Spears' massive security bill

(Sunday May 17, 2009 09:25 AM)

Britney Spears refuses to take any risks when it comes to her safety - she's splashed out almost £300,000 on security.

Court documents filed on Friday by Spears' attorneys show the singer paid £298,422 to make sure she was well protected between March and December last year.

The Toxic hitmaker parted with £417,000 to pay ex-husband Kevin Federline's lawyers - and also handed Federline £119,212 in child support payments for their two children Sean Preston, three, and two-year-old Jayden James.

Spears also paid out £32,925 on household repairs and maintenance, according to the documents published on TMZ.com.

Danger Mouse's banned album leaks online

(Sunday May 17, 2009 12:25 AM)

Hitmaker Danger Mouse's new album has been leaked online two months before it was set for release.

The Gnarls Barkley star's celebrity-laden disc, Dark Night of The Soul, was set to hit stores and websites in July (09) but bosses at EMI Music pulled the plug on the project over a contractual issue.

And now the album, which features guest spots from Julian Casablancas, Iggy Pop, Frank Black and filmmaker David Lynch, has appeared on various websites, including America's revered National Public Radio's.

The Libertines perform surprise show

(Sunday May 17, 2009 09:25 AM)

The Libertines reunited for a surprise gig in the early hours of Saturday, playing their first concert since they split five years ago.

Pete Doherty and his current group Babyshambles played a late-night show in east London on Friday night.

And Doherty shocked fans by welcoming former bandmates Carl Barat and Gary Powell on stage for a five-song set, their first performance together since the cult band parted ways in 2004.

The Libertines split after Doherty was booted out following a series of bust-ups with Barat over the troubled star's drug use.

Timberlake hit with lawsuit

(Sunday May 17, 2009 08:25 AM)

Justin Timberlake is facing legal action from an ex-employee who has filed a sexual discrimination lawsuit against two of the managers at his New York restaurant.

In papers filed on Thursday at Manhattan Supreme Court, Alison McDaniel, a former manager at Southern Hospitality, accuses Timberlake's business partners Eytan Sugarman and Ronnie Kaplan of "vile and discriminatory conduct".

The suit states, "One or more of Southern Hospitality's owners and/or executive managers bullied, degraded, harassed and ultimately discharged McDaniel... because of her gender. In at least one instance, defendants Sugarman and Kaplan viewed... pornography while in a locked room with McDaniel and made fun of her when she began crying."

McDaniel claims she was fired from the eaterie after writing to bosses to complain of harassment.

The lawsuit names Timberlake as an owner and defendant but does not state he was directly involved in any of the alleged incidents.

A representative for the restaurant says, "We will vigorously defend any allegations of wrongdoing or improper behaviour."

Green Day debated quitting music

(Sunday May 17, 2009 08:25 AM)

Rockers Green Day were so disappointed with the reception to their album Warning they considered splitting up.

The American Idiot hitmakers released five critically acclaimed discs in the 1990s before coming back with their sixth album in 2000.

But Warning only reached number four on the U.S. Billboard chart and, despite being a hit with critics, wasn't received well by the buying public.

And the band were so deflated after the release, they questioned whether they would continue making music, according to singer Billie Jo Armstrong.

He tells the Daily Star, "Back then we had to question ourselves deeper than we ever had, investigate how we felt about each other, how we got on each other's nerves.

"We had to step it up about 10 notches. The interesting thing about that time was we were playing live shows better than we ever had before. But we never had a monumental record."

Eminem wrestled with Simpson / Romo mockery

(Saturday May 16, 2009 12:25 AM)

Rapper Eminem felt uncomfortable poking fun at Jessica Simpson in his video for We Made You - because he is a big fan of the singer's boyfriend, American footballer Tony Romo.

The controversial hip-hop star mocks Simpson's recent weight gain in the promo, hiring a plump look-a-like to portray her as she eats a hamburger and gyrates with a Romo doppelganger.

But sports-mad Eminem admits he had reservations over the skit, stating, "Tony Romo is one of my favourite quarterbacks, so I felt kinda conflicted doing the Jessica thing."

Star-studded Danger Mouse album scrapped

(Saturday May 16, 2009 10:25 AM)

Superproducer Danger Mouse has been forced to scrap his upcoming collaboration album following a legal dispute with his record company.

The Gnarls Barkley star - real name Brian Burton - teamed up with rockers Sparklehorse and legendary filmmaker David Lynch to produce a 13-track album, featuring contributions from Iggy Pop, The Strokes' Julian Casablancas, The Flaming Lips, and The Pixies.

The CD was to be accompanied by a photography book created by Lynch.

But now the record, titled Dark Night Of The Soul, will not be released, following a legal spat with record label EMI.

Although Burton has refused to comment on the nature of the dispute, he has shown his fury over the decision by going ahead with plans, but replacing the record with a blank disc carrying the label "For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will."

A spokesperson for the star tells NME, "Danger Mouse remains hugely proud of Dark Night Of The Soul and hopes that people lucky enough to hear the music, by whatever means, are as excited by it as he is."

Hudson nearly quit music after family tragedy

(Saturday May 16, 2009 08:25 AM)

Jennifer Hudson almost turned her back on her singing career altogether after the murders of her mother, brother and nephew last October, according to her close pal Fantasia Barrino.

Hudson's mum Darnell Donerson and her brother Jason were found shot dead at their home in Chicago, Illinois on 24 October. The singer/actress' seven-year-old nephew, Julian King - son of sister Julia - was also killed. His body was found in an abandoned car three days later.

The Grammy winner went into hiding after the tragedy, and was so distraught by her loss, she nearly quit music.

Barrino tells Essence magazine, "What happened to her was such a tragic thing. I remember her telling me that she didn't even feel like singing. (She had) a hot song (Spotlight) and a fresh video but none of that really mattered."

Hudson returned to the limelight in February - and Barrino is delighted to see her friend in good spirits once again.

She adds: "I know she can't forget about what happened, but a lot of people were praying for her and it worked. She's up now; she's up. She's moving. I'm just happy she's back on the mic."

And Hudson credits her faith in God with helping to pull her through her tough times - and encouraging her to go back to her music roots: "The thing that keeps me going is knowing that God is in control. It's like, if He placed me here then I must be prepared.

"When you're in a room full of people who love you, all that energy in the room comes to you. The feeling just takes over. Music is who I am."

West shrugs off saucy Madonna snap

(Friday May 15, 2009 07:35 AM)

Kanye West has laughed off rumours he enjoyed an intimate tryst with Madonna - after the pop superstar was snapped pinching his girlfriend's behind at a celebrity bash.

Model Amber Rose posted the saucy pictures on her personal Twitter page, showing the Material Girl star getting cheeky by placing her hand on the beauty's bottom.

The snap was taken at the recent Costume Institute Gala in New York, and other photographs show Madonna, West and Rose posing for fun group shots with Justin Timberlake and his partner Jessica Biel.

But after internet gossips circulated rumours the picture proved the trio shared much more than a risque photograph, West has taken to his blog to set the record straight.

He writes, "Yo nothing happened between Amber, Madonna and I. We just took a picture at a party. No big deal, just clearing the air on that one."