Real Music People

Janet Jackson is writing a book about her weight struggles.

The singer is planning to document her constant battle with self-esteem issues, and discuss her fluctuating waistline.

The publication, which is set to be released in November by Karen Hunter Publishing, will include lifestyle and diet tips from Janet’s nutritionist David Allen.

Meanwhile, Janet – who turned 42 last week – has also announced plans for a tour to coincide with her latest album ‘Discipline’. The run of shows, her first in seven years, will start in September and includes dates in the US and Canada.

Janet said: “I was supposed to go on tour with the last album. We were actually in full-blown tour rehearsals at that point – learning numbers, getting everything together, set designs. I had to kind of shut everything down and go into the studio. It will definitely be a big production but it will definitely also be something that I’ve never done before, that people have never seen from me before.”

Bob Marley’s family are snubbing music licensing requests for a biopic on the legend because they are planning to release a competing documentary.

The adaptation of Marley’s widow Rita’s book ‘No Woman, No Cry: My Life With Bob Marley’ is currently in production by The Weinstein Company, but now the reggae hero’s family are refusing to license any material.

The family have sided with director Martin Scorsese, making a documentary together with the Marley-owned Tuff Gong Pictures, says the Hollywood Reporter.

The family members involved in the Scorsese project claim they were unaware the Weinstein biopic would be unveiled so soon and believe that its projected late-2009 release date would interfere with the documentary’s February 2010 release - timed to coincide with Marley’s birthday.

Executive producer, Ziggy Marley, says, “The Weinstein project has put our documentary into jeopardy. All our efforts and support are currently directed toward the documentary. We believe that this project is the best way to represent our father’s life from his perspective, and any other film project pertaining to our father will be empty without his music to support it.”

The Marley family’s lawyer Terri Dipalo denied that this was the latest move is a negotiating tactic to compel the Weinsteins to buy Marley music rights.

Eminem was once a rapper, tried to be an actor and is now wanting to be an author. The Detroit native is working on a tell-all memoir which will include details on his life story, photos, journal notes, hand-drawn sketches and lyrics. This would have been hot news if only it happened 5 years ago!

‘Eminem: The Way I Am’ is to be published by Orgion Books. The book is scheduled for release in the UK on October 16 of this year. Eminem’s team is said to be none too happy with the leak of this info as they claim it’s still a work in progress.