Legal and Management
WME Adds Waylon Jennings’ Estate to Legends Division
“The WME Legends team looks forward to working with the family to holistically manage Waylon’s name, image, likeness, life and IP rights and assets worldwide to grow his legacy with a new generation.” Jennings died in 2002, a year after being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. During his 40-year career, he scored approximately 70 top 40 hits on Billboard’s country charts, including such monumental classics as “Rainy Day Woman,” “Luckenbach, Texas,” “Amanda,” “Theme from the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol’ Boys)” and countless others. Wanted! The Outlaws, featuring Jennings, Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser and Colter, and the 1976 release became the first country album to be certified platinum. Jennings and Nelson, who du...
Pianist Li Yundi Named in Prostitution Case by Beijing Police
Police in China’s capital Beijing say famed international pianist Li Yundi is a suspect in a prostitution case. A message on the force’s microblog said a suspect had been placed in administrative detention and an investigation opened on Thursday (Oct. 21) involving a woman identified by her surname Chen and a man named as “Li di,” with the first part of his personal name deleted as is standard in police cases. The post was followed by another message depicting a piano keyboard and the words “one must definitely see clearly the difference between black and white.” You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards b...
Jamie Spears Changes Lawyers After Conservatorship Loss
“We continue to have a good relationship, and are pleased that we have been able to help Jamie find new counsel,” Thoreen said. “I am confident that Jamie’s new counsel will continue to prove that he has always acted in Britney’s best interests every step of the way.” The attorney swap came after repeated setbacks for Jamie in the battle to end the 13-year conservatorship. It also came as Britney and her attorney Mathew Rosengart have vowed to investigate potential misconduct by the star’s father, signaling a tough legal fight ahead. A California judge suspended Jamie as conservator on Sept. 29, replacing him with an accountant named John Zabel. The judge ordered Jamie to turn over documents related to the case, and Rosengart – a former federal prosecutor — has warned of a “top-to-bo...
Flavor Flav Lawyers Say Public Enemy Rapper Will Fight Domestic Battery Charge
Their son told police he stepped in to stop the scuffle when his parents separated and his mother lunged toward Drayton, according to a police report. Officers reported a small cut on the side of the woman’s face “consistent with an altercation taking place.” Officer Katrina Farrell, a Henderson police spokeswoman, said she had no information about whether the alleged victim required medical treatment.“ In alleged domestic violence cases, there are often two sides to the story and we will explain our side in the courtroom,” Drayton’s attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, said in a statement. The arrest was first reported by celebrity website TMZ. Flavor Flav’s public persona includes wearing a big clock on a chain around his neck. He was inducted with the group Public Enemy into...
50 Cent’s Cognac Brand Fires Back at Remy Martin Lawsuit
“This action is a naked effort to use meritless litigation to financially destroy a competitor,” Sire’s attorneys wrote Monday. “Remy Martin must be stopped, and the claims against Sire Spirits should not be allowed to survive.” Though it contained more legalese, Monday’s filing conveyed a similar sentiment to a message posted to Instagram by 50 Cent himself just days after the lawsuit was filed. In the since-deleted post, the rapper mocked Remy Martin — the second best-selling cognac in the world after Hennessy — for being “afraid” of the upstart Branson. 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, launched Branson in 2018, selling the cognac in a circular bottle with gem-like facets that was designed by the rapper himself. But on Aug. 13, Remy Martin sued on the grounds that ...
Jussie Smollett Trial Date Set After Judge Refuses Dismissal Request
But Judge James Linn noted that Smollett’s case now was being led by a special prosecutor appointed by another judge, an arrangement that he would not upset. Linn said jury selection in Smollett’s trial would start Nov. 29. Smollett, a gay Black man, told police in 2019 that two masked men attacked him when he was in Chicago working on “Empire.” But he was charged weeks later with filing a false police report, after investigators concluded that he staged the attack and paid two brothers to carry it out because he was unhappy about his salary and wanted to promote his career. That case, however, was dropped. The case was revived when a special prosecutor charged Smollett with disorderly conduct over the police reports. The actor has pleaded not guilty. Although Uche tried to have the case d...
Tyga Arrested in Los Angeles on Felony Domestic Violence Charge
Tyga was arrested Tuesday (Oct. 12) due to a felony domestic violence charge following an alleged dispute with 22-year-old ex-girlfriend Camaryn Swanson. The “Loyal” rapper, 31, reportedly turned himself in to Los Angeles police after the altercation. Swanson posted to her Instagram in the past regarding the alleged abuse from Tyga (real name: Michael Stevenson), including a photo of a black eye with the caption, “I’ve been emotionally, mentally and physically abused and I’m not hiding it anymore,” and tagging TMZ. Sources told TMZ that Swanson went to the rapper’s Hollywood home early Monday and she alleges things turned violent once inside. Swanson posted an alleged text conversation with Tyga on her Instagram story and did not conceal his ph...
Could Criminal Charges Against Pras Impact Fugees’ Overseas Reunion Dates?
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed to Billboard that Michel was forced to surrender his passport as a result of the charges and ordered not to apply for or possess a passport or any other travel documents as the case continues to slowly wind its way through the legal system; Michel’s attorney, David Kenner, also confirmed that his client’s passport has been confiscated, but tells Billboard that he is working on getting it returned. Kenner says he brought up the topic of the passport with the government this week, has advised the judge in the case about the tour, and plans to file a motion soon seeking to modify the conditions of the rapper’s release to allow him to get his travel documents back for the planned non-U.S. dates. “It’...
Wannabe Everywhere: Spice Girls Partner with Universal’s Bravado for Merch and Licensing
UMG did not disclose financial terms for the deal. It marks the first time in two decades that the Spice Girls’ licensing rights across all channels have been assigned to a single partner. Bravado owner Universal Music Group holds the global rights to the Spice Girls’ recorded music catalog, which spans three studio albums — 1996’s Spice, 1997’s Spiceworld and 2000’s Forever – and 11 singles, although it doesn’t control their publishing rights. (Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, who co-wrote many of the band’s biggest hits, including breakthrough hit “Wannabe,” are published by Universal Music Publishing Group, however). Later this month, Universal will release an expanded 25th anniversary edition of the Spice Girls’ debut album, Spice25, featuring previously unreleased songs, demos and mixe...
Britney Spears Hearing May Mean Freedom From Court Or Father
Britney Spears and Rosengart said in a subsequent filing that they agree with her father that the conservatorship should end, marking the first time she has called for an end to the arrangement in court documents. They emphasized, however, that it is more important to her that her father be removed, calling it a necessary first step toward her freedom and “ending the Kafkaesque nightmare imposed upon her.” Rosengart said in another filing this week that James Spears “crossed unfathomable lines” by engaging in illegal surveillance of her, including communications with her lawyer, as reported in Controlling Britney Spears, a documentary from the New York Times and the FX network, one of two dueling documentaries released on the eve of the hearing. Britney Spears was also engaged to her ...
Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel Says ‘No’ to Buying UTA
He also said that the deal “validated” Endeavor’s strategy when it merged with WMA. “They are just coming to it 13 years later … Mazel tov,” he added. He also defended Endeavor’s representation business, pushing back against the notion that the company is ignoring it in favor of UFC or its other ventures. “I would say to you, we are the largest agency,” Emanuel said. “Our representation business, for the last 10 or 11 years, has grown double digits every year for 10 years. It is a very significant part of our business, and it is the core feeder for how our business grows.” He also argued that Endeavor continues to be important to its clients, particularly as the number of streaming services continue to grow, and as the power of ce...
R. Kelly Guilty Verdict: Black Women See Long-Overdue Justice
Speaking out against sexual assault and violence is fraught for anyone who attempts it. Those who work in the field say the hurdles facing Black women and girls are raised even higher by a society that hypersexualizes them from a young age, stereotyping them as promiscuous and judging their physiques, and in a country with a history of racism and sexism that has long denied their autonomy over their own bodies. “Black women have been in this country for a long time and … our bodies were never ours to begin with,” said Kalimah Johnson, executive director of the SASHA Center in Detroit, which provides services to sexual assault survivors. “No one allows us to be something worthy of protection,” she said. “A human that needs love, and sacredness.” It’s as if, she said, “there’s nothing ...
