CelebrityAccess

LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) From Architectural Digest: In this episode of Open Door, Grammy-winning record producer and DJ Zedd gives an in-depth tour of his $16 million mansion in Benedict Canyon, an area of Los Angeles that’s near Sherman Oaks and northwest of Beverly Hills. Zedd’s self-decorated home is 9,500 square feet with views of the canyon and tons of full-length glass windows. The house is structured into three sections: work, living, and sleep. The work section has Zedd’s recording studio and an unfinished gym. The driveway leads into the front entrance, which crosses a moat. A huge wall with cubbies holds art, awards, and silly memorabilia. For instance, Zedd’s Grammy sits next to a poop emoji. At the end of a corridor, before going outside, guests can pick their favorite flavor of the rainbow from the Skittles machine. Zedd also has a server room and a “Costco Room” that contains just about anything he would need if he weren’t able to leave the house for a long t...

LAS VEGAS (CelebrityAccess) Billionaire Richard Branson bought the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Friday and the property is expected to have an overhaul that will last several months. The property on the Strip has about 1,500- rooms and will be converted into Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, according to the Associated Press.  It will continue to keep its current brand name until the projected rechristening  in 2019. The facility is expected to remain open during renovations. “Virgin is all about fun, entertainment, not taking ourselves too seriously,” Branson said. “Virgin Atlantic has had a lot of fun flying tons of people to Las Vegas from Britain for many years. Virgin America has done the same, and we wouldn’t have just come to Las Vegas unless we could’ve found the property that was very Virgin, and I think that’s what we’ve achieved.” The 23-year-old property will retain its casino floor, which will be managed by a partner, according to the AP. Some of the Hard...

DALLAS (CelebrityAccess) Dallas police are looking for four guitars and a harp belonging to Nils Lofgren that were stolen during a Friday night performance. Somebody broke into Lofgren’s van outside a Holiday Inn between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, according to investigators. Lofgren, known to many as the guitarist for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, said he was devastated by the robbery but proceeded to take “the roof off” at The Kessler, which presented “An Evening with Nils Lofgren – Solo Acoustic.” Lofgren’s first solo album arrived in 1975 and his 45-year, 10-disc retrospective, Face the Music was released in 2014. The post Nils Lofgren Guitars Stolen Prior To Performance appeared first on CelebrityAccess . from CelebrityAccess https://ift.tt/2pTBqEX via IFTTT

DENVER (CelebrityAccess) Superfly, co-creators of Bonnaroo and Outside Lands, is preparing for the inaugural Grandoozy festival, which it announced March 20, with tickets going on sale three days later. The event will take place Sept. 14-16 at Overland Park Golf Course, featuring nearly 40 acts along with what is the now standard culinary experiences and craft beer. Headliners are Kendrick Lamar, Florence + The Machine and Stevie Wonder. Other acts include The Chainsmokers, Logic, Sturgill Simpson, Miguel, Phoenix, Young the Giant, St. Vincent, The War on Drugs, Ty Dolla $ign, and Kelela, along with local acts like Tennis. It will also feature chefs and culinary entrepreneurs at the Devour Denver area, and craft beer will be presented at Flight School and The Backyard. Of course, not all are happy. Some NIMBYs are hesitant. “I’d rather not, I’d rather not have that many people here. I’d rather not have that much noise here,” Avona Kindall, who lives less than a block away, told D...

NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) The question of who bit Beyoncé – the deep, dark rabbit hole of conspiracy theory that delved into the greatest mystery since the JFK assassination – may finally be solved. The question of who bit Bey at a party, which led to the movement #WhoBitBeyonce, has been on the lips of the nation for about a week now, but it may be answered, although things may be getting weirder. “Multiple sources confirm to Page Six that the face-chomping culprit was indeed actress Sanaa Lathan,” even though she strongly denies it,” New York Post’s Page Six column said. Numerous sources told Page Six that the “Love & Basketball” star was talking to Jay-Z at his backstage VIP party at Los Angeles’ D’Usse in December when Beyoncé walked in and Lathan “playfully” bit her on the chin. The whole mess began when comedian and “Girls Trip” star Tiffany Haddish told GQ magazine about the incident. The story was published on Monday. “There was this actress there that’s just, like, ...

NASHVILLE, TN (CelebrityAccess) — Anschutz Entertainment Group has acquired a plot of land in downtown Nashville, with plans to establish a presence in Nashville Yards, a new mixed-use entertainment district in the works for the heart of Music City. AEG revealed that they had signed an agreement to purchase the 4-acre plot is located at 10th Avenue, Commerce Street and Ninth Avenue in the center of downtown Nashville. The planned mixed-use entertainment district will be anchored by a 4,000-capacity music venue, a flagship Regal Cinemas luxury theatre complex, an 800-capacity live entertainment club, an approximately 240-room boutique hotel, and a variety of other entertainment and food and beverage offerings, AEG said. AEG also noted that they have the option to acquire an adjacent 1.5-acre parcel of land that they are eyeing for development into office, residential, hotel and retail space. AEG’s property purchases are part of the larger Nashville Yards development...

NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — Warner Music Group announced that they have sealed a deal with NetEase, the Chinese audio, and video streaming giant, to license content from WMG’s international dance label Spinnin’ Records. The deal will give Netease Music’s 400 million users to access repertoire from Spinnin’ artists and producers including including Afrojack, Alok, Bingo Players, CARTA, Don Diablo, Jay Hardway, KSHMR, Lucas & Steve, Oliver Heldens, Sam Feldt and Tiësto. NetEase Music enables users to comment and share the licensed music available on its platform and the company touts this social media aspect of its platforms as one of the drivers for its growth and high levels of user engagement. Spinnin’ Records was acquired by WMG in 2017. It continues to operate as an independent entity and already has established licensing deals with Netease rivals in the market, Alibaba, and Tencent, two of China’s largest Internet firms. “We have seen a surge in interest in dance music in...

SYRACUSE, N.Y., (CelebrityAccess) The three-year-old Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, N.Y., has a naming rights sponsor and will soon be renamed St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview. The name change is expected to become official when Onandaga County officials approve the change next Tuesday. The name was revealed at the legislature’s meeting agenda that was revealed today, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard . The county will receive $750,000 for the naming rights to its 17,500-capacity waterfront amphitheater, booked by Live Nation and operated by SMG. The full amount paid to Live Nation was not made public, but the money is earmarked for maintenance and capital improvements at the shed, according to the paper. “We’re obviously excited about the naming rights sponsor,” Ryan McMahon, the legislature chairman, told the Post-Standard . “It’s a great corporate partner and a great corporate citizen. I’m ecstatic that St. Joseph’s Health would do this.” St. Joe’s hospita...

LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — ASCAP, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, announced that it would present artist Lana Del Rey ASCAP Global Impact Award at the 35th annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards on Monday, April 23rd in Los Angeles. The ASCAP Global Impact Award is intended to recognize the lasting and widespread popularity of ASCAP members and their music. Over the course of her 13-year music career, Del Rey has been thrice nominated for Grammy awards and achieved both commercial and critical success. Four of the singer’s albums have broken into the top 2 of the Billboard 200 and she has reached the Billboard Hot 100 charts 11 times, including her top 10 hit, “Summertime Sadness.” “Although Lana Del Rey is the recipient of the ASCAP Global Impact Award this year, her sparkling soundscapes and crisp storytelling are anything but of this world. Lana’s art allows us to step into a technicolor dream, where endless possibility is the only rule. Lana casts an ether...

BRIDGEPORT, CT (CelebrityAccess) — Plans for Live Nation’s latest amphitheater went public this week when the promoter revealed the proposed design for Harbor Yard Amphitheater in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The new design was unveiled at a joint press conference that included Mayor Joe Ganim,  and Howard Saffan, principal of Harbor Yard Amphitheater, as well as Jim Koplik, president of Live Nation Connecticut and Upstate New York. Located on the site of the former minor league baseball stadium that was home to the Bridgeport Bluefish, the new shed will be constructed in the refurbished stadium and will feature seating for 5,000 fans, as well as 21 luxury seats, 3 VIP lounges, and an outdoor BBQ pit. As well, the venue will be designed to support major touring artists, with Mayor Ganim citing Cirque de Soliel as an example of the production capacity of the new amphitheater during the press conference, Connecticut Boom reported. Koplik added that while the venue could host to...

WAYNESBORO, PA (CelebrityAccess) — Lil Skies, whose hip-hop took SoundCloud by storm, announced on Friday that due to health issues, he would be unable to make the remaining dates on his tour. Lil Skies took to Twitter on Friday to break the news, writing: “Dear all, due to unforeseen health issues, I am unable to complete the Life of the Dark Rose Tour. I want to thank all my fans and supporters who have stuck by my side from the beginning.” Lil Skies, whose real name is Kimetrius Foose, had shows slated for Center Stage in Atlanta on Saturday, three House of Blues outlets in New Orleans on Apr. 1st, Houston on Apr. 2nd, and Dallas on Apr. 3rd. Other shows include Minglewood Hall in Memphis on April 5th, Center Stage Theater in Atlanta on Apr. 6th, and Rams Head Live in Baltimore on April 8th. Lil Skies generated traction with his two hit singles “Nowadays” and “Red Roses” which both broke into the Billboard Hot 100, as well, in January, he released his major label debut “Life of ...

WASHINGTON D.C. ( Hypebot ) — While key issues remain within the U.S. Music Modernization Act, many in the music industry support the bill. Now Congress is working to add on two more related bills that also have widespread support -the CLASSICS Act and the CASE Act.  Not so fast, says the Electronic Frontier Foundation. ______________________________ By  Mitch Stolz  for the  Electronic Frontier Foundation For the first time in six years, Congress is considering serious changes to copyright law. As you might imagine, those changes are a mixed bag for the public. One bill, the Music Modernization Act, would create a new system for compensating songwriters and music publishers when their songs are played on digital services. It solves a problem recognized by nearly everyone in the music space. And while the bill has some problematic text that needs fixing, it’s a good effort. Unfortunately, the MMA has now been combined with a harmful bill, the “CLASSICS A...

NEW YORK ( Hypebot ) — While the end of year numbers from the RIAA’s Revenue Stats may seem positive on their face, with talk of double-digit growth. There is some suspicion on just how rosy these numbers actually are once you dig beneath the surface. By  Faza,  this first appeared on  The Cynical Musician Last week saw the release of  News and Notes on 2017 RIAA Revenue Statistics . Naturally, I was keen to have a look and thought it would be apt to offer some thoughts on the matter. The headline news, as you no doubt have heard, is Double-Digit Growth! Any growth would have been nice back when TCM was in peak form, so now I can lay off the negativity, right? Well, not quite. These days, my economist instincts tend to take a back seat to my  accountant  instincts whenever someone starts throwing sums of money around (years on the job will do that to you) and the first thing that caught my eye was that the 16.5% figure everyone’s quoting is for the...

NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — A former math teacher charged with defrauding investors out of more than $70 million as part of a ticket resale Ponzi scheme, pleaded guilty in Federal Court in Manhattan on Wednesday to one count of wire fraud. National Event Co. Chief Executive Officer Jason Nissen was accused of borrowing money, often at high rates of interest, from investors to finance large quantities of ticket purchases to concerts, musicals and sporting events which he would resell at a profit. However, Nissen began using funds borrowed from other investors to repay earlier investors. As part of the scheme, prosecutors alleged that Nissen falsified financial documents and inflated his financial position to disguise the Ponzi scheme. According to the complaint, the whole scheme came crashing down in May 2017 when Nissen found himself unable to locate additional finding and admitted to one of his victims that he’d been running a Ponzi scehme. “I know that my conduct was wrong ...

LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) Francis Arigo, who runs the network team at Ticketmaster and runs its “hybrid cloud,” held a keynote at the Open Networking Summit in Los Angeles March 29. Arigo, whose official title at TM is Principal Architect, took to song to explain why TM uses a hybrid cloud versus a public cloud to handle the tremendous demands of the ticketing system, which can reach 150 million transactions in minutes after a major artist’s onsale goes live. AXS ticketing, for instance, launched as a cloud-based system and, at the time, TM was known for its buildings filled with servers. Arigo argued in his “Lessons And Rhythms From The Hybrid Cloud” keynote that the cloud is unreliable, and that ticket buyers actually download their tickets to a mobile wallet and want it available immediately when presenting it at the entrance. He spent a few minutes correlating the musical timing of whole notes, quarter notes and half-notes to Subnet Masking, following it up with a tune. A...

LONDON (CelebrityAccess) A study commissioned by European mobile phone service company O2 has concluded that attending live music once a week can increase a life span by nine years. O2, aka the leading owner-operator of music venues in the United Kingdom, commissioned the study by Patrick Fagan, an expert in behavioral science and Associate Lecturer at Goldsmith’s University.  It revealed that just 20 minutes of seeing live music per week can have a 21 percent increase in feelings of well-being. Because other research shows that well-being equals longer lifespans, O2 concluded people will live nine years longer if they check out a gig or two. The 21 percent includes feelings of self-worth (a 25 percent increase) and closeness to others (25 percent increase) while mental stimulation climbed 75 percent.  Accompanying research showed a positive correlation between regular show attendance and well being.  Those attending concerts about once a week showed the highest amoun...

MANCHESTER, England (CelebrityAccess) Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, England, says that the firefighters who arrived two hours late to the Manchester Arena bombing last year have nothing to apolozie for. An independent review into the arena attack, which occurred near the venue after a May 22 Ariana Grande performance, killing 22 people, criticized the fire service for playing “no meaningful role” in the aftermath. Poor communication and a rick-averse culture led to fire services to wait two hours to deploy, according to the review led by Lord Bob Kerlslake, former civil service head. However, Burnham said in an open letter May 30 that “No frontline firefighter has to apologise for anything. You and your colleagues did nothing wrong that night.” An open letter from Andy Burnham to Greater Manchester’s firefighters. pic.twitter.com/8GCZ1rfQEu — Mayor Andy Burnham (@MayorofGM) March 30, 2018 He added that many were willing to help “but were prevented from doing so by...

ORLANDO, Fla. (CelebrityAccess) Jurors have reached a verdict in the trial of the widow of the Orlando nightclub shooter who killed 49 people two years ago. Officials from the U.S. District Court in Orlando said the jury’s decision will be announced in about 15 minutes. Noor Salman is charged with obstruction and providing material support to a terrorist organization and faces life in prison. Developing The post Breaking: Decision Reached In Case Of Widow Of Pulse Nightclub Shooter appeared first on CelebrityAccess . from CelebrityAccess https://ift.tt/2J5YmZt via IFTTT

This week on Promoter 101 Red Light’s Mary Hilliard Harrington talks about her early days working for Trump, explains why she left publicity side of the biz, and her current gig Managing Dierks Bentley, WME UK’s Alex Bewley talks about exploring the market of digital media, Survivor Reality Star Jonny Fairplay drops in on us, and Emporium’s Jason Zink and Live Nation’s Zaed Maqbool recount an amazing War Story of Jason becoming a man, plus Dan and Luke catch up on the News of the Week.   The post EPISODE #76: Redlight’s Mary Hilliard Harrington, WME’s Alex Bewley, Survivor Jonny Fairplay appeared first on CelebrityAccess . from CelebrityAccess https://ift.tt/2GkAzHk via IFTTT

This week In the Hot Seat with Larry LeBlanc: Ross Atamian, owner Philip Citron Inc./co-founder Parachute Concerts. It was recently announced that Northeastern-based Parachute Concerts, co-founded in 2015 by university friends Ross Atamian and Ilario Altamura,  had struck a strategic alliance with the investment firm Magna Entertainment. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the deal underscores that Parachute Concerts is a growing force in live music in America. Magna Entertainment has reportedly invested approximately $300 million across public and private markets since forming in 2009. Among its investments have been with the fan-funding service PledgeMusic of which it acquired a “major position” in 2016; the biographical sports film “Bleed For This” (2016); and Loud & Proud Records in 2017. Upcoming Parachute Concerts shows include: “PJ Masks LIVE! Time To Be A Hero,” as well with dates with Carol Burnett; Ja Rule, Ashanti, Ma$e, Chingy; Yanni; Aretha ...

LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — A former stylist who accused Ryan Seacrest of sexual misconduct, has filed a police report against the television host. Suzie Hardy, who was a stylist with E!, wrote op-ed published https://ift.tt/2J6JJVW in the Hollywood Reporter in which she claimed she had taken her allegations of sexual abuse to the Los Angeles Police. “I’m not going away. I’m thriving in the truth and feel more inspired than ever. I recently contacted the LAPD and filed a police report so I’m guaranteed a real investigation this time,” Hardy wrote in the op-ed. The LAPD confirmed the complaint to ABC News but declined further comment on the matter. The allegations against Seacrest first surfaced in November when THR published about anonymous allegations of inappropriate against him. At the time, the details of the allegations were not published, but the story prompted Seacrest to issue a public statement apologizing for making his accuser “feel anything but respected” but denyi...

LONDON (CelebrityAccess) — The United Talent Agency announced that they have signed the British grime rapper, MC and producer Wiley for worldwide representation. Wiley, whose real name is Richard Cowie Jnr MBE, will be repped by a team of agents at UTA, who will work with him for touring as well as exploring “opportunities for him across a wide scope of services”, including digital, branding, endorsements and TV.” A native of East London, Wiley first made a name for himself with the speed garage group Pay As U Go, scoring his first top 40 hit in 2001 with “Champagne Dance.” He later struck out on his own, releasing a series of successful white label tracks before he ventured into the gritty world of grime. Since then, he has scored numerous top 10 hits, including “Wearing My Rolex”, “Never Be Your Woman” and “Heatwave” which peaked at #1, leading to the appellation of the Father of Grime. In 2018, Wiley was knighted as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for “services ...

LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — Independent publisher Concord Music is signing a deal with European licensing organization ICE for representation of Concord’s digital rights. As a result of the agreement, which was first reported by MusicWeek, Concord will pull its rights from PRS For Music’s independent publishers online licensing organization IMPEL. News of the new licensing deal comes less than a year after US-based Concord moved into European markets with the purchase of European indie publisher Imagem Music Group. IMPEL, which is currently a component of the MPA Group Of Companies, is currently undergoing restructuring under the guidance of CEO Jane Dyball, including the development of new leadership team, MusicWeek reported. “That group of publishers always wanted to be fully independent, and have their own entity,” Dyball told Music Week. The post Concord Music Signs With European Licensing Organization Ice Rights appeared first on CelebrityAccess . from CelebrityAcce...

He was telling me jokes. You never know who these people really are. I was talking to Shirley Manson on Tuesday and I had the two-dimensional image in my brain, of a demure alternative girl. But she’s WILD! Very sharp, and can give it before you can. As for Eddie… He was crucified in the seventies. For an airbrushed album cover. For basic music. But I was a fan. Which is why I went to this gig, I’d never seen him before. You see Eddie is promoting his new AXS television show, which is basically “The Osbournes,” fifteen years later. Dad is dumb and the kids are running circles around him. Why are all the TV shows based on this premise? But Eddie is in on the joke, whereas Ozzy was oblivious. Now if you’ve hung backstage, you’ve experienced this. For every serious rocker, for every Don Henley, there’s an Eddie Money, or a Robin Zander, who told me a joke I’ve repeated endlessly since he whispered it in my ear at the Whisky. It wasn’t risque, it was an insider’s story, if you’re no...