24 minutes ago

BEIJING (Reuters) - Canadian pop superstar Celine Dion will play her first concert in China in April and has submitted an entry for the Beijing Olympics theme song competition, Games organizers said on Wednesday.

The 39-year-old multiple Grammy Award winner has scheduled a stop on her worldwide tour at the newly renovated Workers' Stadium in the Chinese capital on April 13, which will be part of Beijing's official celebration of the Games.

"Her team has submitted the song to our Theme Song Selection Committee," said Kan Ke, deputy director of Culture and Ceremony Department of Beijing Organizing Committee for Olympic Games.

"We are delighted to have Celine, who has sung a widely praised song for a previous Olympics, involved."

Dion sang the theme song "The Power of the Dream" at the opening ceremony of 1996 Olympics in Atlanta but is best known for a song from the movie Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On," which was a huge hit in Asia.

The 64,000-seater Workers' Stadium will host soccer matches at the Beijing Games.

So far, more than 30 artists from China and abroad have submitted their works for the theme song but Kan said he was expecting more entrants.

"What the theme song will be … will remain secrets until August 8, when the Games open," said Kan.

(Reporting by Liu Zhen, editing by Alex Richardson)

By Steve Gorman and Sue Zeidler 46 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After yanking the red carpet out from under the Golden Globes and threatening the Oscars, the union for striking Hollywood writers is deciding whether to picket the U.S. music industry's highest honors.

Grammy organizers have asked the Writers Guild of America for a strike waiver enabling the 50th annual edition of the music awards to go on as usual with union writers and without pickets, WGA officials said on Tuesday.

But union leaders expressed doubt that they would grant the Grammy request.

"I wouldn't bet on a waiver, as much as we hate to see artists not get their recognition," WGA spokesman Jeff Hermanson said.

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which sponsors the Grammys, issued a statement urging the WGA to reach an accord with producers of the ceremony but insisted the show would go on with or without the WGA's blessing.

"Those in the music and creative industry depend upon the annual proceeds from the Grammy Awards telecast to fund a whole variety of worthwhile programs, such as our MusiCares Foundation," recording academy president Neil Portnow said in the statement. "Accordingly, all preparations for (the show) remain in full swing."

The 2008 Grammy telecast on CBS is set to air live on February 10 from the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles and is considered a "struck" production by the WGA, which launched its strike against film and TV studios on November 5.

While the Grammys largely consist of musical performances and winners taking the stage to give acceptance speeches, much of the introductory remarks and banter by presenters is normally prepared in advance by union writers, who would be barred from working on the show.

But more importantly, a denial of a strike waiver would subject the show to pickets by the WGA, throwing into question whether some of the Grammy nominees, performers and presenters might choose to stay away from the event.

A number of high-profile Grammy nominees this year, including Justin Timberlake, Beyonce and Alicia Keys, also are members of the WGA's sister union for TV and movie performers, the Screen Actors Guild.

It was the threat of an awards boycott by SAG members that derailed the Golden Globe Awards for film and TV on Sunday, forcing organizers to scrap the traditional gala event in favor of a bare-bones news conference to announce winners.

The People's Choice Awards likewise was scaled back to a prerecorded "magazine" format consisting of clips of nominees and videotaped acceptance speeches of winners.

But two other unions representing musical performers, the American Federation of Musicians and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, joined in urging support for a Grammy strike waiver.

The WGA also has threatened to picket the film industry's highest honors, the Oscars, which are set for February 24, though WGA West President Patric Verrone held out hope that the strike could be settled by then.

He and other union executives appeared at a news conference to announce that the WGA had reached agreement with the NAACP to allow the civil rights organization's annual Image Awards to proceed next month without protests by striking writers.

Reuters/Nielsen

By Ayala Ben-Yehuda 17 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Online video has changed the way Latin music labels discover and market their artists — but entertainment companies are hoping that YouTube Mexico's emphasis on local content will translate the medium into a significant revenue stream.

Heavy traffic from Mexican users to YouTube's main English site and Spain's country site motivated the company to launch a Mexican home page October 11, YouTube international product manager Luis Garcia says. Locally uploaded videos, such as one from 2006 of a little boy named Edgar falling into a river, "spiked globally" in popularity, Garcia says.

While a plan for local advertising on the site is in the works, YouTube is touring the country with mobile kiosks where staffers show users how to upload videos, Garcia says. "Before we think about the monetization aspect, we need to make sure the community finds the site interesting."

To that end, entertainment cable channel Exa TV signed on as a local content partner, along with newspaper El Universal, modeling agency Contempo Models and soccer site Medio Tiempo. Exa TV director Jorge Shahin says the channel uploads 65-70 clips per week, with everything from live musical performances to artist interviews. As a YouTube Mexico partner, Exa content is featured higher in artist search results and gets placement on the Mexico page's "promoted videos" section.

Within those results, sponsor-branded Exa programming is featured near the top, Shahin says, which creates an additional benefit to Exa's advertisers. Since Mexico's pay-TV audience is small, online video "is really TV on demand by subject," Shahin says. Weeks or months after a broadcast, "the brand can still make contact with relevant content to the consumer."

Exa TV also has a revenue-share agreement with YouTube and expects the content partnership to be reflected in the TV channel's advertising rates.

On the label side, an emphasis on local content via YouTube Mexico can increase exposure for local acts, Warner Music Mexico talent executive Alejandro Abaroa says. But not everyone who checks out the latest funny video online wants to pay for the songs, videos and ringtones the label has licensed from such YouTube phenoms as Coyoacan Joe and La Tigresa del Oriente.

"It's a beginning effort," Abaroa says of such deals, where quick timing is crucial. "Maybe next month it's not going to be a hit anymore. The minute you hear about it, you have to grab it."

Reuters/Billboard

20 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Eva Longoria has some advice for Jessica Simpson.

Longoria, who is married to San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker, says Simpson is taking unnecessary heat from Dallas Cowboys fans who blame the 27-year-old singer’s weekend trip to Mexico with her boyfriend, quarterback Tony Romo, for the Cowboys’ defeat by the New York Giants.

“People gave me that … when I started dating Tony,” Longoria, star of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” said in an interview Monday with E! Entertainment Television’s “Daily 10.”

“If he had a bad game they’d blame me. If he, uh, you know, had an injury, it’s like, `What did you do to him?’” the 32-year-old actress laughed.

“Believe me, they are not thinking about us when they’re on the court, when they’re on the field,” she said of Parker and Romo. “It’s like they’ve got a little more important things to do.”

Longoria, who wed Parker last July, also shot down speculation that she’s pregnant.

“I’ve just gained weight from being on strike,” she said, referring to the Hollywood writers strike. “I don’t know who sits in a room and makes up stuff; it’s really comical sometimes.”

Last month, Parker, 25, sued a celebrity gossip Web site for publishing stories that alleged he had an affair with a French model. He’s seeking at least $40 million in damages.

“The Internet rumor is the first time we actually sued,” Longoria said. “Because it … went a little too far. And for it being so false and so not true, it was like, `Wow, really.’”

___

ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co. E! Entertainment Television is owned by Comcast Corp.

___

On the Net:

E! Entertainment Television:

http://www.eonline.com/on/shows/daily10/

ABC:

http://abc.go.com/primetime/desperate/

18 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - The striking Hollywood writers guild says it will likely not allow its members to work on next month’s Grammy Awards telecast.

Gregg Mitchell, a spokesman for the Writers Guild of America, says Grammy organizers have not asked for a waiver allowing writers to work on the show — and a waiver is unlikely to be granted if requested.

Mitchell also says the guild has not made a decision on whether it will picket the Feb. 10 ceremony, set to air live on CBS.

The Recording Academy did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

18 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Tom Petty may be the official Super Bowl halftime performer, but the week leading up to the big game will feature plenty of other performers — and Ludacris will be among them.

The 30-year-old rapper has been selected to perform at ESPN The Magazine’s Next party Feb. 1, which will highlight future trends in sports, technology and lifestyle.

The Super Bowl is Feb. 3 at the University of Phoenix Stadium.

“(It) feels good to be back in Arizona,” said Ludacris in a statement. “Phoenix is the hometown of my artist Willie Northpole so it’s only right to bring `Disturbing Tha Peace’ back home.”

Soulja Boy Tell’em, whose “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” was one of last year’s biggest hits and dance crazes, will be holding a dance challenge featuring athletes at an ESPN the magazine event Feb. 2.

The days leading up to Super Bowl will feature a bevy of parties and special events.

Mary J. Blige and Maroon 5 will perform at “The VH1 Pepsi Smash Superbowl Bash” on Jan. 31; the concert will air on the cable network Feb. 2.

___

ESPN is owned by The Walt Disney Co. VH1 is owned by Viacom Inc.

___

On the Net:

Ludacris:

http://www.defjam.com/

Soulja Boy Tell’em:

http://souljaboytellem.com/

ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/

VH1:

http://www.vh1.com/

By Nelie Andreeva and Carl DiOrio 35 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - After steamrolling through the Golden Globes and threatening the Oscars, the Hollywood writers strike may also deflate a third marquee award show — the Grammys.

The 50th annual Grammy Awards are scheduled to air February 10 on CBS live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Writers Guild of America spokesman Gregg Mitchell said Monday that Grammy organizers have not asked for a special waiver to allow union writers to work on the telecast but added that such a request likely would be denied.

"The WGA has not yet taken a position on picketing the Grammys ceremony," Mitchell said.

But he noted that Grammys producer John Cossette Prods. is on the WGA's list of "struck companies."

Should the WGA decide to picket the awards show — which conveniently takes place in Los Angeles where most writers are based — celebrity attendance would certainly be affected. It was the refusal of Screen Actors Guild members to cross the picket line at the Globes that ultimately derailed that show.

"WGA has informed us that this is struck work, and they expect to have a picket line in place," SAG said Monday. "In those circumstances, our members have been unwilling to cross a picket line, and we anticipate that solidarity will continue."

Some of the marquee Grammy nominees — including Justin Timberlake, Beyonce and Alicia Keys — are SAG members. Also, the Grammy ceremony regularly attracts top movie and TV actors as presenters.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Sarah Hall Tue Jan 15, 2:19 AM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Britney Spears may not be completely lacking in maternal instincts after all, but it didn't help get her kids back.

After Spears bailed on what was described as a "pivotal" hearing Monday, a Los Angeles court commissioner refused to reinstate any visitation rights for the troubled pop star. (View the court minute order.)

As the morning session of the custody hearing wound down with no sign of Spears, multiple sources told E! News that she was weighing the possibility of showing up for the afternoon session. Her lawyer, Sorrell Trope, even phoned the pop star from the courthouse, imploring her to come.

Kevin Federline, on the other hand, showed up early, arriving just after 9 a.m. at the Los Angeles County Courthouse for the 9:30 a.m. hearing, which was closed to outsiders.

Amid much frenzy, the "Gimme More" singer finally appeared at the Los Angeles County Courthouse around 1:30 pm Monday, ostensibly to fight for the right to see her boys. 

However, Spears pal Sam Lutfi told E! News via text message that the throngs of paparazzi awaiting the singer's arrival made it impossible for her to enter the building, as there was "no way to get her out of the car safely." Spears' entourage, including current boyfriend Adnan Ghalib, circled three times before giving up.

Instead, Lutfi told E! News he took Spears to church and then to get some lunch. The group dined at a Gaucho Grill restaurant near her Studio City home. In the meantime, the hearing resumed without her.

And when the dust settled Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon upheld an order barring Spears from seeing her sons, leaving the boys in the sole care of Federline at least until the next hearing, scheduled for Feb. 19.

Spears' visiting privileges were revoked earlier this month, after she refused to turn two-year-old Sean Preston and 16-month-old Jayden James over to Federline at the appointed time, leading to a three-hour showdown with police and emergency medical technicians. 

The 26-year-old singer was subsequently hospitalized and placed on an involuntary hold at L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on the grounds that she was a potential danger to herself or others.

Monday's hearing was called to discuss the well-publicized meltdown and to give Spears the opportunity to provide her side of the story.

Court public information officer Allan Parachini said Gordon heard testimony from two Los Angeles police officers involved in the standoff; Paula Strong, the court-appointed monitor present for Spears' visit with her sons; parenting coach Lisa Hacker, who has been working with Spears and Federline; and Lonnie Jones, Federline's bodyguard  who attempted to retrieve the children from Spears' home.

Parachini declined to elaborate on the content of the testimony. Spears' lawyers did not address reporters afterward, while Federline attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan offered a quick sound bite.

"The word victory is not something Mr. Federline or his counsel would ascribe to this. There is no joy. This is a grave situation for all," said Kaplan, who had been seeking to have visitation suspended through April.

"[Federline's] goal," Kaplan continued, "his hope for the future is at some point he will be able to parent the children with the participation of their mother."

An LAPD spokesman confirmed that paparazzi outside the courthouse were warned to stay out of the street and on the sidewalk, and several were issued citations for failing to adhere to officers' instructions.

By Kate Holton 48 minutes ago

LONDON (Reuters) - Guy Hands, the private equity owner of EMI, plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs at the ailing British music company, in a plan to rebuild the group which has sparked fury from some of its biggest acts.

Hands, previously best known for investment in waste management and pubs, on Tuesday unveiled his plan to make the home to The Beatles more artist-driven after it was hit by online piracy, falling CD sales and a poor release schedule.

In the list of Britain's biggest-selling albums in 2007, EMI's highest entry was Lily Allen's Alright, Still at 26.

The worldwide cuts will come at EMI's troubled recorded music division, which has some 4,500 staff of a group total of around 5,500. The shakeup, in which between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs will go, is designed to boost its roster of talent and increase Internet sales while reducing costs by 200 million pounds ($393 million) a year.

In a bid to allow EMI's labels such as Capitol and Parlophone to focus on finding new artists and promoting digital music, the company plans to bring its marketing, sales and distribution under a single division over the next six months.

But the plans have angered top-selling artists such as Robbie Williams, who questioned whether EMI would be able to devote enough time and money to promote his work.

"We have spent a long time looking intensely at EMI and the problems faced by its recorded music division which, like the rest of the music industry, has been struggling to respond to the challenges posed by a digital environment," Terra Firma boss Hands said.

"The changes we are announcing today will ensure that this iconic company will be creating wonderful music in a way that is profitable and sustainable."

UNCERTAIN FUTURE

The announcement follows a three-month review by Terra Firma which bought EMI last year for 2.4 billion pounds, or 3.2 billion pounds including debt, after years of speculation about the group's future.

At the time of the purchase, Hands said EMI would look to increase its digital sales, keep the company intact and securitize its more reliable music-publishing assets.

But that last proposal, which would have allowed it to borrow against revenue from the publishing division, has been put on hold due to the credit crunch. Terra Firm's management style has also drawn criticism from its artists and raised eyebrows within the industry.

British group Radiohead left last year, describing management as behaving like "confused bulls in a china shop," while Paul McCartney quit, saying the company was "really very boring."

And it has all been played out in the world's press, keen to see if Guy Hands and his "suits" can turn the company around. He had to be escorted by aides past a scrum of journalists on Tuesday morning as he went to meet staff in central London.

One employee of four a half years left the meeting saying it had been "inspiring" but the rest remained silent.

Most industry insiders and observers accept EMI has struggled more than other majors and that a new approach is needed. It has continually struggled in the United States, the world's largest music market, where it fell behind dominant Universal Music Group, Sony BMG and Warner Music Group in album market share.

"Everything in the music business right now is potentially risky," Mark Sutherland, global editor of trade publication Billboard, told Reuters.

"The industry is changing incredibly fast. Certainly this plan acknowledges those changes and attempts to address them. Whether that will be enough to turn around their performance remains to be seen," Sutherland said.

"If they can get the artists to buy in then they've got a good shot for success.."

(Additional reporting by Mike Collett-White and Matt Cowan; Editing by Gavin Haycock and David Holmes)

By ERIN CARLSON, Associated Press Writer 25 minutes ago

NEW YORK - “American Idol,” for all its success, is not above tinkering — especially after last year’s revolving door of celebrity mentors and Sanjaya Malakar’s improbable run.

Not TOO much tinkering, though. Why mess with a trusty formula?

The Fox ratings superpower returns for its seventh season on Tuesday, and will doubtless dominate January through May as it did last year and the year before that. It could even attract a bigger audience in 2008, thanks to the Hollywood writers strike.

But Nigel Lythgoe, an executive producer for the show, downplayed speculation that the lack of alternative programming as a result of the strike could equal more viewers for “Idol.”

“Everyone is sort of saying that there isn’t anything else on television to watch,” Lythgoe told The Associated Press.

But the other networks are so intimidated by the most-watched show on American television that “they don’t really schedule anything around `Idol’ anyway,” he added.

“American Idol” has reached a plateau in the ratings, down only 1 percent from 2006 (30.7 million average viewers) to 2007 (30.4 million). The finale with winner Jordin Sparks was seen by 31.2 million, according to Nielsen Media Research.

That fell below the 2006 season-ender, which drew 36.6 million viewers watching Taylor Hicks claim the title in an unpredictable matchup with Katharine McPhee.

Lythgoe acknowledged that the show suffered last year when finalists failed to top the excitement and star quality of performers from previous seasons; on the other hand, he said producers erred by giving too much air time to famous mentors like Jennifer Lopez with individual projects to promote rather than delving deep into contestants’ back stories to foster a stronger connection with viewers.

“We felt as though we made mistakes last year with not really pushing and introducing the talent as well as we have done in the past,” he said. “In the past, we knew about (season five also-ran) Kellie Pickler. We knew about her dad going to prison. We knew about her mom leaving (the country singer when she was a toddler).”

(Blake Lewis, we hardly knew ye.)

This time around, the show will redirect attention to the finalists and bring back alums such as McPhee and season-two winner Ruben Studdard during results shows to keep fans abreast of what they’re up to, Lythgoe said. There will be a new set to spice up a tried-and-true format.

“The most important thing is the show has got to look better,” Simon Cowell said during a recent telephone news conference. “It’s got to be more fun as a show, and if it is, I think more people will watch. I think it absolutely comes down to the content of what we provide the viewers.”

The new season kicks off with two-hour episodes airing 8-10 p.m. EST Tuesday and Wednesday and featuring auditions in Philadelphia and Dallas, respectively. Another tweak: “Idol” wannabes were allowed to play instruments during tryouts.

Of course, the voice is what matters most — and charisma, the reason why the vocally challenged Sanjayas of the world advance further than they otherwise should.

Of course, charisma doesn’t always translate to commercial success after the contest crowns its final winner.

Hicks, Studdard and McPhee have lost record deals with Sony-BMG, which automatically signs the show’s singers. Hicks’ self-titled, post-”Idol” album has sold a respectable 699,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, but it did not reach the 1 million mark surpassed by debuts from previous “Idol” champs. Studdard’s previous album, 2006’s “The Return,” has sold only 236,000 copies.

Sparks’ freshman disc has sold 425,000 units since its November release, and has spawned a hit single with “Tattoo.”

Meanwhile, multiplatinum “Idol” veterans such as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry — who laughed all the way to the top of the charts after finishing fourth to Hicks — can be heard on the radio at any given moment of the day.

Cowell said the lackluster sales by Hicks and Studdard reflect the unpredictability of the record industry. Lythgoe said they have nothing to do with success of the program itself.

“I don’t think we should ever confuse the record-buying market with the television-viewing market,” Lythgoe said. “And just because the records aren’t selling doesn’t mean to say that `American Idol’ the television program is now going to slip from the ratings.”

Daughtry, who has sold 3.6 million copies of his debut album, disagrees.

“It’s in a state of decline and if they don’t do something about it, it’s probably not gonna last too much longer,” he said in an interview posted Monday on Rolling Stone magazine’s Web site.

Though the stretched-out audition process, with its terrible singers, deliver excellent ratings, Daughtry said he wished the show would give more screen time to people with talent.

“It’s funny at first, but come on,” he said. “They spend three weeks on people that can’t sing, and that’s what they’re banking it on. (They should) find some people that you can really invest in.”

At least one loyal fan thinks the cultural phenomenon loses some of its magic when winners don’t live up to the “Idol” title.

“The TV show — in order to remain exciting to us as viewers — does have to produce hits, does have to produce winners,” said Michael Slezak, who blogs about the show for Entertainment Weekly magazine’s Web site. “Because if nothing is at stake then it becomes just another reality show. You know, `America’s Top Model,’ they are not actually producing America’s top model.”

As for the writers strike, Slezak said he thinks “Idol” could be an oasis for displaced viewers forced to anticipate such new offerings as “American Gladiators” and “Cashmere Mafia.”

“Everyone’s going to have to at least come back and sample the show and see how it’s doing, and I think if they’ve addressed (past) mistakes we’re probably going to see a pretty popular year,” he said.

___

Fox is owned by News Corp.

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On the Net:

http://www.americanidol.com/