Ariana Grande Hit With Copyright Suit Over ‘7 Rings’
Ariana Grande was sued on Thursday by a hip-hop artist who claims she ripped off the chorus of his song for her hit “7 Rings.”
Josh Stone, who performs as DOT, wrote and recorded “You Need I Got It” in 2017. He alleges that he took the song to music industry executives, including producer Tommy Brown, who has worked extensively with Grande.
The suit accuses Brown of lifting key elements of Stone’s song for Grande’s “7 Rings.” Grande’s song includes the repeating line: “I Want It, I Got It. I Want It, I Got It.” While Stone’s song has the refrain: “You Need It, I Got It. You Want It, I Got It.”
The suit, filed in New York federal court by attorney Tamir Young, alleges that two forensic musicologists have analyzed the choruses of each song and found the rhythm and notes to be substantially similar as well.
“Literally, every single one of the 39 respective notes of ‘7 Rings’ is identical with the 39 notes of ‘I Got It’ from a metrical placement perspective,” the suit alleges. “Said another way, the rhythm and placement of the notes and lyrics are identical.”
According to the suit, “7 Rings” has already netted more than $10 million in revenue. Grande is set to perform at the Grammy Awards next week, and is up for five awards, including two for “7 Rings.”
The suit names Universal Music Corp. along with many other defendants.
Grande’s label did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
Music copyright suits have become a hot-button issue in the industry since the 2015 “Blurred Lines” verdict. Last year, a jury found that Katy Perry had stolen a riff from Flame, a little-known Christian rapper.
Case 1:20-cv-00441 Document 1 Filed 01/16/20 Page 1 of 17 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK _____________________________________________ Josh Stone, COMPLAINT Plaintiff, -against- File No. 20-cv-441 Ariana Grande, Thomas Lee Brown, Taylor Monet Parks, Kimberly Anne Krysiuk, Victoria Monet McCants, Charles Michael Anderson, Michael David Foster, Njomza Vitia, BMG Rights Management US LLC, Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., Kobalt Songs Music Publishing, The Royalty Network Inc., Universal Music Corporation, Concord Music Group, Inc. Demand for Jury Trial Defendants. _____________________________________________ Plaintiff, by and through his attorneys, STUDIN YOUNG PC, alleges as follows: PRELIMINARY STATEMENT 1. Ariana Grande is a world-famous singer/songwriter. Her recent hit song “7 RINGS,” released on January 18, 2019, is a worldwide juggernaut that reached #1 on weekly song charts in 23 countries during 2019, and 7 RINGS was recently nominated for multiple Grammy Awards including “Record of the Year.” 2. By all accounts, 7 RINGS is a huge commercial success and has generated (and continues to generate) millions of dollars. Indeed, 7 RINGS broke records for the most streams in 24 hours on Spotify and its official video has been viewed over 642 million times just on YouTube alone. 3. And by every method of analysis, 7 RINGS is a forgery – plagiarized from Plaintiff Josh Stone who wrote, recorded and published the nearly identical original work “You Need It, I Got It” (hereafter, “I GOT IT”) approximately two years earlier.
Article via Variety
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Trump warns Iranian supreme leader who called him a ‘clown’ to be ‘very careful with his words’
President Donald Trump fired back Friday evening at Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who earlier had mocked him as a “clown” – then in a subsequent tweet Trump said Iran’s leaders “should abandon terror and Make Iran Great Again!”
“The so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ of Iran, who has not been so Supreme lately, had some nasty things to say about the United States and Europe,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Their economy is crashing, and their people are suffering. He should be very careful with his words!”
Trump tweeted hours after Khamenei called him a “clown” who will “push a poisonous dagger” into Iran’s back.
In a rare public address as he led Friday prayers in Tehran, Khamenei also defended Iran’s military after it mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane.
Khamenei also condemned Trump and the U.S. for the deadly drone strike against a top Iranian general.
“The villainous U.S. government repeatedly says that they are standing by the Iranian people. They lie,” Khamenei said. “If you are standing with the Iranian people, it is only to stab them in the heart with their venomous daggers.”
In another post Friday evening, Trump later tweeted a message to Iranian citizens, including a riff on his 2016 campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
“The noble people of Iran—who love America—deserve a government that’s more interested in helping them achieve their dreams than killing them for demanding respect,” he said. “Instead of leading Iran toward ruin, its leaders should abandon terror and Make Iran Great Again!”
Trump also tweeted out that message in Farsi.
Article via USAToday
Central New York child dies of flu, third confirmed death in New York State
One Central New York child has died of the flu, according to the New York State Department of Health.
This is the third confirmed pediatric flu death in New York State. Two other deaths were confirmed in Western New York.
ELATED | Oswego County flu numbers increase by more than half in one week
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For more information, visit the New York State Department of Health website.
Article via CNYCCentral
Rihanna and Boyfriend Hassan Jameel Split After 3 Years Together
Alexa, play “Man Down” by Rihanna.
After three years together, it seems that the 31-year-old singer and fashion designer has called it quits with her boyfriend, businessman Hassan Jameel. A source confirmed to E! News on Friday that the low-key pair were going their separate ways.
The couple’s relationship first made headline after a picture of the two getting hot and heavy in Spain began making rounds on social media back in 2017.
Since then, Rihanna has kept her romance with Jameel private but only recently began to open up more about her relationship and how she felt about her beau. The “Love on the Brain” singer got candid about marriage, kids and falling in love with her former boyfriend in June 2019.
In a conversation with Ocean’s 8 co-star Sarah Paulson in Interview magazine, Rihanna shared more details about her personal life and how she prioritized her relationship amid her busy work schedule.
“It’s only the last couple years that I started to realize that you need to make time for yourself, because your mental health depends on it,” Rihanna told Paulson at the time. “If you’re not happy, you’re not going to be happy even doing things that you love doing. It’d feel like a chore. I never want work to feel like a chore. My career is my purpose, and it should never feel like anything other than a happy place.”
She added, “I got into a new relationship, and it matters to me. It was like, ‘I need to make time for this.’ Just like I nurture my businesses, I need to nurture this as well. I’ll shut things down for two days, three days at a time. On my calendar we now have the infamous ‘P,’ which means personal days. This is a new thing.”
In August of last year, Rihanna’s mother and one of her brothers stepped out with the happy couple for dinner at a restaurant in Santa Monica, Calif., proving that things were seemingly getting serious with the two.
Previously, the couple had been spotted celebrating the Fenty Beauty founder’s birthday at a Los Angeles Lakers game in Los Angeles. In 2018, the two were also seen attending a Grammys after-party at 1Oak in New York.
In 2017, the year their romance was made public, the two spent some time together in London.
Us Weekly was first to report the news
Article via EOnline
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Jury selected for Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial
Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault trial in New York now has a jury. The 12-person panel, consisting of seven men and five women, was seated Friday. The disgraced movie mogul is accused of raping a woman in 2013, and sexually assaulting another woman in 2006. Weinstein denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty. Attorney Jesse Weber joined CBSN with more.
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Martha Stewart Slams “Irritating” Gwyneth Paltrow Goop Products
Lieberman/FilmMagic
Gwyneth Paltrow released a candle that smells like her vagina, and Martha Stewarthas some thoughts.
During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Stewart was asked by a caller to comment on Goop‘s new candle scent, “This Smells Like My Vagina” (which, somehow unsurprisingly, has already sold out). Given that Stewart basically written the book on running a successful, longterm lifestyle brand, it’s a fitting question. And to no one’s surprise, she’s not impressed by the candle.
“I’m sure it sold out,” Stewart said to Andy Cohen of the $75 product. “She does that kind of irritatingly—she’s trying to zhuzh up the public to listen to her and that’s great. Let her do her thing.”
Sure, she said live and let live in response to the interesting scent, but would she burn it in her own home? As she hilariously admitted, “I wouldn’t buy that candle.”
Chimed in Cohen, “So, to be clear, you don’t want a candle that smells like Gwyneth Paltrow’s vagina?”
“Not necessarily,” Stewart teased.
As the host continued, “What does it say about America that the candle is now sold out?”
In response, Stewart said, “I think it’s not America. I think it’s a lot of guys who are horny.”
Karlie Kloss appeared on the Bravo show alongside Stewart. And she also had a hot topic issue to address in the interview.
Unable to remain mum, Cohen asked Kloss about that viral moment on Project Runway where a contestant shaded the supermodel by saying, “Not even to dinner with the Kushners?“
As the star (who is married to Joshua Kushner, Jared Kushner‘s brother) said, “Well, listen, I was honored to be one of the first memes of the decade. Honestly, the real tragedy of this whole thing is that nobody is talking about how terrible that dress was! That’s why he went home! And no, I would not wear that dress to any dinner.”
Not even if the host had a vagina-scented candle.
Article via EOnline
Little Fires Everywhere
Hulu’s adaptation of “Little Fires Everywhere” is already sparking interest. That, of course, is inevitable with a cast that includes Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. But the first trailer, which was released on Friday, has bolstered anticipation for the drama, which premieres in March.
On the show, Witherspoon and Washington team up in roles that have them exploring two different sides of life in a town set in Ohio and the common ground of motherhood.
Those familiar with the Celeste Ng book on which it is based, however, know the tale has many more layers than that, making for an intriguing ride. Witherspoon and Washington are both executive producers on the show, which was created by Liz Tigelaar. Witherspoon, who also produced HBO’s Emmy-winning “Big Little Lies,” said she’d been searching for a project to partner with Washington on for “a long time.”
The book’s complex themes demanded a partner who could both handle that material with the care it demanded and someone who could deliver a powerful on-screen performance.
“My first instinct is who’s actually gonna show up and do the work? Because this is a lot of work,” Witherspoon said. “[Washington] brings a grace to it, an intellectual aspect to it, and she deepens the conversation.
And I knew that I wanted to go on this journey with her, especially because she read it so quickly and responded so quickly to the role.”The show debuts March 18.
Article via CNN
Fyre Festival’s Blowjob Guy Is Now a Face of Evian Water
We met Andy King as a part of the fiasco that was the Fyre Festival. You may remember that was the Instagram influencer-fronted music festival that famously failed. It did so poorly that there were two documentaries created delving into the whole fiasco. One of those films was FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened on Netflix and in that, Andy King, an event producer quickly became a star, if for no other reason than being willing to suck dick for $175,000 worth of water.
Yeah. An icon.
The issue was essentially that festival goers had arrived on the island and were stranded with very little provisions. Four eighteen-wheeler trucks were filled with $175,000 worth of Evian water that were being detained in customs and someone asked King to take one for the team and get them out. By take one for the team, we mean suck a dick.
According to King, Fyre Media founder and CEO Billy McFarland asked him to suck the dick of the head of customs in order to get the job done.
“I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh… I’m really’ — and I got into my car to drive across the island to take one for the team and I got to his office fully prepared to suck his dick,” King recounted in the movie. Thankfully he didn’t have to, but now he’s got something better: a deal with Evian.
“One year ago, I shared with the world my willingness to ‘take one for the team’ to bring Evian to thirsty festival-goers… and unexpectedly became an internet sensation overnight,” King said in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE. “On the first anniversary, Evian is dropping a special bottle with an all-new slogan in honor of my infamous team spirit.”
“As a long-time Evian fan — of both the water itself and the brand’s sustainable practices — I could not be more thrilled!”
Talk about making lemonade out of lemons.
Article via Out
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‘I don’t care about none of y’all little kids’; school bus driver suspended as screaming goes viral
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WSOC/CNN) — A North Carolina school bus driver was suspended from her job after she was caught on camera yelling at the students on board.
The video comes from Kannapolis City and you can hear the bus driver screaming at the students. At one point she can be heard saying, “I don’t care about none of y’all little kids.”
The video was taken by Julia Jackson’s 13-year-old son. Jackson said her son called her after the bus got a flat tire and they were stuck on the side of the road.
“I heard screaming in the background,” Jackson said. “I was just like hang up and record everything.”
And that’s what her son did.
Jackson said she was worried for all the children including how her son would react.
“My son has certain disabilities, ADHS, ODD, and bipolar. I said, ‘Well how are you feeling?’ And he said, ‘I’m scared,’” Jackson said.
The school district released this statement:
“The behavior of the bus driver shown on the video is very upsetting and not acceptable at all. No one should speak to children like that. We suspended the bus driver the moment we saw the video.”
Jackson said she understands kids can be rowdy but she called what happened on the bus unacceptable.
“You could tell them to hush, or you can step off the bus and call you administrator and say they’re being too much. I need somebody to hurry up. This is crazy. You don’t handle other people’s children that way,” Jackson said.
School administration said they don’t know what led up to the driver’s outburst and they are working on her dismissal.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Student Dies After Mistakenly Being Shot by Friend at Texas High School
A 16-year-old student mistakenly shot his friend in their Houston-area high school’s ROTC room before fleeing and being arrested several hours later, officials said Wednesday.
The two were in a room at Bellaire High School with four other students but no adult Tuesday afternoon when the 16-year-old took a semi-automatic pistol out of his waistband and pulled the trigger, killing 19-year-old Cesar Cortes, said Lt. Greg Bartlett.
The suspect, whose name wasn’t released, fled the scene after the shooting and was arrested about 3 1/2 hours later, authorities said. He was charged as a minor with manslaughter, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
District Attorney Kim Ogg said that based on evidence gathered so far, the shooting does not appear to have been intentional. She said the students were part of the school’s ROTC program and that there’s no indication that they’d been fighting before the shooting.
“They were friendly. They were friends,” Ogg said. “Pulling a trigger on a gun, whether you know if it’s loaded or not, is an intentional act. But he did not, based on the evidence we have right now, intend to kill his friend.”
Bartlett said that the shooter confessed to other students but has not admitted guilt to the police nor helped in their investigation.
Authorities are still looking for the gun, which Bartlett said the student brought from home. It was not school property nor issued by the ROTC, he said.
“This is a regular kid, evidently, who is now a violent offender,” Ogg said of the shooter. “Whether he meant to be violent or not, he killed somebody. And that somebody was a son, and a student, and a friend, and it’s our community’s collective loss.”
Police said they received a call about the shooting at around 4 p.m. and that the victim died later at a hospital.
The district canceled classes Wednesday, but they will resume Thursday with additional police officers patrolling campus, Grenita Lathan, the interim superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, said in a statement. __
This story has been corrected to reflect that the student killed was 19, not 16.__Bleiberg reported from Dallas. AP staff writer Nomaan Merchant contributed reporting from Bellaire, Texas.
Photo Credit: ktla.com