Court: Prince Stole His Hit
An Italian court has ruled that Prince stole his 1994 hit, “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” from two Italian writers. The Roman Court of Appeals agreed that Prince borrowed heavily from “Takin’ Me to Paradise,” which was written by Bruno Bergonzi and Michele Vicino, Billboard reports.  The court ruled that Prince can no longer distribute the song in Italy. In addition, he may have to pay royalties to Bergonzi and Vicino and their publishers that he has collected to date. That will be determined later, if another hearing confirms the song was plagiarized. “Our song was first released in 1983, at the height of the Italian dance boom and it appeared on assorted compilations that were distributed internationally,” Bergonzi told Billboard.com. “When we first heard Prince’s song we immediately took action, but this case has been dragging on for 15 years and it isn’t over yet, such is the slowness of the Italian legal system. We only decided to go public with our story now.”   

  
Inauguration List is Indeed A-List
The performance list for President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration has blown up to include an eclectic mix of mega-stars – from the biggest names in hip hop to legends of bebop. Among those participating in the official kickoff at the Lincoln Memorial on Jan. 18 are R&B stars Beyoncé, John Legend, Mary J. Blige and Usher; jazz legend Herbie Hancock; soul-stirrer Stevie Wonder; and hip-hopper will.i.am; rocker Bruce Springsteen; and country-western crooner Garth Brooks. Read more here.

The battle is on between Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner, and it all started with Beyonce. Remember when Beyonce called Turner “the queen” at the Grammys?  Franklin went off and called it “a cheap shot for controversy.” Last week, Turner attempted to put out the flames when USA Today asked her about it. She said while Franklin is the queen of soul, she can be the queen of Rock and Roll. But she also added that Franklin’s “ego must be so big to think she was the only one,” noting, “That’s how queens are!”  That comment isn’t sitting well with the Queen of Soul. Franklin went back hard at Turner on the ego issue, saying Tina was “clearly was talking about herself.” Franklin went on to say in her statement to USA Today, that Turner was trying to “resort to tacky press just to sell a few tickets” to her tour. Franklin notes that she and Turner have never met. Makes you wonder what might happen if they ever did.

Fallen stars will both appear on screen in October

Two legendary Black entertainers, who died on consecutive days this past weekend, will appear together in the forthcoming movie Soul Men. Bernie Mac co-stars with Samuel L. Jackson in the comedy about a musical pair who reunites for a show at the famed Apollo Theater. Mac died of complications from pneumonia a day before real-life soul music legend Isaac Hayes, who also appears in Soul Men, died in Tennessee. Hayes’ death is being investigated, but early reports suggest that he suffered a possible stroke and heart attack. Soul Men hits theaters in October.