Who was missing from
“We Are the World”?
Lady Gaga.“They literally begged her to come,” a source told me yesterday. “She turned them down. She didn’t get it.”
Jay Z and
Beyonce had no excuses. They were in town. So was
Alicia Keys, who spent the weekend with boyfriend
Swizz Beatz at the home of Paradigm Talent Agency chief
Sam Gores and his wife, former soap star
Jensen Buchanan. Alicia may have felt spread too thin between the
Haiti telethon and her own Keep a Child Alive charity.
Other people whose absence seemed conspicuous:
Justin Timberlake. Jennifer Lopez. Madonna.
The artists who did come had a great time.
Al Jardine approached
Enrique Iglesias about singing a Spanish song on his new album.
India Arie had just come off a three-month writing sabbatical and was happy to return to work.
Akon’s mother, a fan of “American Idol,” got to meet
Randy Jackson. And everyone was exposed to the brilliance of
Patti Austin.
The rappers also got their due. Around 8:30 p.m.,
Quincy Jones sent them all into studio B to trade freestylin’. But there were some glitches to work out. Soon
will.i.am and
LL Cool J were called into the principal’s office.
“I’m counting eight bars in,” Will said. He was concerned that the overlaps weren’t working.
“I don’t count bars,” LL Cool J responded.
Jones refereed, with bemusement. It will be interesting to hear the final result of the rap section.
Snoop Dogg is in there, too. This suggests that there will be a couple of different mixes released.
Meanwhile, I do hope
Paul Haggis includes this on the documentary: a moment when several members of the big chorus broke out spontaneously singing
Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me.” It looked like the “fire” started around
Mary Mary and spread through the middle. Even
Barbra Streisand joined in. Soon the whole room was clapping and singing along. Withers’ music publisher should waive their rights on this one so the song can be cleared and included. It was one joyous moment on an afternoon of many.
Lady Gaga Turned Down Quincy Jones | The Hollywood Reporter | Showbiz 411 | Entertainment News
Lady Gaga Turned Down Quincy Jones
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