andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Prince is using an army of lawyers to attack several of the largest fan websites devoted to him.

The lawyers are seeking compensation for the sites’ use of Prince’s likeness, including lyrics, photographs, images, and album covers. They request “substantive details of the means by which [the fansites] propose to compensate our clients [Paisley Park Enterprises, NPG Records and Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG)] for damages…”

The owners of three fansites have banded together and formed PrinceFansUnited.com. According to the site, “It is our opinion that these threats are not made in an attempt to enforce valid copyright as Prince alleges in his threats, rather we believe they are attempts to stifle all critical commentary about Prince. We strongly believe that such actions are in violation of the freedom of speech and should not be allowed. Prince claims that fansites are not allowed to present any artwork with Prince’s likeness, to the extreme that he has demanded removal of fan’s own photographs of their Prince inspired tattoos and their vehicles displaying Prince inspired license plates.”

Alyssa Milano has previously also sued her own fans because of their websites.

Prince’s “Purple Rain” has been voted Hollywood’s greatest soundtrack by the editors of Vanity Fair, beating out other classics like “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Trainspotting” and “Saturday Night Fever.”

The magazine revealed their top 10 soundtracks Wednesday, whittling the list down from 50.

“Purple Rain,” from the 1984 movie of the same name, was described by editors as “a sound that defined the ’80s,” combining “funk, R&B, pop, metal and even psychedelia.”

They also called the film “perhaps the best badly acted film ever.” Prince, at the height of his success in the 1980s, plays a talented young performer dealing with family issues and love.

The magazine’s selection of 50 soundtracks will be explored in a one-off publication titled “Movies Rock” in November, which will feature actor Bill Murray’s impression of Elvis Presley on the cover.

Issues will be sent to subscribers of the 14 titles published by Condé Nast, which also publishes Vanity Fair.

Here is Vanity Fair’s list of the top 10 greatest soundtracks:
1. Purple Rain
2. A Hard Day’s Night
3. The Harder They Come
4. Pulp Fiction
5. The Graduate
6. Superfly
7. Trainspotting
8. Saturday Night Fever
9. American Graffiti
10. The Big Chill

To accompany the special magazine issue, Condé Nast is hosting a “Movies Rock” concert on Dec. 2 at Los Angeles’s Kodak Theatre, where the Academy Awards also take place.

Artists such as Elton John, Carrie Underwood, John Legend and Beyoncé will perform famous music from the movies.

The concert will be broadcast as a two-hour television special on CBS on Dec. 7.

Pop superstar PRINCE stunned fans at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland early on Tuesday morning (17Jul07) by making a last minute, late night concert appearance.

The singer/songwriter gave fans only a few hours to snap up tickets for the intimate show, during which he performed tracks from his new album Planet
Earth.

Lucky fans who were able to grab tickets for the sold out show were also treated to an acoustic version of classic track Little Red Corvette.
(KL/WN/GES)

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

Music industry bosses have slammed PRINCE’s plans to give away copies of his new album free in a U.K. newspaper, insisting the stunt “beggars belief.”

Bosses at Sony BMG U.K. have won an exemption from the terms of a new worldwide deal struck by the pop superstar and executives at the company’s mother label Columbia in the U.S. after learning Prince plans to release Planet Earth as a giveaway with Britain’s Mail on Sunday newspaper.

The Mail’s editors scored the coup after a series of meetings with Prince’s representatives. The 10-track album will now be released with editions of the newspaper later this month.

But Paul Quirk, co-chairman of the Entertainment Retailers Association, can’t understand why Prince is shunning a traditional release.

He says, “The Artist formerly known as Prince should know that with behaviour like this he will soon be the Artist Formerly Available in Record Stores.

“It is an insult to all those record stores who have supported Prince throughout his career.

“It is yet another example of the damaging covermount culture which is destroying any perception of value around recorded music.”

The practice of “covermounts” – where newspapers attempt to lure readers with DVDs and CDs – is now used widely in the industry.

The Mail on Sunday’s recent CD giveaways include Peter Gabriel, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, UB40 and Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells.

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

PRINCE cancelled plans to appear in an episode of THE SIMPSONS, because creator Matt Groening wouldn’t agree to a script written by the pop star’s chauffeur.

The Purple Rain hitmaker was set to follow Michael Jackson, Sir Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones, who have all made guest appearance on the animated hit. But pulled out of the show at the very last minute.

Groening tells the New York Daily News, “Prince wanted to do the show, so we wrote him a script. It didn’t work out, because his chauffeur had written a script too, and Prince wanted to use that one.”

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

PRINCE’s residency in Las Vegas is coming to a close – he’ll vacate the Rio hotel and casino at the end of the month.

The pop superstar, who has performed regularly at the Rio’s Club 3121 and hosted talent nights since last November, will make way for Latin America hotspot Coco Bongo’s carnival-style club vibe.

Coco Bongo is a big hit in Cancun, Mexico, and has been dubbed “a cross between Cirque du Soleil and (New York nightclub) Studio 54.”

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

British royals PRINCE WILLIAM and PRINCE HARRY could receive at least 10 million pounds (US$19.6 million) in compensation for their mother DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES’ tragic death.

Last month’s report into the car crash that killed the Princess, her lover DODI AL FAYED and their chauffeur HENRI PAUL has fuelled the possibility of civil compensation actions being taken to the French courts, where there is no upper limit for financial awards.

The bereaved family of Paul has reportedly spoken to lawyers about launching a civil compensation action to clear his name, and the Princes could be eligible for compensation for their mother’s untimely death.

STEPHANE COTTIN, chief registrar at France’s Constitutional Council, confirms, “Under article 1382 of France’s civil code, it is up to the judge to decide the level of compensation and there is no maximum limit.”

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

Funk superstar Prince is confirmed to perform at the Super Bowl this February, during the halftime show.

The announcement was made on CBS’ “NFL Today,” reports Reuters.

Only three days ago, Prince received five Grammy Awards nominations.

His performance comes after the Rolling Stones held the halftime slot for the big game earlier this year, and three years after Janet Jackson set off a continuing saga of useless bickering with her infamous “wardrobe malfunction.”

Here’s hoping for no problems with Prince’s outfit…

Prince wants people to party like it’s 1999 in Las Vegas nightclub 3121, which he plans to open next weekend in Las Vegas.

Dotmusic reports that the “Purple Rain” singer will relaunch the Rio hotel as a music venue that will play host to shows performed by him as well as acts signed to his record label, NPG.

3121 is the club located within the Rio and its website www.3121.com is currently urging visitors to buy their tickets to the event now. “Prince per4ming live at the all new Las Vegas 3121″ says a headline. “3121 has landed! Prince & The NPG have taken over and Vegas will never b the same!,” the site reads. “An amazing night of music in the only place on the planet where u can xperience it first hand, in an intimate venue now known 4 all time as 3121 LAS VEGAS.”

The site also features images of artists signed to NPG. Billboard reports that the promoters of Prince’s 2004 Musicology tour is also involved in 3121’s new direction.

Prince reportedly offered money to girls dancing at the Hollywood club Xenii to stop dancing, reports The Sun.

He told the scantily clad dancers he would pay them twice as much as they make to stop dancing.

“What would your parents think if they could see you now? It’s wrong to dance like that. You’re too good for this. You shouldn’t be selling yourself so cheap,” Prince reportedly said.

“He seemed seized by religious fervour. He lectured the girls as soon as he saw them on the podiums,” said a witness.

Prince became a Jehovah’s Witness several years ago.