Clarence Avant, ‘Black Godfather' of entertainment, and benefactor of athletes and politicians, dies
Clarence Avant, the manager, entrepreneur, facilitator and adviser who helped launch or guide the careers of Quincy Jones, Bill Withers and many others and came to be known as the "Black Godfather" of entertainment and beyond has died at 92.
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The joy of music returns for Grammy winners, performers
Beyonce, left, and Megan Thee Stallion accept the award for best rap song for "Savage" at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sunday, March 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish made history at the Grammy Awards. Just as joyously, dozens of creators largely sidelined for a year due to the pandemic got to make music again. 's topical “I Can't Breathe” won song of the year and Megan Thee Stallion was named best new artist. ___This story has been corrected to show the ceremony was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, not Staples Center.
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Ladies night: Beyoncé, Swift make history as others win big
Four women won the top four prizes Sunday, including Swift, who became the first female performer to win album of the year three times. Beyoncé — with her 28th win — became the most decorated woman in Grammy history. And 9-year-old Blue Ivy Carter — who won best music video alongside her mother — became the second youngest act to win a Grammy in the show’s 63-year history. Megan Thee Stallion, who won three honors, also made history and became the first female rapper to win best rap song. She's also the fifth rap-based act to win best new artist.
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Dr. Dre back home after reported brain aneurysm treatment
Peter Paterno, an attorney for the rapper and producer, said Dre was home but offered no other details in an email exchange Saturday. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)LOS ANGELES – Dr. Dre was back at home Saturday after being treated at a Los Angeles hospital for a reported brain aneurysm. Peter Paterno, an attorney for the music mogul, said Dre was home but offered no other details in an email exchange Saturday. On Friday, actor and rapper Ice T posted that he had connected with Dre on FaceTime and that he had “just made it home. Dre founded Beats Electronics in 2008 with Jimmy Iovine, and six years later they launched a streaming subscription service, Beats Music.
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Dr. Dre recovering well after being admitted into hospital
FILE - Dr. Dre attends a hand and footprint ceremony honoring Quincy Jones on Nov. 27, 2018, in Los Angeles. In a social media post late Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, Dr. Dre said he will be back home soon after the music mogul received medical treatment at a Los Angeles hospital for a reported brain aneurysm. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES – Dr. Dre says he will be “back home soon” after the music mogul received medical treatment at a Los Angeles hospital for a reported brain aneurysm. Several music artists and athletes paid tribute to Dre on social media on Tuesday. Dre founded Beats Electronics in 2008 with Jimmy Iovine and six years later they launched a streaming subscription service, Beats Music.
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How Eddie Van Halen transformed Michael Jackson's 'Beat It'
I went, ‘What do you want, you f-ing so-and-so!,’” Van Halen told CNN in 2012, 30 years after he worked on the song. When Van Halen arrived at the studio in Los Angeles, Jones told him he could improvise. I said, ‘Look, I changed the middle section of your song,’” Van Halen told CNN. After the record's release, Van Halen would remember shopping in a Tower Records while “Beat It” was playing on the sound system. "The solo comes on, and I hear these kids in front of me going, 'Listen to this guy trying to sound like Eddie Van Halen,'” he said.
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Diddy calls out Grammys and demands change in fiery speech
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Sean “Diddy” Combs called out the Grammy Awards for dissing rap and R&B stars in its major categories in a blazing speech that earned him a standing ovation from Beyoncé, Jay-Z and several other music industry players. “So I say this with love to the Grammys, because you really need to know this, every year y’all be killing us man. “In the great words of Erykah Badu, ‘We are artists and we are sensitive about our (expletive).’ We are passionate. Last year’s Grammys marked the first time a hip-hop song was awarded song and record of the year when Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” achieved the feat. “You’re in the music industry.

Star Sightings: Jennifer Aniston Takes the Mic, Sam Smith Does Vegas Right and More!
The Murder Mystery star fielded questions from the audience at an Aveeno Microbiome panel discussion in Los Angeles on Oct. 1. Betty Who performed at Bustle's 2019 Rule Breakers Festival at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Brooklyn, New York, on Sept. 21. Olivia Culpo enjoyed a glass of Sterling Vineyards wine at the post-Emmys Governors Ball in New York City. Joy Behar was among the guests who came out to celebrate the legendary Patsy's Italian Restaurant's 75th birthday in New York City. Star Sightings: Evan Ross and Aaron Paul Celebrate Birthdays, Kimye Dine at Cheesecake Factory & More!