Everyday Music

A fledgling area record label and management company was able to land hot up-and-coming rapper Saigon for its first show in the Lehigh Valley because of family ties.

Saigon, who will perform at 8 p.m. today at The Firehouse in Bethlehem, is a cousin of Jersey City rapper Crusafix, who is represented by Track Masons, a Reading-based record label started by Dana Barrack.

Track Masons’ disc ‘The Product.’ Barrack is at left

Saigon will headline a show that also will include Crusafix and other Track Masons artists Bee Ez of Far Rockaway, Queens, N.Y., and Rukus of Wilkes-Barre.

Barrack says he got his start in the music business while a student at Wilkes College in Wilkes-Barre, from where he graduated in 2006.

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Another Canadian superstar has signed on for the Grammy Awards. Rapper Drake — up for four trophies at this year’s event — will perform a duet with fellow multiple-nominee Rihanna during the televised ceremonies, organizers have announced.

Also joining the lineup are Gwyneth Paltrow and (for some reason) the Jim Henson Company puppets, who will be part of Cee Lo Green’s performance. Um, OK. Country stars Dierks Bentley and Blake Shelton, singer Norah Jones, teen queen (and rumoured Justin Bieber GF) Selena Gomez, rapper- turned-actor LL Cool J and singer Nicki Minaj will also appear as presenters.

They join a long list of previously announced performers that inclues Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Miranda Lambert, Muse, Katy Perry, Janelle Monáe, Bruno Mars and B.o.B., along with Canadians Arcade Fire and Bieber, the latter performing with Usher and Jaden Smith.

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“The Lord of the Rings” director Sir Peter Jackson has left a New Zealand hospital after surgery for a perforated ulcer.

Publicist Melissa Booth says Jackson was discharged from Wellington Hospital on Thursday and would continue his recuperation at home. He had surgery after being admitted Jan. 26 with acute stomach pain.

Booth said a delay on filming of the two-part film “The Hobbit” is expected to be minimal. Jackson is set to start filming the prequel to his “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy next month.

She said Jackson thanked hospital staff and fans who had wished him a speedy recovery.

© WENN

Nicki Minaj has described the experience of being asked to appear as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live as “incredible”. Talking to MTV News, the rapper confessed that she is excited about her involvement with the show as she is a long-time fan and believes it will be an “epic” moment in her career. “Being a part of Saturday Night Live feels absolutely incredible. I still don’t even believe it’s true,” she gushed.”I’m not even going to believe it’s really happening until – well, I’m going to DVR it, because I can’t watch it, because I’ll be on it. But until I see it back on DVR, I’m not even going to believe I was really on the show. This is epic, this is monumental, this is historic stuff.” Minaj went on to explain that the show means a lot to her particularly because she is from New York, where it is taped. Read more…

The Screen Actors Guild Awards just got even more star-studded.

Executive Producer Jeff Margolis says Amy Adams, Annette Bening, Helena Bonham Carter, Jesse Eisenberg, Colin Firth, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer, Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman, Mark Ruffalo, Geoffrey Rush, Justin Timberlake and Mark Wahlberg will introduce their nominated films at Sunday’s ceremony.

They’ll join previously announced presenters Alec Baldwin, Jason Bateman, Jeff Bridges, Rosario Dawson, Josh Duhamel, Jon Hamm, Angie Harmon, Nicole Kidman, Eva Longoria, Cory Monteith, Amy Poehler, Jeremy Renner, Hilary Swank, Sofia Vergara, Betty White and Robin Wright, among others.

The 17th annual SAG Awards will be presented Sunday at the Shrine Exhibition Center and broadcast live on TBS and TNT.