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March 16-24: Engaging Photos, Criminal Reenactment & Rock Legends

Posted Sat Mar 21, 2009 11:59am PDT by Billy Johnson, Jr. in That's Really Week
It's been six months since Kanye West was arrested for his rumblings with a TMZ photographer at LAX. While the September incident involved Kanye and his business manager destroying the paparazzi's $10,000 camera, many of us dismissed the ordeal as just another day in the life of the no-holds-barred rapper/producer/Auto-Tune singer. However, dismissing the squabble was not a part of the city attorney's plan. On Thursday, Kanye was charged with three criminal misdemeanors-vandalism, battery and grand theft. His business manager, Don Crawley, also got served with two counts each of the aforementioned charges. 

If Kanye is found guilty he could spend a maximum of two and a half years in a Los Angeles jail, and Crawley could serve up to five years. The case is scheduled to be arraigned on April 14.

We hate to admit this to Kanye, and hope it does not prompt a complaint, but his day in court won't win the Best Celebrity Arraignment Award for the month of April. We know how he loves to win awards, but this one appears to be a no-brainer coup for his young pal Chris Brown who faces his own charges on April 6, a week ahead of Kanye. The news of Brown's alleged assault on his former girlfriend Rihanna took an interesting turn this week when the teen organization Do Something created a PSA reenacting Brown's alleged attack on Rihanna. 

It's one thing to read the details from the police affidavit that describe an argument between Brown and Rihanna that escalated into fight that left the Barbados-bred singer with bite marks as well as bruises on her face and neck. But to see those accounts reenacted is chilling. As an emotionless narrator reads excerpts from the transcript, a young male and female actor take on the personas of Brown and Rihanna. At the conclusion of the violent one minute and 49 second clip video, the screen goes black and appears the message, "Mad? Do something about it." The narrator notes that 1 out of 3 teens are abused in a relationship and encourages viewers to "wear the stats." The site offers three rubber message bracelets (one blue and two black) to those who want join the fight against teen abuse.

Brown, 19, isn't the only teen heartthrob on the cusp of shaking his squeaky clean image. High School Musical co-star Zac Efron, who is actually 21, has found a more approving, though dirtier, way to exert his manliness. For the April cover story for Interview magazine Efron posed for a suggestive photo shoot with model Edita Vileviciute.

For the spread photographed by Mikael Jansson, a fully clothed Efron rolled around in a sandbox with a nude Vileviciute. Efron, who is still dating HSM co-star Vanessa Hudgens, described the shoot as "fun." "There was, like a giant sandbox in the middle of a studio," he says in the cover story that hits newsstands on March 24. "And then I just got to roll around in the dirt for a couple of hours. I got pretty dirty by the end of it, so that was fun." 

Efron says that everything he has done in his career thus far has been safe and now he's ready to take some chances. He has a wish list of film directors he would like to work with but knows that his Disney projects have not crossed their radar. Well, he is apparently smart enough to know that taking steamy pics with a beautiful, naked model is a great way to get guys to pay attention. Efron's fellow Disney cohorts the Jonas Brothers, on the contrary, could not be happier to be Disney idols.

Nick, Joe and Kevin don't appear concerned with getting the attention of any particular directors, but they do hope that their friends in the White House attend their July 13 tour stop at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. When announcing their tour that kicks off on June 20 in Dallas, Kevin told reporters on a conference call that the Presidential family has an open invitation to all Jonas shows.

"Hopefully, the family will come out and watch the show," says Kevin, who along with his bros hosted a surprise inauguration night concert in the White House for President Obama's daughters Sasha and Malia .The Jonas Brothers are sure one class act, aren't they? Kevin, who is 21 and the eldest of the trio, was just four years old when the next That's Really Week rockers experienced their first breakup. 

Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, Stephen Perkins and Eric Avery gave attendants at this year's South By Southwest music conference in Austin a nice surprise when they performed. Last April, they reunited for the first time in 17 years to play the NME Awards USA. Avery, who has been the lone holdout over the years, says that it took some work to get him back in the fold.

"It's been interesting," Avery told AP. "It's been a negotiation. It's always a negotiation to get anything done in the world." At whatever cost, it's great to have them together again. On May 8, the original Jane's Addiction lineup will co-headline a tour with Nine Inch Nails. In other rock legend news, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Friday named presenters for the upcoming April 4 ceremony in Cleveland. 

Eminem will induct Run-DMC, Jimmy Page will induct Jeff Beck, and Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones will bestow the honors to Bobby Womack. Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers will induct Metallica and Smokey Robinson will induct Little Anthony & the Imperials. Six hundred voting members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation select the inductees who are eligible 25 years after releasing their first recording.

So there you have it, another week of temper tantrums, run ins with the cops, controversial leaked photos, and reunions. Music would be so boring without such mayhem. The esteemed Lyndsey Parker will back at the helm next week.

 
THIS WEEK'S TOP 10 STORIES

1) Shut Up And Drive - Teen organization Do Something reenacts Chris Brown's alleged assault on Rihanna. 

2) You Got Served - Kanye West receives three criminal misdemeanor charges for LAX paparazzi scuffle.

3) You Don't Know Zac - Zac Efron gets down and dirty in magazine photo shoot with nude model.

4) Let It Rock - Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame announces Eminem, Jimmy Page, Ron Wood and Flea as presenters.

5) One For The Money - Jane Addiction's bassist Eric Avery is back after 17 years.

6) Putting On The Hits - Madonna readies her third greatest hits collection.

7) Love, Peace And Proooooooo-bation - Soul Train creator and producer Don Cornelius receives three years probation for spousal abuse.

8) With Voices Together We Sing - Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Eddie Vedder and others to sing at Pete Seeger's 90th birthday tribute.

9) No, No, No - Amy Winehouse vehemently denies hitting a woman after a charity ball in London.

10) I Believe In Miracles - Smokey Robinson's original recording group receives star on Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

78 Comments

1. TL -
AFTER 30 YEARS IN THE FIGHT GAME, I WISH kanye WOULD GO AFTER ME. No, instead these so-called tough guy's who talk the talk but never go after anyone that will give them a challenge are constantly big and bad against the weak. A photographer?!! Wow he's a bad-ass.

2. adam -
I want to place a link in here promoting my Science fiction fan film entry,
since I think I might be the second comment,
but since it's blog on abuse I don't think that would be appropriate :D
"Check out my vid!"
That's funny how they put the same poses on Yahoo's main page,
it's like one of those 'separated at birth?' things :D

3. Cexilicious female -
oh yeah. That's what I thought. Right before I asked myself,"Why am I thinking about the jonas brothers?"

4. Yahoo! Music User -
The paparazzi should be charged for invasion of personal space or stalking. Yes, these people are household names...that is their job. All of us get to get off of work at the end of the day. Shouldn't these people be able to do the same thing. They ARE human for goodness sake!!!! Something needs to be done with the paparazzi's stalking and forcing these people to be in front of the camera when they are on their off time.

5. Ronald -
Chris Brown should go to jail for 1 month with anger management classes and 50,000 dollar fine!!!!!!!!

6. Yahoo! Music User -
I Love Zac Efron and The Jonas Brothers. And im 19..almost 20. Jonas, music is really good! And Zac is a good actor!

7. adam -
I wish this was a blog entry on anything else besides domestic abuse, because then I would go crazy with the video links!

8. Yahoo! Music User -
"Send them back to Africa." If I'm not mistaken they were both born in the UNITED States. It looks as though ignorance still lives amongst us.

9. Mrs. Joe Jonas! -
OMJ! get ur info straight and right! Joe Jonas is the middle brother, not the oldest. Kevin is the odlest... Nick is 16, Joe is 19, and Kevin is 21. OMJ get it right!

10. stevenr -
Send them (Both) to the Pen/general population and let's see who will be the true bich!!! [profane]em' both!!!

11. ElijahB -
Our best pop and r and b artists are becoming lost. what happened to the life of fame, is dangerous that one day we are we the fact that tomorrow is never guaranteed to success. sometimes when you face the end it doesn't even matter...

12. HEATHER G -
mr music who the f are you to be talking about sending someone back to Africa. You need to shut the hell up this is the year 2009 and all that racist bull has went out the door. why don't u go to africa with ur ignite ass!!!

13. Mr. Music -
Sorry about the Africa crack. Give them citizenship awards, a few at-a boys, name streets after them. How about putting their pictures on money.

14. __A_YAHOO_USER__ -
Good!! Maybe they can share a cell.

http://stocktheater.com

15. Keisha -
Okay Mr. Music wasn't it your people who created all of the financial mishaps? Let's not start pointing the fingers. If you want to send someone back somewhere, I don't think it should be "both of them".

16. __A_YAHOO_USER__ -
i hope chris brown gets raped in jail haha, and krh706 can't spell either u dummy

17. dani n -
Wow, Kanye in jail for two and a half years if found guilty....I'm sure he will buy his way out.

18. paul p -
West and Brown are bullies and cowards. Anyone who hits a girl or attacks somebody for no reason should be publicly put in the stocks and humiliated.

19. bitadkins -
Guess Spell Check and Fact Check would *definitely* be a plus to this week's blog...

20. Yahoo! Music User -
just wanted to say something about chris and rihanna i wish them the best in getting over this media hype because that have had a hard life growing up around violence. I can't wait till its all over and people can just start looking at the good things the both of them have done
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