By Mariel Turner
8:19am PDT, Sep 6, 2019
"Old Town Road" named No. 1 song of the summer by Billboard
"Old Town Road" wins again! Lil Nas X's country-rap song was named the No. 1 song of the summer by Billboard Magazine on Sept. 3. Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy" came in at No. 2, while Khalid's "Talk" placed third. Ed Sheeran's single with Justin Bieber, "I Don't Care," placed fourth, and Lizzo's hit song "Truth Hurts" rounded out the top five at No. 5.
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11 new women accuse Placido Domingo of sexual harassment
Singer Placido Domingo, who's also the director of the Los Angeles Opera, has been accused of sexual harassment by 11 new women, according to an AP report published on Sept. 4. The women allege that the music star acted inappropriately with them over the years, accusing him of unwanted touching, asking for private get-togethers, attempting to kiss them on the lips and calling them late at night. The new claims come just a few weeks after the opera star was accused by several other women in an explosive AP expose.
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Ariana Grande files lawsuit against Forever 21 for use of "look-alike" model
Ariana Grande is suing Forever 21 for allegedly hiring a look-a-like model for a social media campaign after the superstar singer declined an endorsement deal with the fashion retailer, according to legal docs filed on Sept. 3. Ariana's team claims the endorsement deal "never came to fruition because the amounts that Forever 21 offered to pay for the right to use Ms. Grande's name and likeness were insufficient for an artist of her stature." The lawsuit further claims that "Rather than pay for that right as the law requires, Defendants simply stole it by launching a misleading campaign across its website and social media platforms primarily in January and February 2019… The campaign capitalized on the concurrent success of Ms. Grande's album Thank U, Next by publishing at least 30 unauthorized images and videos misappropriating Ms. Grande's name, image, likeness, and music in order to create the false perception of her endorsement." Ariana is seeking $10 million in damages.
Celebrity deaths
LaShawn Daniels (pictured), a songwriter of hits like Destiny's Child "Say My Name" and Lady Gaga's "Telephone," died in a car crash on Sept. 3. He was 41. Country singer Kylie Rae Harris died in a three-vehicle crash in northern New Mexico on Sept. 4. She was 30. Jimmy Johnson, the guitarist for the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (a.k.a. "the Swampers"), who recorded with Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd, died on Sept. 5. He was 76.
Taylor Swift's "Lover" debuts at No. 1
Another No. 1 for Taylor Swift! The pop sensation's seventh studio album, "Lover," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart with 867, 000 units earned in the week ending Aug. 29, according to Nielsen Music. The album had the biggest sales week for any artist since the release of Taylor's last effort, 2017's "reputation."
A$AP Rocky will not challenge Sweden assault conviction
A$AP Rocky is ready to put his Sweden legal ordeal behind him. The rapper will not appeal his assault conviction, his lawyer revealed on Sept. 4. "Given the headache and the stress this process has meant he has decided he doesn't have the strength to do this one more time," Slobodan Jovicic told TT news agency. A$AP and two other men were convicted on Aug. 14 of assaulting a 19-year-old man after an argument in Stockholm. The rapper, who insisted he was only defending himself, received a suspended sentence.
Keith Richards buys smokeless ashtray to appease Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards might have hated each other at one point, but now the two are as thick as thieves. The Rolling Stones guitarist reportedly bought a smokeless ashtray that inhales stray cigarette smoke in an attempt to avoid annoying bandmate Mick, who underwent heart surgery in April, according to The Telegraph.
