Mayer: 'I don't need hits'

John Mayer isn't concerned with writing catchy tunes anymore.

John Mayer isn't worried about writing hits.

The 35-year-old musician believes his tunes should be more meaningful than just a catchy melody and hopes fans enjoy the narrative.

"I'm not worried anymore, period. I'm not worried about pop hits, I'm not worried about sales, relevance," he told TIME.com. "I care about one thing: tell your story. If you're on your sixth record and you're 35, you should be following wherever the road takes you. I want this story to unfold onstage now - records are the fuel for a concert."

The singer recently recovered from having two throat surgeries and explained his tunes are not as smooth as they once were.

It means he can't belt out the well-known tracks his fans are expecting in concert and his latest album reflects that.

"[My voice is] coming back and it will come back all the way to where it was," he said. "All the early stuff, I can't do that full voice right now.

"Born and Raised and Paradise Valley stem from this inability to sing higher."

John recently collaborated on a new track titled Who You Love with his girlfriend Katy Perry.

The star previously dated Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Aniston and despite his reputation as a ladies' man, it seems John is keen to settle down with Katy.

"John won't run from Katy again," a source told British magazine Grazia. "He knows his bad-boy reputation and what happened with Russell hurt Katy, and he'll do whatever it takes to show he's the one she should marry."

Katy met British comedian Russell Brand in 2009 and they got engaged that same year.

They wed in India in October 2010, however Russell filed for divorce only 14 months later.

Braff sets bar high

Zach Braff has got big things to prove with his new Kickstarter-financed film.

Zach Braff wants to set the bar "really, really high" with Wish I Was Here.

The Scrubs actor is currently directing and starring in the movie, which he co-wrote with his brother Adam.

Zach raised the money for the motion picture as part of a Kickstarter campaign, where more than 46,000 donors contributed upward of $3.1 million to fund his film.

The actor has been criticised by some for financing his pursuit in this way, and Zach knows he's got something big to prove with this new pursuit.

"If this is the test case for this way of financing a movie, I want to set the bar really, really high," Zach admitted to E! News.

Zach's gathered plenty of good names to feature in his film. A-list actress Kate Hudson stars alongside Mandy Patinkin, Ashley Greene, Jim Parsons and Josh Gad. Josh signed up after being intrigued by the concept behind the independent drama.

"What fascinated me more than anything was the process of this Kickstarter campaign and getting the money through crowd-funding," Josh also told E!. "It really does feel like you're making a movie for the people."

Zach does feel an obligation towards the people who donated to the creative cause and made the flick possible. As a result, he's letting his financiers speak.

"If any of these 46,000 people email us or contact us, they get a response that day, hopefully within a couple of hours, depending on how crazy we are," Zach said. "All questions are answered quickly... We treat them like they're guests at the fanciest hotel and we're the concierge."

HOME UK WORLD US BUSINESS POLITICS TECHNOLOGY ENTERTAINMENT STRANGE NEWS WEATHER Syria: US Intervention Will 'Inflame' Region

BREAKING NEWS

As world leaders vow to act if the regime is proved to have used chemical weapons, Syria warns the US of a "ball of fire".

Zuma: SANDF doing well in Africa

ZUMA: SANDF DOING WELL IN AFRICA

SANDF soldiers (Picture: AFP)

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Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma has informed Parliament that 1 345 soldiers have been deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the presidency said on Friday.

"Our soldiers are doing exceptionally well in the continent. We congratulate them and assure them of the support of their compatriots as they continue to contribute to the building of a better Africa, as a force for peace," Zuma said in a statement.

"We are very proud of them and their contribution to African renewal and development."

The deployment was from 13 June 2013 to 31 March 2014. The expected cost of the deployment was R402 800 000.

Talks

The soldiers would be part of a "force intervention brigade", under the United Nations Monusco peacekeeping force.

Zuma arrived in Luanda, Angola, on Thursday for consultations with Angolan President Jos Eduardo dos Santos and DRC President Joseph Kabila Kabange.

"The three heads of state are expected to discuss a range of issues relating to peace and stability in the region, particularly the current peace efforts in the DRC," Zuma's spokesperson Mac Maharaj said in a statement at the time.

The SA National Defence Force said on Friday that South African soldiers in the DRC had not been engaged in armed combat with rebels in the country,

"I can confirm that... the DRC [defence] force engaged with the M23 rebels," SANDF spokesman Siphiwe Dlamini said.

"We are in a defensive line - we are not engaging."

He said the intervention brigade comprising of soldiers from South Africa, Tanzania, and Malawi was mandated to engage "armed groups".

Fresh fighting

"They will not wait and watch while civilians are being attacked by armed groups," Dlamini said.

"They will intervene to engage, neutralise, and disarm."

On Thursday news agency Agence France-Presse reported that fresh fighting broke out outside the city of Goma.

M23 rebels attacked government-held positions on Wednesday night 20km north of the capital of North Kivu province.

Both sides said they were not yet able to say how many people had been killed or wounded. 

- SAPA

News: Before lift off!

After spending the past two days flexing their creative muscle, the Chasemates gave their art one last stroke with the paint brush, before tonight's Task Presentation.

Nigeria's Beverly hovered over theRwandAir model plane as soon as this afternoon's special Diary Session ended. With her 'fro bobbing in the air, Beverlylooked like a cool 60s artist as she stroked the aircraft with precision. Cleo put on a voice as she sashayed for Elikem, telling him "I'm so happy I have brothers like you and Melvin in this House," before dipping her brush in paint.

Melvin busied himself with the dishes, as Elikem sewed up a storm, getting outfits ready for tonight. Mr Tailor extraordinaire showed off just how deft he is with the needle. The Ghanaian even went gangsta and instead of using a pair of scissors to snip thread, he used his teeth. Once he was done, he and Melvin carefully lifted the plane and took it outside to the lawn, where the Task Presentation will take place.

Beverly, Cleo and Dillish, Elikem and Melvin are The Chase Finalists. Vote here for the winner of the USD 300 000 grand prize.

Stay tuned to DStv channels 197 and 198 for all your Big Brother Africa The Chase action or catch the daily shows on Africa Magic Entertainment (DStv channel 150) at 20:00 CAT.

Watch : 2 Chainz Arrested Again !

2 Chainz is once more having trouble on the road, after being robbed in San Francisco where he was scheduled to perform in the Bay Area. This time, however, it appears Tity 2 Necklace may not have been on site during the incident, which involved his tour bus.

What is believed to be the rapper's tour bus was stopped outside Oklahoma City, Oklahoma this morning. As Oklahoma's NewsOn6.Com reports, 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne performed at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Wednesday night. Just past midnight on Thursday, the cops pulled over a tour bus for a broken taillight on Interstate 40 and Meridian. 

The officer arrested the bus driver, whom he suspected of drug use. However, the seven people on board the tour bus refused to unlock it, so the cops had the tour bus towed with the people still on board to a police training facility nearby until they obtained a warrant to search the bus.

The people on board where eventually taken off the bus and detained while the vehicle was searched. They could be charged with a misdemeanor, interfering with official process.

It's uncertain at this time if 2 Chainz was actually on board. We'll update you once we know.

[UPDATE: 2 Chainz Was On Board The Bus And He Was Arrested]

So it turns out Tity Boi was indeed on his tour bus when the cops pulled it over outside of Oklahoma City early this morning. 

The police had pulled over the vehicle and attempted to enter when they noticed signs of drug use. However, the bus driver locked the police out, insisting on a warrant, which the police soon obtained. Following that, 2 Chainz along with 11 other people were arrested for "interfering with the police process."

It's unclear if they face additional charges, and whether or not drugs were actually found on the bus.

TMZ has obtained video footage of the police on location during the arrest. See it below.

2 Chainz Arrested After Tour Bus Standoff with Police - Watch More Celebrity Videos or Subscribe

Watch : Mariah Carey Shuts Down Nick Cannon on ‘Wild ‘N Out’

No one messes with Mariah. Nick Cannon learned the hard waywhen his wife surprised him on his MTV2 show “Wild ‘N Out.” The comedian was trying to flirt with his female co-star when Mrs. Cannon appeared from backstage with two bodyguards in tow.

“I will shut all this shit down!” said the pop diva as she pushed her hubby to the side.

“I know, I’m sorry,” replied an embarrassed Nick.

Watch Mimi’s hilarious cameo below.

Watch : DMX Arrested And Screams At Cops

Another night passed and DMX was arrested once more in South Carolina, where he currently resides. However, this time round DMX called out the cops immediately, yelling that he was set up.

The rapper was in a car that was pulled over by the cops for making an illegal U-turn. During the stop, the police say that they found weed in the car and so they put him in handcuffs. They also say that they noticed there's a warrant out for the rapper's arrest, due to his previous incident of driving without his license, and so they tell him he has to go to jail.

DMX then started ranting and a friend of his recorded the whole thing. The rapper says he was set up,"This ain't no normal traffic stop," X yelled. "18 cops, 5 cars, get the fuck outta here man."

DMX, who wasn't actually driving the car at the time, says the driver did the nothing wrong and the turn was legal. X was eventually brought to jail in Greer County, SC, and he's expected to see a judge sometime this morning.

The rapper could face up to 15 days in jail, but may only have to serve 10 if he's on good behavior.

Watch the footage of DMX and the cops below.

DMX -- Arrested In South Carolina - Watch More Celebrity Videos or Subscribe

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[UPDATE: DMX Is Back At Home, But On House Arrest]

DMX has been released from jail following his encounter with the cops last night. The rapper is now on house arrest.

We have a few more details of what went down last night in South Carolina. Apparently when the cops pulled the car X was in over for making an illegal lane change (not a U-turn as we previously thought), they found a bag of weed in the arm rest of the passenger door. After searching some more, the cops say they found three more bags underneath the floor boards.

Thus DMX was cited for possession of marijuana. According to the police report, X was "very aggressive with his words and was making multiple idle threats." His publicist has refuted these claims in a statement, saying that the rapper was never even shown the alleged bags of weed.

"DMX was driving in the passenger seat when the vehicle he was in was pulled over last night. Although officers pulled them over for a minor traffic violation, DMX was asked to step outside so they can search the vehicle. Officers then claimed that they found bags of marijuana in the floorboard and arrested X. No drugs were found on DMX or the other passengers and the alleged bags of marijuana were never shown to DMX or the other passengers. DMX was released this morning at approximately 11am EST and is back at his home in South Carolina," X's publicist said.

It's not known how long DMX will be on house arrest for. See his new mug shot in the gallery above.

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