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Top 20 News Stories Of 2008



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The Police Play Last Reunion Show In NYC
11

The reunited Police took a final bow on Aug. 7 at New York's Madison Square Garden, capping a 151-show tour that finished as the third highest-grossing of all time with $358,825,665 at the box office, according to Billboard Boxscore. The Police's tour, the band's first performances since 1986, began May 28, 2007, in Vancouver and moved 3,300,912 tickets from 146 shows, plus five festival plays, according to tour producer Live Nation. READ MORE
Clay Aiken Comes Out
12

In the Sept. 26 issue of People magazine, cover subject Clay Aiken, who'd had a son a month prior, publicly acknowledged that he is gay. "It was the first decision I made as a father," Aiken, 29, told the magazine. "I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn't raised that way, and I'm not going to raise a child to do that." READ MORE
T.I. Follows Conviction With No. 1 Success
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After being arrested on charges of possession of an unregistered firearm, possession of machine guns and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon last October, Clifford "T.I." Harris was sentenced to one year in prison and 1,500 hours of community service. In the midst of the drama, T.I. scored a big hit with the album "Paper Trail," which has sold 1.3 million copies. READ MORE
Nine Inch Nails Gives Fans 'The Slip' For Free
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On May 5, Nine Inch Nails posted a free download of a new album, "The Slip," on its Web site. A statement on the site from frontman Trent Reznor said simply, "Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years -- this one's on me." The album was released on CD in July. < A HREF="http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003798490">READ MORE
The Four Tops' Levi Stubbs Dies
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Arguably the most powerful voice in Motown's storied history was silenced this year. Four Tops lead singer Levi Stubbs, Jr., died on Oct. 17 at his home in Detroit after a long series of illnesses -- including cancer and a stroke -- that forced him to stop performing in 2000. He was 72. READ MORE
Def Jam EVP Shakir Stewart Commits Suicide
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Def Jam executive VP Shakir Stewart committed suicide on Nov. 1 in Atlanta. Stewart succeeded Jay-Z at the top of the Def Jam ladder in June and also retained his duties as senior VP of A&R at Island Def Jam. The Oakland, Calif., native signed such artists as Rick Ross, Young Jeezy and newcomer Karina Pasian. "Shakir was an amazing man in every sense of the word. A truly incredible friend and father who was an inspiration to not only our artists and employees, but to his family and the many people that had the privilege of counting him as a friend," read a statement from the label. READ MORE
David Cook Wins American Idol Season 7
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Amid deafening applause, David Cook was crowned the seventh "American Idol" on May 21 at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre. The 25-year-old Blue Springs, Mo., native earned 56% of the record 97.5 million votes cast during performance finale, defeating 17-year-old David Archuleta on the Fox TV series. On Nov. 18, Cook released his self-titled 19 Recordings/RCA debut, which has sold 391,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan. READ MORE
Kanye West Acts Out At Bonnaroo
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After taking flak for his late performance at this year's Bonnaroo festival, Kanye West utilized his blog to explain why he wound up taking the stage at 4:30 a.m. instead of the scheduled 2:45 a.m. slot. "They tried to give me a time slot where it was still light outside," he said. "I have a f*cking light show dumb ass. It's not called 'Glow in the Dark' for no reason squid brains!" READ MORE
My Bloody Valentine Reunites
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Following a 1992 tour, My Bloody Valentine basically dropped off the face of the earth. But a year-and-a-half ago, the band's booking agent, Frank Riley, got a phone call from lead singer Kevin Shields saying "[touring] was something they were thinking about." In October, MBV wrapped up its seven stop, sold-out North American tour, drawing nearly 26,000 people and generating well more than $1 million in gross. READ MORE
Hendrix Bandmates Mitch Mitchell and Buddy Miles Die
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Two drummers who anchored Jimi Hendrix's bands during the heyday of rock'n'roll died within eight months of each other this year. First, Buddy Miles, who co-founded Band Of Gypsys with Hendrix, died Feb. 26 in Austin, Texas, at the age of 60. On Nov. 12, Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell was found dead in a Portland, Ore., hotel room at the age of 62. Mitchell was the last surviving member of the Experience.
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