Kim Dotcom, the larger-than-life personality accused by the U.S. of operating a website used to pirate half a billion dollars in entertainment, introduced a new version of his controversial file-storage service on Sunday. Mega, as his new service is known, features a technology that won’t necessarily shield the company or its users from liability in copyright infringements but may make it harder for copyright holders to identify illegal content.
Mr. Dotcom’s Megaupload site was shut down a year ago by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation during its largest-ever criminal copyright enforcement. The FBI alleged Megaupload was used to pirate entertainment content.
The launch of a similar site may antagonize the U.S., since the Justice Department has labored in court for a year to have the 39-year-old, originally from Germany, extradited to the U.S. to stand trial. Read more
Buzz Track: Favorite Girl
The Icarus Account who hails from Fort Myers is a two-piece acoustic/indie pop project made up of twin brothers Trey and Ty Turner. They have released three full-length albums, and three EPs. Ty and Trey debuted their first EP in 2006 when they were freshmen in College. Over the years the band has created a dedicated fanbase and a niche audience across the world. The band released their newest full-length album, “Carry Me Home” which propelled them to new heights as the album debuted at #5 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts. They sold over 250 physical pre-sales of the album and nearly 500 digital copies were purchased in the first week. They have toured with Hey Monday,Twenty-One Pilots and many others.
Contact: danielrfriedman@aol.com
Fox’s American Idol returned Wednesday night to its lowest-rated and least-watched regular-season premiere telecast ever (the first season aired during the summer and generally isn’t counted). Idol delivered 17.9 million viewers and a 6.0 adults 18-49 demo rating. That’s down 19 percent from last year’s opener, which was the previous lowest-ever record-holder.
The numbers also mean last night’s Idol premiere will not be the most-watched entertainment show this week — Tuesday’s NCIS had 22.9 million viewers. This is the first time another series was seen by more viewers than Idol during its regular season premiere week.
Fox was braced for worse. Last year Idol was down an unprecedented 24 percent after the network launched The X Factor in the fall. This fall had both X Factor and NBC’s powerful The Voice, so competition show burnout by the time Idol opened seemed likely. Idol still managed to rank as the top-rated singing show premiere this season. Read more
Buzz Track: Complete Me
New comer Kylie Odetta, a 15-year-old singer-songwriter-actress has burst onto the scene with an infectious sound that pays homage to her Greenville, South Carolina roots. Her video for the track “Bad Addiction,” has already garnered over a million views on YouTube. Her latest EP was produced by Matt LaPlant who has worked with Jennifer Lopez and Justin Beiber. She has opened for Colbie Caillat, Gavin DeGraw, and Kellie Pickler to name a few.
Contact: info@kylieodetta.com
Taylor Swift burst on the scene as a 15 year old singing country songs. Fast forward a couple of years, she finds herself singing contemporary pop that are sandwiched between Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha. Although her latest album landed on top of the charts, some critics and fans questioned her authenticity as an artist.
Now, Taylor Swift’s serial celebrity dating is turning off some fans.
She was the butt of a joke at Sunday’s Golden Globes when Tina Fey teased that the recently single star stay away from Michael J. Fox’s young son because she “needed some me time” after her split from One Direction’s Harry Styles.
Then when Swift lost the award for Best Original Theme Song to Adele, cameras caught the country cutie looking anything but pleased, and the Twitterverse took note with an explosion of negative comments about the 22-year-old superstar.
So have the tables turned on America’s sweetheart? Could her serial celebrity dating be turning off her fan base?
“Taylor Swift has totally taken a hit in terms of reputation because of her tumultuous love life. It’s out there. It plays out in the public and it’s very soap opera-esque,” pop culture watcher David Caplan told FOX411’s In the Zone. Read more here