TAYLOR SWIFT LANDS SIX PRIZES IN BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS PRE-SHOW

Country star TAYLOR SWIFT looks set to dominate the 2013 Billboard Music Awards after scooping six of the 11 prizes she's nominated for in the pre-show festivities. READ MORE...

  Country star TAYLOR SWIFT looks set to dominate the 2013 Billboard Music Awards after scooping six of the 11 prizes she's nominated for in the pre-show festivities.
  The Love Story hitmaker was already a multiple winner before she even walked the blue carpet at the Las Vegas ceremony on Sunday (19May13) after she was named Top Female Artist ahead of Adele, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Carly Rae Jepsen.
  She also claimed Top Digital Songs Artist, Top Country Artist, Top Country Album for Red, and Top Country Song for We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, while she beat Justin Bieber, One Direction, Adele and Mumford & Sons to take home the title of Top Billboard 200 Artist.
  Rihanna and Gotye were also quadruple winners heading into the event, while other winners in the pre-show announcement included One Direction, Madonna, Justin Bieber and late singer Jenni Rivera, who claimed two awards in the Latin categories.
  Meanwhile, inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Nicki Minaj became the first big winner of the ceremony itself, walking away with Top Rap Artist after Bruno Mars helped to kick off the awards with a performance of Treasure. (MT/WNWCBB/MJ) HIDE STORY

USHER TO RECEIVE ASCAP'S GOLDEN NOTE AWARD

R&B superstar USHER will be the toast of the music industry next month (Jun13) when he is presented with the Golden Note Award at the 26th Annual Rhythm & Soul Awards in Los Angeles. READ MORE...

  R&B superstar USHER will be the toast of the music industry next month (Jun13) when he is presented with the Golden Note Award at the 26th Annual Rhythm & Soul Awards in Los Angeles.
  The Yeah! hitmaker has been selected to receive the esteemed honour by officials at the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in celebration of his career success.
  The flattered singer says, "I take the art of songwriting and music-making very seriously, so to be given the ASCAP Golden Note Award from an organisation of my fellow music creators is a huge honour."
  Previous recipients of the top prize include Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Quincy Jones, Jay-Z and Sean 'Diddy' Combs.
  The ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on 27 June (13). (MT/WNWCVI/MJ) HIDE STORY

DAFT PUNK COLLABORATOR ROMANTHONY DIES AT 46

Top house producer and DAFT PUNK collaborator ROMANTHONY has died at the age of 46. READ MORE...

  Top house producer and DAFT PUNK collaborator ROMANTHONY has died at the age of 46.
  The musician passed away at his home in Austin, Texas on 7 May (13). The cause of death has yet to be revealed.
  Romanthony, real name Anthony Moore, gained fame in the early 1990s with singles like Make This Love Right and Let Me Show You Love, and he went on to release four albums, including 1997's Romanworld and his collaborative project with DJ Predator, Instinctual.
  However, he will perhaps be best remembered for his work with Daft Punk - he provided the vocals to their hit song One More Time and also featured on Too Long, from their 2001 album Discovery. (MT/WNWCBB&FCB/MJ) HIDE STORY

KENDALL SCHMIDT FILES AIRLINE COMPLAINT AFTER LUGGAGE LOSS AND JEWELLERY THEFT

BIG TIME RUSH singer KENDALL SCHMIDT has filed a complaint with airline bosses after $7,000 (£4,516)-worth of jewellery went missing from his luggage during a recent flight to Austria. READ MORE...

  BIG TIME RUSH singer KENDALL SCHMIDT has filed a complaint with airline bosses after $7,000 (£4,516)-worth of jewellery went missing from his luggage during a recent flight to Austria.
  The pop star had planned to hand out the custom-made items to fans at last Monday's (13May13) gig with his new band, Heffron Drive, in Vienna, Austria, but the bag failed to appear when he touched down in Europe from Orlando, Florida.
  Schmidt was forced to go on an impromptu shopping trip to find clothes to wear for the concert and shared his lost luggage drama with fans attending the show that night.
  He told the crowd, "On my way here they (airline staff) lost my suitcase. So I had a whole bunch of stuff in my suitcase I was gonna throw out, bracelets and stuff like that, all that kind of stuff."
  Schmidt was eventually reunited with his bag on the group's next tour stop in Berlin, Germany - but the jewellery had gone missing from his suitcase, prompting the star to report the loss to airline executives in the hopes of landing a cash reimbursement, according to TMZ.com. (MT/WNWCZM/MJ) HIDE STORY

AKON ORDERED TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT

A judge has ordered R&B star AKON to hand over $5,000 (£3,200) in monthly child support payments for two of his kids. READ MORE...

  A judge has ordered R&B star AKON to hand over $5,000 (£3,200) in monthly child support payments for two of his kids.
  The Smack That hitmaker filed documents last September (12) asking to be legally recognised as the father of two boys, born in 2009 and 2010 to his ex-partner Rozina Negusei.
  The court has agreed the couple will share legal custody while Akon will cover health insurance and be consulted for all major decisions, reports TMZ.com.
  After the star listed his income as $40,708 (£26,260) per month, the judge overseeing the case decided he must also pay $5,000 to Negusei to help pay for their boys. (PAW/WNWCZM/MJ) HIDE STORY

REGGAE SINGER TOOTS HIBBERT INJURED ONSTAGE

Reggae star FREDERICK 'TOOTS' HIBBERT is nursing a cut to his head after he was hit in the face with a bottle during a concert in Virginia. READ MORE...

  Reggae star FREDERICK 'TOOTS' HIBBERT is nursing a cut to his head after he was hit in the face with a bottle during a concert in Virginia.
  The Toots and the Maytals singer was performing with his band at the Dominion Riverrock festival in Richmond on Saturday night (18May13) when one audience member hurled the missile at the stage, striking the 67 year old in the head.
  The group to cut short its set so Hibbert could receive medical attention at a local hospital, where he was treated and subsequently released.
  Police have since arrested and charged a 19-year-old man with aggravated assault in connection to the incident. (MT/AP/MJ) HIDE STORY

MILEY CYRUS AND PARIS HILTON SWATTED AGAIN

MILEY CYRUS and PARIS HILTON have fallen victim to pranksters once again after police were called to their Hollywood homes following false reports of gun crimes. READ MORE...

  MILEY CYRUS and PARIS HILTON have fallen victim to pranksters once again after police were called to their Hollywood homes following false reports of gun crimes.
  The Party in the U.S.A. hitmaker, who was last targeted by crank callers in August (12), was not present on Friday night (17May13) when cops pulled up to her mansion to investigate allegations that shots had been fired inside the property, and authorities quickly discovered the emergency call had been a hoax.
  It has since emerged that officers were also called out to Hilton's Los Angeles pad last weekend (11-12May13) after a woman claiming to be the hotel heiress dialled 911 and claimed she was being held hostage at gunpoint in her bedroom.
  The socialite was not home when cops arrived and Hilton only found out about the drama when she returned and saw multiple cop cars lined up outside her driveway, reports TMZ.com.
  The incident was the second 'swatting' incident at Hilton's home in less than two months, after a similar hoax call was placed in late March (13).
  Ashton Kutcher, Justin Bieber, Clint Eastwood and Tom Cruise are just some of the celebrities who have been 'swatted', in which callers phone in fake crimes to elicit an urgent police response. (MT/WNWCZM/MJ) HIDE STORY

FASCINATING FACT:

Actor JONAH HILL's brother is MAROON 5's manager. The 21 Jump Street star is childhood pals with the group frontman, Adam Levine. (MT/WNVKIM/MJ) HIDE STORY

THE THINGS THEY TWEET:

"Congrats to @example's new wife for making an honest man out of him, what a lass. and to him for getting married of course". Singer ED SHEERAN congratulates British rapper EXAMPLE on his marriage to actress/model Erin McNaught on Saturday (18May13). (MT/WNTWT/MJ) HIDE STORY

FASCINATING FACT:

Rapper DRAKE has stepped back in time to shoot a guest appearance for new comedy, ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND CONTINUES. The hip-hop star was spotted wearing an afro wig and a brown leather jacket for his scenes, which were filmed in New York's Times Square on Saturday (18May13), alongside the movie's stars Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate. Kanye West also makes a cameo in the film. (MT/WNWCDAM/MJ) HIDE STORY

THE THINGS THEY TWEET:

"The Tiffany Circle of the American Red Cross embarrassed me tonight by giving me the Crystal Cross Award. I am deeply touched and humbled." Country star TRACE ADKINS has been recognised for his extensive work with the American Red Cross. (MT/WNTWT/MJ) HIDE STORY

FASCINATING FACT:

KANYE WEST unveiled the music video for his new track NEW SLAVES across the world on Friday (17May13) by having the black and white promo projected onto buildings in cities including New York, London, Paris, Berlin and Toronto, Canada. He also had the footage beamed onto the side of baseball arena Wrigley Field in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. (MT/WNWE/MJ) HIDE STORY