Music and movies

Rapper JADAKISS has been forced to change the name of his upcoming album KISS MY ASS after the title received negative feedback from retailers.

The Lox star has now bowed to industry pressure and the LP will now be called The Last Kiss.He says, “I had to change the name of my album. Kiss My Ass wasn’t testing well at retail. Not even with the exclamations or none of that. So we had to switch it to The Last Kiss.”But the MC insists the title isn’t hinting at his retirement - it’s just the end of an era.He adds, “Some people asked me is it my last album. Nah, it’s just … the first album was Kiss The Game Goodbye, the second one was The Kiss of Death, so this one was The Last Kiss. It’s the closing of a trilogy.”It’s the last time I’m going to name one of my albums, it’s the last time ‘Kiss’ is going to be in the album titles. This is why this is The Last Kiss.”

Grammy Award-winning singer Ashanti has joined Natasha Bedingfield and others inorder to raise awarness of the American education crisis and to urge America’s leaders to fix failing school throughout the United States.

“Education is very important,” said Ashanti. “The honors classes I tookin high school taught me to push myself and gave me the drive to be where Iam today.”

Moby, Chuck D, Chris Cornell, Tony Hawk, Colbie Caillat, Darius Rucker, Sara Bareilles, Sean Kingston, Matt White, Julie Roberts, Diana Page, and Krista, have also joined with Strong American Schools and YouCast to launch a series of public service announcements that will air through the November 4 election.

The public service campaign aims to stimulate the national debate about and draw attention to the need for education reform.

“Strong American Schools is excited to partner with many talented artists to create a YouCast forum for discussion on education reform,” said Governor Roy Romer, Chairman of Strong American Schools. “Education is a defining issue for the future of our country. As citizens, we must insist fixing American schools be a top priority for our political leaders because America is only as strong as its schools.”

Strong American Schools is a nonpartisan public awareness and advocacy campaign aimed at elevating discussion among America’s leaders about theneed for education reform.

For more information please visit edin08.com.

The PSAs featuring Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield and other talent are available at StrongAmericanSchools.org, YouTube and other partner sites

(AP Photo)

Oprah Winfrey’s mother says she shouldn’t have to pay a nearly $156,000 debt to a high-end fashion store because store officials shouldn’t have extended credit to her.

Valentina Inc. alleges that Vernita Lee of Milwaukee racked up $155,547 in purchases and interest as of July 1. The company sued, saying Lee fell behind in minimum monthly payments of $2,000.

Lee filed a counterclaim Friday contending that Valentina took advantage of her “lack of knowledge, ability, and-or capacity” when creating her credit account.

Court papers say Lee resolved a 2002 case with the company over a $175,000 bill. The resolution prohibited Valentina from extending further credit to her.

A message left for Valentina co-owner Tony Chirchirillo was not returned Tuesday.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Rapper KANYE WEST drew inspiration for his new video LOVE LOCKDOWN from CHRISTIAN BALE’s killer character in 2000 thriller AMERICAN PSYCHO.

The Stronger hitmaker unveiled the promo for the new single - on which he sings all the way through - on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday (07Oct08). And West admitted that he based parts of his musical creation on the 1980s Wall Street murderer Patrick Bateman that Bale portrays in the big-screen adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ novel. He told chatshow host DeGeneres, “On this album, I kind of embody Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. “You know at the end of the movie (that) he didn’t really kill anyone. (I just liked) the clean aesthetic and the way he was all about labels. I wanted to express all of that in the video.” The hip-hop star also revealed his forthcoming album 808s and Heartbreak will be something of a departure from his usual style. He added, “I had all these ideas and I just needed to get it out as an artistic vision. I don’t have a rapper’s name, (but) I have really good taste and anyone who likes it probably has really good taste too.” 808s and!

Heartbreak is due to be released in the U.S. on 25 November (08) - three weeks earlier than originally planned.

Babyshambles bassist Drew McConnell’s other band, Helsinki, will headline the London ULU on Friday night (November 7), at a gig put on by the Love Music Hate Racism organisation.

The gig has been organised to raise awareness of, and combat, the right-wing British National Party’s recent attempts to promote racism in UK schools by giving free CDs containing allegedly racist songs to schoolchildren.

Reverend And The Makers’ Jon McClure will perform with the collective at the gig, as will rapper Lowkey who, along with McClure and McConnell, performs in the supergroup Mongrel.

Support will come from Bashy and Riz MC. See Lovemusichateracism.com for more information.

To check the availability of Helsinki tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/GIGS now, or call 0871 230 1094.

In the weeks leading up to the release of their latest LP, Death Magnetic,
Metallica did very little in the way of actual promotion for the effort. They didn’t make the late-night TV rounds or appear on any talk shows. The album’s September 12 release date came and went with very little fanfare — and the record still went on to scan close to 500,000 units in just three days, earning Metallica their fifth-consecutive chart-topping debut.

Four weeks later, the album has passed the million-sold mark and will be at #5 on the Billboard albums chart next week. And even though they’re not hurting for publicity, Metallica will make their first North American live television performance of the year (they have appeared on TV in the U.K.). On October 16, the band will take the stage when the annual Los Premios MTV Latino America 2008 take over Guadalajara, Mexico. The awards, which will be held inside the Auditorio Telmex, will air live at 9 p.m. ET, only on MTV Tr3s. Metallica will be performing the first single from Death Magnetic, “The Day That Never Comes.”

“Metallica is the biggest hard rock band in the world — period,” said Jose Tillan, senior vice president of content and music for MTV/VH1 Latin America. “We are honored to have them play at Premios this year. If you have never seen Metallica play, you are in for a heart-stopping experience. My ears are still ringing from the last time I saw them live a couple of years ago!” Others acts to appear at this year’s awards include performers Tokio Hotel, Paramore, Katy Perry, the Kooks, Moderatto, Calle 13, Café Tacuba, Julieta Venegas and others; presenters include Gene Simmons, Flavor Flav, Tila Tequila and 30 Seconds to Mars.

And if catching Metallica’s sole television performance of 2008 isn’t enough to get you to tune in, consider the award being handed out this year for Song of the Year. The Jonas Brothers’ “When You Look Me in the Eyes” is in the running, along with Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl,” Juanes’ “Me Enamora,” Tokio Hotel’s “Monsoon” and Julieta Venegas’ “El Presente.” The JoBros were also nominated in the Best International Pop Artist category, with Amy Winehouse, Fergie, Madonna and Rihanna, while Fall Out Boy, 30 Seconds to Mars, Coldplay, Panic at the Disco and Paramore are all in the running for Best International Rock Artist.

The Jonases may also walk away from the October 16 event with another award for Best New International Artist. Alizée, Katy Perry, Paramore and Tokio Hotel are also nominated in that category.

This week (beginning September 29) sees new albums from the likes of Mercury Rev, The Aliens, Travis and Seasick Steve.

In the singles stakes Oasis make their comeback with ‘The Shock Of The Lightning’ – the first track to be lifted from their forthcoming new album, ‘Dig Out Your Soul’.

Singles released this week:

Born Ruffians – ‘Little Garcon’
Boyzone – ‘Love You Anyway’
The Datsuns – ‘Human Error’
Funeral For A Friend – ‘Kicking And Screaming’
Hot Club De Paris – ‘My Little Haunting’
Mr Scruff feat. Alice Russell – ‘Music Takes Me Up’
Ne-Yo – ‘Miss Independent’
Oasis – ‘The Shock Of The Lightning’
Pink – ‘So What’
Tindersticks – ‘Boobar Come Back To Me’
The Vines – ‘He’s A Rocker’
Weezer – ‘Troublemaker’
Robert Wyatt – ‘This Summer Night’

Albums released this week:

The Aliens – ‘Luna’
Ben Folds – ‘Way To Normal’
The Hot Puppies – ‘Blue Hands’
Kano – ‘140 Grime St’
Megadeth – ‘Anthology: Set The World Afire’
Mercury Rev – ‘Snowflake Midnight’
James Morrison – ‘Songs For You, Truths For Me’
Plastic Little – ‘Welcome To The Jang Haus’
Saint Etienne – ‘London Conversations – Best Of’
Seasick Steve – ‘I Started Out With Nothin’ And Still Got Most Of It Left’
Status Quo – ‘Pictures – The Very Best Of’
Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman – ‘The Fabled City’
Travis – ‘Ode To J Smith’
Trivium – ‘Shogun’
Will Young – ‘Let It Go’
Yo! Majesty – ‘Futuristically Speaking… Never Be Afraid’

Indie folk-rockers Blitzen Trapper [ ] have lined up a mix of headlining dates and support shows for other artists as they back their recent new studio release, “Furr.”

The six-member group–currently opening for Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks on a tour that continues tonight (10/31) in Iowa City, IA–has a couple of headlining outings early and late in November surrounding a mid-month support trek with Iron & Wine that kicks off Nov. 13 in Toronto.

The band launches the second headlining leg Nov. 25 in Denton, TX, and finishes up with a stretch of West Coast dates. Details are included below.

“Furr” is the Portland, OR, band’s fourth studio record and follows up on last year’s critically lauded “Wild Mountain Nation.” The set was recorded at the group’s studio inside Sally Mack’s School of Dance near downtown Portland, and produced by guitarist/vocalist Eric Earley.

The album is the band’s first release for the Sub Pop label, which signed the group after it self-released its first three records. Despite not being signed to a record label, Rolling Stone ranked the title track from “Wild Mountain Nation” No. 98 on its “100 Best Songs of 2007″ list.

Several cuts from “Furr” can be heard streaming at the group’s MySpace page.

[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]

October 200830 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon (w/ Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks)31 - Iowa City, IA - Picador (w/ Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks)November 20081 - St Louis, MO - Pageant (w/ Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks)2 - Columbia, MO - Blue Note (w/ Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks)4 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown (w/ Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks)5 - Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall (w/ Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks)6 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theater8 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club9 - Chicago, IL - Schuba’s Tavern 10 - Indianapolis, IN - Locals Only 11 - Columbus, OH - Skullys 13 - Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre (w/ Iron & Wine)14 - Buffalo, NY - Asbury Hall (w/ Iron & Wine)15 - Northampton, MA - Pearl Street (w/ Iron & Wine)16 - Providence, RI - Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel (w/ Iron & Wine)17 - New York, NY - Terminal Five (w/ Iron & Wine)18 - Baltimore, MD - Ram’s Head Live (w/ Iron & Wine)19 - Norfolk, VA - NorVa (w/ Iron & Wine)20 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel (w/ Iron & Wine)21 - Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre (w/ Iron & Wine)22 - Birmingham, AL - Workplay Theater (w/ Iron & Wine)23 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium (w/ Iron & Wine)25 - Denton, TX - Hailey’s 26 - Austin, TX - Mohawk 28 - Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture 29 - San Diego, CA - Casbah 30 - Los Angeles, CA - Echo December 20082 - San Francisco, CA - Independent 4 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom 5 - Seattle, WA - Chop Suey 6 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Media Club

Ice Cube, the legendary hip hop icon, visited McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul , MN , today to announce the winner of the schools Ice Cube Scholarship. Ice Cube was greeted by a raucously vocal group of McNally Smith students who were thrilled to have the music industry giant visit the campus. Josiah Kosier of Watertown, South Dakota, beamed as Ice Cube announced that he had won the four-year, full tuition Ice Cube Scholarship for studies in Music Technology. Ice Cube, who chooses the scholarship winner annually, has maintained a strong relationship with McNally Smith since the scholarship was inaugurated in 2006.

During his visit to McNally Smith, Ice Cube also toured the latest updates to the colleges state-of-the-art recording facilities and fielded questions from students. Ice Cube performed at Myth Nightclub in the Twin Cities the night before his McNally Smith visit as part of his national tour to support his latest album, Raw Footage which was released August 19th and topped the Billboard Rap Charts at #1 in its first week debut.

Ice Cube is a powerful, dramatic force in changing the direction of contemporary music and the music industry, said Harry Chalmiers, President of McNally Smith College of Music. We are grateful to him for his partnership through the Ice Cube Scholarship at McNally Smith, and for his support as we prepare our students to realize and sustain a life in music.

About McNally Smith. Founded in 1985, McNally Smith College of Music is devoted to excellence in music industry higher education and in developing music industry professionals. An accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music, McNally Smith College of Music offers music degrees and programs in Music Performance, Recording Technology and Music Business. With more than 500 students and an 80-member faculty, McNally Smith College of Music students get a personalized music education that combines the art of physics with musical artistry and includes wide access to current music technology, research tools and performance facilities. McNally Smith alumni are working all over the world. McNally Smith is located in St. Paul , Minnesota . For more information, visit http://www.Rapweekly.com/www.mcnallysmith.edu.

About Ice Cube. Known to be one of the most important figures in rap history, Ice Cube began his career with the Notorious West Coast Gangsta Rap Group N.W.A two decades ago. At the height of the groups success, Ice Cube broke away to start his own solo career. His initial release, Amerikkka ‘ s Most Wanted (Priority, 1990) sold over a million copies. His sophomore solo effort, “Death Certificate” (Priority, 1991), a concept album about the fall and rise of the black man, debuted at #1 on the R&B Album chart, #2 on the Top 200 album chart and went on to sell over two million copies. His impressive musical career also includes the multi-platinum success of both his double album War and Peace, and hit albums Lethal Injection, Bootlegs & B-Sides, The Predator, and the gold certified, independently released Laugh Now, Cry Later. Ice Cube has sold over 10 million albums to date

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London (ANI): ‘Beatles’ legend Sir Paul McCartney has finally asked American heiress Nancy Shevell to move in with him permanently at his sprawling Peasmarsh estate. The move, which comes just five months after he divorced Heather Mills, had McCartney seeking the blessings of his four-year-old daughter Beatrice with Mills, before asking Shevell to live with him.

This will not be the first time for Shevell, 47, as she has been spending nearly every weekend at the East Sussex home, which McCartney had bought as a wedding gift for first wife Linda in 1969. Besides his youngest daughter, the ‘No More Lonely Nights’ singer also got the blessings of his fashion designer daughter Stella, 37, who also urged him not to rush into marriage.

“Paul and Nancy are as solid a couple as you can get after just a short time together,”