John Mellencamp has released his new album No Better Than This to global radio via AirPlay Direct. The Rounder Records album was recorded at a variety of historically significant locations around the South and was produced by T Bone Burnett, who earlier collaborated with Mellencamp on the much-lauded Life Death Love and Freedom.

No Better Than This was recorded on vintage equipment – a 55 year-old Ampex tape Mellencamp_Canvasrecorder with just one microphone at various locations including the First African Baptist Church in Savannah; Sun Studios in Memphis, and in room 414 of the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio.

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Don‘t look for an album filled with artists covering his tunes, or a prime-time star-studded tribute blowout to mark the anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death.

Because it’s not happening.

Instead, there will be smaller tributes around the country, quite a few media-driven events and what is sure to be lots of fans remembering the King of Pop by playing his music and watching his videos.

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James Brown

The late James Brown — the Godfather of Soul who passed away in December of 2006 — is apparently missing! According to his daughter LaRhonda Pettit, Brown’s body has not been entombed in his crypt as he should because, she believes, there are people trying to keep his cause of death a secret. Now, I’m not sure how Pettit knows that her father’s body is missing from his crypt but she seems pretty sure that his body has been stolen away.

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Michael Jackson's golden casket

Michael Jackson’s private family funeral was fit for a king and had a price tag to match: roughly $1 million, according to court documents released Tuesday.

Although Jackson died in June and had a large public tribute at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in July, the private family funeral held Sept. 3 appeared to have been arranged with urgency.

Legal requests for payments filed with estate administrators by attorneys for Michael Jackson’s mother only three days before the scheduled burial noted that if payment was not received by the funeral home and the Glendale Police Department by Sept. 1, “the funeral will not proceed.”

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Robbie Williams used to shovel drugs up his nose, pop pills and sink lager like a man possessed.
But Class As have been replaced by cuddles from his stunning missus – and his life has changed.

On a punishing round of radio interviews yesterday Rob confessed that “a new Robbie had emerged” who no longer had any “pent-up sexual energy”.

The singer has been having serious sofa sessions with actress Ayda, who has given him the embarrassing nickname “Tickles Anunu”.

And Rob said: “I’ve spent most of the last few years cuddling up on the sofa.”

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