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Briefly: Ricky Martin, Slayer, Salt-N-Pepa, Jennifer Lopez
Latin crossover star Ricky Martin will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this fall, his publicist announced today (6/21).
"Like so many others, I have walked down Hollywood Blvd searching for the stars of some of the greatest musical legends and thought of how they've touched so many people," Martin said in a prepared statement. "I'm incredibly flattered to learn that now I'll have a star alongside artists I've admired and respected such as The Beatles, Bob Marley, Celia Cruz and so many more. This is a very special & personal honor for me."
Walk of Fame honorees are selected based on a criteria of "professional achievement, career longevity and contributions to the community, according to a press release. In addition to his musical pursuits, Martin is UNICEF goodwill ambassador and oversees the Ricky Martin Foundation, which "advocates for the well being of children around the globe in critical areas such as social justice, education and health," according to the organization's mission statement.
Death-metal veterans Slayer plan to release a special, limited-edition version of their 2006 album, "Christ Illusion." Due out July 24, the revamped set will feature new songs, a bonus DVD and new cover art, which is described as "a lenticular image of a hand bleeding from a crucifixion wound."
The DVD will include the music video for the "Christ Illusion" track "Eyes of the Insane," which won Slayer its first-ever Grammy award for "Best Metal Performance." Also included will be a live performance of the 1988 Slayer classic "South of Heaven," filmed in Vancouver during last year's Unholy Alliance Tour, and "Slayer on Tour '07," a five-minute documentary filmed when the band was on tour earlier this year in the US and Australia.
As previously reported, Slayer will soon hit the road for a co-headlining tour with Marilyn Manson.
Eighties/nineties-era rap stars Salt-N-Pepa will be the focus of VH1's forthcoming reality series, "The Salt-N-Pepa Show," which will document the pair's attempt to reunite.
"Salt is angry about being unappreciated when they were together and Pepa blames Salt for breaking up the group," VH1 explained in a press release, adding that their lives are "polar opposites: Salt has indeed found God and is living a quiet life in Long Island with her husband while Pepa is still the party girl and up for anything."
The show will premiere late this year or early next year, according to VH1.
Jennifer Lopez is booked to play a private concert at the Nokia Theater in New York City tomorrow (6/22). Sponsored by Univision Radio--described in a press release as "the leading Spanish-language radio broadcaster in the United States--the show will feature Lopez performing songs from her first Spanish-language production, "Como Ama Una Mujer," in front of an audience comprised of winners of nationwide Univision Radio contests.
