21st September, 2008
Photos: Dj Am and Travis Barker critically injured in Burn unit in Atlanta
UPDATES:
Barker's ex-wife has flown to his side, his kids don't know
DJ AM in medically induced coma, he called his mom from ambulance
Nicole Richie in shock and wishes DJ AM the best
The deceased Chris Baker was Barker's assistant
PREVIOUSLY
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Hours after performing for thousands of South Carolina college students, former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and Hollywood star DJ AM were critically injured in a fiery Learjet crash that killed four people, authorities said Saturday.
Officials said the plane carrying six people was departing shortly before midnight Friday when air traffic controllers reporting seeing sparks. The plane hurtled off the end of a runway and crashed through antennas and a fence. It came to rest on an embankment across a five-lane highway and was engulfed in flames, said Debbie Hersman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board.
Barker and DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, were in critical condition at a burn center in Augusta, Ga., about 75 miles southwest of Columbia, hospital spokeswoman Beth Frits said.
Two other passengers -- Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City, Calif., and Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles -- died, as did pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31, of Anaheim Hills, Calif., and co-pilot James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad, according to the county coroner. Baker was an assistant to Barker and Still was a security guard for the musician.
The plane was headed for Van Nuys, Calif. It is owned by Global Exec Aviation, a California-based charter company, and was certified to operate last year, Hersman said. The company said it had no immediate comment.
At the crash site Saturday, the air was still heavy with the odor of jet fuel. A trail of black soot led off a runway. The nose of the aircraft was gone and the roof was missing from two-thirds of the charred plane.
"It's absolutely terrible and tragic," Columbia Mayor Bob Coble said.
Barker and Goldstein had performed together under the name TRVSDJ-AM at a free concert in Columbia on Friday night. Event sponsor T-Mobile said their hourlong set ended at about 7:15 p.m.
The show, which included performances by former Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell and singer Gavin DeGraw, drew 10,000 people into the streets of Five Points, the neighborhood near the University of South Carolina, Coble said.
Peter Kastis, Farrell's manager, said he and Farrell didn't find out about the crash until they arrived at the airport Saturday morning to find it closed.
"I just hugged them hello less than 24 hours ago. I wish I could hug them now," Kastis said.
One concertgoer said TRVSDJ-AM's performance was unique and different.
"It was literally one of the best shows I've ever seen," said Brett Flashnick, a freelance photographer who works for The Associated Press and attended the concert for a local newspaper.
Barker, 32, was one of the more colorful members of the multiplatinum-selling punk rock band Blink-182, whose biggest album was 1999's CD "Enema of the State," which sold more than five million copies in the United States alone.
After Blink-182 disbanded in 2005, Barker went on to form the rock band (+44) -- pronounced "plus forty-four." He also starred in the MTV reality series "Meet the Barkers" with former Miss USA Shanna Moakler, to whom he was married at the time. The show documented the former couple's lavish wedding and life. Their later split, reconciliation and subsequent break up made them tabloid favorites.
Goldstein is a popular DJ for hire who at one time was engaged to Nicole Richie.
He spun a mix of hip-hop and dance beats for the hottest nightclubs and had a string of dates set up for the next few weeks. He reached the peak of his Hollywood star perhaps during his highly publicized romance with Richie a few years ago.
DJ AM also dated singer/actress Mandy Moore, and while he became a gossip favorite for his romances, he drew respect from music aficionados for his DJ skills.
Barker and Goldstein performed as part of the house band at the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this month.
Photos and Source Tags: dj, engaged, hollywood, mandy moore, married, music, music awards, nicole richie, photos, rap, style, wife
Posted at 1:40 am | Comment (0)
17th September, 2008
Britney Spears to release album on her birthday
Britney Spears is gearing up for another comeback attempt.
The pop singer's label said on Monday it would release her new album, "Circus," on December 2, her 27th birthday.
The album marks the follow-up to 2007's "Blackout," which was also billed as a comeback after a sustained period of personal and professional woes. It failed to return Spears to the commercial heyday she enjoyed at the turn of the century.
The latest comeback talk got a boost last week when Spears won three prizes at the MTV Video Music Awards in Hollywood and did not commit any missteps in the process.
The first single from the album is called "Womanizer," Jive Records said in a statement. The label said Spears collaborated with a team of writer/producers, including stalwarts such as Swedish hitmaker Max Martin and Floyd "Danja" Hills.
Jive is ultimately owned by Sony Music Entertainment Inc, a unit of Sony Corp.
Source and Photo
Posted at 1:14 am | Comment (0)
8th September, 2008
Phelps: Paparazzi should leave me alone at Playboy Club, Video Music Awards
Why won't the paparazzi leave Michael Phelps alone?? The Olympic champion tells Dateline Hollywood that since returning from Beijing, he's been trying to avoid the press by unwinding at some of his favorite low key hang outs, but has been deluged with photographers and even amateurs using cell phone cameras.
"There was so much media around me at the Olympics that I've just wanted to get a little personal time at places like the Playboy Club in Las Vegas and the MTV Video Music Awards in Hollywood," he explained. "How do the paparazzi even find me there? How am I supposed to get any privacy?!"
Phelps said he was particularly offended that someone at the Playboy Club in the Palms Casino took cell phone pictures of him talking to a young waitress who wanted his autograph. In order to shield her from the unwanted attention, the 13-time gold medalist added, he attempted to use his hand to block her ass from the camera. The photo, seen at left, was still leaked to the website Radar.
In the next few weeks, Phelps added, he hopes the paparazzi and amateur photogs will not be bothering him during visits to a beach in Malibu and several clothing stores he has heard about on Robertson Avenue in Beverly Hills.
Tags: hollywood, michael phelps, music, music awards, paparazzi, photos, pictures, rap, stylePosted at 6:41 pm | Comment (1)
8th September, 2008
Kanye West Closing VMAs
Let's just hope the credits don't cut this performance off at the end or anything because you know 'Ye will make sure we all hear about it the next day! lmao
The MTV Video Awards will receive a helping hand from Hip-Hop superstars T.I. and Kanye West as they join a host of performers and presenters in celebrating the show’s 25th anniversary.
West will close out the event with a finale performance, while T.I. will debut his new duet with R&B/Pop singer Rihanna for the first time. The rappers and Rihanna join an eclectic bunch of previously announced performers that include Pink, Kid Rock, Paramore, Lil Wayne and the Jonas Brothers.
Pop diva Christina Aguilera will mark her first televised performance since giving birth earlier this year with a special rendition of her hit "Genie in a Bottle."
West’s fellow Chicago rhymesayer Lupe Fiasco as well as Katy Perry and The Ting Tings will be on hand to commemorate the 25th annual VMA’s by performing new and classic hits with DJ AM and former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker.
Barker and DJ AM will play an active role in the show as they mix live drum beats to scratched records throughout the show.
Among the awards handed out at this year’s VMA’s will be Best Female Video and Best Male Video as well as Best New Artist and Video of the Year.
News of West’s closing performance and the T.I./Rihanna duet comes one day after MTV confirmed that Britney Spears will open its yearly awards show.
The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by comedian/actor Russell Brand, will air live at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday (September 7). (From Allhiphop.com)
Posted at 12:53 am | Comment (0)
30th August, 2008
Lindsay Lohan wants to meet Michael Phelps
Lindsay Lohan apparently thinks swimmer Michael Phelps would be great company.
The actress, 22, was impressed by his record eight Olympic golds in Beijing.
And she is said to be keen to meet the 23-year-old.
‘They're both going to the MTV Video Music Awards next month so they'll be sure to see each other properly then,’ a source tells the Daily Mirror.
Lindsay is rumoured to be in a relationship with DJ Samantha Ronson, 31.
Photo and Source Tags: dj, hollywood, lindsay lohan, michael phelps, music, music awards, style
Posted at 12:20 pm | Comment (0)