JENNIFER LOPEZ TO APPEAR AT WORLD CUP
NEW YORK (AP) — Remember the story you heard the other day about Jennifer Lopez not going to perform at the opening of the World Cup? Forget it. J-Lo herself says she is headed to Sao Paulo for the opening events of the world soccer tournament. In an interview with The Associated Press she said she planned to leave last night — and will be on hand for tomorrow’s opening ceremony. As for the talk from event organizers that she had pulled out? She says she and her crew “were always going.” She blamed the premature announcement on anxiety from World Cup officials — who believed she couldn’t make it there in time. Lopez will perform with rapper Pitbull and Brazilian star Claudia Leitte. Some Brazilians are upset that the official tune “We Are One (Ole Ola)” isn’t being done by native singers, since the games are in Brazil.
ALLEGED MILEY CYRUS THIEVES ENTER PLEAS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The two people accused of stealing Miley Cyrus’ Maserati have pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say 19-year-old Tylor Scott and 21-year-old Naomi Charles are charged with breaking into Cyrus’ house in Los Angeles last month. Authorities say the pair took the car as well as jewelry, purses and clothes. They are due in court next week.
BRUNO MARS TO PERFORM AT MUHAMMAD ALI CONCERT
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Bruno Mars wasn’t even born yet when Muhammad Ali defeated George Foreman for the heavyweight boxing crown 40 years ago. But the singer will be part of a tribute show tied to that sporting event. He will perform at a concert set for September 20 in Louisville, Kentucky — the hometown of the three-time champ. The show will air by satellite in Kinshasa — the capital of the country known as Zaire back in 1974.
a-ha SINGER MORTEN HARKET ON THE ENVIRONMENT
LONDON (AP) — The singer for a-ha is known as an environmentalist. But Morten Harket says the way he sees it, everyone should be carrying that label. He says there’s really no other choice if the planet is to survive. As he put it, “Nature doesn’t need us. We depend 100 percent on nature. Without it, we are dead.” At the same time, he says no one around these days is in position to do much to turn around the damage being done to the planet. He notes that while people like him talk about environmental issues, he still has to fly in planes and be driven around in vehicles — because that’s how the world is. Harket says he doesn’t make a big show about his beliefs because he fears being criticized if, say he separates his household trash or puts solar panels on his house — then is seen hopping a jet for a performance. He says the changes have to happen on a political level, not an individual level.
EMINEM EARNS A SECOND DIGITAL SINGLE DIAMOND AWARD
WASHINGTON (AP) — Eminem has become the first artist to win two Digital Single Diamond Awards from the Recording Industry Association of America. He was given the award for more than 10 million in digital sales for “Not Afraid.” He already had one with Rihanna for “Love The Way You Lie.” Eminem has a lot of Diamonds now. He had already earned Diamond Awards for sales of more than 10 million for “The Marshall Mathers LP” and for “The Eminem Show.”
WORLD CUP AND MUSIC
NEW YORK (AP) — Companies that want to promote themselves during the World Cup are finding it’s not as easy as forking over big dollars to buy a spot on an event like the Super Bowl. For one thing, soccer has few commercial breaks — and is global, so the ads have to translate across cultures. So, music is often used as a bridge. Dannon’s Activa yogurt signed on Shakira to update her 2010 World Cup song “Waka Waka” — to one that sounds more Brazilian. Janelle Monae did a soccer-themed ad for Pepsi. And Coca-Cola did a song called “The World Is Ours” recorded in English, but covered it with 32 local versions.
by Ana Kley