Katy Perry, team ordered to pay $2.7 million for copying song

LOS ANGELES, United States — A US gospel rapper whose song was partially copied by Katy Perry was awarded $2.7 million in damages by a federal jury Thursday in the latest high-profile copyright ruling to rock the music industry.

Perry herself was ordered to pay just over $550,000 to Marcus Gray -- who performs as "Flame" -- after the jury found that a beat used in her 2013 song "Dark Horse" constituted copyright infringement.

The ruling followed a weeklong trial in Los Angeles where Perry took the witness stand and said she had never heard of Gray's 2009 rap "Joyful Noise."

Perry's representatives immediately vowed to appeal if the case is not dismissed pending a defense motion.

"The writers of 'Dark Horse' consider this a travesty of justice," attorney Christine Lepera said outside court.


Gray's lawyers had argued for a far higher penalty of around $20 million.

"These defendants made millions and millions of dollars from their infringement of the plaintiffs' song," attorney Michael Kahn told the court.

During the trial, Perry's lawyers said the two songs' underlying beat was "commonplace" and therefore cannot be copyrighted.

But Gray's lawyers said the defendants had "copied an important part" of his song, referring to a 16-second instrumental section.

Perry's label Capitol Records was ordered to pay $1.2 million of the damages. Her producers will also pay toward the sum.

Perry performed a version of "Dark Horse" at the 2015 Super Bowl, while "Joyful Noise" has been viewed more than 3 million times on YouTube.

Gray's team first brought the litigation against Perry in 2014.

The number of copyright lawsuits has been proliferating in recent years in the US.

The case follows a long-running copyright dispute by the family of Motown legend Marvin Gaye who won a nearly $5 million judgment against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams.

Thicke and Williams were accused by Gaye's estate of copyright infringement for their 2013 hit because of similarities with the late singer's "Got to Give It Up."

The initial judgment against Thicke and Williams sent shockwaves through the songwriting community, which has been accustomed to lawsuits alleging musical similarities but never expected courts to take such claims seriously.

British rock group Led Zeppelin are facing another trial over claims they copied part of "Stairway to Heaven" after a US appeals court last year overturned a 2016 judgment.

source: philstar.com

Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Katy Perry lead celebs mourning Clinton loss

Lady Gaga called for kindness, Miley Cyrus was in tears, Madonna vowed never to give up and Katy Perry urged Americans not to weep as Republican Donald Trump stunned the world by defeating heavily favored Democrat Hillary Clinton in Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election.

Celebrities, many of whom had campaigned for Clinton, were shocked as Trump was elected after a long and bitter campaign.

A tearful Cyrus posted a video on social media on Wednesday saying she had not slept because of Clinton’s loss. But the “Wrecking Ball” singer, 23, who had said earlier this year she would leave the country if Trump won, urged unity, saying “Donald Trump, I accept you as President of the United States … Please treat people with compassion and respect.”

Lady Gaga went to Trump Tower in Manhattan early on Wednesday and posted a picture of herself on Instagram holding a “Love trumps hate” campaign poster.

“I want to live in a #CountryOfKindness #LoveTrumpsHate. He divided us so carelessly. Let’s take care now of each other,” she wrote.

Hollywood actors, comedians and filmmakers had thrown their support behind Clinton. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, entertainment sources contributed $22 million to her campaign and to pro-Clinton super-PACs through Oct. 19, compared with less than $290,000 for Donald Trump, Hollywood trade publication Variety reported this week.

Cher, who had said earlier in the campaign that she would move to Jupiter if Trump was elected, tweeted “World will never be the same. I feel sad for the young.” She made no mention of moving out of the United States.

Perry, who performed for Clinton at several campaign rallies, said “Do not sit still. Do not weep. MOVE. We are not a nation that will let HATE lead us.”

“A New Fire Is Lit. We Never Give Up. We never Give In,” wrote Madonna on Twitter.

“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, who is British, got into a Twitter spat after urging her followers to challenge “racism, misogyny and hatred.”

But Trump too had his show business supporters.

“CONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT TRUMP! @realDonaldTrump against all odds ..against the establishment and even against most from the GOP..U did it!,” tweeted former “Cheers” actress Kirstie Alley.

Actor Stephen Baldwin, the brother of “Saturday Night Live” star Alec Baldwin, tweeted that he was “proud to have been part of such amazing history.”

source: interaksyon.com

Taylor Swift world’s highest paid celebrity: Forbes

NEW YORK | At the tender age of 26, Taylor Swift is the world’s highest-paid celebrity, pulling in a whopping $170 million over the past year, Forbes magazine said Monday.

The pop diva’s take from June 2015 to June 2016 is the highest total of her young career, the magazine said, more than doubling her previous record of $80 million last year.

She out-earned other famous musicians including Adele ($80.5 million), Madonna ($76.5 million), Rihanna ($75 million) and Bruce Springsteen ($60.5 million).

The “Shake It Off” singer also outpaced rival Katy Perry who was last year’s top-earning musician at $135 million, according to Forbes magazine’s annual list of 100 highest-paid celebrities.

Perry dropped to number 63 on this year’s list, earning a mere $41 million.

Swift’s huge earnings were largely thanks to her “1989 World Tour” during which she smashed the Rolling Stone’s North American record, grossing $200 million on the continent en route to a quarter of a billion worldwide, the magazine said.

Coming in at number two on the list this year was the boy band One Direction, ($110 million), followed by author James Patterson ($95 million).

Taylor’s former beau, musician Calvin Harris, also made the cut coming in at number 21 ($63 million).

“The world’s 100 highest-paid celebrities pulled in $5.1 billion pretax over the past 12 months, more than the GDP of Belize, Gambia and Bhutan combined,” Forbes said.

Magazine editor Zack O’Malley Greenberg said live entertainment continues to be a major cash draw.

“From soccer games in Spain to concerts in China, fans are willing to shell out to see big names – and this is driving the celebrity economy to ever greater heights,” he said in a statement.

On the Hollywood front, Jennifer Lawrence was the industry’s highest-paid actress for the second consecutive year, earning $46 million, a slight drop from the $52 million “The Hunger Games” star banked the year before.

Actor Dwayne Johnson wrestled the highest-paid actor spot from “Iron Man’s” Robert Downey Jr., earning $64.5 million, largely thanks to the billion-dollar “Fast and Furious” franchise and the surprising success of 2015′s “San Andreas” movie.

Many athletes also made the list, including Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo ($88 million), tennis man Roger Federer ($68 million), and German race car driver Sebastian Vettel ($41 million)

source: interaksyon.com

Nuns oppose sale of convent to Katy Perry

LOS ANGELES | Katy Perry has amassed millions of fans around the world, but her failure to win over two elderly nuns is creating an unholy battle.

The pop singer wants to turn a former convent into her home. The sprawling hillside Italianate complex valued at $15 million is situated near the hip Los Angeles neighborhood of Silver Lake.

But two nuns are having none of it. In the latest legal salvo, the two sisters challenged the authority of the archdiocese to sell the property.

The motion dated Monday accused the archdiocese of unilaterally changing the bylaws of the convent, known as the California Institute of the Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The suit said that two of the five remaining sisters, who range in age from 77 to 88, were chosen to have “sole authority to amend the institute’s bylaws, elect officers and sell the assets of the institute.”

Perry has visited the nuns, reportedly singing for them and telling them that she hopes to live on the property with her mother and grandmother.

But the two nuns remain opposed to the sale to Perry, who grew up in a born-again Protestant Christian household but has become both a sex symbol and vocal advocate for gay rights.

Perry’s hits include sultry numbers such as “I Kissed a Girl” and “Teenage Dream.”

Sister Rita Callanan, 77, recently told the Los Angeles Times that she found Perry’s videos online and “if it’s all right to say, I wasn’t happy with any of it.”

Callanan and Sister Catherine Rose Holzman, 86, instead signed to sell the property to restaurateur Dana Hollister.

The archdiocese countered that Hollister offered only $44,000 upfront with no promise to make payments to the aging sisters for another three years.

The archdiocese said that the three other remaining sisters supported the sale to Perry. The five sisters no longer live in the former convent, which was once the home to more than 100 nuns.

“The archdiocese is committed to the care and well-being of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters now and in the future,” it said in a statement.

“That is our obligation as directed by the Holy See, which will have the final approval over any sale of the property.”

source: interaksyon.com

Katy Perry to headline NFL’s 2015 Super Bowl halftime show

LOS ANGELES | Pop singer Katy Perry will headline the halftime entertainment at February’s Super Bowl, the most-watched U.S. sporting and television event, according to an announcement by the National Football League on Sunday.

The 30-year-old “Roar” singer joins the likes of Madonna, Beyonce and Prince to perform at the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime show, which regularly attracts more viewers than the average for the championship game itself.

Sportscaster Bob Costas announced the performance at halftime of the Cowboys-Giants game on “Sunday Night Football.”

The Super Bowl will be played on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Arizona, and broadcast on Comcast Corp-owned network NBC.

Perry acknowledged the announcement on her Twitter feed while watching the game in Australia, where she is currently on her Prismatic World Tour.

“Yeppers!” she wrote. “And I’ve already started testing out ideas!”

A few minutes before the announcement was made, Perry hinted that she was looking forward to the performance.

“My band is in the other room screaming at the TV (and each other) over this Cowboys-Giants game. Can’t wait for February 1st,” she wrote on her Twitter feed, following the words with a picture of a microphone and a football.

The announcement came as Perry won favorite female pop/rock artist at Sunday’s American Music Awards.

This year’s Super Bowl averaged a record 112.2 million viewers on network Fox, while the halftime performance by singer Bruno Mars and rock group Red Hot Chili Peppers drew 115.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

The music industry considers the Super Bowl its top promotional venue because artists can expect a strong recording sales bump following the performance. It is also often used as a spring board to launch new music or tour announcements.

The NFL came under criticism from the music industry this year for reportedly asking performers to either help contribute financially to play the corporate-sponsored show or share some of their post-Super Bowl tour profits with America’s most popular sports league.

It is not known if Perry will contribute financially in any way to the performance but she hinted during a television appearance last month that she would not.

“I’m not the type of girl who would pay to play the Super Bowl,” Perry said on ESPN’s college football “College GameDay” program.

source: interaksyon.com

Katy Perry confronts Australia’s opposition leader on gay marriage

SYDNEY | US pop star Katy Perry on Thursday took Tony Abbott to task over his stance on gay marriage, telling the Australian opposition leader she would not vote for him.

Abbott’s three daughters, aged 20 to 24, are Perry fans and he phoned in when she was a guest on Sydney’s 2DayFM radio station.

He said his “big question” was when would the 28-year-old again tour Australia.

“When are you coming back (to Australia)? We need you, we want you,” Abbott said.

Perry, however, was keener to discuss the policies of his conservative coalition ahead of elections on September 7.

“Oh come on, that’s not a political question. Let’s talk about gay marriage,” she replied from the United States, urging voters to speak out against Abbott’s stance on the issue.

“I love you as a human being but I can’t give you my vote,” Perry said, adding: “I just don’t believe in your policies so that’s what a lot of people should be doing.”

Despite having an openly gay sister, Abbott is opposed to same-sex marriages, in contrast to election rival Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who has vowed to introduce a bill legalizing the unions if returned to office.

Questioned later by reporters about Perry, Abbott, seen as the favorite to win the election, said they “respectfully disagreed”, although they did agree to meet for lunch when Perry heads to Australia next year.

“I respectfully disagree with a number of people, including my own sister, on this subject, but no doubt we’ll all continue to say our piece,” he said, adding of his chat with the singer: “My daughters for once were envious of their dad.”

While leading in opinion polls, Abbott’s campaign has been littered with gaffes this week, including one on gay marriage Tuesday when he said: “I’m not someone who wants to see radical change based on the fashion of the moment.”

He later back-pedalled, saying it was a “very significant issue” among many in his party.

Perry is best known for hit songs such as “Teenage Dream,” California Gurls,” and “I Kissed a Girl.”

Abbott said her catchy hit “Hot n Cold” would make a good election anthem for his party, but Perry was not so sure.

“I don’t know, I don’t know if that’s the best song we can pick for a politician,” she said of a song that begins with the lyrics: “You change your mind like a girl changes clothes”.

source: interaksyon.com

Katy Perry Wins Big at Kids' Choice Awards Post-Breakup

Just a few days after news broke of her split from John Mayer, Katy Perry had plenty of reasons to smile Saturday night.

Perry, 28, took home honors at the Kids' Choice Awards and the title of favorite female singer, besting Taylor Swift, Pink and Oscar-winner Adele.

Making no mention of her former romance (and rocking some seriously sunny attire), she proclaimed, "I love the kids," as she accepted her prize. "I think it's the coolest award."

She wasn't the only recently single lady winning big at the Galen Center. Earlier in the night, Wizards of Waverly Place star (and Justin Bieber ex) Selena Gomez took the stage to accept the award for favorite television actress.

source: people.com