Lindsay Lohan's dad behind Letterman "mistake"

LOS ANGELES | Wed Feb 16, 2011 3:06pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lindsay Lohan's father on Wednesday claimed he was the mystery "friend" behind a planned appearance on David Letterman's TV talk show that involved the troubled actress.

Producers of "The Late Show with David Letterman" said on Wednesday that Lohan, 24, would not be appearing, as announced, because a mistake had been made. Initially, it seemed the talk show had been hoaxed by a prankster, but the actress' father Michael Lohan later claimed responsibility.

It would have been the first TV appearance by the "Mean Girls" actress since she was charged last week with stealing a $2,500 gold necklace, days after leaving her fifth stint in rehab in three years.

"We made a mistake. Someone purporting to be a friend of Lindsay's reached out to the show yesterday, allegedly on her behalf, and booked her to appear. Clearly, this person was not authorized to make commitments on her behalf," Tom Keaney, a spokesman for Letterman's production company, said in a statement.

By midday on Wednesday, Michael Lohan had told celebrity website TMZ.com that he made the Letterman booking after getting the green light from his daughter.

Michael Lohan, who recently repaired a strained relationship with his daughter, told TMZ that Lindsay "knew full well" about the booking. He said everything was going well until representatives for the actress got wind of the appearance and shut it down.

CBS announced on Tuesday that Lohan would appear by satellite to read Thursday's Top 10 comedy segment -- which has recently had fun with Lohan's numerous personal problems.

Lohan said in a Twitter message late on Tuesday that she was not doing the show and apologized for the confusion, adding "I'm not sure how this happened."

Lohan, once one of Hollywood's most promising young stars, is facing a possible three year sentence if convicted of walking out of a Los Angeles jewelry store in January without paying for the necklace.

She has pleaded not guilty to grand theft -- the most serious charge against her in three years of failed drug tests, missed court appearances and brief spells in jail stemming from a 2007 drunk driving and cocaine possession offense.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Lady Gaga goes straight to No. 1 with "Born This Way"

By Gary Trust

Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:35pm EST

NEW YORK (Billboard) - And you thought her entrance at the Grammy Awards was attention-getting.

Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" made music history on Wednesday by going straight to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 song chart to become the 1,000th top song in the list's 52-year history.

"It is a tremendous honor," Gaga tells Billboard of the milestone. "To be the 1000th No. 1 on Billboard...I would be silly not to say this is the greatest honor of my career."

"I am so humbled and so honored and overwhelmed by the reception to 'Born This Way,'" Gaga adds. " has been so life changing for me as an artist, and between Billboard and the international number ones and the radio numbers...I couldn't be more blessed to have the fans that I have."

Fittingly for such a milestone, the first single and title track from Lady Gaga's third album, due May 23, arrives in record-breaking fashion.

On Radio Songs, the Hot 100's airplay component chart, "Born This Way" begins at No. 6 with a first-week audience of 78.5 million. That's the highest bow and largest opening airplay figure for a song since the tally began incorporating all radio formats in December 1998.

The arrival of "Born This Way" beat the previous debut record on Radio Songs, set when Janet Jackson's "All for You" soared in at No. 9 with 70 million in 2001.

With opening-week digital sales of 448,000, "Born This Way" likewise breaks barriers with the largest debut sum for a female artist. Britney Spears established the prior mark four weeks ago upon, the arrival of "Hold It Against Me" (411,000).

The opening of "Born" marks the third-largest debut among all digital tracks. Flo Rida's "Right Round" started with 636,000 in February 2009 and the Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" with 465,000 two months later.

REWRITING HISTORY

Notably, "Born This Way" rewrites airplay and digital history after just five days of availability at radio and three days at online retailers.

The song is also just the 19th title to debut at No. 1 in the Hot 100's history.

The 1,000th Hot 100 No. 1 is Lady Gaga's third chart leader, following her first two singles: "Just Dance," featuring Colby O'Donis (the 968th No. 1), and "Poker Face" (972), both in 2009.

The Hot 100 currently ranks titles by employing a formula measuring radio airplay, as tabulated by Nielsen BDS; sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan; and, streaming activity data.

The weekly survey launched in the pages of Billboard magazine in the issue dated August 4, 1958, with Ricky Nelson's "Poor Little Fool" reigning over the inaugural listing.

Letterman hoaxed over Lindsay Lohan appearance

LOS ANGELES | Wed Feb 16, 2011 12:46pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan will not be appearing after all on David Letterman's late night TV talk show, producers said on Wednesday, after what appeared to be a hoax by someone in Lohan's camp.

CBS announced on Tuesday that Lohan, 24, would be appearing on "The Late Show with David Letterman" via satellite on Thursday to deliver the "Top Ten" comedy segment.

It would have been the first TV appearance by the "Mean Girls" actress since she was charged last week with stealing a $2,500 gold necklace days after leaving her fifth stint in rehab in three years.

But a spokesman for the show's production company Worldwide pants said on Wednesday that Lohan would not be appearing.

"We made a mistake. Someone purporting to be a friend of Lindsay's reached out to the show yesterday, allegedly on her behalf, and booked her to appear," spokesman Tom Keaney said in a statement

"Clearly, this person was not authorized to make commitments on her behalf. We wish Lindsay well, and look forward to having her on the show in the future," Keaney added.

Lohan herself sent a Twitter message to fans late last night apologizing for the confusion. "I am NOT going to be doing David Letterman, I'm not sure how this happened, but I am sorry for the confusion," she tweeted.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the hoax.

Lohan, once one of Hollywood's most promising young stars, is facing a possible three year sentence if convicted of walking out of a Los Angeles jewelry store in January without paying for the necklace.

She has pleaded not guilty to grand theft -- the most serious charge against her in three years of failed drug tests, missed court appearances and brief spells in jail stemming from a 2007 drunk driving and cocaine possession offense.

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Lenny Kravitz album to address black America

NEW YORK | Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:06pm EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Singer and musician Lenny Kravitz will release his first album in three years under the title "Black and White America," and he promised on Wednesday it will be his most musically and lyrically "diverse" yet.

The album will be the 46 year-old songwriter's ninth in his career but the first under a new label, Atlantic and Roadrunner Records. It will be released in the middle of 2011 as Kravitz embarks on a world tour in June.

Kravitz told Billboard.com the album's title was derived from his experiences growing up "in between a so-called black and white world," up to changes in the United States today including Barack Obama elected as the first black president.

"My life has always been about contrasts, and it reflects on not only my life and what I've gone through with my parents and what I saw growing up, but also where we are now as far as this country," he said.

Kravitz is the son of black actress Roxie Roker and white television producer Sy Kravitz.

The 12-track up tempo album is expected to contain elements of Kravitz's signature sound that mixes rock, funk and soul influenced by the 1960s and 1970s, including tracks called "Stand, "You're Gonna Run Again," "Push" and "Super Love" -- described as combining 1970s funk with a modern sound, according to a statement.

The album will also include "Dream," a piano ballad and a funk-driven title track.

"Musically and lyrically, I feel it is the most diverse album of my career," Kravitz, who has won several Grammy awards for best male rock vocal performance, said in the statement.

He last toured in 2009 across 18 countries with his last album, "It Is Time For A Love Revolution". It contained the hit ballad "I'll Be Waiting" that landed in the top 10 in several European markets.

Kravitz also has acted in recent years, including a supporting role as a nurse in the 2009 film "Precious."

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