March 19, 2015 | The Detroit News

Gaye family wants to stop 'Blurred Lines'
After winning a $7.4 million lawsuit last week, Marvin Gaye's family now is signaling that it wants to negotiate songwriting credits and royalties for "Blurred Lines," which a jury decided infringed upon Gaye's 1977 song "Got to Give it Up." The Motown icon's three children — Nona, Frankie and Marvin III — filed an injunction Tuesday to stop distribution of the Robin Thicke/Pharrell Williams song. The Gayes also are seeking to amend the verdict to include rapper T.I., who is featured on the track, as well as the labels Universal, Interscope and Star Trak Entertainment. On Wednesday, his children issued a statement: "Our dad spent his life writing music ... he wrote from his heart and was a brilliant songwriter, arranger, producer and one-of-a-kind vocalist. If he were alive today, we feel he would embrace the technology available to artists and the diverse music choices and spaces accessible to fans who can stream a song at a moment's notice. But we also know he would be vigilant about safeguarding the artist's rights; a sacred devotion to not only the artist, but key in encouraging and supporting innovation."

Detroiters on 'Empire'

Everybody is talking about the adorable Detroiter, 5-year-old Leah Jeffries, who has been playing young "Lola" on the hit Fox TV show "Empire." Lola was supposedly the "surprise" daughter of Jamal Lyon (Jussie Smollett), from a brief marriage, until it was revealed by Jamal's father, Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), that he, in fact, fathered the child. Well, there's another Metro Detroit native in the cast — Antoine McKay, who plays Bunkie Campbell, a thug cousin of Cookie (Taraji P. Henson). Lucious revealed in the finale, while under the influence of a sedative, that he killed Bunkie (Hey, Bunkie did threaten to burn down Lucious' house). Even though Bunkie's dead, McKay has played him in several flashbacks, and the way "Empire" is going, maybe they'll revive him. The veteran actor got his theatrical training at Eastern Michigan University and moved to Chicago to perform with Second City. He's now living in Evanston, Illinois.

DJ Konflikt lights up Sabrage

The air may have been a little nippy on Friday of last week, but guests at Royal Oak's super chic lounge Sabrage carried on as if they were in sultry Miami. Maybe it has to do with how hot this club has become every Friday and Saturday; or maybe it's because Friday's guest deejay, DJ Konflikt, happens to be one of Miami's fiercest. Whatever the case, several hundred young entrepreneurs and world-class party chasers were indulging in the club's plush amenities and high-end perks (the VIP bottle service included bottles of Dom Perignon Luminus — yes, the bottle illuminates — and Zim's pricey ultra-premium vodka). "What makes us unique is that the room is so small, it gives our guests the opportunity to interact with talent that usually only plays at major venues," said Sabrage owner Aaron F. Belen. Sabrage has regularly brought in celebrity DJs, including DJ Vice and record producer/rapper Jermaine Dupri (Janet Jackson's ex) who took to the Sabrage turntables in celebration of Belen's birthday in November. Appearing Saturday at Sabrage is DJ Cobra. Doors open at 10 p.m.

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