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MP3 News Breakers: Madonna, Danity, Ice-T, Islam, Evans, Leto
Madonna leaves Malawi without baby; girl group in car wreck; Ice-T and wife pose nude for album; former Cat Stevens takes UK prize again; country star leaves Dancing; Leto chose band over Clint.
Madonna leaves Malawi without baby
Madonna and Guy Ritchie.
Madonna left Malawi today without David Banda, the 1-year-old boy she reportedly adopted, ending her controversial nine-day humanitarian visit to the poverty-stricken southeast African nation. The pop star filed adoption papers and left Malawi with a pledge from the country's officials to try to reunite Madonna with the child while the adoption process is under way, according to Reuters. Banda, whose mother died one month after giving birth to him, was not with the singer as she was driven to a private jet in Malawi's capital of Lilongwe. A senior immigration official told Reuters that the child's passport was still being processed and that Banda will be able to visit and spend time with Madonna while awaiting a hearing for the application, which could take up to two years. The singer's spokespeople have still not commented officially on the adoption.
Madonna's visit to the country was in conjunction with her Raising Malawi charity, which has pledged to donate about $3 million to the campaign to help these children, many of whom are infected with HIV. But media reports of the adoption have focused attention on celebrity adoptions as a whole and whether allowing celebrities to adopt poor orphans is in the best interests of those children. Malawi's leading child rights group, Eye of the Child, said it would seek a court injunction to stop Madonna from adopting the child if the government did not put the interim order on hold.
Danity Kane involved in car crash
Danity Kane
Members of girl group Danity Kane were injured in a car accident this week, according to a post on the MySpace page of member Aubrey O'Day. "Unfortunately the rumors are true," the post reads. "DK did indeed get into a really bad car accident. The girls are in the hospital and are trying to get better. Aubrey has a mild concussion and a black eye. Dawn hurt her shoulder and they all have whiplash injuries. D. Woods was the only one not present. The girls felt so bad about not being able to attend the club appearance and still wanted to show up. Clearly the doctor did not grant their wishes, he advised them that there is no way they can be in public right now. Doctor's orders were medication and plenty of rest. Aubrey wanted everyone to know that Danity Kane is very sorry and upset about not being able to make their appearance at the club tonight."
Ice-T, wife Coco bare all for album cover
Ice-T and Coco
For the cover of Ice-T's first album since 1999's The Seventh Deadly Sin, there was likely no need for a wardrobe department. That's because the hip-hop veteran and his wife, Coco, appear on the cover completely nude, with Coco draped across Ice-T on a bed. The CD jacket will also feature Coco completely naked leaning against a car, advertising an upcoming 2007 calendar. Both photos will be covered with stickers to avoid issues with retailers. The OG's ninth album, Gangsta Rap, is set for a Halloween release on Melee Recordings. It features 17 tracks, including "Ridin' Low,' "Imagansta," "God Can You Hear Me," "Please Believe Me," "Pimp or Die," "Code of the Streets," and "Twice the Game." It also includes the track "Pray," which features Coco.
Ice-T recently hosted VH1's Hip Hop Honors, which honored MC Lyte, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Afrika Bambaataa, Russell Simmons, Rakim, and the Beastie Boys. The show will air on VH1 on October 17.
Yusuf Islam retains songwriting crown
Yusuf Islam
Yusuf Islam, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, won the UK's top songwriting award for a second consecutive year this week at the performing rights group ASCAP's annual awards ceremony. Islam's oft-covered "First Cut Is the Deepest" was one of ASCAP's top songs last year. The event honors the top British writers and publishers represented by the group. ASCAP collects royalties on behalf of its members from public performances of their compositions. Other winners at the event included Coldplay, AC/DC, Dido, and U2.
Sara Evans leaves show, to divorce
Sara Evans
Country singer Sara Evans said yesterday that she was filing for divorce from husband Craig Schelske and quitting the Dancing With the Stars TV competition. Allen Brown, her rep at record label Sony BMG, issued a statement saying, "Recent events that shed light on the status of her marriage prompted Ms. Evans to make the filing." He declined to elaborate. The couple were married in 1993 and have three children. Evans decided she needed to leave the TV show "to give her family her full attention at this difficult time," Brown said. She was among 11 celebrities who paired with professional dancers to compete on the third season of the popular ABC reality series.
"Ms. Evans hopes that her fans and TV viewers who've supported her in recent weeks and throughout her music career will respect and understand her need for privacy in the face of these recent events," Brown said. Evans, 35, was recently nominated for female vocalist of the year honors by the Country Music Association. The Missouri native made her recording debut in 1997, and her 2000 album Born To Fly went double-platinum.
Leto says he turned down Eastwood
Jared Leto
For actor-turned-singer Jared Leto, his band 30 Seconds to Mars is no side project. The rock band is important enough to Leto that he turned down an opportunity to star in Clint Eastwood's upcoming war movie Flags of Our Fathers so that the band could open for the Used on tour. "I had to say no, because we were booked to open for The Used," he told the Los Angeles Times. "It wasn't even the main support slot, but the third band on the bill. People did not understand how I could say no to Clint. But the record was coming out and I was committed."
30 Seconds to Mars' second album, A Beautiful Lie, recently earned "gold" status for sales of more than 500,000 copies. The former My So-Called Life star told the paper, "It's pretty bizarre that this has happened. I always believed from back when we were writing 13-minute progressive-rock songs. But I feel I still have to convince people sometimes." Leto is set to star as John Lennon assassin Mark David Chapman in the forthcoming film Chapter 27, for which he put on 65 pounds.
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