Odds & Ends: Tim McGraw, Michael Bublé, Lily Allen, Birmingham CityFest

It may not have been the slap heard around the world, but the “swat” Tim McGraw reportedly delivered to a fan while performing at Aaron’s Amphitheatre At Lakewood in Atlanta July 13 sure is working its 15 seconds of fame.

Earlier this month video showing McGraw supposedly hitting a fan made the rounds along with the story that the country artist had slapped at a woman in the audience after she reportedly grabbed him in the nether region.

Now that fan with the frisky hand might be close to filing a personal injury lawsuit against McGraw.  At least, that’s what TMZ reports.

The online tabloid says Jesslyn Taylor has hired a lawyer “who has already contacted Tim’s people.”  Lawyer Eric Hertz told TMZ that his client wasn’t trying to grab McGraw private area but instead just wanted to touch the singer.

Regardless of whether Taylor touched or grabbed McGraw, the outcome was the same – eviction from that night’s concert.

Hertz also said Taylor was unhappy with McGraw’s description that she was an “aggressive” fan who wanted to rip his jeans. 

No legal action has been filed as of yet and Hertz says Taylor wants an apology “for starters.”  TMZ points out that if you hire a personal injury lawyer to contact someone who struck you, it’s usually for “money or a lawsuit to get you money.”

“The show must go on” may be one of the oldest sayings in the entertainment biz, but Canadian singer Michael Bublé lived up to that adage when he chose to perform shortly after learning his grandmother had passed away.

“My grandmother, who raised me like a mom … today we lost her,” Bublé told his fans at Milwaukee’s Bradley Center, according to the Journal Sentinel.  In his review for the show, JS music reporter Piet Levy wrote that Bublé was almost in tears as fans offered supportive applause and cries of “We love you” to help the crooner through the moment.

“I didn’t know what to do,” Bublé told the audience.  “But I know what my grandmother would want.  I know she wouldn’t want me to cancel.  She’d want me to come out and do the show and smile and do what she supported me doing.”

Bublé finished the performance with a rendition of his grandmother’s favorite song – “I Wish You Love” – while accompanied by his musical director, Alan Chang, on piano.

Bublé later said the evening “was the hardest performance” he had ever done.

If you’re a police officer and Lily Allen asks you to handcuff her for a photo, you might want to think twice before slapping the bracelets onto the singer’s wrists.

Apparently some Australian Federal Police officers thought Allen’s suggestion was a good idea. However, their superiors evidently felt otherwise and now the entire incident that happened at Gold Coast Airport is the subject of an internal review for “breaching protocol” according to the Sidney Morning Herald.

Allen, who performed at the Splendour In The Grass festival in Byron Bay Sunday evening, is seen in the photo handcuffed and on her knees while an AFP officer stands behind her.  She uploaded the photo, along with the caption “#uhoh” to her Instagram page and then tweeted the link to her 4.7 million followers, reports SMH.  Allen later removed the photo from Instagram.

“It appears the members involved were caught up in the moment and standard protocols were breached,” an AFP spokesman said.  “This matter is now subject to internal processes.”

Organizers of the newest free festival in the U.S. are probably slapping each other’s backs and thinking about next year’s event. 

Nearly 30,000 people attended the Schaeffer Eye Center CityFest in Birmingham, Ala., July 26 to see headliner The Roots along with “American Idol” winners Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard.  The festival at Birmingham Railroad Park also featured VH1’s Make A Band Famous winner Fancy Reagan and local acts DJ Coco, Preston Lovinggood and The Dirty Lungs.

The event was co-created by the executive producers of the VH1 Philly 4th Of July Jam – The Roots manager Shawn Gee and Scott Mirkin. The festival also included a kids play zone, art vendors and a food truck while a beer fest hosted within the event gave folks plenty of chances to wet their whistles on a hot summer day.

“The inaugural Shaeffer Eye Center City Fest was a huge success for the city and the residents of Birmingham,” Mayor William A. Bell said.  “We look forward to continuing to host may other large events in the near future.  It was truly a wonderful day of fun and music, we can’t wait until next year’s event.”