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Pirates are not just hunting oceans' floor but also the music industry. There's still no way she can pay record companies the $222,000 judgment she owes said the Minnesota woman at the center of a long-running court fight over the unauthorized downloading of copyrighted music after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal Monday. The justices did not give remark on their decision. The amount was excessive argued by the attorneys of Jammie Thomas-Rasset, of Brainerd. In the early to mid-2000s, the music industry filed thousands of lawsuits in opposition to people it charged of downloading music without authorization and without paying for it. Most of these cases were settled for about $3,500 apiece. Only two defendants refused to pay and went to trial one of them is Thomas-Rasset while the other was former Boston University student Joel Tenenbaum. The later also lost and was ordered to pay $675,000. Back in 2006, the initial case was file against Thomas-Rasset. Ever since the case was filed has gone through three trials and several appeals. According to the evidences presented by the industry, Thomas-Rasset made available over 1,700 songs to other computer uses via the file-sharing service Kazaa, though the lawsuit targeted only 24 songs. "I'm assuming that since they declined to hear the case it's probably done at this point," she said. But she also said she needed to consult with her attorneys to determine what happens next. Thomas-Rasset at the age of 35 and who works for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe tribal government, maintained her claim that as she has all along can't afford to pay. "There's no way that they can collect," she said. "Right now, I get energy assistance because I have four kids. It's just the one income. My husband isn't working. It's not possible for them to collect even if they wanted to. I have no assets." She became a grandmother in June, Thomas-Rasset added. She refused

Taylor swift continues to step a notch everyday, country-pop singer started at a very young age and from then on she struggled on her way up. Her hardships didn't last long. She found her big break and here she is as how we know her. Hardships are really paying off, singer's album "Red" topped the U.S. album chart for a second week despite a big percentage drop. Singer-songwriter Swift has undoubtedly paved the way to stardom on her own. She gained the respect of her fans by being one of them. Teen girls idolize her by being her, she's reasonably gorgeous even in ballet flats. She's awkward but speaks her mind through her song. She's a geek chic oozing with sex appeal. And above all, she's a star but she is approachable. It was not a surprise that her forth album "Red" is another big hit. Released October 22, 2012 through Big Machine Records, Red is the fourth studio album by singer-song writer Taylor Swift. According to Nielsen SoundScan data for the week ending Nov. 4, "Red" retained the apex with 344,000 copies sold, may sound much but actually it has a decline of 72% from 1.21 million sales on the first week. Despite the big difference in terms of sales, Red maintained to be on top on the second week and until now on its third week. There is no stopping "Red", industry forecasters put forward that the album will spend a third straight week atop the Billboard 200 chart next week. The new Billboard 200 chart's top 10 will be revealed on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 14. Red is a 16-song geyser of willful emotions, Swift's songs grows with her as well. As she ages her songs matures with her. Album includes songs entitled, 1. "State of Grace" - a not typical Taylor at all is what you will see in this song, she was blindsided by love. Lush and dreamy, a drum driven song is what you can expect in "State of Grace". 2."Red"- this song is a different shade for Taylor, it talks about how impossible it is moving on from a

A look into Whitney Houston's life by Blackhawk Mines Updates 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. 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

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.

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

http://updates.my-blackhawkmines.com/category/music/ 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. 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

Davy Jones, 66, died after a heart attack while in his stable in Florida on the morning of February 29. He was found in his car suffering from chest pains and was promptly rushed to a hospital in Stuart. However, he was pronounced dead due to severe heart attack. His sudden death has a considerably strong impact for someone that belongs in a band that has almost never gotten any musical respect in the industry. Jones first gained the public's attention as an actor where he was even nominated for a Tony award for his part on the Broadway in Oliver!. Afterwards, and on the same time that The Beatles are gaining popularity, he became part of a singing group that has their weekly sitcom called The Monkees. The funeral in Florida is expected to be private but there will be public services in England and New York to honor Jones. The singer's death seems to hit many people so hard, even those who are not claiming to be a fan, perhaps owing to the Monkees' influencing generations. The height of their career came in the 60s but reruns of their show were aired in the 70s. Jones propelled to popularity during the 60s as The Monkees TV show became a household name. Though the series only lasted for 2 years and the band eventually broke up, they have left chart-topping hits such as "Daydream Believer" and "Im a Believer". At 18 years old, Jones had his first performance in The Ed Sullivan Show where he sang his piece from Oliver!. Incidentally, that same night The Beatles also performed for the first time in the show

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 inv

Last Monday, U.S. magistrate judge sentenced Grammy-winning hip hop artist Lauryn Hill to three months in prison, three months in home confinement and a $60,000 fine for federal tax evasion. Last year Lauryn Hill pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to file tax returns on more than $1.8 million of income between 2005 and 2007 and faced up to three years in prison. Hill has credited her failure to pay taxes to years of pressure she practiced as a recording star all at the same time with raising six children, causing her to go underground and shut away from the public eye. On the eve of her scheduled sentencing, Hill paid $504,000 in back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service and another $420,000 to the state of New Jersey, her attorney told the court. She still owes another $285,000 in interest and penalties. "When the government is asking for 36 months and the judge gives three months, I think the judge gave a fair and reasonable sentence," Hill's attorney Nathan Hochman told reporters. Thirty months to the maximum of 36 months was asked by the prosecutors for a sentence. Hill's lack of a criminal record, her six children and her repayment of the back taxes as mitigating factors in the sentence, cited U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo. Hill, native of South Orange, New Jersey, must report on or before July 8. Her attorney asked the court to assign her a facility close to home. Part of one year of supervised probation is the three months of home confinement following the prison stay. Hill told the court she pulled away from society because her life was in crisis, received veiled threats and was blacklisted because she did not conform to the norms of the music industry. "I was being perceived as a cash cow, not a person," Hill said. Just this Friday, a new single by Hill, her first in several years, called "Neurotic Society," was posted on iTunes. "Here is a link to a piece that I was 'required' to release imm

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. 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 d

"Last year Lauryn Hill pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to file tax returns on more than $1.8 million of income between 2005 and 2007 and faced up to three years in prison. Hill has credited her failure to pay taxes to years of pressure she practiced as a recording star all at the same time with raising six children, causing her to go underground and shut away from the public eye. On the eve of her scheduled sentencing, Hill paid $504,000 in back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service and another $420,000 to the state of New Jersey, her attorney told the court. She still owes another $285,000 in interest and penalties."

Taylor Swift walks around with a constant expression of shock at her swell luck and good fortune. As well she should, as the pitch-challenged, confessional sweetheart is doing phenomenally well in the singing business. She doesn't do as well in the relationship business, but her prolific taste in celebrity men has served her and supermarket magazines fine. "Love is a ruthless game, unless you play it good and right," she sings on State of Grace. I would argue that Swift plays the game ruthlessly - "good and right" being adverbs open to interpretation, or even meaningless to a doe-eyed pop careerist whose open-book romantic life is grist for the mill, an attention-getting supply of gotcha-good inspiration. Red, her fourth album, is full of big, errorless music - arena-pop that is just country enough to keep the CMT crowd happy. But even if there are very few missteps, excitement and soul are decidedly lacking. Swift's lyrical style lacks for ambition; someone like Canada's Liam Titcomb, a complete unknown in comparison, has much more of a clue how to write a poppy relationship song with wordy charisma. The pigtailed set will enjoy the 22-year-old woman-child who giggles at the end of the plucky-cute Stay, Stay, Stay. "Before you I only dated self-indulgent takers, who took all of their problems out on me," she sings, resisting the urge to rhyme "Jake Gyllenhaal" with "darn it all" or "John Mayer" with "hey, that's not fair." The album's catchy first single We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together is Avril-bratty, complete with a resolute girlie army on the chorus. But beyond the adolescent stuff, the platinum-selling Kennedy-clan befriender branches out - sometimes moving in less-than-mysterious U2 ways. While State of Grace uses chiming guitars and bold dynamics, All Too Well doesn't at all try to hide its With or Without You tension-building methods. Lyrically it represents Swift's best work, involving broken p

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 t

Kanye West's series of concerts in Atlantic City last December 30, 2012 came to be a surprise for everyone. Every night he managed to surprise everyone, on the first night he played dress-up, second night he ranted. But the third and final night was the night he shocked everyone, he declared that he is a father-to-be. This was the first time we ever saw him with a genuine happiness on his face, he couldn't take that smile off. At 35, Kanye is as excited as a kid on his Christmas presents. During a freestyle of "Lost in the World" he revealed that Kim kardashan, 32, will going to be his "baby's mama." Kanye was really happy when he heard about the news. "He's known this for some time now," according to reliable source. "You don't even know how f**king excited this [guy] is about being a father." So blackmail is not a question here because he is genuinely happy. Kanye was overcome with emotion when Kim told him the good news, the source added. The sorce also revealed, "He's like really on one right now and I don't know if I should say this, but [Kanye] was crying when Kim told him she was knocked up." The source also adds, "I heard he got on his knees in front of Kim, she rubbed his head while he was crying and he was kissing her stomach. Guess he was overwhelmed at that point and couldn't believe he's about to be a father." This is all maybe because Kanye in fact grew up without his father by his side. His parents got divorced and Kanye and his mother moved to Chicago when he was 3. He will only go and see his father on Christmas, spring break and summer. He considers his father as his everything although most of the time his mother was his everything. He once said to an interview, "It gets to the point that when you go to high school and you wasn't out in the streets like that, and you ain't have no father figure, or you wasn't around your father all the time, who you gonna act like

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 on Black 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. Looks like the only sure thing about the Idol series is its host, Ryan Seacrest, who renewed his contract for 2 years for USD 15 million.

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 on Black 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. Looks like the only sure thing about the Idol series is its host, Ryan Seacrest, who renewed his contract for 2 years for USD 15 million.

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 on Black 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. Looks like the only sure thing about the Idol series is its host, Ryan Seacrest, who renewed his contract for 2 years for USD 15 million.

There is no doubt that Psy's "Gangnam Style" has taken over the world, it is a Phenomenon! It has been topping the hit charts of every country. Psy's quirky dance moves and the songs upbeat music make the whole world addicted to the song. Although the song is in Korean it is so catchy with its sing-a-long chorus making the whole world sing and dance to it. In a span of merely few weeks, Psy (real name Park Jae-Sang), a chubby 34-year-old, made everyone a Gangnam Stylists. South Korean singer has become an overnight international sensation with his bizarre-but-amazing 'Gangnam Style' clip, in which he does a "horse dance" in toilets, saunas, elevators, carparks and even a horse stable. The catchy tune, an endearing, if hopelessly draft, dance became an overnight viral sensation. Instead of feeling aggrieved at his rapid, effortless rise, appearances on the US TV chatshow circuit and myriad copycat routines, they must thank Psybecause he shoved open the door for other Korean pop artists hoping to make it to US market as well. Gangnam Style breaks Guiness world book of records, when this viral song smashed a world record, it became the most popular video in YouTube history. The singer was presented with a certificate by Guinness World Records in London on Thursday for the achievement. Singer even signed with Justine Bieber's manager. Racking up nearly 48 million Youtube streams Psy beats up Justine Bieber's "As Long as You Love me" to number 1 on the US iTunes chart, and spawning internet cover versions and flash mobs, this surprise Korean singer because he didn't think that the song would be a smash. English speaking listeners handled the song very passionately even though the lyrics contain only one English line "Hey, sexy lady!" Gangnam is a hipster district in South Korea's capital city, Seoul. Here is part of the song translated in English: "Girls, your big brother is Gangnam Style". A girl who loo

OAKLAND, CA-Peter C. Son, 38, of Danville, Calif., was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello said. Son was also sentenced to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and ordered to pay restitution in an amount to be determined.

OAKLAND, CA-Peter C. Son, 38, of Danville, Calif., was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello said. Son was also sentenced to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and ordered to pay restitution in an amount to be determined. According to court documents, Son and his business partner Jin Chung were the owners of SNC Asset Management, Inc. and SNC Investments, Inc. (Companies), which were incorporated in 2003. The Companies shared office space in Pleasanton, Calif., and on Wall Street in New York City. Son served as the Chief Executive Officer and Chung served as the Chief Financial Officer. Son was initially charged on July 27, 2009 with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions with the proceeds of wire fraud. On April 9, 2010, Son pleaded guilty to both counts. In pleading guilty, Son admitted he falsely advertised that the Companies had a distinguished record and were highly successful in foreign exchange trading, when in fact records reflect that very little foreign exchange trading was done by either company. Son also admitted that potential investors were falsely promised annual returns on their investments of between 24 and 36 percent a year. From the beginning, investors were strongly encouraged to reinvest their profits to avoid having to return funds to the customers. Returns were paid out to only those investors who demanded that the accounts be closed or those who demanded monthly returns be paid instead of reinvested. Court records reflect that from 2003 through October 2008, approximately 500 customers invested approximately $85 million in the Companies, receiving in return approximately $23 million, leaving investors with losses amounting to approximately $62 million. Most of the investors were Koreans living in California and Korea. Accord

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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 on Black 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. Looks like the only sure thing about the Idol series is its host, Ryan Seacrest, who renewed his contract for 2 years for USD 15 million.

BLACK HAWK MINES : DAVY JONES OF MONKEES DEAD AT 66 The past few months have been a particularly tough time for the music industry as the death of The Monkees' lead singer came after those of Etta James and Whitney Houston. Davy Jones, 66, died after a heart attack while in his stable in Florida on the morning of February 29. He was found in his car suffering from chest pains and was promptly rushed to a hospital in Stuart. However, he was pronounced dead due to severe heart attack. His sudden death has a considerably strong impact for someone that belongs in a band that has almost never gotten any musical respect in the industry. Jones first gained the public's attention as an actor where he was even nominated for a Tony award for his part on the Broadway in Oliver!. Afterwards, and on the same time that The Beatles are gaining popularity, he became part of a singing group that has their weekly sitcom called The Monkees. The funeral in Florida is expected to be private but there will be public services in England and New York to honor Jones. The singer's death seems to hit many people so hard, even those who are not claiming to be a fan, perhaps owing to the Monkees' influencing generations. The height of their career came in the 60s but reruns of their show were aired in the 70s. Jones propelled to popularity during the 60s as The Monkees TV show became a household name. Though the series only lasted for 2 years and the band eventually broke up, they have left chart-topping hits such as "Daydream Believer" and "Im a Believer". At 18 years old, Jones had his first performance in The Ed Sullivan Show where he sang his piece from Oliver!. Incidentally, that same night The Beatles also performed for the first time in the show.

The American Music Awards 2013 was held last Sunday at Nokia Theater and it was very easy figuring out who are the real w9inners were. "This is about the fans tonight," Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds said as the band collected for favorite alternative rock artist. http://my-blackhawkmines.com/ Winners naming Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake and One Direction who brought home several trophies during the night knew whom they owed it to. It was the fans that received the most impassioned gratitude amongst pop stars, there were even no academy thanked but still label brass and glam squads got shout outs and of course God was acknowledge. Award buddies such as the American Music Awards, the MTV Video Music Awards and the Billboard Music Awards to rely on the public to choose the night's winners as a counter to the prestigious industry inclusiveness of the Grammys, this has a long been tradition for the awards shows. Apiece of the declared telecasts has morphed into painfully unsurprising ordeal in the past years. While it is still driven by the fans, shows aspiring to grip the age of social engagement have incorporated digital social engagement - Tweeter, YouTube/Veve views, Facebook - to dictate nominations - and winners. And as a result the process has taken away what's left of the element of surprise. The madness that rang out among the audience at just the announcement of names like that of One Direction, Timberlake, Miley Cyrus and Swift, hurriedly predicted the night. Taking home four trophies was Swift winning big. Timberlake and One Direction both performed and also awarded multiple wins. Every appearance they drove panic to the teenage girls in the audience. The boys of One Direction fawned over those fans who probably spent hours logging their votes online and through Twitter, and on Sunday they were rewarded but Swift, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus were their heroines while Timberlake still pulled heartstrin