New Line Cinema is developing Straight Outta Compton, an urban drama about N.W.A. (a.k.a. Niggaz With Attitude), the hip hop group that helped pioneer the gangsta rap movement in the '80s and early '90s.
The project will chronicle the rise and fall of the rap quartet, founded by Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and MC Ren, whose songs were so incendiary (i.e. "F--- tha Police") they were banned from radio playlists but still sold millions of albums.
Then came the inevitable fiery breakup, a grudge match between the former bandmates, and Eazy-E's tragic death due to AIDS.
The film's producers, which include Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Tomica Wright (Eazy-E's widow), and Circle of Confusion Entertainment, are now actively searching for a director along the lines of Curtis Hanson (8 Mile).
The On Time Headset System is technically a bracelet but it tells time so that makes it a watch, but it also handles calls which means it’s a mobile phone. When someone calls, the bracelet rings and/or vibrates. The entire face pops out as a wireless headset without sacrificing a screen since there’s a secondary LCD. Both LCDs are touch enabled.
Anticipation for Relapse has been building since the fall, when Eminem first announced the album title and debuted the freestyle, “I’m Having A Relapse,” during an interview on his Shade 45 satellite radio station. Last month, the release of “Crack A Bottle” from Eminem, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent brought that anticipation to a head. The track soared to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (Eminem’s second #1 after 2002’s “Lose Yourself”) and set a Nielsen SoundScan record for opening week download sales (418,000). The recording ranked third in the history of all weekly download sales. “Crack A Bottle” will be included as an album track on Relapse.
With the announcement of the release date for Relapse also comes confirmation of something that had been rumored in recent weeks: Eminem is already working on a follow-up album, Relapse 2, that fans can expect in the second half of 2009. “A lot of people were expecting Relapse to drop last year,” said Eminem. “I was one of them. Then Dre and I went back in the studio in September for a few days, and that turned into six months. We were on such a roll; we wound up with a ton of new music produced by Dre. Putting out Relapse 2 will let everyone get all of the best stuff.”
Eminem has sold more than 75,000,000 albums worldwide. His previous studio album, Encore, reached #1 and dominated the charts in late 2004. Certified quadruple platinum and spinning off four Top 40 Hot 100 hits, the Grammy-nominated disc has sold more than 11,000,000 copies around the globe. The #1, double platinum, 2005 greatest hits collection, Curtain Call: The Hits and #2, platinum, 2006 various artists compilation, Eminem Presents: The Re-Up, followed. In October 2008, Eminem released “Eminem: The Way I Am”, a book compiling thoughts, stories, and memorabilia from various points in his life. The book entered the New York Times Best-Seller list at #11.
Michael Jackson's series of 10 concerts at London's O2 arena in July will be "the final curtain call", he has said. He told fans at the venue: "This is it. I just want to say that these will be my final show performances in London." The pop superstar, 50, may take the show around the world, but that would be his last tour. He made a five-minute appearance in front of hundreds of screaming fans to announce 10 the London dates, which will earn him more than $50m (£35m). His first words to fans were: "I love you so much. "This will be it. When I say this is it, it really means this is it," he added. "I'll be performing the songs my fans want to hear. This is the final curtain call." The first concert will be on 8 July, with tickets costing between £50 and £75. They go on general sale on 13 March. The star will put on a "big budget, grand, highly technical, incredible show", according to Randy Phillips, chief executive of promoter AEG Live. "Michael Jackson is a perfectionist so it's going to be amazing," Mr Phillips told BBC News. "He'll try a lot of new things." Asked whether the London dates would be his last ever performances, Mr Phillips replied: "These will be the last shows in London. "Whether he will go on from here around the world... this will be his last tour. All he's agreed to are the London shows at this point." The star was "in great shape" for the dates, he said. "He's passed an extensive four-hour physical with independent third party doctors selected by the insurance carriers. He's in incredible health." Mr Phillips added that AEG had a "broader relationship" with Jackson, which could involve a new 3D film based on Thriller as well as future concerts. The three-and-a-half year plan could earn Jackson more than $400m (£283m), he predicted. The singer had been due to appear at the O2 at 1600 GMT, but only left his central London hotel at that time and arrived an hour and a half late for the announcement. Several hundred fans waited at the O2 to see him, and said they were not disappointed by his brief appearance.
The O2 is the venue where Prince played for 21 nights in 2007, and where Britney Spears is performing for eight nights in June. Jackson last toured 12 years ago. In 2006, he performed at the World Music Awards in London, but disappointed fans by singing just a few lines of We Are The World. Stories about personal, health and financial problems have circulated in recent years. He was cleared of child abuse after a four-month trial in 2005.
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