MUSIC NEWS: TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016
TAYLOR SWIFT REPORTS FOR JURY DUTY
So that's why Taylor Swift was not at Sunday's M-T-V Video Music Awards -- she had jury duty in the morning. Swift showed up yesterday in Nashville as a potential juror in a case involving aggravated rape and kidnapping. A spokesman for the Davidson County District Attorney's office says Swift told the judge she was concerned about serving because she's involved in a trial in Denver regarding allegations that she was groped by a fan at a meet-and-greet. Swift said she was willing to serve on a jury in any other case. The judge thanked her and let her leave. Other potential jurors tweeted selfies taken with Swift while in the waiting area outside the courtroom.
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NO PAROLE FOR MARK DAVID CHAPMAN
John Lennon's killer has been denied parole for the ninth time. The Board of Parole for New York state announced Mark David Chapman will stay behind bars. He is serving a sentence of 20 years to life in Wende Correctional Facility in western New York. The board noted that Chapman describes Lennon's 1980 murder as ``selfish and evil.'' The board wrote his release would be ``incompatible with the welfare of society and would so deprecate that seriousness of the crime as to undermine respect for the law.''
Chapman was last denied parole in 2014. He can try again in 2018.
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VICTIM AT YOUNG JEEZY PARTY IDENTIFIED
Police have identified the man shot to death during a party hosted by Young Jeezy. Police say 34-year-old Demetrius McCloud of Norfolk, Virginia, was shot and killed during the party early Saturday at a nightclub in Virginia Beach. They have no suspects and no leads.
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KURT VILE BALANCES ROCK STARDOM WITH FAMILY
It's not easy being a family man in a touring band, but Kurt Vile of Kurt Vile and the Violators does it because he's a family man. Vile says he needs to support his family and he never could be a 9-to-5 guy. However, he says it would be insane to tour for a year straight, so he makes sure he builds time off into his touring schedule. Sometimes the tour can double as a vacation.
Vile says his family met him at the end of a tour in New Zealand and they got to hang out with wallabies.
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JUSTIN BIEBER IS BACK ON INSTAGRAM AND BACK OFF INSTAGRAM
Oops. Justin Bieber did not mean to reactivate his Instagram account. Bieber's Instagram briefly returned to public view yesterday but there was nothing new on it. However, he turned it off again and said on Twitter it was an accident. Bieber shut down his Instagram two weeks ago after Selena Gomez fans blasted him for posting photos with Sofia Richie, daughter of Lionel Richie and sister of Nicole Richie.
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PHARRELL WILLIAMS AND FATHER CREATE COOKING PRODUCTS
Pharrell Williams and his dad want to teach you how to cook like they do. Williams and his father, Pharaoh, have teamed with Dean and Deluca for a line of specialty products based on the Williams family recipes. Williams says his family is addicted to his dad's cooking and everyone hangs out to talk and eat in the kitchen. The product line will be called ``The Williams Family Kitchen.'' It will be out in the spring.
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MIRANDA LAMBERT WILL GET MERLE HAGGARD SPIRIT AWARD
The Academy of Country Music has decided Miranda Lambert has the same feistiness as Merle Haggard. Lambert will be the first recipient of the new A-C-M Merle Haggard Spirit Award during the A-C-M Honors. The award was created to honour artists who are as uncompromising as Haggard was. Lambert is one of the performers for the A-C-M Honors, along with Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Cam, Toby Keith, Alicia Keys, Maren Morris, Blake Shelton, Cole Swindell , Keith Urban, Chris Young, Dan and Shay, The Band Perry and hosts Lady Antebellum. The A-C-M Honors will tape tonight in Nashville and run on CBS on September 9th.
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HUSBAND OF HEART SINGER ANN WILSON ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT
Ann Wilson's husband, Dean Wetter, has been busted. The Seattle Times reports the arrest was in connection with an incident involving the 16-year-old twin sons of her sister, Nancy Wilson. Court documents say Curtis and William Crowe _ the sons of film director Cameron Crowe _ were watching their mother and aunt perform Friday and wanted to look inside Ann Wilson's tour bus. The documents say Wetter started yelling after they left the door open.
He's accused of grabbing the throats of the teens. Wetter is scheduled to appear in court again tomorrow.
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KELLY CLARKSON NAMES GRAND MARSHAL FOR NASHVILLE PARADE
While the rest of the country is thinking to the beginning of school, Kelly Clarkson is thinking about the beginning of the holiday season. Clarkson has been named the grand marshal for the Nashville Christmas Parade. She says she could not be more proud. The parade is set for December 3rd.
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(The Associated Press)
