Akon has been denied a visa by the Sri Lankan government, and will not be allowed to perform a planned concert in April, Reuters reports. This news comes a day after hundreds of protesters attacked the offices of one of the concert’s sponsors in response to footage in the singer’s video for “Sexy Bitch,” which depicts women dancing suggestively in front of a statue of Buddha. According to a government official, he is being accused of “defaming Buddhism in his music videos.”

UPDATE: Akon has released this statement: “I was not aware that the statue was even on the set of the video until now. I would never set out to offend or desecrate anyone’s religion or religious beliefs.  I myself am a spiritual man, so I can understand why they are offended, but violence is never the answer and I am disheartened to hear about what happened yesterday in Sri Lanka.”

American Talent Agency, the booking company responsible for the concert, had this to say, “Due to the recent events that transpired yesterday in Sri Lanka, we have decided to postpone Akon’s upcoming show. We are working diligently with the local promoters to ensure the safety of both our talent and the fans before committing to a new date. Akon is looking forward to performing for the people of Sri Lanka and we hope to have this situation resolved in the coming weeks.”

Watch out Ryan Seacrest: Perez Hilton has announced he will launch a weekly music countdown show. The celebrity blogger told a Billboard reporter at SXSW: “I’m really excited about it…because I want a cooler alternative to Ryan Seacrest.” Hilton also hopes to conduct interviews on the show, and also plans to include varying genres of music. “I want to talk in depth with Lady Gaga and Katy Perry and all these acts whom I have relationships with,” he told Billboard. “[I want to] ask them the questions that Ryan Seacrest would not ask them. I want to ask Justin Bieber, ‘Have you seen that website LesbiansWhoLookLikeJustinBieber.com?’ I can make fun of someone and still be a fan.’”

More fans than ever turned out to perform and see other musical acts at the 24th annual SXSW festival in Austin. According to Reuters, a record 13,022 music industry professionals registered for the show, and nearly “2,000 artists from over 40 countries played in the music portion of SXSW…up about 100 from last year.”