Entertainment

Ed Sheeran Testifies In ‘Let’s Get It On’ Copyright Suit

Published

12 months ago

2023-04-26

sheeran

NEW YORK – Ed Sheeran spoke in a New York courtroom on Tuesday, denying charges that his popular song “Thinking Out Loud” plagiarised Marvin Gaye’s soul classic “Let’s Get It On.”

The heirs of Ed Townsend, Gaye’s co-writer on the 1973 soul smash, called Ed Sheeran, 32, to testify in the civil trial. The family has sued the English singer of infringement, claiming his 2014 single bore “striking similarities” and “overt common elements” to the legendary Gaye song.

Ed Sheeran, dressed in a dark suit and tie, was convinced he wrote the song himself. His evidence was sometimes heated, as he sparred with the plaintiff’s counsel, Keisha Rice, during cross-examination.

In response to video evidence shown in court of the musician transitioning on stage between the two songs, Sheeran stated that it was “quite simple to weave in and out of songs” that were in the same key.

“I’d be an idiot to stand on a stage in front of 20,000 people and do that,” Sheeran said of the charge of song plagiarism.

Earlier in the day, Ben Crump, a lawyer for Townsend’s heirs, told jurors that combining the two songs amounted to “a confession.”

“We have a smoking gun,” he claimed, referring to the concert footage of Sheeran switching between the two songs.

Crump said the case was about “giving credit where credit is due.”

Ilene Farkas, Sheeran’s lawyer, maintained that Ed Sheeran and a co-writer, Amy Wadge, wrote their song separately and did not steal from Townsend and Gaye.

Ed Sheeran spoke in a New York courtroom on Tuesday.

She explained that they “created this heartfelt song without copying ‘Let’s Get It On.'”

According to his lawyer, the chord pattern and basic building blocks of Sheeran’s song are frequently utilized and did not initially arise in ‘Let’s Get It On’.

Since its release in 1973, “Let’s Get It On” has been heard in innumerable films, commercials, and hundreds of millions of streams, spins, and radio plays. In 2016, “Thinking Out Loud” received a Grammy for Song of the Year.

In 2017, the complaint was filed. The experiment might run up to two weeks.

Townsend, who composed the 1958 R&B doo-wop classic “For Your Love,” was a singer, songwriter, and lawyer. He passed away in 2003.

His daughter, Kathryn Townsend Gryphon, is the plaintiff in the case.

“I think Mr. Sheeran is a great artist with a great future,” she testified, adding that she didn’t want the matter to reach this stage. “But I have to protect my father’s legacy.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Celebrity

Yoko Ono To Receive Edward MacDowell Medal For Lifetime Achievement

Published

1 day ago

2024-04-22

Kiara Grace

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NEW YORK — MacDowell, one of the country’s finest artist residence programs, has honored Yoko Ono with a lifetime achievement award. The trailblazing artist, filmmaker, and musician will receive the Edward MacDowell Medal this year, following in the footsteps of Stephen Sondheim and Toni Morrison, among others.

“There has never been anyone like her; there has never been work like hers,” MacDowell board chairman Nell Painter said in a statement Sunday.

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Yoko Ono To Receive Edward MacDowell Medal For Lifetime Achievement

“Over seven decades, she has pleased eyes, aroused mind, encouraged feminism, and supported refugees with imaginative works. Enduringly new and contemporary, her unusually powerful output resonates to our current times, which are in desperate need of her leitmotif: peace.”

In a statement, Ono’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, described the award as “an incredible honor.”

“The history and list of prior awardees are extremely impressive. It makes me very glad to see her work valued and celebrated in this manner,” he remarked.

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Yoko Ono To Receive Edward MacDowell Medal For Lifetime Achievement

Ono, 91, has made few public appearances in recent years and is unlikely to attend the July honors event at the MacDowell campus in Peterborough, New Hampshire. David Newgarden, Ono’s music manager, will receive the award on her behalf.

Ono first rose to prominence as a member of the avant-garde Fluxus movement of the 1960s, before becoming internationally famous after meeting John Lennon, with whom she married from 1969 until his death in 1980. Their many collaborations included the songs “Give Peace a Chance,” “Imagine,” and “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” which served as the foundation for “War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko,” this year’s Oscar-winning animated short film.

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Yoko Ono To Receive Edward MacDowell Medal For Lifetime Achievement

Over the last 40 years, Ono has had a busy career as a visual and recording artist, with albums like “Season of Glass,” “Starpeace,” and “Take Me to the Land of Hell.” She was recently featured in a career retrospective at London’s Tate Modern.

SOURCE – (AP)

Entertainment

Not A Toddler, Not A Parent, But Still Love ‘Bluey’? You’re Not Alone

Published

2 days ago

2024-04-21

Kiara Grace

Phoenix — A little blue dog with an Australian accent has captivated the hearts of people all around the world.

She is the titular character of “Bluey,” a seven-minute children’s show that has captivated both kids and adults. This week’s publication of its longest episode yet, at 28 minutes, elicited an outpouring of praise for the show, even from those who are neither toddlers nor parents.

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Not A Toddler, Not A Parent, But Still Love ‘Bluey’? You’re Not Alone

“Bluey” follows an Australian blue heeler and her sister, a red heeler named Bingo, as they navigate the days between home and school. It’s popular with kids because of its fun comedy, but it also appeals to adults who miss their childhood.

“My childhood experience wasn’t the best, so I’ve always identified with shows where life is good,” says Miriam Neel, who lives in Colorado. “The parents in ‘Bluey’ enable imagination and creativity and really get involved with their kids, and I wish I had those experiences.”

Neel is 32 and has decided not to have any children of her own. She claims the show has become a part of her morning ritual and is frequently used as background noise when working from home.

“I won’t speak for the entire generation, but millennials find solace in cartoons. “It’s what most of us grew up watching,” she explained. “And if I’m going to spend time watching something, I’d rather watch something that doesn’t make me afraid of the world, like any of the ‘Law & Order’ shows.”

Not A Toddler, Not A Parent, But Still Love ‘Bluey’? You’re Not Alone

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“Bluey,” which currently has over 150 episodes, aired in Australia in 2018 and will begin streaming on Disney+ in 2020. It has also been transformed into a digital series in which prominent fans such as Bindi Irwin and Eva Mendes read excerpts from popular storybooks, as well as a live theater act that travels the world.

The show has also received numerous accolades, including the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Children’s Television Drama every year since 2019 and an International Emmy Kids Award.

The series presents a child’s viewpoint on morning routines, errands, and chores, as well as a glimpse into the lives of parents through mother Chilli and father Bandit.

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Not A Toddler, Not A Parent, But Still Love ‘Bluey’? You’re Not Alone

This week’s special episode, “The Sign,” delves into the emotions surrounding subjects that are relevant to both children and adults, such as moving residences, marriage, infertility, and post-divorce relationships. In addition to these universal themes, the episode concludes the third season with Easter eggs for loyal viewers.

SOURCE – (AP)

Celebrity

Dick Van Dyke Earns Historic Daytime Emmy Nomination At Age 98

Published

2 days ago

2024-04-21

Kiara Grace

AP - VOR News Image

Los Angeles — Dick Van Dyke, 98, is contending for a historic Daytime Emmy.

The actor was nominated Friday as a guest star in a daytime drama series for his role as amnesiac Timothy Robicheaux on Peacock’s “Days of Our Lives.”

Van Dyke is the oldest daytime Emmy nominee. When producer Norman Lear won his final Primetime Emmy nomination in 2022, he was 100 years old. He died the following year.

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Dick Van Dyke Earns Historic Daytime Emmy Nomination At Age 98

Van Dyke is up against Guy Pearce, an Australian actor from Amazon Prime Video’s “Neighbours.”

Van Dyke earned four Primetime Emmys, including three in the 1960s, for his legendary comedy series “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”

Selena Gomez, an actor and singer, is nominated in the culinary series category for her Food Network special “Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays.” The Food Network’s “Valerie’s Home Cooking,” hosted by actor Valerie Bertinelli and which concluded last year, is also nominated in that category.

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Dick Van Dyke Earns Historic Daytime Emmy Nomination At Age 98

CBS will cancel “The Talk” after its 15th season later this year. Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell, and Sheryl Underwood were nominated for daytime talk show hosting.

The main actress nominations are Tamara Braun of “Days of Our Lives,” Finola Hughes and Cynthia Watros of “General Hospital,” Katherine Kelly Lang and Annika Noelle of “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and Michelle Stafford of “The Young and the Restless.”

The lead actor nominees include Eric Braeden of “The Young and the Restless,” Scott Clifton, Thorsten Kaye, and John McCook of “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and Eric Martsolf of “Days of Our Lives.”

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Dick Van Dyke Earns Historic Daytime Emmy Nomination At Age 98

The Daytime Emmys will be broadcast live on CBS on June 7 in Los Angeles. The show is back to its regular schedule after being postponed until December due to strikes by Hollywood performers and writers. The hosts and Lifetime Achievement award recipients will be announced later.

SOURCE – AP