Robert Downey Jr - Downey Jr Addicted To Sherlock Holmes

Hollywood doer ROBERT DOWNEY JR. has turned his back on wild partying - his ideal night of entertainment is in front of the TV watching old episodes of THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES.

The Iron Man star is set to play the fictional detective in a new cinema adaptation by Madonna's film director husband Guy Ritchie.

And he is researching the part by watching the classic British show - adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories.

He says, "I'm done with the whole hellraising days - I prefer to outride home these days and watch old re-runs."

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Top jazz saxophonist Griffin dies in France at 80

PARIS —

Jazz saxist Johnny Griffin, who played with America's greats from Thelonious Monk to Lionel Hampton simply chose to live in France, died hours before a concert, his agent said Saturday. He was 80.

Griffin, whose career spanned more than a half-century, was establish dead Friday morning in the euphony room of his home in Mauprevoir in western France by his married woman Miriam, aforementioned Helene Manfredi, his factor for 28 years. The exact cause of death was not clear.

Griffin, world Health Organization had played in the Riviera ithiel Town of Hyeres on Monday, was to give a concert Friday night in the key Cher region.

A Chicago native, the diminutive Griffin took up the sax early on, finally preferring the tenor saxophone and pickings on the nickname "the Little Giant" for the big sounds he blew out of the instrument at breakneck speed.

Born April 24, 1928, Griffin got an early start at Chicago's Du Sable High School where Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington and other greats grew into their music. He gradational then toured with Hampton's big band. After 2 years in the army, he played in Chicago and New York, gaining a national reputation with his hard-bop improvisations. In the late 1950s, he played with Art Blakey and Monk.

In the early 1960s, the sax overlord moved to France where a compendium of jazz artists was gathering. He then hopscotched to the Netherlands and back to France. He toured Europe, keeping up the stride even in his final years with recent concerts in Spain, Portugal and Tunisia, his agent said.

Griffin's 1958 album "A Blowing Session," a hard federal Bureau of Prisons jam session with John Coltrane, drummer Art Blakey and others, remains among his signature works.

Griffin is survived by his wife Miriam and four children, one of whom lives in France and the others in the United States.

Funeral services were scheduled for Tuesday at the Poitiers Crematorium, Manfredi said.

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Lindsay Lohan Glams Up In Louis Vuitton

Lindsay Lohan has glammed it up in a new photo shoot for the latest edition of Britain’s Arena magazine, wearing an outfit from the the Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer collection. Check out the photo’s by clicking ‘read more.’




Photos courtesy of Arena magazine.

Swizz Beatz Denies Keys Was Involved In Marriage Break-up

Hip-hop producer SWIZZ BEATZ has dismissed rumours an affair with ALICIA KEYS put an end to his four-year marriage, blaming the media for creating unnecessary "drama".
The beatmaker - real name Kaseem Dean - announced he and his R+B singer wife Mashonda were splitting in April (08).
Rumours have since surfaced online suggesting Keys was involved in the break-up, but Swizz insists that is far from the truth.
He tells MTV.com, "That s**t just looks like drama. They got another big name involved. Only thing I'm commenting on is music-related. I don't comment on my personal life. Why start now? You start commenting on that s**t, then they start twisting it out. I'm not gonna speak about nothing.
"I'm not hiding anything. I can see if I was hiding something. I'm a grown man. Nobody is living no perfect life... Nobody wants to look at that s**t. They wanna look at Alicia Keys. That s**t is ignorant."
And Swizz has further played down reports of a rift between him and his ex by revealing they are still on good terms.
He adds, "My divorce, it ain't nothing bad. It's just us moving on. Me and Shonda are super good. It is what it is. (The press) are nine months late on the situation. It's a headache to me. We been separated nine or 10 months already."

Josh Kelley

   
Artist: Josh Kelley

   Genre(s): 
Rock
   

---

Discography:


   
 Just Say The Word

   Year: 2005   
Tracks: 12

---

Count Josh Kelley a fan of Napster. The Augusta, GA, aboriginal was penning songs on the side as a scholar at the University of Mississippi, and in a happy Internet accident, some Napstered MP3s of his work made their way to an A&R rep for Hollywood Records. Kelley eventually sign-language with the tag, and his debut album, For the Ride Home, appeared in June 2003. It took for a while for it to build up steam clean, merely finally listeners starting responding to Kelley's amiable, John Mayer-ish sound. "Awful" did good as a single, landing on the soundtrack to the Kate Hudson romanticist funniness Raising Helen and circumstance up a February 2004 re-release of For the Ride Home that included a incentive disk with acoustic performances and deuce unreleased songs. Kelley returned in August 2005 with Almost Honest. It featured the single "Entirely You," which he co-wrote with pop hitmakers the Matrix. Just Say the Word followed in 2006.





Lionel Hampton and Stan Getz

Lost star Lilly signs perfume deal

'Lost' star Evangeline Lilly has agreed a deal to become the face of a new perfume ad campaign.
E! Online reports that Coty has signed up Lilly for its new Cool Water Woman ad campaign.
Commenting on Cool Water Woman, Lilly said it "definitely represents the juxtaposition between purity and sensuality, and there's that sort of fresh newness. On top of it, there's strength that's underneath it all, that is where sensuality comes from - versus just pure sexiness".
The ads featuring 28-year-old Lilly will debut in July; she has previously modelled for Michelle K footwear and rug-maker Karastan.
Last year Lilly's 'Lost' co-star, Josh Holloway (Sawyer), signed a deal to be the face of Coty's men's fragrance.
For more on 'Lost', click here.

Sarah Jessica Parker - Parker Tried To Quit Sex And The City

Actress SARAH JESSICA PARKER begged her agent to terminate her SEX AND THE CITY contract after signing up for the role.

The star was enjoying life dipping in and out of various New York projects and baulked at the prospect of being tied to a TV show for an entire series.

Her anxiety reached such a critical point, she called her agent in a panic and urged him to talk Sex And The City bosses out of recruiting her.

She says, "I had a wonderful life in New York. I was doing theatre and movies, had plenty of free time and regularly saw my friends - so I was in a panic when I was told that I'd need to be around for regular filming.

"No one could calm me down. I kept thinking, 'What can I do to escape?' I'd call my agent, begging, 'You have to get me out of this. I don't care what it takes. Even if I'm broke on the street, I can't do Sex And The City as a series.'"

However, she's relieved she didn't act on her irrational fears, following the show's phenomenal success.

She adds, "The result, of course, is that they got me on the set for the first day and I never looked back."

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Hybrid

   
Artist: Hybrid

   Genre(s): 
House
   Breakbeat
   Electronic
   Trance
   House
   Breakbeat
   Electronic
   Trance
   

---

Discography:


   
 Remixed (cd2)

   Year: 2007   
Tracks: 7


   
 Remixed (cd1)

   Year: 2007   
Tracks: 9


   
 Last Man Standing / Until Tomorrow (Remixes)

   Year: 2007   
Tracks: 2


   
 I Choose Noise

   Year: 2006   
Tracks: 11


   
 !DJ Sets

   Year: 2005   
Tracks: 7


   
 Y4K

   Year: 2004   
Tracks: 13


   
 I'm Still Awake

   Year: 2004   
Tracks: 6


   
 Hybrid Group Live On Radio Dinamit FM-Cable-25-09

   Year: 2004   
Tracks: 1


   
 Morning Sci-Fi

   Year: 2003   
Tracks: 12


   
 Gravastar (incl Celebrity Science) CDS

   Year: 2002   
Tracks: 2


   
 Device

   Year: 2001   
Tracks: 10


   
 Additional Production

   Year: 2001   
Tracks: 9


   
 Wide Angle

   Year: 2000   
Tracks: 13


   
 JJJ Mixup Live 26.02.2000

   Year: 2000   
Tracks: 1

---

Hybrid is a 3 of remixers based in the Welsh metropolis of Swansea: Mike Truman, Chris Healings, and Lee Mullin. Meeting patch sledding to clubs in the early '90s, the triplet made their have remixes of recordings, finally earning assignments from record companies to prosecute their by-line professionally. Finally, they were sign-language to Distinct'ive Records and embarked on making an challenging first base record album, Full Angle, in Moscow, using such talents as singer Julee Cruise and the 90-piece Russian Federal Orchestra. "Finished Symphony," which reached the U.K. singles charts in July 1999, featured the orchestra. It was followed into the charts in September by "If I Survive," featuring Cruise on vocals, and by Wide Angle itself. Picked up for departure in the U.S. by Kinetic (distributed by Reprise, a division of major label Warner Records), Wide Angle was reconfigured for its American show in September 2000. The mathematical group then served as the first step play on Moby's U.S. hitch that same fall. A host of uncut material followed during the next ternary days, including deuce volumes of the digest serial Remix and Additional Production By as well as the shuffle album Y4K. The proper studio follow-up to Broad Angle, Morning Sci-Fi, followed in 2003.

'Hottest MCs In The Game': Should Lil Wayne Be #1 Again?

Just a few more days. The new "Hottest MCs in the Game" list will be revealed Friday at 10 p.m. on MTV.

Since we announced the epic extravaganza, tens of thousands of hip-hop fans have responded online, saying what they expect. Many fans have sent in their own lists, and some artists are even chiming in with who they think should be on the list. Obviously, last year's champ is Lil Wayne. His popularity has probably doubled since 2007 — as has his workload.

Wayne's in-demand status hasn't waned at all, with monumental guest spots on records like "Duffle Bag Boy," and his own "Lollipop" went to the top of Billboard's Hot 100. And while he's maintained a successful recipe with his words and how he delivers them, Weezy — hip-hop's ultimate rock star — has one gaping hole on his résumé: no album. Tha Carter III was pushed back from February to May and is now slated for June 10. So here's one of the biggest questions MTV's Hip-Hop Brain Trust posed: Can the Birdman Jr. be #1 two years in a row without an album?

He obviously has enough material out in the marketplace to equal an album's worth of work. The delay of Tha Carter III is hurting Weezy's anticipation factor. The LP will undoubtedly be #1 for a couple of weeks when it drops. Still, will the Brain Trust think he needs a complete body of work to tie it all together to be the Hottest MC once again? Well, only the experts know for sure. However, some of Weezy's peers are having their say right now.

"He's the hottest rapper in the game," said Lloyd, who worked with Weezy on the new single "Girls Around the World." "He's my favorite by far, and I feel he's earned his spot. He's versatile."

"What makes Wayne a great MC is that he has no boundaries," Chris Brown said of his favorite MC. "He's limitless to what he wants to do. He doesn't say, 'This image is gonna mess me up if I do this record. If I sing, it's gonna make me soft.' He don't care about it — even with 'Lollipop.' That's my homie, but I was like, 'I don't wanna hear Wayne sing.' But when you hear the record, it ain't about the singing; it's about the song, how good it feels. It's a dope record to me. Him and Kanye are probably the two that's on top of their game right now as far as creativity. Kanye is one of those big, big minds of the future, and Wayne is one of those MCs that's gonna be here forever. He was here since he was 9 rapping."

"Lil Wayne is definitely the best rapper in the game," DJ Khaled agreed. "His lyrical techniques and his style is so amazing, but also his work ethic is amazing too. You got to work hard to be #1. His music backs it up, and his work ethic backs it up. He's just amazing. He takes it to a whole other level. He gave you that 'Lollipop' because he could do that rap stuff all day and eat it. So he took it to another global level. I look up to Lil Wayne. He's an inspiration of mine."

But Wayne maintaining the #1 position isn't as clear-cut as Khaled's comments might have you believe.

"Sure, people were feeling him, but those were his performances on someone else's record," 50 Cent argued. "Now, a good rapper, you want me to tell you a couple of good rappers? Jae Millz. You can go to Philly, you got Reed Dollaz, Chic Raw. It's a bunch of them. ... It's a whole bunch of dope rappers, man. It's just, are they good songwriters? Do they have the presentation to present to the public that's going to make them buy into them? As far as having a talented rapper, they could match [Wayne], in my head, personally. Like every guy I mentioned is an underground rapper right now. They're as entertaining to me as Lil Wayne is. He's been groomed in a way. He's been made for it. He's been raised in hip-hop, since he was 12 years old. So I expect him to be something special."

Even Khaled can't definitely say that Weezy is ahead of another Southern general.

"Ricky Ross is another number-one MC of mine," Khaled added. "Not just because he's my brother and he's a part of the movement, but you've seen his growth. Me, I've seen it already, but the people have got to see his growth through Port of Miami to his new album, Trilla, and doing records with me. Rick Ross is ahead of his time. Before he got his deal, he was ahead of his time musically. He was always rapping. He's from the South, but he could rap. He's just amazing, man. His swagger is crazy. He's the boss. ... I'm going to be real with you. Rest in peace to Biggie, rest in peace to 'Pac. [They're] legends, number-one MCs — Rick Ross is one of them dudes. I know it's hard for people to [believe], because the people I named are such legends, but I got to keep it real. [Ross] is one of them dudes."

If Jermaine Dupri had to vote right now, he'd be going with half of Outkast. "I don't know my full top 10, but I feel like Andre 3000 is #1 right now, because every time he puts a verse out, it's crazy. I think you want more! And to me, that is what rap is about — to hear somebody keep growing. Every time I hear him, it's like, 'Wow. What do he be doing?' "

Then, of course, you have most MCs who feel they should be #1.

"Cash Money been doing their thing," Webby said, before declaring his candidacy for the top spot. "Wayne, Birdman been doing them. You know, if you hot — I'm hot! If I was you, I probably wouldn't even touch me right now. You'd burn your fingers. I said, if I was you, when you see me, I probably wouldn't touch me because you'd probably burn your mutha----in' fingers. I'm hot, believe that. That's how I feel. I'm on f---ing fire. I'll set your house on fire when I step in your living room. Believe that. You think I'm playing. ... I ain't used a lighter in so f---ing long, it don't make no f---ing sense. I'm on fire!"

(While you're waiting for the 2008 "Hottest MCs in the Game," check out everything "Hottest-MCs"-related!)

"The Hottest MCs in the Game" airs on MTV at 10 p.m. Friday, May 16. Vote on who you think is #1 at the Newsroom blog — and submit your own top-10 list below!






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Uwe Boll sees 'Postal' disservice

Says theaters snubbed his black comedy over politics

Controversy magnet Uwe Boll says "political correctness" among the big theater circuits doomed his quest for a wide release on "Postal," a farcical black comedy with references to Sept. 11, President Bush and Osama bin Laden.


Originally targeted for up to 1,500 playdates, it now appears the film will unspool Friday in just 13-15 locations, with distribution limited to New York, Los Angeles and a half-dozen or so other markets.


"This is for me very disappointing, to be honest," Boll said Wednesday. "They don't like the political content. This is my personal feeling after trying for four or five weeks to get the distributors to book it. It's a ruthless comedy and makes jokes about Sept. 11 and all kinds of stuff, but at the same time I feel like it's my best-received movie so far."


A spokesman for the AMC theater chain said, "We carefully evaluate the movies that we choose to play in our theaters and elected not to put this film in our theaters because we feel is does not have potential for commercial success in the U.S."


To date, Boll has been identified mostly with horror films disparaged for low production values and high gore content. The German-born Vancouver resident said he was pleased with the audience reaction to "Postal" at screenings at festivals in Toronto, Montreal, San Francisco and elsewhere.


"People were laughing their asses off," he said. "It works very well for the young male audience. It's a Monty Python kind of comedy, and I think that kind of product is missing right now because of political correctness."


Actual reviews of the film are quite another matter, however, with RottenTomatoes.com listing the film with just 33% positive reviews to date.


Boll is self-distributing "Postal" through his North American company Event Film. Vivendi Entertainment holds ancillary rights to DVD and other post-theatrical windows on the film.

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Susan Sarandon - Sarandon Rules Out Botox

Veteran Hollywood actress SUSAN SARANDON never wants to have surgery - because she is scared of it.

The 61-year-old Pretty Baby star insists she hates the thought of having Botox because the facial immobility caused by the treatment would be detrimental to her acting career.

But Sarandon has not ruled out surgery entirely - insisting she may need to "tighten things up" when she reaches her 62nd birthday.

She says, "Well you know my feeling on Botox, and it's not good for my job to not be able to move my forehead, and you can see my lines anyway. I haven't had surgery either, because I'm afraid of it.

There are so many girls starting to look alike and so far, I've got away with it. But that doesn't mean I won't at some point.

"I'm not ruling out a little surgery around the jaw just to tighten things up, because I'm going to be 62 soon. But it's very frightening and I haven't really had the time to do it."

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Jackson Loan Deal Sparks Vegas Show Rumours

Rumours about a possible MICHAEL JACKSON Las Vegas spectacular have hit fever pitch after revelations the loan on the pop superstar's Neverland Ranch home has been bought by a Sin City heavyweight.

Jackson prevented a foreclosure sale on his sprawling Santa Barbara ranch earlier this month (May08) when New York-based private equity group Colony Capital agreed to take over his debt on the property.

But Michael Politz, the editor of website TheVegasEye.com, suggests there may be more to the deal than meets the eye, after revealing Colony Capital's founder, Tom Barrack Jr., also owns the Las Vegas Hilton.

Vegas insider Politz says, "Connect the dots... An affiliate of the company that owns the Hilton agreed to hold the $23.5 million loan it acquired from Fortress Investment Group while it negotiates payment terms (with Jackson).

"And Jackson confirmed he is in discussions with Colony and its founder, Tom Barrack Jr., with regard to the ranch and other matters. I wonder what they're negotiating about. Could it be a show?

"Are we correct in saying that Michael Jackson will sing and dance in the showroom of his former father-in-law, Elvis Presley?"

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'Sex And The City' Fun Facts: Chris Noth Got Lucky, Carrie Had No Tutu And More Revelations From Darren Star

Ten years ago, "Sex and the City" was an anthology of Candace Bushnell's columns from the New York Observer newspaper. When the rights were purchased for a mere $50,000 by the creator of "Beverly Hills, 90210," the concept was developed to run on a pay-cable channel whose biggest previous hit had been "The Larry Sanders Show." It would star an actress whose career had sunken to barely released flicks like "If Lucy Fell," another best remembered for the 1987 hit "Mannequin," an actress booted off "Melrose Place" after only one year and a struggling former child star.

Now, its unlikely journey has made "Sex and the City" a summer blockbuster competing with Hollywood's biggest heroes.

"Carrie Bradshaw is 'Indiana Jones' for the female audience this summer," series creator Darren Star laughed, discussing "Sex and the City: The Movie," which opens on May 30.

"It's enormously flattering to know that people still care about the show," grinned 43-year-old Sarah Jessica Parker, whose career has gotten increasingly hotter every year since she first got Carrie-d away. "[When we were filming the movie] crowd-control was difficult to deal with. It's a wonderful problem to have that kind of interest; it was exciting to have that energy around us."

Bucking the box-office formula laid out by such films as "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" and "The X Files" movie, Star's sisterhood of the traveling designer pants is generating hope for a $60 million-plus opening weekend.

"When I put the show on TV, I wanted it to feel like people were watching a movie," Star said, speculating on why "SATC" might work better on the big-screen than other adaptations of recent TV shows. "[I hoped] it wouldn't feel like they were watching a TV show. It would feel like a movie."

After six hit seasons on HBO, high-class DVD releases and thousands of hours of TBS reruns, the show has accumulated more fans than ever. Now, the studio hopes that they'll soon be dragging their boyfriends and husbands to the theater to see the latest drama in the lives of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda.

"I feel like the characters are friends to the audience, and they just want to spend time with their old friends," Star said. "When women watch the show, they like to identify with one of these women.

"Carrie is the observer. [Charlotte] is the rules girl," he summed up. "Miranda is the one who puts aside work for men, but she's focused on her career. Samantha is the one who can live life like a man; have sex without strings and gives this 1970s vibe, like the freedom of sexuality."

Believe it or not, there are still some "Sex and the City" trivia tidbits that even the most faithful flirtini drinkers don't know. So before you head out to the theater, here are a few fun facts to get you in the mood:

» Man's Best Friend: "There was a scene in the first season when Charlotte walked in on a guy she was dating, and his golden retriever was going down on him," said Star of the sexual taboo that even "SATC" wasn't allowed to touch. "That was the only thing deemed too inappropriate for 'Sex and the City' — and that was a deal-breaker for Charlotte."

» Blonde Ambitions: Determined to hire a redhead for Miranda, Star almost passed over Cynthia Nixon. "For me, it was important that the hair color, body types and everything was different," he remembered. "When Cynthia Nixon came in to read for the first time, she was blonde. I saw Miranda as a redhead. Thankfully, I took that leap of faith that she would look good as a redhead."

» Tutu Tango: The "Sex and the City" opening with Carrie walking down the street in a ballerina outfit is iconic, but Star remembers filming a different take that day. "Sitting in the vault somewhere, there is an alternate opening-credit sequence where Sarah is wearing a blue dress," he revealed. "And she doesn't get splashed by the bus, but instead she trips when she sees the bus."

» Avoiding a Big Mistake: At the time of his casting, Chris Noth was best known as a tough TV cop. Star insists that if he had seen Noth's work, the actor likely wouldn't have gotten his Mr. Big break. "Chris did audition, but the advantage he had was I had never watched 'Law & Order,' " the creator remembered. "Two years into 'Sex and the City,' I finally saw it, and there he was running around with a gun! And I couldn't believe that Mr. Big was running around with a gun. I thought, 'Wow, I'm glad I didn't see that.' "

» Sex and the Retirement Home: "I love that women identify with the characters, because it empowers them; it gives them more freedom in their own lives," Star explained. "But I have had friends' mothers come up to me and say, 'I'm Samantha!' That scares me a little."

Check out everything we've got on "Sex and the City."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.






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Brown Shoe Forms Footwear Partnership With Music, Entertainment Superstar Fergie

Shoes expected to be available to consumers for spring 2009 season

ST. LOUIS, May 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Grammy Award-winning
singer, songwriter and actress Fergie can add one more credit to her
lengthy list -- shoe maven. Brown Shoe (NYSE: BWS)
(http://www.brownshoe.com) has signed with the multi-platinum artist to
create her namesake shoe brand, appealing to fashionistas and Fergie fans
alike.

"I have always loved fashion because it's a great way to express your
mood. And I'm definitely a shoe lover," said Fergie. "The right pair of
shoes can change the feel of an outfit, and even change how a woman feels
about herself. A woman can wear confidence on her feet with a high
stiletto, or slip into weekend comfort with a soft ballet flat."

Brown Shoe product developers are collaborating with Fergie to capture
her style sensibilities in a debut collection for spring 2009. Retailers
can take a sneak peek at early designs at the June 2008 Fashion Footwear
Association of New York (FFANY) shoe show. Plans for the launch of Fergie
footwear include a dedicated web site and personal appearances.

"We envision the Fergie consumer as a woman who is chic and
fashionable, loves to wear the latest trends, and looks for distinctive
details when shopping for shoes to add to her already considerable
collection -- much like Fergie herself," said Brown Shoe Wholesale
President Gary Rich. "Women around the globe know and love Fergie for her
music and her bold style. Through this footwear partnership, we can
establish another way for Fergie to connect with her fans."

The partnership was facilitated by Fergie's marketing agents at
Wilhelmina Artist Management. "When representing a talent like Fergie, who
was the biggest selling female artist of the past year, we have one
mandate, and that is to find partners and brands that are the most
successful in their category and representative of the true essence of the
artist," states Sean Patterson, President Wilhelmina Artist Management.
"With her sense of style, her talent, and her core interests, we are
pleased to partner Fergie with Brown Shoe."

Fergie is a three-time Grammy Award winner with four number one
singles, including three from her six million-selling debut solo album The
Dutchess. She was named Best Pop/Rock Female Artist at the 2007 American
Music Awards and Best Female Artist at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, and
performed at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in February. Fergie's recent
projects include a song for the Sex and the City: The Movie soundtrack,
"Labels or Love," which features the television show's recognizable theme
music, and a collaboration with rapper Nelly. In addition to the movie
soundtrack, "Labels Or Love" will also be one of four bonus tracks on the
deluxe new edition re-release of The Dutchess.

Brown Shoe's roster of entertainment brand partners includes legendary
musician Carlos Santana, country music superstar Reba McEntire and
television personality Gretta Monahan.

About Brown Shoe

Brown Shoe is a $2.4 billion footwear company with global operations.
Brown Shoe's Retail division operates Famous Footwear, the approximately
1,100-store chain that sells brand name shoes for the family, approximately
300 specialty retail stores in the U.S., Canada, and China under the
Naturalizer, Brown Shoe Closet, FX LaSalle, and Franco Sarto names, and
Shoes.com, the Company's e-commerce subsidiary. Brown Shoe, through its
Wholesale divisions, owns and markets leading footwear brands including
Naturalizer, LifeStride, Via Spiga, Nickels Soft, Connie and Buster Brown;
it also markets licensed brands including Franco Sarto, Dr. Scholl's,
Etienne Aigner, Carlos by Carlos Santana and Hot Kiss, as well as Barbie,
Disney and Nickelodeon character footwear for children. Brown Shoe press
releases are available on the Company's website at
http://www.brownshoe.com.

About Wilhelmina Artist Management

In 1998, as an innovator in the industry, Wilhelmina Models became the
first fashion company to develop a specific division to exclusively
represent premier talent in the worlds of music, sports and entertainment.
Today, that division called Wilhelmina Artist Management, is one of the
industry's finest, with a roster that includes Fergie, Natasha Bedingfield,
Heather Graham, Amy Smart and Justin Chambers, among others.

Wilhelmina Artist Management creates, develops and manages
celebrity-powered campaigns, product lines, private brand licensing,
endorsements, sponsorships, talent appearances and corporate entertainment
strategies.




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