Supermodel NAOMI CAMPBELL has taken aim at her former boss, blaming him for her reputation as an awkward diva.The Brit insists she’ll never forgive Elite chief John Casablancas for the comments he made about his one-time top model when she left his agency – because they’ve stuck with her….…Firing off about the father of The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas in the new issue of America’s Giant magazine, Campbell says, “He had to attack me because I decided to leave. Models can leave agencies. I was not under a written contract.“I was shocked to see how he acted. He started that first rumour (that I was tough to work with).” But Campbell insists she has had the last laugh – because she’s still working with the world’s top photographers: “The people that love me, love me and that’s what matters to me.”
Last week, the internet was abuzz with the rumors that Kelly Rowland had been dropped by Columbia Records.The day after the story surfaced online, the record company CEO, Robert Stringer attempted to quell the rumors by releasing a formal statement.“Kelly Rowland is one of our finest contemporary artists and a musical force to be reckoned with. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to work with Kelly and we will continue our working relationship with her under the Destiny’s Child moniker. The decision for Kelly to seek other opportunities for her solo career was agreed upon mutually, and any reports to the contrary are false,” Stringer offered.Anyone with a remote knowledge of the music business understood that since Rowland was signed to Columbia Records via a production deal with Music World Entertainment, the company founded by Mathew Knowles, it was inevitable that her deal with Columbia Records was compromised once the 28-year-old singer ended her management agreement with Knowles back in January.Now my sources tell me that the real reason the story about Rowland leaked the way it did last week was so that no one would realize that Geffen/Interscope Records has opted not to further their relationship with Knowles’ daughter Solange Knowles.The eclectic singer’s sophomore release ‘Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams’ has only sold around 138,000 units since its release in August of 2008 and Geffen/Interscope didn’t see the value in doing a new CD on her.“Geffen did a one-off deal with Music World Entertainment for Solange and wasn’t interested in doing a new contract with her. People at the label really liked working with her because other than her infamous news outburst in Las Vegas, she was a constant professional. There were challenges dealing with her camp, but Solange was great to work with. In the end, the CD didn’t sell despite Solange’s countless highprofile appearances,” the record label source told me.One of the record labels that Knowles has been meeting with about signing his youngest daughter is Epic Records.Incidentally, Epic Records is also the label that had initially approached Rowland about a new recording contract upon learning that she would be dissolving her management and recording relationship with Music World Entertainment/Columbia.
Epic’s new president Amanda Ghost, a London-bred former recording artist and songwriter, recognized Rowland’s impact as an international recording artist and thought she would be able to duplicate her European success here in America.“Amanda was really into signing Kelly and then Matthew started meeting with her about Solange. I’m told he used his influence in the Sony system with Beyonce to complicate the existing offer to Kelly and then the deal ultimately didn’t happen,” the source explained.Ghost was recently spotted at the South By Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas where she was apparently scouting Solange, who performed on the last night event.So both Rowland and Solange are now currently without record company homes; though I am told that Rowland will likely be announcing a new record deal in the coming weeks.At press time, a rep for Music World Entertainment was unavailable for comment.
Wow! All I can say is: the plot thickens…
R&B star Chris Brown pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges that he threatened and assaulted his girlfriend, singer Rihanna. Brown arrived 25 minutes late for the 3pm arraignment, amid a flurry of last-minute plea bargain rumours. Rihanna was not present.
After judge Patricia Schnegg read the charges, of assaulting Rihanna “by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury” and of threatening to commit a crime “which would result in death and great bodily injury”, the 19-year-old murmured his plea. “Not guilty, your honour,” he said. They were the only words Brown spoke in court.
The singer spent less than 15 minutes at the Los Angeles superior court, entering his plea and then departing in a black SUV, escorted by four bodyguards.
The charges stem from an alleged altercation between the couple on the early hours of 8 February. According to a police affidavit, Brown shoved Rihanna’s head against the passenger window, punched her in the face, bit her ear and finger and put her into a headlock. “I’m going to kill you,” he allegedly told her.
Brown later said that he was “sorry and saddened” about the incident. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
Although Brown’s attorney did not make a statement to the press, a lawyer for Rihanna spoke to reporters after the hearing. Donald Etra confirmed that Rihanna is in her native Barbados but would testify if subpoenaed. Asked directly if his client thought Brown is guilty, Etra said, “Her position on the case is to leave the matters of guilt or innocence to the judge and or defence counsel”.
The two pop stars are thought to have reconciled, although they have not recently been seen together.
Brown will return to court for a status hearing on 29 April. {Source}
While I’m sure many will be pointing to that now infamous Rihanna Police Pic and scratching their heads as to how Chris could plead ‘Not Guilty’ (hell, I am), this kinda has me thinking there is yet more to come out from this story….