Snoop Dogg – recently re-named Snoop Lion, the reggae artist – has announced that he “will do American Idol.” So far there has been no word from the American Idol officials as to whether or not Snoop Lion will actually be filling the seat of former judge, Steven Tyler, or if he is even being considered for the position.

Part of the problem with having Snoop Lion on as a judge is that the family-friendly show may not mesh well with the former rapper’s personality. Although Snoop promises to clean up his language, his love affair with marijuana may not be toned down enough for the American Idol viewers.

American Idol will start up again in January and they are currently beginning some of the auditions, although not the portions in which they need the judges. The parts in which they record the judges with contestants will begin in fall of this year. So far the show has managed to replace Jennifer Lopez with Mariah Carey who has a one year contract in which she will make $18 million.

Snoop Dogg announced Monday, July 30 that he was converting to Rastafarianism. “I feel like I’ve always been a Rastafari,” he stated. “I just didn’t have my third eye open.” Monday is also when Snoop announced his name change from Snoop Dogg to Snoop Lion. “I want to bury Snoop Dogg and become Snoop Lion”

Prior to the recording of his latest album, “Reincarnation,” Snoop received a blessing from Bob Marley’s son, Rohan, to travel to Jamaica and explore the Rasta culture as well as the life of Bob Marley, immersing himself in the Niyabinghi branch of Rastafarianism. Snoop is also releasing a documentary about his rebirth called ‘Reincarnation’ as well.

So far the reception of the new album has been fairly positive. “If you haven’t seen Snoop recently, he’s gone totally Rasta. He has Bob Marley and Haile Selassie pins – he’s mad Rasta,” Diplo reported to MTV. He also added, “It’s gonna surprise people, but it’s an amazing record. We have some almost rap stuff on the record, but there’s also a lot of singing, because he sings really well and there’s a lot of backing vocals. He was really studying Bob Marley.”

During the press conference in which he discussed his transformation Snoop talked about people who inspired him, “We was looking for the creators, some of the forefathers. Most definitely Bob Marley, off the top, and the Wailers, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Gregory Isaacs, Jimmy Cliff, Barres, most definitely.”

The new Snoop Lion changed his name during a visit to Jamaica, where the Rasta movement began. Ennis Edmonds, scholar and expert on Rastafarianism at Kenyon College, explained Snoop’s sudden name change by claiming, “Rastas would probably see calling yourself a dog as an indication of lack of self-knowledge.”

In Rastafarianism the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie is considered the messiah and the descendant of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The lion is symbolic of Solomon’s Tribe of Judah and is thus held in high regard with the Rastafari. Bob Marley often sang of the “lion of Zion” and was usually referring to Selassie.

According to Snoop a Rasta priest gave him his new name. Snoop Lion also came back from Jamaica claiming that he is the reincarnation of Bob Marley.

One part of the Rasta religion that Snoop has been heavily involved with over the past few years is the smoking of ganja (marijuana). According to Edmonds, “Marijuana helps them break through the mental boundaries that Babylon has placed upon them and return to their sense of self.” Marijuana is also supposed to make the user feel more peaceful, introspective, and open to communal harmony, according to the religion. Ultimately, this aspect of the religion may in fact be too controversial for the ‘American Idol’ family-friendly atmosphere, which could prevent Snoop being chosen as a judge.

Image Courtesy of   Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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NEW YORK, US – One of underground rock’s most unusual stories of the 1970s, the tale of an obscure debut LP by a Detroit singer-songwriter named Rodriguez becoming a source of hope and inspiration to the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa, is the basis for the thought-provoking new film, Searching For Sugar Man.

The original motion picture soundtrack album will be available starting July 24, 2012 through Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. The vinyl version of the soundtrack will be released by Light In The Attic Records.

Searching For Sugar Man, a Red Box Films & Passion Pictures Production in association with Canfield Pictures & The Documentary Company, distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, premiered in New York on April 24, 2012 at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film opens in New York and Los Angeles on July 27, 2012 and will open in other markets throughout the month of August.

Directed by Malik Bendjelloul, Searching For Sugar Man tells a story that begins with the 1970 release of Rodriguez’s debut album, Cold Fact. In its Reissues Of The Year tally for 2008, Rolling Stone magazine called the album “A remarkable artifact of Michigan hippie soul by singer-songwriter Sixto Diaz Rodriguez.” The soundtrack album on Legacy will compile tracks from Cold Fact and its follow-up LP of 1971, Coming From Reality, reissued to critical acclaim in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

Celebrated Motor City producers Dennis Coffey and Mike Theodore discovered Rodriguez in the late 1960s in a local bar and were struck by his Dylanesque songwriting. A charismatic and mysterious artist behind his shades, Rodriguez had built a strong local following, a true folk hero in the purest sense.

Cold Fact was a fusion of gritty funk with “street-tough lyricism and psychedelic folk arrangements,” in the words of Doug Freeman of the Austin Chronicle. The album’s politically-charged “topical lyrics and druggy avant-garde arrangements” “folk-soul weirdness” and “lysergic gutter poetry” were unique even in the ’70s.

Nevertheless, the album did not succeed commercially, and despite the release of a second LP, Rodriguez drifted into obscurity. Rumors of his fate were widely and wildly exaggerated, ranging from reports of escalating depression to a sensationally gruesome suicide onstage, involving self-immolation.

Meanwhile, the LP had made its way around the world to South Africa, where it was banned by a repressive government. Copies were bootlegged and circulated, and Rodriguez inadvertently became the soundtrack of an emerging liberal African youth, whose resistance movement adopted Cold Fact as its rallying cry. Over the next two decades, Rodriguez became a household name in the country, where the number of copies of Cold Fact would have earned it platinum sales status.

Both sides of the story, Rodriguez’s life in Detroit and the subsequent impact of his music in the smoldering Apartheid era, pre-Nelson Mandela, proved fascinating to Stockholm-based documentary filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul. His subjects have included Kraftwerk, Bjork, Sting, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Madonna, Mariah Carey, U2, Kylie Minogue, Prince, and others.

His short documentary films for Swedish Television’s international cultural weekly show Kobra became the basis for such films as Men Who Stare At Goats (George Clooney) and The Terminal (Tom Hanks). The evolution of the financing, production, and filming of Searching For Sugar Man is as fascinating and complex as the life of Rodriguez himself.

“I describe myself as ‘musico-politico’,” Rodriguez said recently. “I was born and bred in Detroit, four blocks from the city center. Back then, I was influenced by the urban sounds that were going on around me all the time. Music is art and art is a cultural force. As far as my work from Detroit comparing to the South African Apartheid, the similarities echo. The placards of the 1970s in the United States read things like: We Want Jobs and Stop the War – I was looking at the music from a working class.

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Santa Monica, CA, U.S.A. – Max Sound Corporation, an innovative technology company, that is changing how we listen to music, watch movies, play video games, experience television and communicate on our cell phones, announced a strategic partnership and newest major music industry adopters of the MAXD technology with the entertainment super producers, ROCK MAFIA.

Rock Mafia, is the record production/songwriting team, consisting of Tim James and Antonina Armato. Rock Mafia is credited for writing and producing for a great number of top pop and rock artists, such as Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Scotty McCreery, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, American Idol, Disney’s Hollywood Records and has a major label venture with Interscope Records.

People may think it’s easy to define Rock Mafia. A quick glance on Wikipedia tells us that Rock Mafia is one of the biggest pop production teams in the world, with over 50 million albums and 25 million singles sold, along with over 2 billion views on YouTube alone, a seemingly endless pop discography spanning the last decade with hits from Mariah Carey to Miley Cyrus to Selena Gomez. Upon closer inspection, however, there are a few surprises.

One may not know Rock Mafia also wrote and produced some of the biggest records on active rock radio over the past two years, including Sick Puppies’ number 1 single that ruled the Top 10 airwaves for over six months, “You’re Going Down,” to “Odd One,” “Maybe,” and “Riptide.”  Furthermore, following the reproduction and remix by Rock Mafia, Billy Ray Cyrus’ hit song, “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” peaked at number 2 on the country charts.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of them all was Rock Mafia’s debut release as an artist, “The Big Bang.”  The hit song sold over 500,000 in digital downloads independently, gained over 100 million streams as well as over 15 million views of their video on YouTube.

The team is currently hard at work on a Mixtape, rumored to be released sometime this summer, as well as putting the final touches on a groundbreaking animated video for their follow up single, “Fly or Die.” 2012 is shaping up to be better than ever for Rock Mafia.

The double platinum smash, “Love You Like a Love Song” by Selena Gomez, continues to enjoy worldwide success. In addition, their first European smash, “Friends” by Aura Dione featuring Rock Mafia, is currently the  #1 most played song on German radio and has gone top 5 in multiple countries.

“We feel that once every artist hears what MAXD can do for their music, they will want to utilize this incredible technology,” said Rock Mafia Co-Founder Tim James.

“TJ and Antonina are so full of passion for music and constantly speak of the culture, lifestyle, and making music to connect with millions of people.  Clearly, they’re less interested in finding formulas than they are making history. In this ‘strategic partnership’ Rock Mafia will use the Max Sound Technology for all their future projects.

Tim and Antonina were so impressed with MAXD Technology that the duo decided to join the company’s Advisory Board and become ’Brand Ambassadors’ for MAXD. Our Advisory board is proving to be the tipping point for introducing MAXD into music’s vertical markets where compressed degraded audio currently exists and where MAXD provides an unparalleled solution,” said John Blaisure, CEO of Max Sound Corporation.

Rock Mafia’s Co-founders and Music Industry Super Producers Tim James and Antonina Armato are the most recent additions to Max Sound Advisory Board, which includes some of the most influential and respected names in the music/entertainment industry.

They include Legendary Musician Mick Fleetwoodof Fleetwood Mac, Iconic Producer and Engineer Mark Needham, Strategic Artist Manager Carl Stubner, PR Mavens Sugar Rautbord and Lane Davis, Grammy Winner Producer/Songwriter Bradley Spalter, Academy Award Winning Feature Film Sound Designer Frank Serafine, Entertainment Lawyer Frank Correa, Westwood Music Owner Fred Walecki and CBS Radio Executives Todd Cavanah and Erik Bradley

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New York, U.S.A. – Mariah Carey’s first decade of record-setting hit singles, remixes and fan-favorite album tracks are collected on THE ESSENTIAL MARIAH CAREY. The 28 tracks on this double CD laid the foundation for five-time Grammy Award-winner Mariah’s reign as the top-selling female recording artist in history with over 200 million albums, singles and videos sold worldwide.

THE ESSENTIAL MARIAH CAREY, which is an update of 2001′s Greatest Hits with four different tracks, will be available everywhere starting May 8th through Columbia Records, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.

“I wanted to create a collection of some of my favorite songs,” explains Mariah. ”Several of them are very big hits and some are more obscure favorites of mine as well as fan faves.”

At the core of this set is the extraordinary run of early RIAA gold, platinum and multi-platinum Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit singles that kept her phenomenal vocal artistry at the forefront of pop music consciousness for that first decade. Fourteen of those chart-toppers are included here:

• 1990: “Vision Of Love,” “Love Takes Time”
• 1991: “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” “Emotions” (included here in its 12-Inch Club Mix)
• 1992: “I’ll Be There” (featuring Trey Lorenz)
• 1993: “Dreamlover,” “Hero”
• 1995: “Fantasy,” “One Sweet Day” (Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men)
• 1996: “Always Be My Baby”
• 1997: “Honey”
• 1998: “My All”
• 1999: “Heartbreaker” (featuring Jay-Z); “Thank God I Found You” (featuring Joe & 98 Degrees)

Mariah Carey completists will appreciate that this ESSENTIAL contains four tracks newly chosen by Mariah herself for the occasion:

• “Vanishing,” Mariah’s debut as a producer, from her self-titled debut album of 1990
• “Close My Eyes,” a confessional track from the Butterfly album, evoking her new freedom as a single woman in 1997;
• “The Roof (Mobb Deep Extended Version),” also from Butterfly , Mariah’s first track with the songwriting-production duo Poke & Tone, aka the Trackmasters (Jean Claude Oliver and Samuel Barnes);
• “Bliss,” from her next album, 1998′s Rainbow , one of six tracks on that album that were co-written and co-produced by Mariah with the Flyte Tyme Productions team of Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Big Jim Wright.

In addition, Mariah has included two rare alternate remixes on this ESSENTIAL collection, both on disc one. “Emotions (12-inch Club Mix),” from 1991, the title track of Mariah’s second studio album, is a remix of her record-setting fifth consecutive #1 hit single. ”Anytime You Need A Friend (C + C Club Remix),” from her third studio album, 1993′s Music Box , was remixed by her friends Robert Clivilles and David Coleof fellow Columbia Records group C + C Music Factory, who played such a crucial role as writers and producers on Mariah’s early studio albums.

Mariah Carey’s Cinderella storybook signing to Columbia Records in 1990 is entwined with the magic of that decade. At the very outset, she accomplished what no other pop artist had done in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, sending her first five consecutive singles to the #1 spot.  Indeed, eight of her first ten singles hit the #1 spot between 1990 and 1993, and the decade would see Mariah place 15 hits at the top of the Hot 100 through 1999.

In 2005, Mariah earned her 17th #1 career single (“Don’t Forget About Us”), tying one of the most enduring chart records in Hot 100 history, Elvis Presley’s 17 #1′s.  Three years later, Mariah surpassed Elvis with her 18th #1 Hot 100 hit (“Touch My Body”). Mariah is currently positioned as the only active recording artist in the 54 years of the Hot 100 (which began in 1958) with the potential to surpass the Beatles’ all-time high of 20 #1 hits.

THE ESSENTIAL MARIAH CAREY (Columbia 88691 96808 2)

Disc One – Selections:

1. Vision Of Love • 2. Love Takes Time • 3. Vanishing • 4. I Don’t Wanna Cry • 5. Emotions (12-inch Mix) • 6. Can’t Let Go • 7. Make It Happen • 8. I’ll Be There (featuring Trey Lorenz) • 9. Dreamlover • 10. Hero • 11. Without You • 12. Anytime You Need A Friend (C + C Club Remix) • 13. Endless Love (duet with Luther Vandross) • 14. Fantasy.

Disc Two – Selections:

1. One Sweet Day (Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men) • 2. Always Be My Baby • 3. Underneath The Stars • 4. Honey • 5. Butterfly • 6. My All • 7. Close My Eyes • 8. The Roof (Mobb Deep Extended Version) • 9. When You Believe (from The Prince Of Egypt) (Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston) • 10. I Still Believe • 11. Heartbreaker (featuring Jay-Z) • 12. Bliss • 13. Thank God I Found You (featuring Joe & 98 Degrees) • 14. Can’t Take That Away (Mariah’s Theme).

Image Courtesy of   cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com

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He’s never worn a baseball uniform, but for Brian Evans, it’s been a busy off-season for a guy who wrote a song about a baseball park. Add to it multiple Grammy winning mega-producer Narada Michael Walden’s touch, the famed producer of such superstars as Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Elton John, and George Michael, and it’s a song being taken seriously.

Evans, originally from Haverhill, left Massachusetts at 16 and began an acting career on such shows as “Full House” and “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Focusing on a singing career, he’s been opening for the likes of Jay Leno, Joan Rivers, Social Distortion, David Spade, Roseanne Barr, and Mick Fleetwood. His shows with William Shatner have become legendary. His major label debut is currently being produced by Walden. The new CD will be distributed in 60 countries.

But it’s “At Fenway,” that is garnering the most attention. Debuting at #3 on Amazon.com, unprecedented given it was released during football season, the song has already received accolades from the Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, and United States Senator John Kerry. The Baseball Hall of Fame is adding the song to its library.

“From talk shows who know the 100th anniversary is forthcoming, to T-shirt companies, to corporations who are lining up corporate events, we’ve never had so many requests for Brian Evans to perform than we have in the past couple of months. Numerous companies associated with The Boston Red Sox have been clamoring to get the guy who sings the song about Fenway to appear at their event or to figure out a way to incorporate the song into their own advertising campaigns,” says Mark Biltz, creative director for Brian Evans Music.

“We’ve received a lot of support,” he adds.Support is putting it lightly, as Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer and current post-show commentator Jim Rice is now starring in a TV commercial with Evans in a Best Buy commercial promoting the new CD single.

“It’s obviously our hope that the organization (Boston Red Sox) itself gets behind the song,” says Biltz. “That’s a decision that they will have to make. Our mission has been to promote Brian’s song about the most beautiful baseball park in the world, in our opinion,” says Biltz. “The fans obviously love the song, and that’s all we can ask for. Thousands of downloads are occurring every day of the song. The closer we get to the season, the more the song is selling.”

“Our goal is to do a series of commercials promoting the song throughout the entire season, with different Red Sox players co-starring with Brian,” says Biltz. “It’s been a lot of fun so far, and everyone has been very helpful in helping implement the song into Red Sox Nation. Every player we have approached has said yes to appearing in a spot with Brian after hearing the song. From Donald Trump to Bud Selig to Red Sox owner Larry Lucchino, we’ve received some very nice responses to the song.”

Evans appeared in January at the Jimmy Fund sponsored event, “New Stars For Young Stars,” signing more than 500 donated CD’s for fans.

Image Courtesy of   Christopher Penler / Shutterstock.com

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BabyCenter, a pregnancy and parenting mobile and Web destination, announced its list of the most and least favorite celebrity baby names of 2011. BabyCenter surveyed its audience to see which celebrity baby names made the A-list and which fell short. Based on responses from nearly 3,000 moms, Victoria and David Beckham did the best job in naming their little girl, Harper Seven.

The name Harper has already jumped an impressive 34 spots and is clearly parents’ favorite celebrity name of the year. Also topping the list are Willow Sage, the daughter of new parents Pink and Carey Hart, and Aiden, son of Rod and Penny Lancaster Stewart.

“Celebrities are creative, and their baby name choices are no exception,” says Linda Murray, BabyCenter Global Editor-in-Chief. “Love them, or hate them, celebrity baby names are always a hot topic, so it’s no surprise that nearly 50 percent of expecting moms trying to decide on a name find inspiration from celebrities.”

Top 5 Favorite Celebrity Baby Names

Harper Seven (David & Victoria Beckham)
Aiden (Rod & Penny Lancaster Stewart)
Liam James (Craig & Megan Ferguson)
Willow Sage (Pink & Carey Hart)
Arabella Rose (Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner)

Unfortunately, not everyone can be a winner. According to BabyCenter moms, topping the list of least favorite celebrity baby names is Bear Blu, son of Alicia Silverstone and Christopher Jarecki. Also high on the list is the name of Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon’s son, Moroccan Scott, as well as Mike Myers and Kelly Tisdale’s son, Spike.

Top 5 Least Favorite Celebrity Baby Names

Bear Blu (Alicia Silverstone & Christopher Jarecki)
Moroccan Scott (Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon)
Agnes Lark (Jennifer Connelly & Paul Bettany)
Spike (Mike Myers & Kelly Tisdale)
Declan George (Danny & Gia McBride)

With all the unusual baby names out there, BabyCenter celebrity contributors, The MOMS (Denise Albert and Melissa Gerstein, formerly of Moms and the City), caught up with some of our favorite superstars to find out if they suffer from baby name regret and if they’ve ever considered changing their own name.

For answers from Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, and other stars, check out the video at http://blogs.babycenter.com/celebrities/would-you-change-your-name-matt-damon-would/.

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D&G models walked the Fall 2011 Milan Fashion Week runway in sporty sneaker heels, a trend that several designers and companies have attempted to establish in the past.  The D&G sneaker heels matched the brightly colored outfits that the models donned.  The shoes had a similar design to that of Converse’s popular high-top sneakers (plus a 5-inch stiletto heel).  Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana established D&G as an eclectic and contemporary fashion line which aims to set trends instead of following them.  The idea of transforming sneakers into high heels, however, is nothing new.

Several years ago, Nike came out with an Air Force One sneaker heel.  Today, Nike has an entire collection of Nike Jordan high heels.  These heels sport the Nike swoop logo and various bright colors and designs.  Why anyone would ever buy these sneaker heels is beyond me.  These are among the ugliest sneaker heels I have ever laid eyes on.

You know a fashion trend has reached an all time low when Mariah Carey is emulating it.  Mrs. Nick Cannon herself developed a sneaker heel and is selling it on the Home Shopping Network.  She claims her shoe is where athletic wear meets chic and sexy.  Unfortunately, MC’s sneaker heel is known to be very painful to wear (and look at).  What is the point of merging sneakers and heels if you are not going to get the comfort benefit of a sneaker?  It certainly is not for the “unique” style.

In 2009, Italian fashion designer Sergio Rossi teamed up with Puma to create their version of a sneaker heel.  This heel premiered during the Fall/Winter 2009 collection.  The leather shoe sits on a 3.5 inch heel and is called the “High Heel 1st Round Sneaker.”  The shoe originally cost $760 and currently sells on Sergio Rossi’s website for $454.  Rossi, known for his impeccable fashion sense, and Puma, known for its sneaker innovation and style, created the least ugly of the sneaker heel I’ve seen yet.

Christian Louboutin, a French designer of five inch or higher red soled stilettos, and my personal favorite shoe designer (given my 5’2″ frame), created a sneaker heel for his Fall/Winter 2010 collection.  Louboutin classified his design as an ankle boot, with admitted, but obvious, inspiration from the Studio 54 disco era.  The ankle boot is made from python and leopard print with shiny metal.  The 5.5-inches of heel is accompanied by a 1-inch concealed platform.  Louboutin calling his shoe an ankle boot does not make it any less of a sneaker heel, it is still tied up with black sneaker laces.

Now, for the Fall 2011 Milan Fashion Week, D&G donned every model in high heeled sneakers.  D&G usually sets trends, but I am not so sure about this one.  I hope it doesn’t stick.  There is a place on the shoe rack for both sneakers and stilettos, there is no need to compact them into one shoe.  I think this is definitely a trend failure.  It would almost be understandable if the sneaker aspect of the design offered the feet in a sort of comfort-heaven, but this is not the case.  The 4+ inch heels still leaves feet in blistering pain.

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