Tag: Legal Troubles (91-100 of 163)

Jul 11 2011 11:20 AM ET

Coheed and Cambria bassist arrested for allegedly robbing Massachusetts pharmacy

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Coheed and Cambria member Michael Todd was arrested Sunday for allegedly robbing a pharmacy in Mansfield, MA., according to the AP.

Police say that yesterday afternoon Todd, who plays bass with the prog-metal outfit, showed a Walgreens pharmacist a note in which he claimed to have a bomb and then left the store with six bottles of Oxycontin. The musician then took a taxi to Mansfield’s Comcast Center, where Coheed and Cambria were set to open for Soundgarden. He was arrested prior to the show and the band played without him.

Coheed and Cambria posted the following message on their facebook page: “Michael Todd was arrested today on what we consider very serious charges and therefore he will not be finishing up the current tour. Wes Styles, long time member of the Coheed family will take on bass duties starting tomorrow for the remaining dates. No shows will be canceled.”

UPDATE
According to MTV News, Todd was arraigned in Attleboro District Court on Monday, July 11. The charges against the bassist — armed robbery and unlawful possession of prescription narcotics — were read and Judge Daniel O’Shea increased Todd’s bail from $10,000 to $25,000 cash. Todd is due back in court on August 9.

Read more:
Five rounds with… Coheed and Cambria
Prog rocks again
For new-prog hogs

Jun 29 2011 12:36 PM ET

Tom Petty asks Michele Bachmann to stop using 'American Girl,' joins long list of rockers unhappy with politicians

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Image Credit: Richard Shotwell/PR Photos

You know election season must be in full swing when rock stars are issuing public statements getting candidates to stop using their songs at rallies, speeches and events.

The inaugural music-related strike of the 2012 presidential race comes from Tom Petty, who issued a cease and desist letter to Michele Bachmann’s campaign to get her to stop using Petty’s 1977 hit “American Girl.”

This isn’t even the first time Petty has bristled at the idea that somebody from the right borrowed one of his tunes—he issued a similar letter in 2004 when George W. Bush used Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” as one of his campaign themes (like Bachmann, Bush complied).

Ever since Bruce Springsteen took umbrage with Ronald Reagan’s use of “Born in the U.S.A.” during his re-election campaign in 1984, it has become something of a tradition for rock musicians (many of whom, you may have noticed, have views that tend to skew to the left) to publicly disassociate themselves from right-wing candidates who borrow their music. READ FULL STORY »

Jun 28 2011 04:15 PM ET

Inside Lady Gaga's Japan relief lawsuit: Does it have real merit? And who will benefit?

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Image Credit: CFDA Fashion Awards Gallery

As we continuously learn from the likes of Madonna, Wyclef Jean and Kanye West, celebrities wading into the world of charity can bring about tremendous change and influence but can also lead to big-time headaches.

Lady Gaga just joined the club yesterday, when legal network 1-800-LAW-FIRM filed a suit in their native Michigan claiming that funds raised through the sales of Gaga-designed-and-endorsed bracelets for the benefit of earthquake relief efforts in Japan were misused.

The suit (which you can read in full at the firm’s official site) claims that Gaga and a number of other companies connected to her, including her various publishing arms, her merchandising company and Live Nation, over-charged for shipping and did not properly allocate tax fees. The suit says that because of these details, Gaga is in violation of consumer protection laws, especially because of the promise that all proceeds would go to the victims of the Japanese earthquake.

“This misguided lawsuit is without merit and unfortunately takes attention away from the kind deeds of the fans around the world who are supporting the people of Japan,” Gaga said through an announcement distributed by her publicist. “The entire $5 donation made with the purchase of each bracelet is going to support the disaster relief. No profit is being made on shipping costs. Sales tax charges were made in accordance with local legal requirements. Lady Gaga has personally pledged her own funds to this cause and continues to support the victims of the disaster.”

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Jun 28 2011 10:26 AM ET

Lady Gaga sued over Japanese tsunami relief efforts

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A Michigan legal group sued Lady Gaga on Friday, claiming that not all the proceeds from the sale of her Japanese earthquake relief wristbands went to the victims, according to Reuters. 1800LAWFIRM filed the federal class-action lawsuit, which also claims that Lady Gaga and her partners overcharged on shipping costs. Gaga is reported to have raised about $3 million for Japan disaster relief through the sales of the wristbands and other efforts. “Our intention via this lawsuit is to uncover any improprieties committed by Lady Gaga and appropriate the full donations assumed to the victims in Japan,” Alyson Oliver, an attorney for 1800LAWFIRM told Reuters. Lady Gaga’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more:
Lady Gaga takes up Japan quake cause
Lady Gaga will stream songs from ‘Born This Way’ on FarmVille
EMI artists auctioning off cool stuff for Japan relief

Jun 16 2011 01:37 PM ET

Tupac shooter cops to an old crime, but what does it mean for Tupac and Biggie's murder cases?

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Image Credit: Everett Collection

Had he not been cut down in his prime by a (presumably) still-at-large assassin in 1996, rapper/actor/activist/poet/cultural lightning rod Tupac Shakur would have turned 40 years old today.

But on a day when we would normally be discussing his legacy—or what his creative place in today’s hip-hop world might have been had he lived—the attention has now turned instead to a man named Dexter Isaac, who gave an interview to AllHipHop wherein he admitted to being the man who shot Shakur in a famous unsolved incident outside a New York recording studio back in November of 1994.

Isaac claims he was paid $2,500 by James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond to take out Shakur. The New York Police Department is currently investigating the issue, and if they find the claims to be credible, they plan to speak with Isaac, who according to AllHipHop is currently serving a life sentence in prison. Will the information that Isaac has—or claims to have—have any bearing ultimately on the notoriously still-unsolved cases of both Tupac’s and Biggie’s murders? READ FULL STORY »

May 27 2011 01:12 PM ET

Courtney Love tweets herself into another lawsuit, this time with a law firm

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Image Credit: Charles Norfleet/PR Photos

Some celebrities have made Twitter work for them; Courtney Love is not one of them.

The perpetually-embattled Hole mastermind just settled a Twitter-related lawsuit in March (she paid out $430,000 to fashion designer Dawn Simorangkir after making statements on Twitter and MySpace that suggested she had some sort of criminal past), and now she faces yet another defamation suit thanks to a tweet.

Lawyer Rhonda Holmes has filed a suit in Los Angeles Superior Court that Love libeled her and her firm following the termination of their attorney-client relationship in 2009 (she is seeking unspecified damages). Love had hired Holmes’ firm to recoup money she thought was stolen from the estate of her late husband Kurt Cobain.

When Love began to second-guess attorney Keith Fink’s strategy—and later when the firm demanded that Love refrain from substance abuse during their working relationship—Love fired them and walked away. She returned a few months later seeking their representation again, but Holmes declined to work with Love a second time. That was when Love fired up her Twitter account.

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May 3 2011 12:24 PM ET

Phil Spector's murder conviction appeal is rejected by a California court

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Phil Spector’s attempt to overturn his murder conviction was rejected yesterday by a California appeals court, according to the AP.

The producer was convicted in April, 2009, of fatally shooting actress Lana Clarkson. Spector is currently serving a sentence of 19 years to life for second degree murder.

The appeals court dismissed the claim by Spector’s defense attorney Dennis Riordan that the prosecution should not have been allowed to call female witnesses who alleged Spector had threatened them with guns. The court also rejected the assertion that Clarkson might have killed herself.

Riordan later said that he would seek a re-hearing before the court and that he was prepared to petition the California Supreme Court.

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More on EW.com:
‘The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector’: If you love pop music, you must see this movie

Apr 20 2011 03:51 PM ET

Lady Gaga vs. Weird Al: The road to the release of his parody of 'Born This Way'

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Image Credit: Gaga: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images; Weird Al: Lester Cohen/Getty Images

Lady Gaga has been courting controversy her entire career, to the point where the star sometimes takes heat for stuff she hasn’t even done yet.

And while she’s busy beating back people hating on her choice of album cover art, she also alienated legions of “Weird Al” Yankovic fans (or at least the two million people who follow him on Twitter).

The longtime parodist published a blog post today explaining why his new track “I Perform This Way”—a parody of Gaga’s char-topping smash “Born This Way”—is currently being given away for free and not getting a featured spot as the first single from his upcoming new album (nor is it getting a proper video treatment). Check out his version after the jump.

Update: Yankovic’s manager told the New York Times on Wednesday evening that Gaga’s camp has given permission for “Perform This Way” to appear on Weird Al’s next album.

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Mar 23 2011 04:59 PM ET

Rapper Ja Rule pleads guilty for tax evasion, headed to jail for weapons charge

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Image Credit: Julio Cortez/AP Images

Onetime top-tier rhymer Ja Rule plead guilty in a New Jersey Federal Court to two counts of tax evasion this Tuesday (March 22), reports the Los Angeles Times. The Queens, NY rapper (né Jeffrey Atkins) had not filed taxes from 2004 to 2008 and has agreed to now pay $1.1 million. He’s currently free on $50,000 bail. His sentencing is June 13.

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Mar 22 2011 09:13 PM ET

Post-'Good Morning America' blow-up, Chris Brown debuts video for 'Beautiful People': Watch here

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It’s been a busy day for Chris Brown: The R&B/pop star began the day by doing an interview with Robin Roberts on ABC’s Good Morning America, where he awkwardly tried to avoid questions about his past incident with ex-girlfriend Rihanna.

Then, according to reports, a furious Brown broke a window in his dressing room at GMA and stormed out of the studio into the streets of New York City—shirtless. And as the latest episode in Brown’s busy day, he’s debuted a video for “Beautiful People,” the third single from his latest album, F.A.M.E.

The video for “Beautiful People” is certainly a departure from Brown’s trademark glossy clips, like the dance-infused one for his recent hit “Yeah 3x.”

This one celebrates all sorts of people in a way that seems to scream: “Everyone is beautiful!” A nice concept. It’s shot very casually, almost flip camera- or home video-style in certain parts, and features cameos from the likes of Omarion, Brandy, Timbaland, and lots more. Watch here:

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