John Mayer sued for 'receiving money from fraudulent investment scheme' ran by notorious criminal

MyMorocco - He is the middle class singer who likes to sing the blues.

So perhaps John Mayer's music may sound a little more authentic now he is being sued over allegedly receiving money from a fraudulent investment operation.

As much as $465,000 was handed over to the star's representatives by a Ponzi scheme ran by notorious criminal Frederick Darren Berg.

He was given an 18-year-sentance in February for duping investors out of more than $100m through his investment company.

According to TMZ, Mayer was drawn into the frame when the trustees charged with recovering as much of the stolen money as possible decided to sue those who had benefited.

New legal documents show he is one of the people who received dirty money after a booking agency was allegedly paid by his company.

It is claimed Grabow & Associates, and their client and Mayer by extension, are in possession of as much as $465,000.

The agency specialises in booking entertainment for corporate and private events, and set up the Your Body is Wonderland singer with a money-spinning appearance in 2008.

Mayer's lawyer said: 'John Mayer performed at a corporate event in 2008 and was paid for his services.

'The opportunity was brought to John through his talent agency, CAA.'

A ruling has yet to be delivered on the case.

 

Nice work if you can get it: The middle class blues singer played a show in 2008

Frederick Darren Berg was sentenced to 18 years in prison for defrauding hundreds of investors of more than $100 million through the Meridian Mortgage investment funds he ran for nearly a decade.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Jones imposed the prison term recommended by Berg's plea agreement.

He told him: 'I'm not sure how you live with yourself, with the damage that you caused.'

Judge Jones noted that the lead defendant in a $90 million Ponzi scheme previously considered Washington state's largest fraud received a 20-year sentence.

But he said the slightly shorter term for Berg was appropriate since he'd mostly cooperated with prosecutors and bankruptcy trustees unravelling the labyrinthine workings of his firm.

 

That's rich: Notorious criminal Berg was handed an 18-year sentence in February

 

More and Latest News at http://updates.my-blackhawkmines.com/

 

 

John Mayer sued for 'receiving money from fraudulent investment scheme' ran by notorious criminal

MyMorocco - He is the middle class singer who likes to sing the blues.

So perhaps John Mayer's music may sound a little more authentic now he is being sued over allegedly receiving money from a fraudulent investment operation.

As much as $465,000 was handed over to the star's representatives by a Ponzi scheme ran by notorious criminal Frederick Darren Berg.

He was given an 18-year-sentance in February for duping investors out of more than $100m through his investment company.

According to TMZ, Mayer was drawn into the frame when the trustees charged with recovering as much of the stolen money as possible decided to sue those who had benefited.

New legal documents show he is one of the people who received dirty money after a booking agency was allegedly paid by his company.

It is claimed Grabow & Associates, and their client and Mayer by extension, are in possession of as much as $465,000.

The agency specialises in booking entertainment for corporate and private events, and set up the Your Body is Wonderland singer with a money-spinning appearance in 2008.

Mayer's lawyer said: 'John Mayer performed at a corporate event in 2008 and was paid for his services.

'The opportunity was brought to John through his talent agency, CAA.'

A ruling has yet to be delivered on the case.

Nice work if you can get it: The middle class blues singer played a show in 2008

Frederick Darren Berg was sentenced to 18 years in prison for defrauding hundreds of investors of more than $100 million through the Meridian Mortgage investment funds he ran for nearly a decade.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Jones imposed the prison term recommended by Berg's plea agreement.

He told him: 'I'm not sure how you live with yourself, with the damage that you caused.'

Judge Jones noted that the lead defendant in a $90 million Ponzi scheme previously considered Washington state's largest fraud received a 20-year sentence.

But he said the slightly shorter term for Berg was appropriate since he'd mostly cooperated with prosecutors and bankruptcy trustees unravelling the labyrinthine workings of his firm.

That's rich: Notorious criminal Berg was handed an 18-year sentence in February

More and Latest News at http://updates.my-blackhawkmines.com/

Move over ‘Song of Summer’—the ‘Song of Fall’ is here

Latest Updates on Black Hawk Mines Music

Move over ‘Song of Summer’—the ‘Song of Fall’ is here

 

Not that it’s any big surprise but, as of Sept. 6, it’s official: Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” is the song of the summer of 2012. Billboard tracked overall performances on the Hot 100 since June 9, and the infectious pop song landed at No. 1, ahead of Maroon 5′s “Payphone” and Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to know.” And the summer-song charting doesn’t stop there. The definitive International Source also provides a top-1o summer songs list that goes back to 1985 and a top 30 songs about the season.

 

Part of the reason is that summer is tied to the history of rock music, says Larry Starr, a professor of music history at the University of Washington and co-author of the book American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MTV.

 

“It became much more of a thing with the advent of rock and roll and in the 1950s and the development of an enormous teen audience for record buying, for whom the summer was a vacation period,” he says. “With that target of the market, you get all sorts of records that are addressed to school kids.”

 

Starr points to the 1958 Eddie Cochran classic “Summertime Blues”—which happens to be the first song, chronologically, on that Billboard top-30 of the genre—as one of the earliest examples of such a song: music about summer vacation and how you want to spend it.

 

But at this point it’s very possible that there’s no special something that says “summer” about a song. Starr conjectures that the category of beach-specific music—about the beach and for the beach, preferably by people on or near or named after the beach—may be responsible for the upbeat nature of the ideal summer song but notes that the sub-genre doesn’t really exist anymore. Now that summer music is something set apart, the lyrics didn’t have to mention the season by name. “Call Me Maybe” takes place on a “hot night,” but that’s as far as it goes.

 

Starr also says that another component of the summer song’s history is access to record stores, and when in the year high-schoolers have money, time and proximity to music, which doesn’t really matter anymore either. “In the age of the Internet, that’s irrelevant,” he says. “It would have been a consideration in the days when you had to go to a record store.” (Christmas has its own thing going on too, but that’s a whole ‘nother kettle of eggnog.) When access to music is an all-the-time thing, any season could theoretically have its own pop anthem—and if it’s all just a matter of timing, we should be able to guess what the “song of the fall” could be.

Move over ‘Song of Summer’—the ‘Song of Fall’ is here

Latest Updates On Black Hawk Mines Music

Not that it’s any big surprise but, as of Sept. 6, it’s official: Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” is the song of the summer of 2012. Billboard tracked overall performances on the Hot 100 since June 9, and the infectious pop song landed at No. 1, ahead of Maroon 5′s “Payphone” and Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to know.” And the summer-song charting doesn’t stop there. The definitive International Source also provides a top-1o summer songs list that goes back to 1985 and a top 30 songs about the season.

Part of the reason is that summer is tied to the history of rock music, says Larry Starr, a professor of music history at the University of Washington and co-author of the book American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MTV.

“It became much more of a thing with the advent of rock and roll and in the 1950s and the development of an enormous teen audience for record buying, for whom the summer was a vacation period,” he says. “With that target of the market, you get all sorts of records that are addressed to school kids.”

Starr points to the 1958 Eddie Cochran classic “Summertime Blues”—which happens to be the first song, chronologically, on that Billboard top-30 of the genre—as one of the earliest examples of such a song: music about summer vacation and how you want to spend it.

But at this point it’s very possible that there’s no special something that says “summer” about a song. Starr conjectures that the category of beach-specific music—about the beach and for the beach, preferably by people on or near or named after the beach—may be responsible for the upbeat nature of the ideal summer song but notes that the sub-genre doesn’t really exist anymore. Now that summer music is something set apart, the lyrics didn’t have to mention the season by name. “Call Me Maybe” takes place on a “hot night,” but that’s as far as it goes.

Starr also says that another component of the summer song’s history is access to record stores, and when in the year high-schoolers have money, time and proximity to music, which doesn’t really matter anymore either. “In the age of the Internet, that’s irrelevant,” he says. “It would have been a consideration in the days when you had to go to a record store.” (Christmas has its own thing going on too, but that’s a whole ‘nother kettle of eggnog.) When access to music is an all-the-time thing, any season could theoretically have its own pop anthem—and if it’s all just a matter of timing, we should be able to guess what the “song of the fall” could be.

Black Hawk Mines Music Linkedin: Randy Jackson exits; Kanye West, Nicki Minaj to judge AI? Flixya

http://www.flixya.com/video/4899157/Black-Hawk-Mines-Music-Linkedin-Randy-Jackson-exits-Kanye-West-Nicki-Minaj-to-judge-AI

 

The latest from the American Idol judge-hunting drama: Mariah Carey is reportedly upset when she found out that producers are seriously considering Nicki Minaj as another judge. Though it was in no way final, Carey must have been annoyed if she really was led to believe that she will be the only female judge in the panel.

nicki minaj

mariah carey

Now, Minaj could be the big gamble Idol is willing to take in order to regain its former popularity — though if this would not work, let this be a warning that the show will definitely take a plunge and be a total train wreck.

Adding fuel to the fire is Carey’s controversial tweet weeks ago saying:“@AmericanIdol What’s going on? need the info!! What about this combo? : ) if we could ever get him to do it!” Along with the message was an attached photo of Carey with Lenny Kravitz, obviously suggesting him as a possible co-judge.

So far, only Carey has been confirmed in signing the judging contract with Idol but with speculations that there will be four judges this season, and Randy Jackson’s exit, producers have 3 more slots to fill.

Another rumored possible Idol judge is revealed to be Kanye West, with reports claiming that producers are in negotiations with the rapper. However, West seemed to be unsure as he does not think it’s his cup of tea. At any rate, it was revealed that he was offered the same annual salary as Carey.

Meanwhile, Randy Jackson has also been confirmed to be leaving the judging panel, possibly for a mentor post. This leaves the show with an all-new judge lineup, with others speculating there could be 4 judges this coming season.

Other rumored celebrities being considered to judge Idol are Enrique Iglesias, Adam Lambert, Keith Urban, Nick Jonas, Brad Paisley and Pharrell Williams.

American Idol is only several months away from its 12th season but the final set of judges is still given to much speculation. And for the producers, it will be challenging to steer an old franchise back to its glory days, especially after it has lost 23% in ratings on its last run.

Flixya: Latest Updates on BlackHawk Mines Music on Storify

http://www.flixya.com/blog/4831218/Latest-Updates-on-BlackHawk-Mines-Music-on-Storify

 

The one-time leading social networking site Myspace has reached a settlement with the Federal TradeCommission over the privacy probe recently conducted. Myspace was charged with representing its privacy policies to its users, which brings to mind similar deals agreed upon by Google and Facebook on respective FTC investigations involving them. FTC announced last week that despite Myspace’s telling users that it will not share personally identifiable data with others; it gave advertisers “Friend ID” numbers of users. This enabled advertisers to search the users’ publicly available personal data such as full names and could even lead to discovery of their web activity. The terms of the settlement specified that Myspace is not going to misrepresent its privacy policies while implementing a comprehensive privacy program. In addition, the two parties agreed to a regular independent privacy audits every other year for 2 decades. Myspace had been the most popular social network since it launched in 2003 but was overshadowed by the arrival of Facebook. Specific Media of Irvine California is the current owner of Myspace after News Corp sold it for USD 35 million last year. Black Hawk Mines said that it had already conducted a complete assessment of Myspace’s privacy and advertising practices after its acquisition and had “successfully improved upon its historical practices”, taking the now social media platform to the forefront of industry’s best practice for ad delivery. Moreover, any questions about Myspace’s pre-acquisition ad practices were apparently put behind. Back in 2011, FTC and Google also reached a settlement over charges that the search engine a breach of its own privacy policy had happened in launching the now defunct social platform named Buzz. Their agreement will require Google to get user permission first before sharing consumer data with third parties or if it is going to change a service and use the data in a way that could violate existing privacy policies. The FTC also had a settlement with Facebook last year which involves the social network’s commitment to getting user approvals (opting in) before changing their privacy settings.

Latest Updates on BlackHawk Mines Music on Storify

http://www.slideserve.com/aikiyosudan/latest-updates-on-blackhawk-mines-music-on-storify#addfavour

 

The one-time leading social networking site Myspace has reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over the privacy probe recently conducted. Myspace was charged with representing its privacy policies to its users, which brings to mind similar deals agreed upon by Google and Facebook on respective FTC investigations involving them.

FTC announced last week that despite Myspace’s telling users that it will not share personally identifiable data with others; it gave advertisers “Friend ID” numbers of users. This enabled advertisers to search the users’ publicly available personal data such as full names and could even lead to discovery of their web activity. The terms of the settlement specified that Myspace is not going to misrepresent its privacy policies while implementing a comprehensive privacy program. In addition, the two parties agreed to a regular independent privacy audits every other year for 2 decades.

Myspace had been the most  popular social network since it launched in 2003 but was overshadowed by the arrival of Facebook. Specific Media of Irvine California is the current owner of Myspace after News Corp sold it for USD 35 million last year. Black Hawk Mines said that it had already conducted a complete assessment of Myspace’s privacy and advertising practices after its acquisition and had “successfully improved upon its historical practices”, taking the now social media platform to the forefront of industry’s best practice for ad delivery. Moreover, any questions about Myspace’s pre-acquisition ad practices were apparently put behind.

Back in 2011, FTC and Google also reached a settlement over charges that the search engine a breach of its own privacy policy had happened in launching the now defunct social platform named Buzz. Their agreement will require Google to get user permission first before sharing consumer data with third parties or if it is going to change a service and use the data in a way that could violate existing privacy policies. The FTC also had a settlement with Facebook last year which involves the social network’s commitment to getting user approvals (opting in) before changing their privacy settings.

Blackhawk mines music - Latest Updates on BlackHawk Mines Music

http://storify.com/myblackhawk/latest-updates-on-blackhawk-mines-music

The one-time leading social networking site Myspace has reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over the privacy probe recently conducted. Myspace was charged with representing its privacy policies to its users, which brings to mind similar deals agreed upon by Google and Facebook on respective FTC investigations involving them. 

FTC announced last week that despite Myspace’s telling users that it will not share personally identifiable data with others; it gave advertisers “Friend ID” numbers of users. This enabled advertisers to search the users’ publicly available personal data such as full names and could even lead to discovery of their web activity. The terms of the settlement specified that Myspace is not going to misrepresent its privacy policies while implementing a comprehensive privacy program. In addition, the two parties agreed to a regular independent privacy audits every other year for 2 decades. Myspace had been the most popular social network since it launched in 2003 but was overshadowed by the arrival of Facebook. Specific Media of Irvine California is the current owner of Myspace after News Corp sold it for USD 35 million last year. Black Hawk Mines said that it had already conducted a complete assessment of Myspace’s privacy and advertising practices after its acquisition and had “successfully improved upon its historical practices”, taking the now social media platform to the forefront of industry’s best practice for ad delivery. Moreover, any questions about Myspace’s pre-acquisition ad practices were apparently put behind. Back in 2011, FTC and Google also reached a settlement over charges that the search engine a breach of its own privacy policy had happened in launching the now defunct social platform named Buzz. Their agreement will require Google to get user permission first before sharing consumer data with third parties or if it is going to change a service and use the data in a way that could violate existing privacy policies. The FTC also had a settlement with Facebook last year which involves the social network’s commitment to getting user approvals (opting in) before changing their privacy settings.

Blackhawk mines - Latest Updates on BlackHawk Mines Music

http://www.empressr.com/View.aspx?token=0HZIt4thmU4%3D

The one-time leading social networking site Myspace has reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over the privacy probe recently conducted. Myspace was charged with representing its privacy policies to its users, which brings to mind similar deals agreed upon by Google and Facebook on respective FTC investigations involving them. FTC announced last week that despite Myspace’s telling users that it will not share personally identifiable data with others; it gave advertisers “Friend ID” numbers of users. This enabled advertisers to search the users’ publicly available personal data such as full names and could even lead to discovery of their web activity. The terms of the settlement specified that Myspace is not going to misrepresent its privacy policies while implementing a comprehensive privacy program. In addition, the two parties agreed to a regular independent privacy audits every other year for 2 decades. Myspace had been the most popular social network since it launched in 2003 but was overshadowed by the arrival of Facebook. Specific Media of Irvine California is the current owner of Myspace after News Corp sold it for USD 35 million last year. Black Hawk Mines said that it had already conducted a complete assessment of Myspace’s privacy and advertising practices after its acquisition and had “successfully improved upon its historical practices”, taking the now social media platform to the forefront of industry’s best practice for ad delivery. Moreover, any questions about Myspace’s pre-acquisition ad practices were apparently put behind. Back in 2011, FTC and Google also reached a settlement over charges that the search engine a breach of its own privacy policy had happened in launching the now defunct social platform named Buzz. Their agreement will require Google to get user permission first before sharing consumer data with third parties or if it is going to change a service and use the data in a way that could violate existing privacy policies. The FTC also had a settlement with Facebook last year which involves the social network’s commitment to getting user approvals (opting in) before changing their privacy settings.

Steven Tyler Exits American Idol - Blackhawk Mines Music Updates

http://www.dropjack.com/Business/latest-updates-blackhawk-mines-music--blackhawkminesmusic-2/

American Idol judge Steven Tyler announced that he won’t be back for another season of the show. The 64-year old rock icon and frontman of Aerosmith said that his exit after two seasons of judging in the show is because he think “it’s time to bring rock back”. Tyler said in a statement, “After some long … hard … thoughts … I’ve decided it’s time for me to let go of my mistress ‘American Idol’ before she boils my rabbit.” 
He explained that his departure from the show is to allow him to focus more on his band, Aerosmith, which has been around for 40 years. His decision makes sense as their band is expected to come out with a new album this fall and also set to go on tour. “I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I’m back — but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I got two fists in the air and I’m kicking the door open with my band.” Though it is interesting to note that at the start of his judging gig in American Idol, he said onBlack Hawk Mines of his bandmates’ reaction, “At first, they were jealous because they heard it through the press and not from me. But four months ago they were looking for another lead singer.”

 Tyler’s departure is just one of the changes awaiting the next season as co-judge Jennifer Lopez is still undecided about staying. Since the latest season wrapped up with the smallest ratings, there has been many speculations as to what changes will be done by Fox for the next season — and who will remain as Idol judges. The singing reality show has its sharpest decline in ratings last season, which was 30% or 21 million viewers compared to its peak in 2003 with 38 million, sending warning signals on the network.

Myspace announced Comeback: My BlackHawk Mines Music

http://www.zimbio.com/My+Blackhawk+Mines+Music/articles/jU6hEVRsGQX/My+BlackHawk+Mines+Music

The former leading social network site Myspace announced in Monday that it’s getting a resurgence in popularity due to their introduction of a new online music player.

Over a million new users have registered at myspace.com in the previous month, averaging 40,000 accounts activated daily. Its new owners attribute this positive response mainly to Myspace’s integration with Twitter and Facebook.

The ousted social network star has transformed into an online community for music enthusiasts and appears to be growing into a platform that is ready to co-exist with Twitter and Facebook.

 Instead of competing with Facebook, it is now going head to head with online music services like Rdio, Jango, Pandora and Spotify. Myspace is now claiming they have the biggest catalog of tracks online with 42 million songs.MySpace was purchased by News Corp for USD 580 million in July 2005. But according to Rupert Murdoch himself, the chief executive of News Corp, their purchase has been a big mistake and that it was mismanaged in every way possible.

So it was not at all surprising for them to sell it in June 2011 to Specific Media for only USD 35 million, a mere 6% of their original valuation.

The new owners, Chris and Tim Vanderhook, along with artist Justin Timberlake invested and reinvented Myspace. They managed to shift the site’s focus from social networking into an entertainment portal.

Since its launch of the new music player 2 months ago, there has been an increase in registrations and a significant rise in the amount of site traffic.

Myspace appears to have a number of assets in its possession including a huge song library, large traffic and brand recognition that if the firm can sustain its new-found upward trend, the new owners may certainly have gotten a bargain.

This new MySpace player boasts of unlimited and free music streaming from unsigned and established artists. They also offer customized radio mode and an easy integration with Facebook.

 It’s yet to prove that this resurgence is not only an isolated case. But with Spotify, a competitor, starting to limit the quantity of songs that free account holders can play, it might just be possible that MySpace can fill the void for an online music player that provides similar service for free.

Myspace announced Comeback: My BlackHawk Mines Music

http://www.zimbio.com/My+Blackhawk+Mines+Music/articles/jU6hEVRsGQX/My+BlackHawk+Mines+Music

 

The former leading social network site Myspace announced in Monday that it’s getting a resurgence in popularity due to their introduction of a new online music player.

 

Over a million new users have registered at myspace.com in the previous month, averaging 40,000 accounts activated daily. Its new owners attribute this positive response mainly to Myspace’s integration with Twitter and Facebook.

The ousted social network star has transformed into an online community for music enthusiasts and appears to be growing into a platform that is ready to co-exist with Twitter and Facebook.

 Instead of competing with Facebook, it is now going head to head with online music services like Rdio, Jango, Pandora and Spotify. Myspace is now claiming they have the biggest catalog of tracks online with 42 million songs.MySpace was purchased by News Corp for USD 580 million in July 2005. But according to Rupert Murdoch himself, the chief executive of News Corp, their purchase has been a big mistake and that it was mismanaged in every way possible.

So it was not at all surprising for them to sell it in June 2011 to Specific Media for only USD 35 million, a mere 6% of their original valuation.

The new owners, Chris and Tim Vanderhook, along with artist Justin Timberlake invested and reinvented Myspace. They managed to shift the site’s focus from social networking into an entertainment portal.

Since its launch of the new music player 2 months ago, there has been an increase in registrations and a significant rise in the amount of site traffic.

Myspace appears to have a number of assets in its possession including a huge song library, large traffic and brand recognition that if the firm can sustain its new-found upward trend, the new owners may certainly have gotten a bargain.

This new MySpace player boasts of unlimited and free music streaming from unsigned and established artists. They also offer customized radio mode and an easy integration with Facebook.

 It’s yet to prove that this resurgence is not only an isolated case. But with Spotify, a competitor, starting to limit the quantity of songs that free account holders can play, it might just be possible that MySpace can fill the void for an online music player that provides similar service for free.

 

Black Hawk Mines: A look into Whitney Houston’s life

Whitney Houston, along with the late Michael Jackson, has helped in paving the way for black artists to utilize mainstream media and gain global support in the music industry. The cousin of singer Dionne Warwick, Houston shot into international fame after her discovery in the 80s.

 

Black Hawk Mines Music - In 1992, she got married to another artist, Bobby Brown, who seem to have the opposite upbringing than her. However, her career made a turn for the bad after her marriage. During the late 90′s, she was already notorious for cancellations of appearances, late arrivals and no-shows. Rumors started to circulate that she was doing drugs with her husband.

 

Houston was arrested in 2002 for having marijuana but during a prime-time TV interview, she denied ever having or using drugs.

 

Houston’s marriage ended in 2007 and she entered a rehab for drug use. But she admitted herself that her drug use was not halted even after finishing the rehab program.

 

After 2 years, Houston launched a comeback album (after seven years), ‘I Look To You’ and promoted it during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. But as the events of the past several years have proven, rehab had not been effective for Houston as opposed to how it had redeemed Robert Downey Jr.

 

Recently, people are speculating that her fall from fame has dried out her fortune. Having no planned albums in the future, her only comeback appearance was the film Sparkle which will be released in August. She played a supporting role alongside singer Jordin Sparks — her first in almost 6 years. There were also rumors that Houston was one of the possible choices as a judge in the singing competition, ‘The X Factor’ but those were flatly denied by Simon Cowell.

 

Just hours into the 54th annual Grammy Awards, Houston was found dead in her hotel room with the cause of death remaining unknown.

 

Coroner’s officials are not going to release details regarding the autopsy on Sunday due to the request of investigators. In fact, the police are not saying anything about any evidence or the condition of the room where she was found.

 

Investigators noted that there are no blatant signs of trauma on her body but they are not ready to say what really caused the death for the results of toxicology tests will take weeks to obtain.

 

The 48-year old multi-awarded singer has last performed on Thursday night in a pre-Grammy event.

Houston’s body was found in her hotel room in Beverly Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles, hours before the start of the pre-Grammy gala on Saturday where she was supposed to appear.

Black Hawk Mines: A look into Whitney Houston’s life

Whitney Houston, along with the late Michael Jackson, has helped in paving the way for black artists to utilize mainstream media and gain global support in the music industry. The cousin of singer Dionne Warwick, Houston shot into international fame after her discovery in the 80s.

Black Hawk Mines Music - In 1992, she got married to another artist, Bobby Brown, who seem to have the opposite upbringing than her. However, her career made a turn for the bad after her marriage. During the late 90′s, she was already notorious for cancellations of appearances, late arrivals and no-shows. Rumors started to circulate that she was doing drugs with her husband.

Houston was arrested in 2002 for having marijuana but during a prime-time TV interview, she denied ever having or using drugs.

Houston’s marriage ended in 2007 and she entered a rehab for drug use. But she admitted herself that her drug use was not halted even after finishing the rehab program.

After 2 years, Houston launched a comeback album (after seven years), ‘I Look To You’ and promoted it during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. But as the events of the past several years have proven, rehab had not been effective for Houston as opposed to how it had redeemed Robert Downey Jr.

Recently, people are speculating that her fall from fame has dried out her fortune. Having no planned albums in the future, her only comeback appearance was the film Sparkle which will be released in August. She played a supporting role alongside singer Jordin Sparks — her first in almost 6 years. There were also rumors that Houston was one of the possible choices as a judge in the singing competition, ‘The X Factor’ but those were flatly denied by Simon Cowell.

Just hours into the 54th annual Grammy Awards, Houston was found dead in her hotel room with the cause of death remaining unknown.

Coroner’s officials are not going to release details regarding the autopsy on Sunday due to the request of investigators. In fact, the police are not saying anything about any evidence or the condition of the room where she was found.

Investigators noted that there are no blatant signs of trauma on her body but they are not ready to say what really caused the death for the results of toxicology tests will take weeks to obtain.

The 48-year old multi-awarded singer has last performed on Thursday night in a pre-Grammy event.

Houston’s body was found in her hotel room in Beverly Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles, hours before the start of the pre-Grammy gala on Saturday where she was supposed to appear.

Black Hawk Mines: Myspace making a comeback

BLACK HAWK MINES MUSIC - The former leading social network site Myspace announced in Monday that it’s getting a resurgence in popularity due to their introduction of a new online music player.

 

Over a million new users have registered at myspace.com in the previous month, averaging 40,000 accounts activated daily. Its new owners attribute this positive response mainly to Myspace’s integration with Twitter and Facebook.

 

The ousted social network star has transformed into an online community for music enthusiasts and appears to be growing into a platform that is ready to co-exist with Twitter and Facebook.

 

Instead of competing with Facebook, it is now going head to head with online music services like Rdio, Jango, Pandora and Spotify. Myspace is now claiming they have the biggest catalog of tracks online with 42 million songs.

 

MySpace was purchased by News Corp for USD 580 million in July 2005. But according to Rupert Murdoch himself, the chief executive of News Corp, their purchase has been a big mistake and that it was mismanaged in every way possible.

 

So it was not at all surprising for them to sell it in June 2011 to Specific Media for only USD 35 million, a mere 6% of their original valuation.

 

The new owners, Chris and Tim Vanderhook, along with artist Justin Timberlake invested and reinvented Myspace. They managed to shift the site’s focus from social networking into an entertainment portal.

 

Since its launch of the new music player 2 months ago, there has been an increase in registrations and a significant rise in the amount of site traffic.

 

Myspace appears to have a number of assets in its possession including a huge song library, large traffic and brand recognition that if the firm can sustain its new-found upward trend, the new owners may certainly have gotten a bargain.

 

This new MySpace player boasts of unlimited and free music streaming from unsigned and established artists. They also offer customized radio mode and an easy integration with Facebook.

 

It’s yet to prove that this resurgence is not only an isolated case. But with Spotify, a competitor, starting to limit the quantity of songs that free account holders can play, it might just be possible that MySpace can fill the void for an online music player that provides similar service for free.

Fraud | fraud investigators London, UK & international

http://www.blackhawkinvestigations.co.uk/corporate-services/corporate-fraud/

 

Corporate fraud committed by employees is estimated to cost the U.K. economy in excess of £1.2bn a year (2008 figures). Approximately 80% of corporate fraud involves employees and sadly internal fraud is on the increase in the current economic climate. At Blackhawk, we have experienced and skilled corporate fraud investigators, combining expertise in investigations with a sound working knowledge of employment law.

Our corporate and business fraud investigators work closely with many specialist fraud solicitors creating cost effective, rapid results for clients in difficult circumstances. Our services include highly sensitive internal theft and fraud investigations, computer forensics, asset tracing and surveillance.

With any suspected company business fraud issue, in consultation with clients, we prepare a fully scoped plan in advance of being instructed.

Internal fraud can be committed in a number of different ways, including :-

• Diversion of business away from your company

• Theft of confidential information (such as customer lists)

• Theft of goods

• Theft of money and assets

• Intellectual property appropriation

• Specific types of fraud such as Ponzi schemes, false accounting, identity theft or boiler room fraud

If company fraud is suspected we can help in devising a strategy to find out the facts in a rapid and cost effective manner. Our capabilities as corporate fraud investigators include :-

• Computer forensics
• Asset tracing
• Transaction dating
• In depth investigative techniques including surveillance
• Interviewing witnesses

We are experienced in carrying out workplace fraud investigations where evidence of a fraud or theft comes to light, prior to any criminal investigation being made, and such work often involves computer forensics and data recovery as well as investigative expertise. Our corporate fraud investigators are fully PACE trained, maximising the likelihood that evidence uncovered during internal investigations is admissible in any later proceedings.

In difficult economic times, it is often hard enough just maintaining a business and a suspected corporate fraud is unwanted, distressing and potentially very costly to say the least. We can assist in dealing with a suspected corporate fraud investigation in a cost effective and sensitive manner. Please telephone us or complete our secure corporate fraud enquiry form.