Beyonce’s management has released a statement stressing the inaccuracy of recent media reports suggesting that her new “B’Day Deluxe Edition” album and video companion has been yanked from store shelves.As previously reported, singer Des’ree filed a lawsuit in Manhattan claiming Team Beyonce never got the proper clearance to record her 1996 hit, “Kissing You.” According to the lawsuit, Team Bey attempted to work out an 11th hour deal to secure the rights for her to record the song for the revamped “B’Day” album and video collection.
But when they weren't satisfied with Team Des’ree’s proposed terms -- which included not being able to change the title or film a music video – Team Bey allegedly ignored copyright law completely and moved forward with the song and video without permission under new title, “Still in Love (Kissing You)”
After Des'ree sued for $150,000 in damages and to halt distribution of Beyonce’s song, video and album, Team Bey announced that they have agreed to temporarily halt distribution of the CDs that include the track. To clarify the move further, a rep for her management company Music World Entertainment released the following statement: Unfortunately, there were some misunderstandings regarding whether Des’ree’s song ‘Kissing You’ was cleared for release in the United States.
Hank Fasthoff, one of Beyonce's attorneys, said: “First and foremost we’d like to point out that as an artist, Beyonce is not in any way involved in the process of obtaining clearances to re-record and release songs. Obtaining clearances is customarily handled by management, the attorneys and/or the label.“However, until this clearance situation is resolved, future distributions of the album/DVD in the United States will not include ‘Still In Love (Kissing You). “The international market is not affected in any way because the song is not included on albums shipped outside of the United States.”
R&B singer AMERIE is insuring her legs for $2 million (GBP1 million) because they are important for her singing and dancing career. The star showed off her assets while performing her new single, Take Control at London club G.A.Y at the weekend (21-22Apr07). Amerie says, "My legs are very important to my career so I'm insuring them. I love dancing as much as I do singing."
