Beyonce - I Am … Sasha Fierce

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Beyonce - I Am … Sasha Fierce

“Beyoncé devoted half of the tracks on this double-disc set to her feisty alter ego Sasha Fierce (think “Single Ladies”). But, it’s the classic, more timeless R&B songs on the “I Am” portion of the album that seem like a much-welcomed stretch for the singer. Lead single “If I Were a Boy” is the first taste of Beyoncé’s newfound love for powerful ballads, as she croons about reversing gender roles. On “Halo” she sings in a lower register than usual over big drums and an epic piano pattern and belts emotively (”I don’t want a broken heart/And I don’t want to play the broken-hearted girl”) on the Babyface-penned “Broken-Hearted Girl.” Songs like “Video Phone,” with its repetitive, vibrating beat, and the thumping “Diva,” a collaboration with Sean Garrett, don’t break new ground but more than provide the radio-ready dance tracks for which Beyoncé, er, Sasha Fierce, is beloved. —Mariel Concepcion”

Dido - Safe Trip Home

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Dido - Safe Trip Home

“Dido’s haunted voice is a flat line: Whether she’s singing bold dismissals like “I can’t look at you this morning,” or loving declarations like “My heart has found its home,” those gauze-covered pipes never modulate. So the sonic settings into which they’re placed are all the more important. Her third studio album employs fewer electronic whooshes and more real instruments than the previous two, making it smaller, finer and a better showcase for her uncluttered melodies and lyrics. There are a lot of perfect little songs here; they run less than four minutes, but are rich and deep. “Quiet Times” is a shuffling, string-laden shanty that recalls great Brit folk-pop band the Sundays. “It Comes and It Goes” has an irresistible sway, while “The Day Before the Day” is quietly devastating. There isn’t a standout single, but this is Dido’s most fully realized and elegantly rendered collection. —Kerri Mason”

David Cook - David Cook

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David Cook - David Cook

“”American Idol” season seven champ David Cook already scored a solid hit with his first single, “The Time of My Life,” the kind of sentimental ballad every winner is forced to churn out. Much like his predecessors’ quick-turnaround debuts, Cook’s is fairly generic, but its rock edge is dirtied up with crunching guitars and the artist’s tuneful growl. There are a host of big, anthemic choruses that highlight the power of Cook’s voice, namely the soaring “Declaration” and Chris Cornell/Brian Howes-penned “Light On.” Elsewhere, Cook exercises his right to rawk with the swaggering, gritty “Bar-ba-sol” and bares his soul alongside a delicate piano and string arrangement on “Permanent.” There are some lyrical missteps (”Life on the Moon,” which marvels at the titular concept), but as the lone rocker winner of “Idol” to date, Cook stands apart from cookie-cutter pop. —Jill Menze”

‘Suge’ Knight Facing Drug, Battery Charges

The Clark County district attorney’s office in Las Vegas is seeking criminal charges against hip-hop mogul Marion “Suge” Knight.

A criminal complaint sent to the Las Vegas Justice Court yesterday charges Knight with two counts of felony drug possession and one count of misdemeanor battery.

A court spokeswoman says the charges were being processed. Knight’s attorney wasn’t immediately available for comment.

Police allege they saw the founder of bankrupt Death Row Records beating his girlfriend while brandishing a knife in a parking lot near the Las Vegas Strip in August.

Authorities said the woman wasn’t stabbed, but was treated at a hospital for injuries. Police say Knight had the drugs Ecstasy and hydrocodone when they arrested him. Knight was later released after posting $19,000 bail.

Lawyer: Michael Jackson Too Sick To Testify In Person

Michael Jackson might be too sick to travel to London to testify in a suit claiming he owes an Arab sheikh $7 million, the pop star’s attorney said today (Nov. 18).

Jackson is seeking to give his testimony by video link from the United States. “It would be unwise for him to travel, given what’s he’s got now,” lawyer Robert Englehart said, declining to elaborate “for the obvious reasons.”

Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s lawyer, Bankim Thanki, said the medical evidence presented by Jackson’s legal team was “very unsatisfactory” and Jackson’s illness could be treated with a bandage “if the diagnosis is positive.”

“It’s not the first time a sick note has been presented by Mr. Jackson,” Thanki said, also without elaborating.

Jackson has often been seen wearing a surgical mask in public. In one infamous 2002 court appearance in California, he appeared to have a bandage hanging from his hollowed-out nose.

The judge in the current case, Nigel Sweeney, said he would decide the question of Jackson’s travel on Thursday to allow time for medical experts on both legal teams to talk.

Khalifa, the second son of the king of Bahrain, claims that Jackson reneged on a contract for an album, a candid autobiography and a stage play, after accepting millions from the sheikh. Al Khalifa was in court today for the second day of arguments and testimony.

The case is being tried in London by mutual agreement, Al Khalifa’s representatives have said. It is due to wrap up by the end of the month.

Al Khalifa felt betrayed when the pop star pulled out of the deal, Thanki said. After Jackson left Bahrain, never to return, his publicist later called Al Khalifa to say Jackson no longer wanted any part of the contract. Thanki said.

“It’s fair to say my client felt a considerable sense of betrayal by someone he thought was a close friend,” Thanki said, adding that the sheikh, an amateur songwriter, also felt “a sense of professional failure.”

Thanki said Al Khalifa and Jackson were planning to establish a joint venture to put out a new Michael Jackson album, an autobiography, and a stage play.

They hoped to make millions from the project — Jackson’s autobiography, intended to be “a frank and personal account” of the singer’s life, was alone expected to rack up $24 million, Thanki said. In the meanwhile, Al Khalifa gave Jackson millions of dollars to help shore up his finances and subsidize Jackson’s lifestyle in the small Gulf state.

Thanki said Al Khalifa considered the money an advance on the profits Jackson would reap from their pop music project, but Englehart said the money was a gift. “Sheikh Abdulla, fortunately for himself, had the resources to be so generous,” Englehart said.

Englehart argued that Jackson wasn’t bound by the deal he struck because the contract was technically signed on behalf of 2 Seas Records, a venture which never got off the ground. “This (contract) was one brick in the building that was never built,” Englehart said.

Foo Fighters, John Mayer Set For Grammy Nominations Show

Foo Fighters, John Mayer and B.B. King will perform at the first Grammy Nominations Concert, to be held Dec. 3 at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live and broadcast on CBS.

In addition to the performances, the event will reveal the nominees in several as-yet-unspecified Grammy categories. Mariah Carey, LL Cool J and Taylor Swift will serve as co-hosts.

The show coincides with the grand opening of the Grammy Museum in the L.A. Live complex. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the museum.

The 2009 Grammys will be held Feb. 8.

Pop stars, fans say goodbye to MTV’s ‘TRL’

NEW YORK - Carson Daly chatted with Eminem, Beyonce gave a show-stopping performance, girls shrieked at the sight of Justin Timberlake and hundreds of fans lined up outside in Times Square for a glimpse at superstars.

For few hours, it seemed like old times at MTV’s “Total Request Live” — back when the show was not only music’s most powerful force but a dominant part of pop culture. Unfortunately, it took the show’s demise to make it relevant again.

MTV pulled the plug on its most influential franchise Sunday night following years of declining ratings, but not before marking the occasion with celebration and nostalgia, as some of pop’s biggest stars paid respects to the show that helped launch their careers.

“I feel like they’re kinda tearin’ down my home,” Eminem said via phone as he and Daly, “TRL’s” first and most famous host, commiserated during the live, three-hour broadcast from the show’s headquarters.

“It’s a bittersweet moment,” Diddy, the show’s most frequent guest, said as he cried mock tears and gave one of the final waves to the Times Square audience from “TRL’s” glass-encased studios above.

MTV has had other shows that will be remembered for changing the musical landscape, including “Yo! MTV Raps,” but perhaps none greater than “TRL.” It made its debut in 1998, just as the teen pop phenomenon was about to explode, when the rap-rock hybrid was bubbling over, and groups like Destiny’s Child were considered emerging acts.

While its concept of a video countdown show wasn’t new, its model — which included a live show, an audience full of enthusiastic kids and viewer feedback — helped energize the teen fan base and made them music’s tastemakers. Soon, “TRL” would become an integral part of boosting the careers of superstars like Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, Eminem and Christina Aguilera. It’s no coincidence that their biggest sales, and pop’s huge sales boom in the new millennium, came during the show’s most potent era.

“If it wasn’t for ‘TRL,’ I don’t think I would have this launching pad for my career,” said a cigar-smoking Kid Rock, who came to prominence as a raucous rap-rocker on “TRL” with his baudy hit “Bawitdaba” but has since morphed into a country-rock career that is more CMT than MTV.

“It’s a big loss, not having this as a platform to promote our music,” said 50 Cent in the show’s waning moments.

In its prime, “TRL” had “American Idol”-like power to influence sales on the pop charts, and became a required stop, not only for those on the road to pop stardom, but those in TV, movies and even sports superstars. Tom Cruise and Will Smith made stops before a new movie; all-star athletes like Derek Jeter mingled with the teens; even legends like Madonna and Michael Jackson made sure they got “TRL” face-time.

The moments weren’t always cheery, though. The Backstreet Boys broke news of member A.J. McLean’s drug and alcohol rehab on the show; Mariah Carey’s bizarre moment involving a striptease and ice cream defined her time of emotional instability.

Both of those moments were replayed during Sunday’s show, but the event mostly recalled its musical legacy, highlighted by performances from its most important alumni. Beyonce opened the show with her new singles, “If I Were A Boy” and “Single Ladies,” but also gyrated to one of her superstar-making hit “Crazy in Love,” which got endless plays on “TRL.”

“This show obviously launched the careers of so many people,” said Daly, the now late-night talk show host who could include himself in that category. “This is a sad moment.”

Timberlake didn’t perform, but arrived with JC Chasez, his fellow ‘N Sync member, and hailed the show for making his launching-pad group one of music’s best-selling acts.

“This is like a high school reunion in a way,” said Timberlake. “I feel like we all grew up together. ‘TRL’ was so integral to our careers.”

Like all reunions, the show featured appearances from its past graduating classes, like former VJs Vanessa Minnillo, Hilarie Burton (now an actress on “One Tree Hill”) and trivia game answer Jesse Camp. Snoop Dogg, Nelly and Ludacris rapped some of their biggest hits in a hip-hop melody; Fall Out Boy performed in Times Square without the services of soon-to-be-dad Pete Wentz, who spoke later via phone (Wentz is the host of the video show that is taking the place of TRL — “FNMTV.”)

But TRL’s greatest claim to fame was a no-show. Spears entire career, from its meteoric rise to tragic downturn to recent resurgence, was chronicled on TRL, but she didn’t attend the goodbye gala. Still, her presence loomed large: As the show did its final countdown of all-time videos, her now-iconic first hit, “… Baby One More Time,” emerged as the top video, and played as the credits of the show ran for the final time.