Ben GUCCI BAG Folds http://www.queenbags.com/gucci.php didn't realize how great his music was until he heard a bunch of college students singing it.
The singer-songwriter says he was beyond impressed when he stumbled across videos of university a cappella groups singing covers of his songs on YouTube.
"I was really moved," he says. "I thought it was better than what I had done when I first heard it. That's how it struck me because it was so fresh."
And so an idea was born: Folds would travel to university campuses around the country and record an entire album of a cappella covers.
The North Carolina native picked 15 ensembles from 250 submissions for "Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!" (Epic), which came out Tuesday. And to give the music a "field recording" feel, he kept the process http://www.queenbags.com/gucci.php simple: Each performance was recorded using six wide-range microphones, and most of the groups got it down in one or two takes.
"It's a completely different point of view," says Folds, 42, of the students' renderings of his tunes. "They're not signed singers and artists that have their egos to contend with. And sometimes they're not thinking about the song that much, which I think is kind of cool."
But not wanting to have the thunder completely stolen from him (and probably to entice his loyal fans to shell out for the album) Folds sings two a cappella tracks himself: "Boxing" from his Ben Folds Five days, and "Effington" from his 2008 solo album "Way To Normal."
"It was really difficult because we were doing my tracks from the bottom up," he says. "We didn't have a bunch of people to work with and I just about gave up."
Ben Folds spoke to CNN about his youthful-sounding new release, why being married four times isn't much GUCCI BAG of a drama and why he faked an album leak. The following is an edited version of the interview.
CNN: Is this the one and only Ben Folds greatest hits album?
Ben Folds: I think it naturally kind of is. I mean I was looking for something like that -- to possibly do a live orchestral album where the best material would kind of float to the top.
But then again, someone's going to want to release a greatest hits soon, so this is the other greatest hits.
CNN: Did you learn anything from the students?
Folds: Yeah. I relearned a lot of stuff. ... This is all so old school. I mean these guys, they'd just do a live take and they just don't know that the pros don't do it that way. I mean, professional singers are a nightmare. You've gotta tune every syllable, they have to do it 10,000 times. These guys just did it.
CNN: And you went around each campus to record each track?
Folds: We kept them in what I would say is their natural habitat. I was really into the field recording idea. When you start messing with it and putting everyone on separate tracks you've lost the event and you've gained some sense of maybe perfection, but when it comes to the human voice, even-tempered piano tuning sounds incorrect to me. I think that people have a natural tuning mechanism.
CNN: You've always been very Internet savvy. You've embraced MySpace. Do you Twitter?
Folds: I'm not sure what that is.
There's always something new. I think that my fans knew how to GUCCI BAG use computers before most people's fans. I remember when everybody was talking about the possibility of downloading, and I was already having kids walk up with CDs they had burned for me to sign. This was like 1999. I was signing burned CDs more than I was signing my own. So I think they get it.
CNN: Why did you decide to leak a fake version of your 2008 album "Way To Normal?"
Folds: Well, I think that we get very uptight when it comes time to record because there's a process, an imminent process that has to do with just selling the record, mostly. And it also has to do with people's general take on music and how it's framed. I felt if something went out that was a joke and it was riding on the press of a new album, that we would be forced to go in and do something so quickly that we couldn't monitor ourselves.
So while I thought it was funny, I really liked the idea of going into the studio and making six songs in one day. So we wrote and recorded six songs in a day, mixed that day while we played our gig that night. And then it was mastered the next day. And then we leaked it the third day.
So in three days we wrote, recorded, mixed, mastered, distributed and did press on an album. I think things were kind of cool.
CNN: You've been married four times. Is that helpful for singer-songwriter purposes? I mean, that's a lot of drama.
Folds: Well, it wasn't a lot of drama, really. ... Everyone's life is different and I think the pace at which I've lived and the way that I tend to take a risk all contributes to the way that I write. ...
If you've got kids it is a drama. But it's the kind of drama you want to not write a song about. Because one, the kids will hear it and secondly, I don't like country music.
CNN: How has having kids changed your outlook on music?
Folds: I have to work more quickly and more efficiently.
CNN: Who are you listening to at the moment?
Folds: I'm in a habit of buying old 78 [rpm] records and I've got a little record player I'm carrying with me.
CNN: That's heavy.
Folds: Yeah, that's heavy, dude.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Dane Cook: Half brother in jail after 'terrible betrayal'
Cook spoke about the ordeal Thursday on CNN's "Larry King Live."
"It's a terrible betrayal. But hopefully justice will be served and I can move on with my life," Cook said.
Cook's half brother, Darryl McCauley, has been accused of embezzling millions from Cook while he was the Boston-area comic's manager.
McCauley was arrested in December and charged with larceny, forgery and other crimes, according to authorities in Boston, Massachusetts.
McCauley is accused of transferring Cook's money into his own account. And in one case, McCauley is accused of forging a $3 million dollar check written on Cook's account, according to the Massachusetts attorney general's office.
McCauley is in jail awaiting trial and has pleaded not guilty. CNN's GUCCI BAG calls to McCauley's attorney were not returned.
Cook talked briefly about the ordeal Thursday.
"I worked with my only half brother for several years. Woke up one day and a lot of stuff missing," Cook said. "There is a good chunk of money that is certainly not accounted for. That's all I can say about it at this point."
King asked GUCCI BAG Cook how he deals with his sense of betrayal.
"Dance. Larry, you dance," Cook said with a smile.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
High heat, high spirits at Coachella
Twentysomethings wearing feathers in their hair jumped up and down to Somali emcee K'naan in the Gobi tent.
In the portable toilets, an impromptu discussion broke out about the "awesomeness" of Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O.
The mercury may have hovered close to 100 degrees, and somewhere outside the desert oasis of the Coachella Valley GUCCI BAG Music and Arts Festival there was a global recession, but you'd never know it from the carefree crowd on Day 3 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
Although exact figures have yet to be released, about 50,000 revelers turned out for the final day of the 2009 festival for an eclectic lineup that included former Jam front man Paul Weller, rap pioneers Public Enemy, a reunion of Irish indie darlings My Bloody Valentine and a nearly three-hour set from The Cure.
Promoters say the turnout exceeded expectations, and this year's attendance figure might be the third largest in the festival's 10-year history. The three-day ticket price may have been steep -- roughly $300, including service charges -- but when divided among the 131 acts on the bill, that breaks down to less than $2.50 per act.
This was GUCCI BAG also the first year concert promoter Goldenvoice offered layaway, which is how 18 percent chose to pay. The strong showing is good news for Bonnaroo, All Points West, Lollapalooza and other festivals taking place this spring and summer. Coachella was also moved up one weekend, which allowed for more kids on spring break to attend.
Although Coachella is one of several music festivals in the United States, it still carries a certain cachet that's hard to match. Perhaps it's the scenery -- listening to music on a grassy polo field surrounded by swaying palm trees and craggy desert mountains. Or maybe it's the thrill of discovering new artists and rediscovering old ones standing shoulder-to-shoulder with friends, strangers and the random Hollywood celebrity.
Or maybe it's the wacky moments that seem to happen only under the blistering desert sun.
Where else could you get Morrissey -- a well-known vegetarian -- complaining in the middle of his Friday set that the smell of burning animals was making him sick, and that he only hoped it was human? The Moz was referring to meat grilling in GUCCI BAG a food booth across the polo field.
And when troubled British neo-soul singer Amy Winehouse dropped out of her Saturday performance because she couldn't get a visa, M.I.A. stepped into her slot on the main stage -- but she apparently wasn't happy about the upgrade. Despite a massive, adoring crowd and a highly charged set, the new mom exclaimed, "This is the main stage? Next time, I'm back in a tent! I prefer the sweat!"
This was after her tongue-in-cheek nod to Winehouse, where she sang, "They tried to make me do the Oscars, I said, 'No, no, no.' "
Then, there were the memorable music moments. Friday headliner Sir Paul McCartney didn't end his playful, hit-filled set until about 54 minutes past the midnight curfew -- for a potential fine of $54,000. (According to Benjamin Guitron, media relations officer for the Indio Police Department, the promoter agrees to pay $1,000 for every minute past 12 a.m.)
On Saturday, Seattle, Washington, indie pop band Fleet Foxes drew an overflowing crowd to the Outdoor Theatre, charming the audience with its delicate, baroque harmonies. Sunday headliners The Cure played 31 songs from the group's vast catalog -- concentrating heavily on early material, and for the most part, staying away from the biggest radio hits. They, too, played well past curfew -- continuing with their third encore even after the sound from the main PA system was cut off.
My Bloody GUCCI BAG Valentine -- whose four members reunited last year after a decade apart -- was also a crowd pleaser, although an interlude where they played a single chord at maximum decibels for a mind-numbing 15 minutes left fans scratching their heads.
Perry Farrell is the only artist who's performed at all 10 Coachella festivals -- in Jane's Addiction, Porno for Pyros, Satellite Party, as his alter ego DJ Peretz and in other incarnations. This year, he dueted with Thievery Corporation on the main stage, then headed over to the dance tent, where he joined his wife, Etty, for an electronic set.
"I would probably silently be very depressed if GUCCI BAG they wouldn't invite me, to tell you the truth. My mental health depends on them," he said with a laugh.
Monday, April 20, 2009
High heat, high spirits at Coachella
Parents danced GUCCI BAG with http://www.queenbags.com/gucci.php their young children to the infectious hip-hop beat of Lupe Fiasco on the main stage.
Twentysomethings wearing feathers in their hair jumped up and down to Somali emcee K'naan in the Gobi tent.
In the portable toilets, an impromptu discussion broke out about the "awesomeness" of Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O.
The mercury may have hovered close to 100 degrees, and somewhere outside the desert oasis of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival there was a global recession, but you'd never know it from the carefree crowd on Day 3 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
Although exact figures have yet to be released, about 50,000 revelers turned out for the final day of the 2009 festival for an eclectic lineup that included former Jam front man Paul Weller, rap pioneers Public Enemy, a reunion of Irish indie darlings My Bloody Valentine and a nearly three-hour set from The Cure.
Promoters say the turnout exceeded expectations, and this year's attendance figure might be the third largest in the festival's 10-year history. The three-day ticket price may have been steep -- roughly $300, including service charges -- but when divided among the 131 acts on the bill, that breaks down to less than $2.50 per act.
This was also the first year concert promoter Goldenvoice offered layaway, which is how 18 percent chose to pay. The strong showing is good news for Bonnaroo, All Points West, Lollapalooza and other festivals taking place this spring and summer. Coachella was also moved up one weekend, which allowed for more kids on spring break to attend.
Although Coachella is one of several music festivals in the United States, it still carries a certain cachet that's hard to match. Perhaps it's the scenery -- listening to music on a grassy polo field surrounded by swaying palm trees and craggy desert mountains. Or maybe it's the thrill of discovering new artists and rediscovering old ones standing shoulder-to-shoulder with friends, strangers and the random Hollywood celebrity.
Or maybe it's the wacky moments that seem to happen only under the blistering desert sun.
Where else could you get Morrissey -- a well-known vegetarian -- complaining in the middle of his Friday set that the smell of burning animals was making him sick, and that he only hoped it was human? The Moz was referring to meat grilling in a food booth across the polo field.
And when troubled British neo-soul singer Amy Winehouse dropped out of her Saturday performance because she couldn't get a visa, M.I.A. stepped into her slot on the main stage -- but she apparently wasn't happy about the upgrade. Despite a massive, adoring crowd and a highly charged set, the new mom exclaimed, "This is the main stage? Next time, I'm back in a tent! I prefer the sweat!"
This was after her tongue-in-cheek nod to Winehouse, where she sang, "They tried to make me do the Oscars, I said, 'No, no, no.' "
Then, there were the memorable music moments. Friday headliner Sir Paul McCartney didn't end his playful, hit-filled set until about 54 minutes past the midnight curfew -- for a potential fine of $54,000. (According to Benjamin Guitron, media relations officer for the Indio Police Department, the promoter agrees to pay $1,000 for every minute past 12 a.m.)
On Saturday, Seattle, Washington, indie pop band Fleet Foxes drew an overflowing crowd to the Outdoor Theatre, charming the audience with its delicate, baroque harmonies. Sunday headliners The Cure played 31 songs from the group's vast catalog -- concentrating heavily on early material, and for the most part, staying away from the biggest radio hits. They, too, played well past curfew -- continuing with their third encore even after the sound from the main PA system was cut off.
My Bloody Valentine -- whose four members reunited last year after a decade apart -- was also a crowd pleaser, although an interlude where they played a single chord at maximum decibels for a mind-numbing 15 minutes left fans scratching their heads.
Perry Farrell is the only artist who's performed at all 10 Coachella festivals -- in Jane's Addiction, Porno for Pyros, Satellite Party, as his alter ego DJ Peretz and in other incarnations. This year, he dueted with Thievery Corporation on the main stage, then headed over to the dance tent, where he joined his wife, Etty, for an electronic set.
"I would probably silently be very depressed if they wouldn't invite me, to tell you the truth. My mental health depends on them," he said with a laugh.
Twentysomethings wearing feathers in their hair jumped up and down to Somali emcee K'naan in the Gobi tent.
In the portable toilets, an impromptu discussion broke out about the "awesomeness" of Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O.
The mercury may have hovered close to 100 degrees, and somewhere outside the desert oasis of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival there was a global recession, but you'd never know it from the carefree crowd on Day 3 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
Although exact figures have yet to be released, about 50,000 revelers turned out for the final day of the 2009 festival for an eclectic lineup that included former Jam front man Paul Weller, rap pioneers Public Enemy, a reunion of Irish indie darlings My Bloody Valentine and a nearly three-hour set from The Cure.
Promoters say the turnout exceeded expectations, and this year's attendance figure might be the third largest in the festival's 10-year history. The three-day ticket price may have been steep -- roughly $300, including service charges -- but when divided among the 131 acts on the bill, that breaks down to less than $2.50 per act.
This was also the first year concert promoter Goldenvoice offered layaway, which is how 18 percent chose to pay. The strong showing is good news for Bonnaroo, All Points West, Lollapalooza and other festivals taking place this spring and summer. Coachella was also moved up one weekend, which allowed for more kids on spring break to attend.
Although Coachella is one of several music festivals in the United States, it still carries a certain cachet that's hard to match. Perhaps it's the scenery -- listening to music on a grassy polo field surrounded by swaying palm trees and craggy desert mountains. Or maybe it's the thrill of discovering new artists and rediscovering old ones standing shoulder-to-shoulder with friends, strangers and the random Hollywood celebrity.
Or maybe it's the wacky moments that seem to happen only under the blistering desert sun.
Where else could you get Morrissey -- a well-known vegetarian -- complaining in the middle of his Friday set that the smell of burning animals was making him sick, and that he only hoped it was human? The Moz was referring to meat grilling in a food booth across the polo field.
And when troubled British neo-soul singer Amy Winehouse dropped out of her Saturday performance because she couldn't get a visa, M.I.A. stepped into her slot on the main stage -- but she apparently wasn't happy about the upgrade. Despite a massive, adoring crowd and a highly charged set, the new mom exclaimed, "This is the main stage? Next time, I'm back in a tent! I prefer the sweat!"
This was after her tongue-in-cheek nod to Winehouse, where she sang, "They tried to make me do the Oscars, I said, 'No, no, no.' "
Then, there were the memorable music moments. Friday headliner Sir Paul McCartney didn't end his playful, hit-filled set until about 54 minutes past the midnight curfew -- for a potential fine of $54,000. (According to Benjamin Guitron, media relations officer for the Indio Police Department, the promoter agrees to pay $1,000 for every minute past 12 a.m.)
On Saturday, Seattle, Washington, indie pop band Fleet Foxes drew an overflowing crowd to the Outdoor Theatre, charming the audience with its delicate, baroque harmonies. Sunday headliners The Cure played 31 songs from the group's vast catalog -- concentrating heavily on early material, and for the most part, staying away from the biggest radio hits. They, too, played well past curfew -- continuing with their third encore even after the sound from the main PA system was cut off.
My Bloody Valentine -- whose four members reunited last year after a decade apart -- was also a crowd pleaser, although an interlude where they played a single chord at maximum decibels for a mind-numbing 15 minutes left fans scratching their heads.
Perry Farrell is the only artist who's performed at all 10 Coachella festivals -- in Jane's Addiction, Porno for Pyros, Satellite Party, as his alter ego DJ Peretz and in other incarnations. This year, he dueted with Thievery Corporation on the main stage, then headed over to the dance tent, where he joined his wife, Etty, for an electronic set.
"I would probably silently be very depressed if they wouldn't invite me, to tell you the truth. My mental health depends on them," he said with a laugh.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Porn star Marilyn Chambers dies at 56
Porn icon Marilyn Chambers GUCCI BAG was http://www.queenbags.com/gucci.php found dead in her Los Angeles home Sunday night, but investigators do not suspect foul play, according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman.
Chambers began her career in 1970 as a model for Ivory Snow soap, and starred two years later in the porn classic "Behind the Green Door."
"She was a really nice girl," said actor Ron Jeremy, who co-starred with Chambers in adult films starting in the 1970s.
Chambers' death was a "total shock," Jeremy said, because they had been scheduled to sign a contract Monday to perform together in an off-Broadway "tongue-in-cheek" re-enactment of the porn classic "Deep Throat."
"What's strange is that she was at a stage where she was totally happy and totally content with her life," Jeremy said. "Her GUCCI BAG life was falling together, and she was doing really well."
A family member found Chambers, 56, in the mobile home where she lived in the Canyon Country area and called police Sunday evening, sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitemore said.
The death appeared to be from natural causes, although toxicology tests have not been completed, Whitemore said.
The coroner's investigation has not been completed, and no cause of death has been determined, according to a spokesman with the Los Angeles Medical Examiner's office.
Although her career was mostly in X-rated films, Chambers' fame was boosted by the irony that her face had graced the Ivory Snow box, a soap advertised as "99 and 44/100 percent pure."
Chambers eventually co-starred with all of the best-known porn actors of the 1970s and 1980s, Jeremy said
Chambers began her career in 1970 as a model for Ivory Snow soap, and starred two years later in the porn classic "Behind the Green Door."
"She was a really nice girl," said actor Ron Jeremy, who co-starred with Chambers in adult films starting in the 1970s.
Chambers' death was a "total shock," Jeremy said, because they had been scheduled to sign a contract Monday to perform together in an off-Broadway "tongue-in-cheek" re-enactment of the porn classic "Deep Throat."
"What's strange is that she was at a stage where she was totally happy and totally content with her life," Jeremy said. "Her GUCCI BAG life was falling together, and she was doing really well."
A family member found Chambers, 56, in the mobile home where she lived in the Canyon Country area and called police Sunday evening, sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitemore said.
The death appeared to be from natural causes, although toxicology tests have not been completed, Whitemore said.
The coroner's investigation has not been completed, and no cause of death has been determined, according to a spokesman with the Los Angeles Medical Examiner's office.
Although her career was mostly in X-rated films, Chambers' fame was boosted by the irony that her face had graced the Ivory Snow box, a soap advertised as "99 and 44/100 percent pure."
Chambers eventually co-starred with all of the best-known porn actors of the 1970s and 1980s, Jeremy said
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Billy Bob Thornton's band cancels Canadian shows
he flu has forced an early GUCCI BAG end to http://www.queenbags.com/gucci.php Billy Bob Thornton's musical tour of Canada, his publicist said Saturday.
The news was reportedly greeted with loud GUCCI BAG applause at a Friday night show in Montreal after Thornton called Canadian concert-goers "mashed potatoes with no gravy" in a radio interview Wednesday.
The Boxmasters' final Canadian dates -- in Montreal and London, Ontario -- were canceled because "one of the band members and several of the crew have the flu," said Thornton publicist Arnold Robinson.
Thornton's electric hillbilly band will rejoin Willie Nelson's tour when it returns to the United States for a show in Stamford, Connecticut, on Tuesday, after they have "a few days off to recuperate," Robinson said.
The trio was the GUCCI BAG opening act for Nelson until they were loudly booed in Toronto, a day after the actor-musician's bizarre interview with a CBC radio hostIronically, the comments that offended Canadians included Thornton's assessment that they were "very reserved" and "it doesn't matter what you say to them."
"It's mashed potatoes with no gravy," Thornton told CBC host Jian Ghomeshi.
"We tend to play places where people throw things at each other and here they just sort of sit there," he said. The audience at Thursday night's show in Toronto loudly booed the Boxmasters, with some shouts of "Here comes the gravy!" The GUCCI BAG Toronto Star newspaper reported.
Thornton's remarks about Canadians came near the end of his controversial interview with on the CBC's "Q" program, which began with the host's brief mention that, in addition to being the Boxmaster's lead singer and drummer, Thornton was an "Oscar-winning screenwriter-actor-director."
Thornton, apparently upset with any reference to his movie career, was unresponsive to Ghomeshi's questions GUCCI BAG until the men finally declared a truce to talk about music.He "simply elected not to engage with the interviewer because of the direction of the interview from the outset," Robinson told CNN.
Video of the interview, which has been viewed by millions online, may leave the audience wondering whether this was a controlled performance GUCCI BAG by Thornton or a public breakdown that revealed true anger over a perceived insult of his music.
The news was reportedly greeted with loud GUCCI BAG applause at a Friday night show in Montreal after Thornton called Canadian concert-goers "mashed potatoes with no gravy" in a radio interview Wednesday.
The Boxmasters' final Canadian dates -- in Montreal and London, Ontario -- were canceled because "one of the band members and several of the crew have the flu," said Thornton publicist Arnold Robinson.
Thornton's electric hillbilly band will rejoin Willie Nelson's tour when it returns to the United States for a show in Stamford, Connecticut, on Tuesday, after they have "a few days off to recuperate," Robinson said.
The trio was the GUCCI BAG opening act for Nelson until they were loudly booed in Toronto, a day after the actor-musician's bizarre interview with a CBC radio hostIronically, the comments that offended Canadians included Thornton's assessment that they were "very reserved" and "it doesn't matter what you say to them."
"It's mashed potatoes with no gravy," Thornton told CBC host Jian Ghomeshi.
"We tend to play places where people throw things at each other and here they just sort of sit there," he said. The audience at Thursday night's show in Toronto loudly booed the Boxmasters, with some shouts of "Here comes the gravy!" The GUCCI BAG Toronto Star newspaper reported.
Thornton's remarks about Canadians came near the end of his controversial interview with on the CBC's "Q" program, which began with the host's brief mention that, in addition to being the Boxmaster's lead singer and drummer, Thornton was an "Oscar-winning screenwriter-actor-director."
Thornton, apparently upset with any reference to his movie career, was unresponsive to Ghomeshi's questions GUCCI BAG until the men finally declared a truce to talk about music.He "simply elected not to engage with the interviewer because of the direction of the interview from the outset," Robinson told CNN.
Video of the interview, which has been viewed by millions online, may leave the audience wondering whether this was a controlled performance GUCCI BAG by Thornton or a public breakdown that revealed true anger over a perceived insult of his music.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Chris Brown pleads not guilty in assault case
Singer Rihanna, the girlfriend GUCCI BAG Brown is http://www.queenbags.com/gucci.php accused of attacking, wants the case resolved without a trial, her lawyer said.
The only words heard from Brown, 19, during his brief appearance before Judge Patricia Schnegg were "not guilty," which GUCCI BAG he said twice as Schnegg asked for his plea on the two counts.
Brown is charged with felony counts of assault and making criminal threats. If he is convicted, the sentence could range from probation to four years and eight months in prison, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has said.
The alleged attacked happened during an argument in February that began when 21-year-old Rihanna, who had been dating Brown, found a text message from another woman on his cell phone, according to a sworn police statement. Rihanna's lawyer, Donald Etra, told reporters after Monday's hearing that his client "would prefer that the matter be resolved expeditiously and fairly."
"She believes that the quicker this case is over, the GUCCI BAG more quickly she can get back to her life and her career, which is exactly what she'd like to do," Etra said.Rihanna, who is in her home country, Barbados, "is in fine spirits, she's doing fine," he said.
"She would be pleased if this were over quickly," Etra said.
He said there were "efforts on behalf of all of the parties to try to resolve the case expeditiously and fairly."
The goal is "to see if it can be resolved prior to the preliminary hearing and prior to trial," Etra said. "I think that would GUCCI BAG benefit everybody."
When asked if Rihanna would cooperate with prosecutors, Etra gave the same response he's given previously.
"If asked to testify, she will do so," he said.
He said it was "premature to speculate" what Rihanna might consider a fair plea deal for Brown.
When Brown appeared for his first hearing a month ago, Rihanna's lawyer asked the judge not to prohibit Brown from having contact with her while he faces felony charges of assaulting her. The judge granted Rihanna's request, only warning Brown "not to annoy, harass, molest, threaten or use force or violence against anyone."
Court documents released last month revealed GUCCI BAG details about the case against Brown, including a police statement that the incident began when Rihanna, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, found a text message on Brown's cell phone from "a woman who Brown had a previous sexual relationship with."
Brown issued a public apology for the incident in February.
"Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired," he said in a statement released by his spokesman. "I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person."
The only words heard from Brown, 19, during his brief appearance before Judge Patricia Schnegg were "not guilty," which GUCCI BAG he said twice as Schnegg asked for his plea on the two counts.
Brown is charged with felony counts of assault and making criminal threats. If he is convicted, the sentence could range from probation to four years and eight months in prison, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has said.
The alleged attacked happened during an argument in February that began when 21-year-old Rihanna, who had been dating Brown, found a text message from another woman on his cell phone, according to a sworn police statement. Rihanna's lawyer, Donald Etra, told reporters after Monday's hearing that his client "would prefer that the matter be resolved expeditiously and fairly."
"She believes that the quicker this case is over, the GUCCI BAG more quickly she can get back to her life and her career, which is exactly what she'd like to do," Etra said.Rihanna, who is in her home country, Barbados, "is in fine spirits, she's doing fine," he said.
"She would be pleased if this were over quickly," Etra said.
He said there were "efforts on behalf of all of the parties to try to resolve the case expeditiously and fairly."
The goal is "to see if it can be resolved prior to the preliminary hearing and prior to trial," Etra said. "I think that would GUCCI BAG benefit everybody."
When asked if Rihanna would cooperate with prosecutors, Etra gave the same response he's given previously.
"If asked to testify, she will do so," he said.
He said it was "premature to speculate" what Rihanna might consider a fair plea deal for Brown.
When Brown appeared for his first hearing a month ago, Rihanna's lawyer asked the judge not to prohibit Brown from having contact with her while he faces felony charges of assaulting her. The judge granted Rihanna's request, only warning Brown "not to annoy, harass, molest, threaten or use force or violence against anyone."
Court documents released last month revealed GUCCI BAG details about the case against Brown, including a police statement that the incident began when Rihanna, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, found a text message on Brown's cell phone from "a woman who Brown had a previous sexual relationship with."
Brown issued a public apology for the incident in February.
"Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired," he said in a statement released by his spokesman. "I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person."
Crime writer Walter Mosley debuts new series
The prolific writer seemingly wrapped up his beloved series -- which spawned the 1995 film "Devil in a Blue Dress" starring Denzel Washington -- in 2007 with the 10th Easy Rawlins mystery, "Blonde Faith."
The ending saddened die-hard fans who had faithfully followed the adventures of the Los Angeles, California-based everyman-turned-private investigator whose stories played out in an era from the Jim Crow 1940s to the politically GUCCI BAG charged 1960s.
Now Mosley, who has found success writing everything from erotica to science fiction, has launched a new mystery series with the release of his book "The Long Fall" (Riverhead).
The book features an ex-boxer named Leonid Trotter McGill, the latest colorfully named Mosley character. Three of his previous books involved ex-convict Socrates Fortlow, and another trio concerned bookseller Paris Minton.
But the new novel takes Mosley to a different place and time. Instead of mid-20th century Los Angeles, "The Long Fall" is set in modern-day New York, where McGill is finding it hard to leave his less-than-stellar past behind.
That past includes a childhood as a red-diaper baby abandoned by his union organizer father and left to fend for himself at an early age, a loveless marriage to an unfaithful woman named Katrina and a son who's a burgeoning criminal mastermind.
Moreover, he's at work on a case where you just know people are going to die.
Such page turners are nothing new for Mosley, who is known for his strong, black male characters and his passionate musings on race, politics and the writing life.
McGill's creator recently spoke with CNN about the new mystery novel, why he doesn't miss Easy, and how the changes in the United States are mirrored in his writing. The following is an edited version of the interview.
CNN: Why leave Los GUCCI BAG Angeles for a setting in modern-day New York?
Walter Mosley: I have been a resident of both cities. The new series being contemporary and about a character who in some murky ways reflects where America is right now, New York seemed the right place for that.
CNN: How so? Where do you think America is right now?
Mosley: I think that America has made a decision, after about 20 years of going in one direction, to go in another direction: to leave rampant and amoral kind of deregulation and also rampant and immoral wars and say, "Maybe we should be doing the right thing instead of the wrong thing," or redefining what the right thing is, at any rate.
Those kinds of decisions, there are only two GUCCI BAG places [the setting] can be, and that's either in Washington, D.C., which I feel is very limiting because it's a one-business town, or New York, where everything from economics to government is centered.
So I decided on New York.
CNN: McGill is trying to leave behind his shady past. Do you feel like America is trying to do the same?
Mosley: Yes, I think that's exactly what's happening. I think America is trying to seek redemption after having done many things wrong in the eyes of the world in general.
Leonid McGill is trying GUCCI BAG to seek redemption after a long criminal history. His history is somewhat forgivable, but still it's criminal.
CNN: Did you approach this book differently than you did when you were writing the Easy Rawlins mysteries?
Mosley: Yes and no. All books are different, so each of the Easy Rawlins books I wrote I approached differently. [Leonid] is a new character and he has a unique life that I had to begin to learn. I knew Easy very well, but Leonid I had GUCCI BAG to learn who he was.
CNN: In your new book, I love that McGill's wife's name is "Katrina" and she leaves lots of destruction in her wake.
Mosley: [chuckling] It's true, but the first story I wrote about Leonid [a story called "Karma" published in the anthology "Dangerous Women"] was before the hurricane and that was a long time ago. It's funny that it worked out like that.
CNN: What do you like GUCCI BAG about McGill?
Mosley: This is the first time in my experiments in crime fiction that I've written a hard-boiled detective character. This is going all the way back to the beginning of the genre in the '30s, where you have a guy who gets thumped upside the head a lot and he's just as bad as the people he's after.
In the old style, you never knew what was going on inside the hard-boiled character's head, but in these stories I am actually discovering the underlying GUCCI BAG character of the hard-boiled detective, and for me that's been a great deal of fun.
CNN: You've written so many various genres. What is it about the genre of crime fiction that appeals to you?
Mosley: Originally I got into it because you can talk about worlds that people wouldn't read about ordinarily GUCCI BAG unless they had a particular interest in it. Everybody reads crime fiction and they read it to find out about different worlds.
I like writing in different genres. There's all this stuff that I really enjoy doing because I think they all serve different purposes.
And listen, I'm known as a crime writer, people like it and I enjoy it.
CNN: For your fans, a lot of them miss GUCCI BAG Easy Rawlins. Do you miss him at all?
Mosley: No, he's right there on the shelf. All I have to do is reach up and pull him down.
I'm finished with that. I'm moving on.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)