 Eminem Album Release Date Pushed Up One Week
Interscope/Aftermath/Shady Records, Eminem's record labels, have pushed up the release date of the Eminem Show by one week to fight "rampant illegal downloading and bootlegging," according to a spokesperson for the labels.
The album, originally scheduled to go on sale June 4, will now be released on May 28.
In a recent interview with the Dr. Dre protege, Eminem told LAUNCH that he enjoys his celebrity, but is sometimes frustrated with his lack of privacy. "Yeah, it gets a little agitating at times, I mean, but you gotta take the good with the bad, the pluses with the minuses, the positive with the negative, you know? It's a drag sometimes, but, whatever. I just deal with it," he said.
The album's first single, "Without Me," is Number Nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
-- Billy Johnson Jr., Los Angeles
 Eminem Says 'Without Me' Is Not Like Rest Of Album
Eminem insists that his new album, The Eminem Show, due out June 4 on Interscope/Aftermath/Shady Records, is not like his previous efforts, despite the style of the album's first single, "Without Me." The single is currently Number 43 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
The artist, who appeared on Saturday Night Live on Saturday (May 11), recently spoke to LAUNCH about the song that disses Vice President Dick Cheney, Limp Bizkit, and Moby.
"The first single is no indication whatsoever how the record is going to sound. That's probably the most different-est song that's most like anything off my last album than what's on this entire album," he said.
However, the "Without Me" video does give an indication of the types of programs Eminem enjoyed watching as a kid. In addition to mimicking the Sally Jessy Raphael talk show, Eminem impersonates the Robin character from Batman, one of his favorite superhero programs. "Yeah, growing up, I was a big fan of the TV series of Batman. I was like Batman, Spiderman-ed out. Superman, super heroes growing up or whatever, was my thing for a minute as with any kid who grew up in the '70s, '80s," he says.
-- Billy Johnson Jr., Los Angeles
 Eminem Impersonates Osama Bin Laden In New Video
For Eminem's 1999 commercial debut, "My Name Is," the controversial Detroit-bred rapper impersonated former President Bill Clinton. Now, he switches political hats for his latest video, "Without You," taking on the likeness of leading September 11 terrorist attack suspect Osama bin Laden.
In the video, which features Dr. Dre, D12, and new protege Obie Trice, bin Laden appears on the Sally Jessy Raphael Show. Eminem also portrays Raphael in the video, scheduled to premiere next month.
According to Eminem's spokesperson, the song, which is expected to impact radio on Friday (April 26), is about "the world feeling so empty without Eminem, and why he's coming back."
Eminem is also confirmed to perform on Saturday Night Live on May 11. His third album, The Eminem Show, is scheduled to be released on June 4.
In related news, British magazine The Face agreed to reprint its May issue featuring Eminem on the cover. Eminem was upset that the magazine changed the color of his red shirt to pink. Eminem's red shirt conflicted with the publication's red logo.
"It was done intentionally to cause controversy and to taunt Eminem," the artist's spokesperson told the New York Daily News. "The Face [has now] agreed to publish an issue containing photos as they were originally captured on film."
-- Billy Johnson Jr., Los Angeles
 Eminem Tryst Imagined In New Pet Shop Boys Song
Eminem is the subject of a gay romantic fantasy in a new song by British synth-pop duo, the Pet Shop Boys. Titled "The Night I Fell In Love," the song is first-person fiction by Pet Shop Boys singer Neil Tennant--told from the point of view of a young man--about meeting the hip-hop star, being charmed by him, and then the pair becoming "secret lovers," the group's Chris Lowe tells the Calgary Sun.
Eminem has long angered the gay community with the homophobic lyrics in his songs. Lowe says that the openly gay Tennant wrote "The Night I Fell In Love" "to turn the tables on the rapper," the newspaper reports.
The track can be found on the Pet Shop Boys' latest album, Release, which arrives in the U.S. on April 23.
The Pet Shop Boys kick off a North American tour in support of the album in Miami on May 14.
-- Neal Weiss, Los Angeles
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