Singer Taylor remembers Ted Kennedy
LENOX, Mass., Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Singer James Taylor said the late U.S. Sen. Edward "Ted" M. Kennedy was a supporter of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tanglewood Music Center.
Taking time during his performance at Tanglewood this week, Taylor remembered the fallen U.S. senator from Massachusetts as a former Boston Symphony Orchestra trustee and a fan of Tanglewood music, The Boston Globe reported Friday.
Taylor also told those in attendance Thursday night at the Lenox, Mass., site the late Democratic politician played an integral role in the development of Seiji Ozawa Hall by the orchestra.
The Globe said after Taylor shared the kind words about Kennedy, who died of brain cancer Tuesday at the age of 77, the "Fire and Rain" singer offered a rendition of "Shed a Little Light" in honor of the late politician.
50 Cent postpones N.Y. neighborhood fair
NEW YORK, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- A manager for 50 Cent says the U.S. rapper has postponed a "Family Day" neighborhood fair in New York due to safety concerns.
Manager Chris Lighty said the rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson III, decided not to go through with Sunday's fair in Queens because he was concerned his appearance would prompt violence, the New York Post reported Saturday.
"We are postponing it and working it out with police," Lighty said.
Jackson originally had been tabbed for a performance at the fair at the schoolyard for Public School 40, but the rapper later confirmed he would simply be making an appearance at the event.
The Post said police were concerned they did not have the proper manpower to provide security for the event.
No new date for the postponed event was reported.
'Idol' champ Allen tabs album release date
NEW YORK, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. singer Kris Allen says he will follow up his win on "American Idol" with the release of his debut album on Nov. 17.
The 24-year-old singer, who won the eighth season of the Fox singing competition, announced the album release date through the social networking service Twitter on Thursday, Billboard.com reported Friday.
The release date has been confirmed by an unidentified 19 Entertainment representative.
Allen's "New Release 2009" is already available for pre-sale on Amazon.com.
The debut album from Allen features collaborations with songwriters such as Claude Kelly and Matt Kearney, along with musicians like David Hodges and The Fray's Joe King.
Meanwhile, singer and "Idol" eighth season runner-up Adam Lambert has yet to officially announce the release date for his debut album.
Billboard.com said both Allen and Lambert have been performing on the American Idols Live tour while creating their albums.
Cops: Foul play unlikely in DJ AM death
NEW YORK, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Foul play is not suspected in the recent death of disc jockey DJ AM at his New York apartment, a police spokesman says.
The New York Times said the body of DJ AM, whose real names was Adam Goldstein, was found in his Soho apartment on late Friday afternoon by emergency officials responding to a 911 call from a concerned friend.
An unidentified official said a crack cocaine pipe and unspecified prescription drugs were found near Goldstein's body.
Goldstein admitted in a 2007 interview that he previously had problems dealing with drugs like crack cocaine, but had since made positive changes in his life.
"At my core I am a glutton, so I've had to learn everything in moderation," he told the Times in 2007.
The Times said Goldstein was among the passengers on board a Learjet that crashed in South Carolina on Sept. 19, 2008. The crash, which left Goldstein and Blink-182 rocker Travis Barker seriously injured, killed four people.
