. Freeman in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, according to a spokesperson for the U.S attorney's office. She was released on $500,000 bail.

"Kim has been unfairly targeted ... and unjustly charged because of who she is in the music industry," Sachs told reporters as he and Kim left the courthouse. "I'm confident that her case will be completely dismissed." Kim was demurely dressed in a black trench coat and wore dark aviator sunglasses despite overcast skies and intermittent drizzle. She ignored reporters as she headed into the car.

The charges stem from her alleged involvement in a February 2001 shooting outside the offices of New York radio station Hot 97. Prosecutors claim she lied to investigators and a grand jury by telling them she wasn't present at the time of the shooting and that she didn't know at least one of the suspects involved in the incident.

A pretrial hearing between Sachs and federal prosecutors is scheduled for Friday. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B2K Get Down With The FBI
MTV
LOS ANGELES — There's a hip-hop group that wants the FBI watching its every move.

Except in this case, "FBI" stands for "Fizz and Boog Inc."

"We're starting our own rap label called FBI," B2K's Lil Fizz said as he and J-Boog walked the orange carpet at the recent Kid's Choice Awards. "We've got our first rap group coming out, called 4 Deep." (Not to be confused with a 1990s hip-hop group bearing the same name.)

"We ran into them at one of our shows," Boog added. "And they performed for us on the spot. We was like, 'Man, we respect that.' They was tight, and [we said], 'We gonna sign y'all.' Give some other people a chance to do their thing, make dreams [come true]."

Fizz and Boog said they plan to oversee every aspect of 4 Deep's career, including working in the studio on their album. "This is our first project, we gotta treat it like our baby," Fizz said.

Fizz will introduce 4 Deep on his upcoming solo album, Outspoken, due later in the spring. Kanye West and DJ Quik are also on the album.

"I'm leaking one track right now on the radio, it's called 'La La La,' so we'll see how it does," Fizz said about the single, which was produced by J. Brown (Cassidy, Swizz Beatz). "Rufus Blaq [Marques Houston, Angie Stone] helped me executive-produce the album."

Fizz and Boog said plans are still coming together for a B2K summer tour. Like Raz-B, they seemed optimistic that Omarion might return to the group.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Britney Spears Takes Another Cue From Madonna, Shops Reality Series
MTV
Hide the bottles — Britney Spears is making her own "Truth or Dare."

The singer is shopping a reality series that will document her backstage life similar to Madonna's classic 1991 documentary, which famously included a scene of the pop superstar using a bottle to demonstrate a risqué act.

The show is being pitched under the title "OnTourage," according to a spokesperson for Spears.

Footage from the six-week European leg of her Onyx Hotel Tour, which begins April 26 in London, would be compiled into six episodes selling for about $1 million apiece, much more than most reality programs. Britney would narrate and shoot some of her own adventures with her dancers and handlers herself. The show could be finished as early as summer.

The Onyx Hotel Tour, which kicked off March 2 in San Diego and wraps up its first leg Wednesday in Auburn Hills, Michigan, has filled about 85 percent of the venues' capacities, compared to 84 percent for the Ladies First Tour with Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott, and 90 percent for Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson's Independent Tour, according to Billboard figures.

Spears has just released "Everytime," the third single and video from In the Zone.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Third 'Kill Bill' on the Way!
www.wildwritings.com
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 isn't even in theaters yet, but Quentin Tarantino says he's already planning volume three. "Oh yeah, initially I was thinking this would be my 'Dollars' trilogy. I was going to do a new one every 10 years. But I need at least 15 years before I do this again," the director tells Entertainment Weekly magazine in its April 16 issue. Tarantino says Uma Thurman, who plays a bride out for revenge in the series that began last year, won't be the star.

"The star will be Vernita Green's (Vivica A. Fox's) daughter, Nikki (Ambrosia Kelley). I've already got the whole mythology: Sofie Fatale (Julie Dreyfus) will get all of Bill's money. She'll raise Nikki, who'll take on The Bride," he says. "Nikki deserves her revenge every bit as much as The Bride deserved hers. I might even shoot a couple of scenes for it now so I can get the actresses while they're this age." "Kill Bill: Vol. 2," co-starring David Carradine, Michael Madsen and Daryl Hannah, opens in theaters April 16.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jessica Simpson #1 on Maxim's Hot 100 List!
www.wildwritings.com
First, she was a pop princess. Then, a "Newlywed." And now, Jessica Simpson is the hottest thing around – so says Maxim magazine. Jessica tops the mag's Hot 100 list of 2004 beating out Beyonce (No. 2), Christina (No. 3) and Britney (No. 36). "It's nice to get the stamp of approval from the boys," Simpson was quoted as saying. "It's way better than being No. 101."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Usher Remains At #1; Janet Jackson's A Bridesmaid
MTV
Despite a well-publicized "wardrobe malfunction" and a media blitz that included morning shows, the late-night circuit and everything in between, Janet Jackson won't unseat Usher from the top spot on next week's Billboard albums chart.

Miss Jackson continues her sex streak on her eighth album, Damita Jo, though unlike on her past two risqué records, 2001's All for You and 1997's The Velvet Rope, she'll make her debut in a different position: #2. The more than 381,000 copies of Damita Jo that sold last week, however, just about splits the difference between the first-week totals of her previous #1 debuts, which amounted to 605,000 and 202,000, respectively.

Another massively successful week for Usher boosts the total sales of Confessions above the 1.5 million mark. With "Yeah!" continuing its prevalence on airwaves, the R&B singer sold more than 485,000 copies of his fifth album last week.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Hurts Hand during Video Shoot
www.popdirt.com
While shooting her video 'Don't Tell Me', Avril Lavigne accidentally hurt her hand. It started bleeding after she broke the mirror on the wall - the punch was so strong that she actually hit the wall. The director was worried that maybe she wouldn't be able to continue shooting the video but Avril replied with a smile and fished the shooting
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No Delay For 'SNL,' Despite Host Janet Jackson 
www.popdirt.com
The Associated Press reports NBC won't delay 'Saturday Night Live' when Janet Jackson hosts this weekend despite other networks employing a delay for her appearances after her Super Bowl breast flash. The network is publicizing Jackson's appearance (11:30 p.m. EDT) joking, "Anything could happen, as long as it meets FCC guidelines."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paris & Nicole Hit The Road For 'The Simple Life 2'
www.wildwritings.com
American socialites Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are going back to The Simple Life - and this time they're hitting the road.

The Hilton Hotel heiress and Lionel Richie's wildchild daughter turned the first series of their down-on-the-farm reality show into a ratings winner and now they're planning a second trip to rural America.

This time, the girls will travel cross-country in a Winnebago.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OutKast break Bee Gees record
www.wildwritings.com
Rap duo Outkast are more popular than any other act in America - they've notched up an amazing seven weeks at number one and two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

No one can budge the pair's hits Hey Ya! and The Way You Move from the top two spots on the chart, and that feat has earned them a place in the record books.

Only the Bee Gees can come close to matching them - the brothers spent five weeks at the top with Stayin' Alive and Night Fever in 1978.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beyonce tapped to play Lois Lane in new 'Superman' movie
www.wildwritings.com
Texan singer Beyonce Knowles is being tipped to star opposite Oscar-nominee Johnny Depp (as Lex Luthor) in the forthcoming Superman movie.

The Crazy in Love hitmaker, 22, is in discussions with Warner Brothers bosses about the possibility of taking the role of Clark Kent's journalist girlfriend Lois Lane.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star is favourite to play baddie Lex Luthor, while relative British unknown Henry Cavill will play the caped crusader in Superman: the Last Son of Krypton.

Beyonce caught the eye of producers after her sexy performance in Austin Powers in Goldmember and more recently The Fighting Temptations. A studio source says, "Beyonce is perfect to play Lois. She's feisty and sexy."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Usher Makes Record-Breaking Debut Atop Albums Chart
MTV
Having sold nearly 1.1 million copies of his new album, Confessions, in its first week, Usher will rise to the top of next week's Billboard albums chart, leaving a stream of broken records in his wake.

With those numbers, the star has the highest opening-week sales of any album released this year, and the seventh best of the SoundScan era, behind 'NSYNC's No Strings Attached (2.3 million) and Celebrity (1.8 million), Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP (1.7 million), Backstreet Boys' Black & Blue (1.5 million), Britney Spears' Oops! ... I Did It Again (1.3 million) and Backstreet Boys' Millennium (1.1 million).

But the accolades for the smooth-crooning ladies' man don't stop there.

Usher wins the distinction of having the highest first-week total of any R&B artist in SoundScan's 13-year history — his sales numbers crush those of R. Kelly, who sold more than 543,000 copies of TP-2.com in 2000, and Destiny Child's Survivor, which moved 663,000 in May 2001. It's also the best one-week total of any male artist since Eminem released The Marshall Mathers LP in 2000.

Usher's follow-up to 2001's 8701 also has the highest first-week figure of any album released by Arista Records, trumping the total of the Notorious B.I.G.'s posthumously released Life After Death in 1997, which sold more than 689,000 copies. Confessions also betters one-week sales of the Arista-released soundtrack to Whitney Houston's "The Bodyguard," which sold more than 1 million copies in December 1992.

The success arrives a week after the 30-year-old label dissolved into Jive Records.

"To see that this album has sold a million in one week is history," Usher said. "I'm happy, I'm privileged. It says a lot for what R&B is capable of. I don't think that everybody could do it. It's not something that is very easy to do. I can't say that it has happened based off of just this one album. All of the albums in the past, all of the support of the people who have been with me through this journey, and the new people I am introducing myself to, have made it possible."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Connecting  Entertainment & Teens!