Loose Ends: Jay-Z And Beyonce Boycotts, Novillero On Monk And TIMAs Return

Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z has launched a boycott against the drink of choice for many bling-conscious rappers, Cristal Champagne, after the managing director of the company that makes the bubbly said that the hip-hop community's advocacy has brought "unwelcome attention" to the brand.

Jay-Z has called Frederic Rouzaud's comments "racist" and says that he'll no longer serve Cristal at his upscale 40/40 Club in New York City, nor drink it elsewhere. He hopes that others follow his lead.

Jay-Z's squeeze, Beyonce Knowles, is facing her own boycott of her House Of Dereon clothing line. Two winners of the VH1 Save The Music auction who earned a dinner date with the singer and her mother turned out to be representatives from People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals who are against Knowles' decision to wear fur and include it in her fashions.

Shortly after sitting down at a table at New York City's trendy Nobu 57 on June 15, the winning pair pulled out a portable DVD player and forced their hosts to watch a Pamela Anderson-narrated expose of the fur industry that featured footage of animals being trapped, drowned and electrocuted for their pelts. Beyonce and her mom quickly got up and left the restaurant, and everything was apparently captured on a hidden video camera.

Winnipeg's Novillero joined Toronto's Magneta Lane at a lunchtime showcase performance at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles on Monday and, while Novillero were in Tinseltown, they filmed an episode of the NBC series, Monk. The band played themselves as performers at a music festival who interact with Monk (a detective played by actor Tony Shalhoub) as he tries to solve a crime.

The Toronto Independent Music Awards will be back for a second year and have been pencilled in for Oct. 5 at The Phoenix. More than 20 awards will be presented and there will be 10 performances by winners from last year's event. The deadline for nomination submissions is July 31 and more information can be found at the TIMA website.

Toronto concert announcements:

June 29 The Wet Spots @ Revival
July 8 Chilly Gonzales @ Harbourfront Centre Studio Theatre
July 13 The Inflation Kills, American Geography, Bush League and I Can Put My Arm Back On You Can't @ The Boat
July 14 Pete Lewton, Daisy Debolt, David Pavia, Power Boxx, An Honest Mistake and Marianne Turner @ Rivoli
July 19 Deadboy & The Elephantmen @ Horseshoe Tavern
July 19 Live @ Massey HallJuly 21 The New Deal @ Mod Club
July 22 Fatlip and Omni @ Reverb
July 26 Hilary Duff @ Molson Amphitheatre
July 28 Dearly Beloved, C'mon and Bionic @ Horseshoe Tavern
July 29 Jack Dekeyzer, Danny Marks, Michael White And Animal House, Brian Gladstone, Rik Leaf, Brent Mason and Shomo And The Monkeybunch @ Mel Lastman Square
July 30 Anita Baker and Denzal Sinclaire @ Molson Amphitheatre
Aug. 1 The Living End, The Lashes and The Mark Inside @ Mod Club
Aug. 14 Lyle Lovett And His Large Band @ Hummingbird Centre
Aug. 21 Magic Dick, Jerry Portnoy and Lee Oskar @ Silver Dollar
Aug. 27 Don Ross @ Hugh's Room
Sept. 9 The Fab Faux @ Massey Hall
Sept. 11 M. Ward @ Mod Club
Sept. 13 Snow Patrol @ Kool Haus
Sept. 17 Jandek @ The Centre Of Gravity

Vancouver concert announcements:

July 6 Front Line Assembly, DJ? Acucrack and Urceus Exit @ Richard's On Richards
July 7 Lil Flip, CIA, Stimulant J and J Fresh @ Plush Nightclub
July 18 Tommy Castro @ Yale Hotel
July 25 Farrell Brothers, Alley Dukes and Rocket Fins @ Lamplighter
July 27 Tina Dico and Joe Purdy @ Media Club
July 27 Bedouin Soundclash @ Malkin Bowl
Aug. 6 Ian Tyson @ The ACT
Aug. 10 Peaches, Eagles Of Death Metal and Stinkmitt @ Commodore Ballroom
Aug. 14 French Kicks @ Richard's On Richards
Aug. 20 Wolf Parade and Frog Eyes @ Commodore Ballroom
Aug. 22 Tool @ GM Place
Aug. 23 Darkest Hour and Misery Signals @ Richard's On Richards
Sept. 1 Of Montreal and Panurge @ Richard's On Richards
Sept. 3 Hank Williams III @ Richard's On Richards
Sept. 3 Corb Lund & The Hurtin' Albertans @ Malkin Bowl
Sept. 5 Atmosphere @ Commodore Ballroom
Sept. 21 Snow Patrol @ PNE Forum
Sept. 29 Billy Bragg @ Commodore Ballroom