2 posts tagged “50 cent”

BAY CITY, Mich. - A city that more than two decades ago declined to honor Madonna with a key to the city wants the singer to give it a second chance.Mayor Charles M. Brunner has written a letter inviting Madonna, who grew up in Bay City and the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills, to accept a key to the city, The Bay City Times reported."We have always been proud of your accomplishments but recently your induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame reminded us that we need to honor you with the highest honor that Bay City can offer," the letter says.The Associated Press sent an e-mail Saturday seeking comment from a publicist for the 49-year-old singer.Madonna was considered for the honor in 1985, but some thought she was too risque, the newspaper said. It also said the city in the late 1980s refused to accept a sculpture of Madonna from an Italian artist, citing a belief that her popularity would fade in time.Now, Guy Greve, president of the Bay Arts Council, wants to commission an artist to sculpt a statue of Madonna."The local arts council would like to pay homage for her artistic contributions," he said. "I could see a sculpture of her in Bay City. One of Madonna's famous poses could be made into a sculpture."City Commissioner Christopher J. Shannon, who fronts a local rock band, is planning a Madonna tribute album. He hopes to recruit local musicians to cover hits such as "Like a Virgin" and "Express Yourself."Madonna's new album, "Hard Candy," will be released April 29.Source: AP

NEW YORK (Billboard) - 50 Cent has more than 1 million friends on MySpace, but if the rapper ever decides to leave the social network, he'll be leaving behind those friends, too. So like a growing number of artists, he's started his own social networking site.On Thisis50.com, fans can create profiles and friend lists just like on MySpace, but 50 Cent has direct access to the site's users and their e-mail addresses.More and more acts, from Kylie Minogue to Ludacris to the Pussycat Dolls, are launching their own social networks, which are becoming a sort of next-generation version of artist Web sites.The social networking component gives fans a reason to hang out on a site and visit more often than they would a standard Web site. And artists can sell advertisements on their sites and offer downloads and merchandise for sale -- options they don't have on MySpace or Facebook. Plus, they own the content and data on how fans use their site, which they don't get on other social networks."The thing that separates Thisis50 from MySpace is we control the e-mail database," says Chris "Broadway" Romero, director for new media at G-Unit Records, which handles Thisis50. "We can e-mail members if we want to."Thisis50 isn't meant to be a fan club, but rather a platform for 50 Cent to showcase his music and music he likes, and comment on news and user profile pages. Ludacris' WeMix.com, on the other hand, is more of a hub for aspiring artists to upload their music.The artist networks aren't meant to replace MySpace or Facebook, which tend to attract a broader audience and more users."(Artists) think about MySpace and Facebook as funnels for their own social networks," says Gina Bianchini, CEO of Ning, a company that provides social networking tools for Thisis50, Sara Bareilles and others. "They take and use services where they don't know the users, don't have access and don't have full control, and funnel those fans to something they do control."TWO-WAY COMMUNICATIONThe key to ge...