Per Billboard Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Madonna has responded to a recent lawsuit filed by two fans over late start times at her ‘Celebration’ tour dates in New York City’s Barclays Center.Last week (January 17), Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden, two fans who bought tickets to the December 13 date of Madonna’s ‘Celebration’ tour at the Barclays Center, filed a lawsuit against Madonna for starting the concert more than two hours past the stipulated 8:30PM start time. The lawsuit accused her of not only breaching contracts with ticket buyers, but also of “false advertising, negligent representation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices”.Now, Madonna’s representatives and Live Nation have issued a joint statement, expressing their intentions to “defend this case vigorously”.

Drake is facing a lawsuit after clothing brand Members Only alleged tour merch he sold infringed upon their company trademarks.In a case filed on Tuesday (June 12), it was claimed that Drake’s company, Away From Home Touring Inc., had been selling shirts that read ‘Members Only’ on the recent ‘It’s All a Blur‘ Tour.The words seemingly reference his track ‘Members Only’ from 2023 album ‘For all the Dogs’ and are not imitations of the recognisable Members Only racer jackets that made the brand popular in the 1980s.However, Members Only lawyers have said (via Billboard): “The fact that ‘Members Only’ is a song on Drake’s album ‘For All the Dogs’ does not obviate the likelihood of confusion or give [Drake] a license to use our client’s ‘Members Only’ marks in such a confusing manner, particularly on or in connection with apparel items.”They continued: “Away From Home’s use of ‘Members Only’ … is likely to cause confusion, mistake, and deception among consumers as to the origin of Away From Home’s infringing T-shirts.”Per Billboard, representatives for Drake have not yet responded to a request for comment.This is the latest legal battle facing the Canadian rapper, who recently was dismissed from lawsuits relative to Travis Scott‘s 2021 Astroworld festival disaster.

R.E.M. have finally gotten back together for a surprise performance – their first in 15 years.Last night (June 13), the band were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, shortly after their first interview as a group in 30 years aired on CBS.After accepting their induction at the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony, the band pulled out acoustic instruments and treated those in attendance to a surprise performance of ‘Losing My Religion’.Watch fan-shot footage of the performance below.Per Billboard, Michael Stipe said on behalf of the band upon their induction: “Writing songs and having a catalog of work that we’re all proud of that is out there for the rest of the world for all time is hands-down the most important aspect of what we did.

Madonna‘s legal team has labelled the class action lawsuit against the singer for showing up late on stage as a “harassment campaign”.More than one class action lawsuit has been filed over her late starts during her recent ‘Celebration’ 40th anniversary tour. In January, Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden, two fans who bought tickets to the December 13 date of Madonna’s ‘Celebration’ shows at the Barclays Center, filed a lawsuit against Madonna in New York for starting the concert more than two hours past the stipulated 8:30pm start time.The lawsuit accused her of not only breaching contracts with ticket buyers, but also of “false advertising, negligent representation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices”.A few months later, Madonna asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit filed against her.

Madonna’s lawyers have asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit filed against her on the grounds of late concert start times.In January, Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden, two fans who bought tickets to the December 13 date of Madonna’s ‘Celebration’ tour at the Barclays Center, filed a lawsuit against Madonna for starting the concert more than two hours past the stipulated 8:30PM start time.The lawsuit accused her of not only breaching contracts with ticket buyers, but also of “false advertising, negligent representation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices”.In the new filing, Madonna’s representatives have written: “Plaintiffs speculate that ticketholders who left the venue after 1am might have had trouble getting a ride home or might have needed to wake up early the next day for work. That is not a cognizable injury.”The motion also states that one of the plaintiffs, Jonathan Hadden, “raved” about the show in a social media post, calling it “incredible as always!”In response to the original suit, Madonna’s representatives and Live Nation issued a joint statement, expressing their intentions to “defend this case vigorously”.

a summons against the music executive was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York County by attorneys for a woman identified as Jane Doe (per reports from Rolling Stone and Pitchfork). Now, the unnamed woman has dropped the case according to a document filed in New York court on Thursday, February 15.

Beyoncé continues to break barriers.

Will Smith has announced that he will be hosting a new podcast called Class Of ’88, exploring hip-hop music that was released in that year.The rapper-turned-actor will celebrate the year in rap alongside other hip-hop superstars of that era, including Queen Latifah, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Darryl ‘DMC’ McDaniels, Salt-N-Pepa, Chuck D of Public Enemy, Fab Five Freddy, Rakim, and DJ Red Alert.Per Billboard, Smith said: “Hip-hop has been a central part of my life for over four decades. I’m hyped to share my first-hand experiences and those of some of hip-hop’s greatest legends as we delve into the origins of one of the most influential genres of music in history.”Last Thursday (September 21), the trailer for Class Of ’88 was released, with Smith saying: “Today, hip-hop dominates pop culture, but it wasn’t always like that.

Like something out of a classic country song, Zach Bryan has had his first No. 1 album, his first No. 1 single, and how he’s been arrested — all in the same week.

JAY-Z's mom, Dr. Gloria Carter, and her new wife, Roxanne Wiltshire, wore matching smiles as they walked their first red carpet as a married couple. The pair, who got hitched earlier this month, attended the Shawn Carter Foundation's 20th Anniversary Black Tie Gala on Friday, where they posed for photographs arm-in-arm.Carter, 72, wore a sleek black tuxedo jacket with leather lapels, a gray silk scarf under her collar and a fashionable pair of black glasses.

The Hot 100 chart is seeing a country music comeback.For the first time in 42 years, country music stars simultaneously hold the top two spots on the coveted music list. Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” remains atop the chart, with Luke Combs’ “Fast Car” coming in a close second. The last time country musicians were on top of the all-genre chart was in 1981.

Coolio, has re-entered the charts for the first time in over 25 years following the rapper’s death last month.Per Billboard, the multi-Platinum song has re-entered both its Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and its Hot Rap Songs chart. It currently appears at Number 16 on the former chart, while charting even higher up at Number 11 on the latter.

Ed Sheeran will enter his third set of court proceedings over his songwriting, with the musician set to face a jury trial following a suit from a stakeholder in the estate of Marvin Gaye‘s co-writer.The ruling came yesterday (September 29) from Judge Louis Stanton, a senior district judge for the Southern District of New York. Per Billboard, the case will determine whether Ed Sheeran’s hit single ‘Thinking Out Loud’ is in breach of copyright due to its similarities with Gaye’s 1973 single ‘Let’s Get It On’.The suit came from Structured Asset Sales, a company that owns a stake in the copyrights of the estate of Ed Townsend – a co-writer on ‘Let’s Get It On’.

Justin Bieber has postponed the start of his North American ‘Justice’ tour, just hours before it was meant to begin last night (June 7) at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.The singer took to his Instagram stories to tell fans that his undisclosed illness would prevent him from taking to the stage. “Can’t believe I’m saying this,” he wrote.

A pastor in Texas is suing Kanye West for copyright infringement over an allegedly unauthorized sample of a recorded sermon he delivered!

Questlove’s decorated documentary Summer Of Soul – will be revived and reimagined as the Harlem Festival of Culture in 2023.Per Billboard, the Harlem Festival of Culture will be an annual affair kicking off in the summer of 2023. It will take place at Marcus Garvey Park, the same site that hosted the original 1969 festival that was the subject of Questlove’s film.

Cardi B is now officially victorious in her ongoing lawsuit against a YouTube star over claims of defamation, portrayal in a false light, and emotional distress.

Lil Nas X has revealed that he’s tested positive for COVID-19, sharing his experience with the virus in a series of since-deleted tweets.The singer shared news of his diagnosis on Friday (December 17), shortly after finding out his hit ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ was one of Barack Obama’s favourite tracks of the year.Per Billboard, Lil Nas X wrote: “started running around the house when I saw this then i remembered i have covid lol.” He followed it up with another tweet that read: “now that

The Beatles, the Oslo-based Elire Management Group claim the vault – dubbed the Global Music Vault – will endure for at least 1,000 years, buried on the Svalbard archipelago beneath ice and snow at a depth of 1,000 feet.Per Billboard, the storage technology for the Global Music Vault was developed by Piql, using binary coding and high-density QR codes written onto special durable optical film.Piql further claim the vault will be able to withstand electromagnetic pulses from a nuclear explosion

Blue Ivy turns 9 in January, and this girl has already done so much with her life. She is now one of the youngest people ever to have been nominated for a Grammy.

Coachella, which was originally postponed from its usual April dates to October due to the coronavirus pandemic, reportedly will not go ahead in 2020 at all.The iconic Indio, California festival announced in March it would be pushed back from its usual April dates to October.

2,100 employees forced into involuntary leave