Sam Smith to pay Tom Petty royalties on 'Stay With Me'

By Brian Mansfield, USA TODAY 12:56 p.m. EST January 26, 2015

Sam Smith, shown in Los Angeles in December, has come to an agreement regarding "Stay With Me."(Photo: Kevin Mazur, WireImage)

Sam Smith will be sharing his songwriting royalties for "Stay With Me" with Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.

Shortly after the British singer's single came out last April, sharp-eared listeners noticed a similarity between "Stay With Me" and Petty's 1989 hit "I Won't Back Down," which he wrote with Lynne.

They weren't the only ones. A representative for Smith says he and two other "Stay With Me" writers, James Napier and William Phillips, "came to an immediate and amicable agreement" with Petty and Lynne and now list them as co-writers of the song.

The claim was settled in October, according to British newspaper The Sun, with Petty and Lynne splitting a 25% share of songwriting royalties of Smith's song, which is nominated for song of the year at the Feb. 8 Grammy Awards.

Smith's representative says, via a statement, that the singer wasn't familiar with "I Won't Back Down" when he wrote "Stay With Me" but acknowledged a coincidental likeness when he heard the Petty/Lynne song.

Michael Harrington, a professional musicologist who specializes in federal copyright matters, also heard the similarity when a friend played him Smith's record several months ago. "It got to the chorus, and I just started smiling," Harrington says. "I said, 'Oh, yeah, that's "I Won't Back Down." ' That's pretty close, just the slightest differences. Especially compared to what's in court these days, this one is really solid."

According to Harrington, the two songs have a sequence of almost identical phrases in Smith's chorus and Petty's verses that made a successful claim of copyright infringement likely.

"If you took just the first phrase of the Tom Petty and Sam Smith and compared them, I would say, 'So what? I can find that in all sorts of music from Cream, Robert Johnson, Debussy,' " says Harrington, who has presented the two songs when discussing infringement in classes at Harvard Law School, Berklee College of Music and SAE Nashville, where he is a faculty chairman. "The fact that it keeps going and going: there are several phrases, and the rhythms are the same or extremely close to being the same. At some point, the similarity goes on too long."

The full statement from Smith's representative reads as follows: "Recently the publishers for the song 'I Won't Back Down,' written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, contacted the publishers for 'Stay With Me,' written by Sam Smith, James Napier and William Phillips, about similarities heard in the melodies of the choruses of the two compositions. Not previously familiar with the 1989 Petty/Lynne song, the writers of 'Stay With Me' listened to 'I Won't Back Down' and acknowledged the similarity. Although the likeness was a complete coincidence, all involved came to an immediate and amicable agreement in which Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne are now credited as co-writers of 'Stay With Me' along with Sam Smith, James Napier and William Phillips."

Here are the two songs in question. Judge their similarities for yourself.

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Source: http://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/01/26/sam-smith-tom-petty-royalties/22352423/

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'Birdman' takes big prize, diversity big moment at SAG Awards

Story highlights

• Viola Davis' speech, "Orange" showcase TV diversity at SAG Awards
• "Birdman" wins big prize for films

On the TV side, the winners included "Orange Is the New Black" -- a series about a women's prison, created by a woman, featuring a cast that includes a transgender performer -- and black actresses Viola Davis and Uzo Aduba.

And the movie winners included Patricia Arquette, who won for a performance in "Boyhood" that she filmed over 12 years -- and wasn't afraid to show it.

Arquette comes from a long line of performers. Her siblings, including Rosanna Arquette and David Arquette, are actors. So was her father and grandfather. She paid tribute to all of them in her speech.

"I'm a fourth-generation actor," she said, visibly overwrought, adding that her family has been performing for more than a century.

But it was the wins by Davis, Aduba and "Orange" that caught the attention of social media, which erupted 10 days ago when the Oscar nominations put forth a very un-diverse crowd.

Complete list of winners

Davis' speech, in particular, was particularly moving.

After beginning with an observation about how she tells her daughter stories, she paid tribute to the producers who thought of her for their "How to Get Away with Murder" story.

"I'd like to thank Paul Lee, Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers and Pete Nowalk for thinking that a sexualized, messy, mysterious woman could be a 49-year-old dark-skinned African-American woman who looks like me," she said.

Several tweeters highlighted her words and their significance.

In general, however, the SAG Awards were a relatively quiet and brisk affair. (Yes, it can happen, even for Hollywood awards shows.)

The film awards generally went as expected, with Arquette, J.K. Simmons ("Whiplash"), Julianne Moore ("Still Alice"), Eddie Redmayne ("The Theory of Everything") and "Birdman" taking home the trophies. Only Redmayne was a mild surprise, given that "Birdman's" Michael Keaton has been considered the leader in the best actor race by a number of handicappers.

The actors' branch is the largest bloc of Oscar voters, so the SAG Awards are closely watched for indicators about which way the Academy Award wind is blowing.

Still, the SAG Awards had their moments. There were Davis' and Aduba's emotional speeches, of course. And there were also a few laughs.

Frances McDormand got some chuckles for turning her speech into a cheeky bit of promotion for her film, "Olive Kitteredge" ("You can stream it -- I don't know how. You can watch it on an intercontinental flight, I've been told. You can get the DVDs on February 9, give it to someone as a Valentine's Day present!" she said) and the witty Carrie Fisher got off a couple jokes while introducing her mother, Debbie Reynolds, who won a lifetime achievement award.

"Birdman" took home only one prize in the end, but it was the biggest one of the night. It also won at the Producers' Guild Awards Saturday.

How that will fly at the Oscars, however, is anyone's guess.

How the winners reacted backstage

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/25/entertainment/feat-sag-awards-2015-wrap/

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'Birdman' takes big prize, diversity big moment at SAG Awards

Story highlights

• Viola Davis' speech, "Orange" showcase TV diversity at SAG Awards
• "Birdman" wins big prize for films

On the TV side, the winners included "Orange Is the New Black" -- a series about a women's prison, created by a woman, featuring a cast that includes a transgender performer -- and black actresses Viola Davis and Uzo Aduba.

And the movie winners included Patricia Arquette, who won for a performance in "Boyhood" that she filmed over 12 years -- and wasn't afraid to show it.

Arquette comes from a long line of performers. Her siblings, including Rosanna Arquette and David Arquette, are actors. So was her father and grandfather. She paid tribute to all of them in her speech.

"I'm a fourth-generation actor," she said, visibly overwrought, adding that her family has been performing for more than a century.

But it was the wins by Davis, Aduba and "Orange" that caught the attention of social media, which erupted 10 days ago when the Oscar nominations put forth a very un-diverse crowd.

Complete list of winners

Davis' speech, in particular, was particularly moving.

After beginning with an observation about how she tells her daughter stories, she paid tribute to the producers who thought of her for their "How to Get Away with Murder" story.

"I'd like to thank Paul Lee, Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers and Pete Nowalk for thinking that a sexualized, messy, mysterious woman could be a 49-year-old dark-skinned African-American woman who looks like me," she said.

Several tweeters highlighted her words and their significance.

In general, however, the SAG Awards were a relatively quiet and brisk affair. (Yes, it can happen, even for Hollywood awards shows.)

The film awards generally went as expected, with Arquette, J.K. Simmons ("Whiplash"), Julianne Moore ("Still Alice"), Eddie Redmayne ("The Theory of Everything") and "Birdman" taking home the trophies. Only Redmayne was a mild surprise, given that "Birdman's" Michael Keaton has been considered the leader in the best actor race by a number of handicappers.

The actors' branch is the largest bloc of Oscar voters, so the SAG Awards are closely watched for indicators about which way the Academy Award wind is blowing.

Still, the SAG Awards had their moments. There were Davis' and Aduba's emotional speeches, of course. And there were also a few laughs.

Frances McDormand got some chuckles for turning her speech into a cheeky bit of promotion for her film, "Olive Kitteredge" ("You can stream it -- I don't know how. You can watch it on an intercontinental flight, I've been told. You can get the DVDs on February 9, give it to someone as a Valentine's Day present!" she said) and the witty Carrie Fisher got off a couple jokes while introducing her mother, Debbie Reynolds, who won a lifetime achievement award.

"Birdman" took home only one prize in the end, but it was the biggest one of the night. It also won at the Producers' Guild Awards Saturday.

How that will fly at the Oscars, however, is anyone's guess.

How the winners reacted backstage

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/25/entertainment/feat-sag-awards-2015-wrap/

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Debbie Reynolds Wins the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award

Hollywood veteran Debbie Reynolds was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 21st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday.

In her career, which began in the 1950s, the 82-year-old Reynolds has been nominated for one Oscar, five Golden Globes and one Emmy. Her big break came when she starred alongside Gene Kelly in the 1952 classic Singin in the Rain, says People.

G*d gave us talent, so were very fortunate, she said. My favorite movie was The Unsinkable Molly Brown In that film, I got to sing a wonderful song called I Aint Down Yet. Well, I aint. Thank you all so much for this wonderful award.

Reynolds award was presented by her daughter, Carrie Fisher, famous for her iconic portrayal of Princess Leia in Star Wars.

The SAG gives the award every year to an actor or actress who represents the finest ideals of the acting profession. Last years SAG Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Rita Moreno, who also played a part in Singin in the Rain.

[People]

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Source: http://time.com/3681987/debbie-reynolds-sag-lifetime-achievement-award/

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Listen to Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney Team Up on ...

TIME Entertainment Music Listen to Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney Team Up on FourFiveSeconds Roc Nation Rihanna and Kanye West trade vocal duties, with Macca on acoustic guitar, on a surprisingly breezy new track

At the iHeartRadio Summit on Jan. 21, Kanye West played an audience of mostly industry people a new duet with Rihanna and Paul McCartney the latter of whom we heard collaborate with him on New Years Eve on the introspective Only One. The new duet, titled FourFiveSeconds, has now premiered online for everyone who isnt a radio programmer.

Earlier, a spokesperson for West called his teaming with McCartney a prolific musical collaboration, and its easy to hear his influence on the acoustic guitar and organ-driven track. Kanye continues this years streak of entirely-sung work and Rihanna sounds as relaxed, even folksy, as shes sounded in years on her sunny, harmonized chorus.

According to Ty Dolla $ign, who spoke to Billboard and said he contributed to the duet, a video was also shot and coming soon. Ty Dolla $ign said the track was planned for Wests upcoming album, but Rihanna posted it herself, calling it the FIRST GLIMPSE AT MY NEW MUSIC, making it unclear whose song it is, exactly.

FourFiveSeconds is out on iTunes; listen below.

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Source: http://time.com/3681571/rihanna-kanye-west-paul-mccartney-fourfiveseconds/

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With Historic Blizzard About to Bury Northeast, Weather Channel Takes Day Off...

When it comes to exactly why the Weather Channel exists, know this: It doesnt for a benign sunny day in June or a crisp autumn evening. It isnt on your dial because of April showers or May flowers or for a few flurries Christmas night.

The Weather Channel exists for whatever that ominous blob is Im seeing on my phone right now. Said bloba huge noreasteris being described this way on my Weather Channel app via the following headline:

Winter Storm Juno: Blizzard Warnings for New York City, Boston, Parts of 7 States for Potentially Historic Northeast SnowstormYikes! Needless to say, my afternoon has consisted of filling the Honda generator with gas, cleaning out the cooler and bringing in ample wood for the fireplace in case we lose power here in Jersey. I also headed over to the local ShopRite to stock up on food, and lets just say fear is in the air (30-minute wait despite 15 registers open). In the old single days living in Hoboken, storms like this meant heading to the closest bar (with a generator), getting overserved and laughing off the storm. Married with wife and baby me, however, needs to prepare the fort instead. Good times!

Part of that preparation includes turning on The Weather Channel and watching for the next 72 hours straight regardless of repetition. Theres something about a huge stormparticularly those carrying the white stuffthat makes watching TWC must-see-TV in these situations. For whatever reason, the whole event, particularly the anticipation leading up to it, feels more important, a bigger deal.

So excuse me for a moment as I ask the following question to Weather Channel President David Clark and defacto President Jim Cantore: What the h**l are you guys doing over there? Because when I turned on the Weather Channel late this morning after seeing the aforementioned ominous headline aboveyou knowthe one about a Potentially Historic Northeast BlizzardI kinda expected to not see taped programming aboutplane crashes. And as of 5:00 PM, it still all about planes and not low pressure systems. Seriouslyis anyone outside of a tape operator working today? How can you not be live right now? I know the storm isnt coming until tomorrowbut you cant write the following on your website and not have like-live-programming to accompany it (bold is included in the original advisory):

Now is the time to prepare and make sure you have the supplies you need for this potentially historic winter storm. Do not proceed with any travel plans in the affected areas late Monday and Tuesday or you could put yourself in great danger.

UhOK. Can you maybeI dont knowcall a production crew and anchor in to expand on this on television a bit further? Because if I ran a network whose existence, its ratings, its entire mantra is based on preparing for storms like this, Id probably be on a phone right now. To that end, heres what Mr. Cantore said during a dispute with DirecTV last year:

I feel its just irresponsible for DIRECTV to drop The Weather Channel and deny their viewers access to critical and potentially life-saving information in times of severe weather. I think its a dangerous gamble to put lives at risk for a penny.

That dispute was settled (TWC got less than that penny) but Cantore and the network havent learned its lesson. Its ratings continue to drop because it thinks running taped programming leading up to historic weather events is somehow a good idea. MSNBC apparently thinks the same thing, as it is offering up Caught on Camera (tape), while Fox and CNN are providing regular updates on the storm.

A missed opportunity for ratings. A missed opportunity to grab some viewers to help save a sinking ship. The Weather Channel website is telling us to prepare for the next storm of the century.

The Weather Channel itself? Apparently saving its resources for a rainy day.

UPDATE 7:19pm: The Weather Channel is now broadcasting live with coverage of the blizzard starting at 7:00 PMafter being in tape for seven hours with Why Planes Crash.

>>Follow Joe Concha on Twitter @JoeConchaTV

Source: http://www.mediaite.com/online/with-historic-blizzard-about-to-bury-northeast-weather-channel-takes-day-off-offers-taped-programming/

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Attorney: Cubs great Ernie Banks died of heart attack

AP 5:18 p.m. EST January 25, 2015

Ernie Banks, shown here before a 2003 game, died of a heart attack, a family attorney said Sunday.(Photo: TED S. WARREN, Associated Press)

CHICAGO (AP) Chicago Cubs great Ernie Banks died after a heart attack, an attorney representing the Hall of Famer's family said Sunday.

With Banks' widow standing nearby at a news conference at a downtown hotel, Mark Bogen said Banks had the heart attack Friday in Chicago and died later that day. He did not provide any other details.

"I want you to know that he was very beloved and he is going to be dearly missed by family, friends and all his fans," Liz Banks said.

The Cubs and Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office announced that the statue of Banks that has stood outside Wrigley Field since 2008 will be placed in Chicago's Daley Plaza this week, remaining there from Wednesday morning through Saturday. The statute has long been a popular spot for fans to take photographs and after Banks' death many went to the ballpark to put flowers near it only to discover that the statute had been removed recently during the Wrigley field renovation project.

In news release, Emanuel and Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said placing the statue at Daley Plaza was a fitting way to allow fans to pay their respects.

"We are bringing the statue to Daley Plaza to honor not just one of the best ballplayers of all time, but a great man who made our city proud from the day we first met him in 1953" when Banks broke into the major leagues, the mayor said.

Bogen said the family is still planning a funeral and that details would soon be released.

Banks spent his entire 19-year career with the Cubs. He hit 512 home runs, was twice voted the National League's Most Valuable Player, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He was the team's first black player and is still considered the greatest Cubs player by many and the club's most beloved player.

That has been evident in the days since Banks' death. In tribute after tribute, people from around the city and the nation have praised Banks not just for his play, but for his remarkably sunny disposition during his career and in the years since he retired.

"Ernie Banks was a great player and an even better person," Ricketts said in a statement. "He was a kind gentle man who loved his fans as much as they loved him."

GALLERY: Ernie Banks, through the years

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Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/01/25/family-attorney-cubs-great-ernie-banks-died-of-heart-attack/22315243/

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