Josh Groban scored himself a high spot on the albums? charts with his Christmas album ?Noel?. And it seems like everyone got wind of what a big deal music can be this holiday season because a couple of others want the same cake that Josh is eating.
American Idol alum and multi award-winning singer Carrie Underwood is trying her luck this Christmas season by making her own version of ?Do You Hear What I Hear??. And if you want your holiday season to have a bit more of an edge, try listening to Ludacris and his own holiday theme ?Ludacrismas?.
The Jonas Brothers are really proving that they?re a hardworking group. The musical family trio took some time for a quick photo shoot backstage at Good Morning America on Friday. The three teen hunks performed their smash single ?S.O.S.? for the throng of screaming fan girls.
The brothers didn?t travel alone though. Their dad Kevin Sr., mom Denise and younger brother Frankie were also with them. If Frankie was only old enough, he?d be in the group too. Maybe they could make like Menudo and exchange an older member for a younger one someday. It could be like a Jonas family right of passage.
South Florida is about to get rocked. The Y100?s Jingle Ball is hitting the town on Saturday, December 15 at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise.
Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton will serve as one of the hosts while the hottest stars of today will take the stage. Artists that are on the bill include Timbaland, Good Charlotte, Natasha Bedingfield, Ashley Tisdale, One Republic, Plain White Ts, Sean Kingston, Elliot Yamin and even more.
Perez will also be joining Elvis Duran for the Z100 Jingle Ball in New York City on December 14. That?s one very busy celebrity blogger. I wish I was Perez.
His looks scare us, his songs scare us and his paintings scare us. Everything that goes on around Marilyn Manson is scary so what makes us think that his performances, and even his props, would be any different?Manson decided to up the ante to his scary factor by adding a massive butcher knife to the end of his microphone. The 38-year old kicked off his tour in Madrid earlier in the week where fans got a slice, pun intended, of crazy from the drag goth rocker.
Maybe the only scarier thing that he could do now is to remove his make up using acid.
Travis Barker of Blink 182 fame is usually rockin? it out. With his tattoos, mo-hawk and piercings, you would hardly think of him as a hip hop act. But a video has been posted on YouTube where the drummer is making use of his talent to pound out the song ?Crank That? by Soulja Boy. And anyone can say that his remix is fantastic as he put his rock star attitude on the mega hit.
I just think it?s sad that the Soulja Boy is getting pretty commercial. Children to ballet to it, Natalie Portman dances to it and Travis did a remix of it. If by some miracle, Britney decides to dance again and learn the Soulja Boy dance, it?s over!
We?ve had a lot to say about Rehab singer Amy Winehouse of late. With her recent activities at her gigs, and her hubby in jail there has been a lot of speculation as to whether the 24-year-old is heading for a breakdown.
Now Liam Gallagher; notorious for his, let?s say, ?Rock ?n? Roll? lifestyle; has warned Amy to tone down her wild ways before it gets out of control. Despite admitting that if he were still Amy?s age, he would probably be doing the same thing (if not more drugs), the Oasis singer said “She plays with fire, so she’ll get burnt. That’s the way it goes. If she knows what she is doing is not good, then she needs to back up a bit.”
And it?s not without reason. The troubled singer collapsed after an overdose in the summer and has since struggled to stay sober. And now further health fears have sparked after she looked painfully thin while visiting her husband Blake Fielder Civil at London’s Pentonville Prison on Thursday.
Amy you have the backing of legend musical names such as Andrew Lloyd Webber and Liam Gallagher, but only you can help you. Perhaps it really is time for some Rehab.
If you have Jermaine Dupri saying F you to you, just say F you right back. The music producer wrote a very impassioned and misguided essay about the state of the music business. And coming from one of the producers who can be considered a mogul already, it makes me sick.
Not only did it clearly show his lack of appreciation for the people that buy his music, but he also looks at iTunes as a big evil monster. Janet Jackson?s main squeeze thinks that albums should be sold as a whole and consumers shouldn?t have the option to buy songs individually like we can on iTunes.
Well at least we buy a song instead of downloading them illegally!
Alicia Keys hit the top of the charts this week with her new album ?As I Am?. The gorgeous and talented singer has hit Number one with her album in the Billboard 200 charts, after it sold over 700,000 copies in the US. Blimey girl that?s a lot of albums!
Keys has had 3 previous albums hit number one in the first week of their release; hinting that this little lady is not just a pretty face. She seems to have the ?key? to our hearts, or at least our ears, as fans sweep in to buy her music as fast as it can hit the shelves.
And what a perfect name for the album. We?ll definitely take you as you are Alicia?it seems to be working so far. Keep your ears peeled folks ? if you haven?t heard it yet, get buying it; before it?s sold out!
Regina Daniels has worked as R. Kelly?s publicist for 14 years. She deserves a loyalty award don?t you think? But before we can even go to hand it to her, she?s formally announced her decision to cut all ties with the R&B singer.
In her statement about it, Daniels says ?I have prided myself on loyalty, respect and professionalism. It saddens me that I was not always shown those same courtesies during my 14-year tenure as Mr. Kelly?s publicist … There are some lines that should never be crossed professionally or personally. Mr. Kelly crossed a line that forever altered the scope of our relationship. For this reason I made the decision to resign.?
Ooh! Ooh! I hope there?s a lawsuit involved.
People have been saying that John Mayer is a douche, he?s too into himself, he is mighty ugly especially when he goes on stage and whatnot but no one can deny that he makes some really pretty songs. And you have to love pretty songs.John recently wrote a tune for the upcoming Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman flick ?The Bucket List? and it?s called ?Say?. It?s a great love song to add to his collection and it even features a full string section.
He may come off as a wannabe rocker but John also happens to be a sensitive musician.
The Victoria?s Secret Fashion Show, apart from jiggling body parts and feathers, saw a lot of musical performances on Thursday. Too bad we have to wait for about two weeks to see it all.
Will.I.Am. opened the show by singing/rapping live. He did two songs including his current single ?Got It From Your Momma?. Seal also performed a couple of songs on the show. One even featured his model wife Heidi Klum. And she sang live too!
But we all want to hear about the Spice Girls right? The show was their first performance in nearly ten years. I say, they could have done better. The girls performed ?Stop? and their current single ?Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)?. Imagine, Heidi sang live but the girls lipsynched!
Singer Sean Kingston almost quit the music industry after his idols Timbaland and Pharrell rejected his early recordings. The 17-year-old – whose debut single Beautiful Girls was certified platinum in July 2007 – was finally given a break when Britney Spears’ reported ex-boyfriend J.R. Rotem agreed to sign him to his label Beluga Heights. He should not be bitter about this all because there is a time in everyone?s career where there is a struggle period and one should be humble enough to forgive and forget those who rejected you or else instant fame would never have made you learn the value of success and adulation. Now that he is successful, he can get a contract anywhere but he might have learnt in this stop span that whom to trust and whom not to even talk to. I wish Sean more success in his future projects and may he be successful at whatever he does.
New pals Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson are hitting the road together for a winter tour early next year. The flame-haired country queen and the first American Idol winner became friends when McEntire recorded Clarkson’s Because Of You hit with the pop star for her recent Reba Duets album. Clarkson has since signed McEntire’s husband, Narvel Blackstock, as her manager and the pair teamed up to record a Crossroads TV concert special for CMT.The odd couple have now lined up 15 dates for their 2 Worlds 2 Voices tour, which will begin in Ohio on January 17.The tour will include a Valentine’s Day date in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Rapper Kanye West was scheduled to perform at tonight?s Victoria’s Secret fashion show but had to cancel a number of appearances due to the tragic loss of his mother Dr. Donda West. Black Eyed Peas singer Will.i.am will step up and fill in for Kanye for the big show. Keep the faith Kanye, I lost my mother a couple months ago in a similar situation and its not easy but be strong and I know you can be. Just remember God always and morals and values your mother taught you. And that?s very nice of all those who try and fill up for the professional commitments of people who cannot under such circumstances fulfill theirs. Some people like the organizers are very though on singers or be it any other field that what may come they have to fulfill their commitments, in such case when you do not have the mental strength to stand on stage and deliver it?s better to ask a friend to fill into your shoes.
Timberlake is a rarity in the sphere of boy band alumni: he has pop cultural significance on a mass scale, and credibility with hard-to-please music fans. Amid an eye-popping stage setting, the US popstar ticked all the musical boxes. His exceptional dancing was not unexpected. Yet his vocal performance, as well as his competence on a range of instruments – guitar, electric piano, synth, and, to the crowd’s delight, keytar – was surprising and impressive.
Then there were the songs – Like I Love You came early, while Senorita was given an elongated treatment. The musical cues of Prince and Michael Jackson were palpable without being overwhelming. There were cheesy moments, but not too many. Cry Me a River, for example, the song reportedly written in response to his break-up from Britney Spears, was presented as a sublime pop song. Time was taken for a diatribe on magpies on the golf course, and for a round of tequila shots with the band. Then, finally, there was SexyBack.
Timberlake has achieved excellence by combining pop music, dance and spectacle. And with a show of this caliber, there is little room for spontaneity. Regardless, it will take something extraordinary to top it.
A look at Evanescence on paper reveals a band that should be in its glory. Following a best new artist Grammy Award for 2003 debut studio album “Fallen,” a Billboard 200 No. 1 debut for 2006 follow-up “The Open Door” and the top 10 launch single “Call Me When You’re Sober,” the group toured the world for nearly a year. So what happened? Single follow-ups “Lithium” and “Sweet Sacrifice” never even charted in the States. The fourth single from “The Open Door,” piano-driven rock ballad “Good Enough,” is as intense and affecting as anything before it?and this time, Lee’s lyric steps from the dark side, reveling in the relief of positivity: “It’s been a long time coming, but I feel good enough.” It’s a make-or-break moment for a band that seemed to own the world one year ago.
Get ready all you OneRepublic fans. Their album ?Dreaming Out Loud? will be hitting stores November 20.
Their current single ?Apologize? has been saturating the radio stations all across America. The band can thank Timbaland for the great remix he did with the single. ?It gave me goose bumps the first time I heard it,? the 28-year-old artist says.
Timbaland, who apparently saw Tedder, one of the band members, at an MTV contest, offered him a deal. He then spend the next two years hoping he’d record and release a solo album, but Timbaland kept telling him that he’s a producer and not an artist. ?Apologize? was written in 2003, but wasn’t touched until 2007.
I guess it takes awhile for a great song to hit the radio. And this song truly does give me the goose bumps.
The Hives’ howlin’ Pelle Almqvist remains the international king of talk-idiot-talk stage patter. Pelle: “I’m out of control! Tell me to take it easy!” Crowd: “Take it easy!” Pelle: “No, I wooon’t!” He’s right ? he won’t. The Swedish garage-punk maniacs continue to polish their sharp-dressed groove on their fourth album, adding new tricks, rhythmic jolts and some very not-indie studio wizardry without denting their basic bang-on-the-head formula, as epitomized by “Try It Again.” Pharrell joins them for “T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.,” bringing a robot-disco flair that could pass for LCD Sound system after group sex with Heatwave, while throwing in some demented doo-wop to “Well All Right!” “Giddy Up” and “Tick Tick Boom” tweak the Ramones-ready guitars with discreet funk. “A Stroll Through Hive Manor Corridors” is a strange, horror-movie keyboard instrumental, from the scene where the kids in the haunted house are about to step on the zombie’s grave. The most surprising success is “Puppet on a String,” with plonking piano and an eerie Tom Waits-cabaret-swing beat. Yet there’s no need to worry about the Hives succumbing to progress or sophistication ? their rock & roll manifesto is “Square One Here I Come.?
If you were on the search for a fun night out, you are most decidedly going to want to see what you can do about getting yourself tickets to see Guy Fosyth perform live while he is on tour. Whether you are already a fan or you would just like something different to do for a night out on the town, you most certainly are going to want to see what you can do about getting yourself seats to take in this great artist live!
What do rappers do when they are denied entry despite being so crunk? Get wild of course!
Two rappers were denied entry to Chris Brown?s album release party earlier in the week. In response to the treatment, they tore up the place in protest.
Juelz Santana and Jim Jones both tried to get into the party at Tenjune only to get shut out. The reason for the shut out is unknown but is most interesting because both have collaborated with Chris before.
Cops soon arrived at the scene per request of the club and Tenjune shut itself down which left stars at the party like Tyrese, Lil Mama and Sean Kingston with nowhere to celebrate temporarily.
This reunion has been unapologetically self-indulgent, but fans should find no reason to feel slighted. It’s the band’s very selfishness that makes them so thrilling to watch. There is nothing left to prove at this aged point in their career, and it has made their beloved classics sound outright carefree.
Rest assured there are still a few moments of backing loops and triggered supporting vocals. This is especially evident on “Walking In Your Footsteps” (which Sting comically opens sporting a pan flute, a somewhat “Spinal Tap”-esque moment). The song, routinely mocked by die-hards, serves as mostly a vehicle to showcase Copeland’s absurdly elaborate percussion apparatus.
But perhaps what’s most refreshing about this latest display by the ’80s superstars is the suddenly jovial Summers. He confidently carried the show despite all of Sting’s charisma and star power.
Hiccups aside, one should see this tour before it comes to a close. We should be grateful the band has managed to stay this musically sharp after all these years. After all, their first album, “Outlandos D’Amour” was “recorded in 1872,” Sting joked from the stage.
Fiction Plane, who opened the show, offered a surprisingly confident display of arena-ready rock. Singer Joe Sumner’s melodically rich soprano filled the venue in a manner that nearly rivaled his famous father.
Demon Hunter is known for writing about spiritual warfare, but Storm the Gates of Hell exposes the battlefront that’s present in everyday life. “Sixteen” refers to the minute after the first fifteen of fame, taking aim at hypocritical Christians who publicly live their faith for the wrong reasons. Hard to believe Demon Hunter is a hardcore band based on the pop piano hook that opens “Thorns,” an anti-cutting/suicide anthem that points to the wounds of Christ as reason against further self-infliction and shame. “Follow the Wolves” challenges believers to not conform to the worldly ways of sheep, but rather dare to live a higher spiritual calling.
What’s striking about Storm, produced again by Aaron Sprinkle (The Almost, Emery), is the way it makes hardcore simultaneously credible and accessible, balancing Demon Hunter’s sound without compromising it. Unlike most other bands in the genre, you can actually understand Clark’s singing/screaming without need of a lyric sheet (most of the time). This band is more thoughtful than most, never resorting to cheesy clich?s like Christian metal bands of the past, yet never ashamed of their beliefs either. Their faith-based expression is another example of balance in their music.
The chart-topping multi-platinum hip-hop dynamos Bow Wow and Omarion have joined forces to create a new collaborative collection that promises to become one of the major musical events of 2007. Bow Wow-Omarion project, Faceoff, in stores December 11th.
While details of the Bow Wow-Omarion project remain under wraps, the new album marks the culmination of a joint collaborative process dating back to 2005. “Me and O have been trying to put this together for so many years, and now we’ve got the opportunity to do it,” Bow Wow told Billboard.com earlier this month. “We’re in the creative process right now, coming up with ideas daily, so the process is real smooth. We’re anxious to make this whole thing happen. It’s gonna be a special event. It’s gonna be crazy, something the people have been waiting on — the girls have been waiting on — for years.
Omarion shares his best friend’s enthusiasm for the as-yet-unnamed project. “This isn’t about money, this is about music,” says Omarion. “We both started young and have grown up together, working on the same tours, and have developed our identity in the music world. Jay-Z and R Kelly was the first big R&B/Rap combo, and we have great respect for them and have been inspired by them, but we still want to create something we can call our own. We just want to do our own thing. We want to have a great time and make good music for our fans. This is gonna be fun, so ‘World, Watch out! We’re coming!’”
Kate Moss’ ex junkie fianc? Pete Doherty says he’s sorry for being a crack head. Yesterday there was a video of Pete injecting himself with heroin. The video was reportedly filmed right after he got back from the MTV European Music Awards in Germany. I feel sorry for him. You gotta understand that your body creates receptors for drugs like these, and your body goes through physical withdrawals if you stop feeding those receptors. It’s hard to give up such a hard drug because you have the mental AND the physical effects to get through. And he’s going right back to rehab, so he’s trying. The most important thing for this junk head is that he should not give up on the feel that he is trying and that some day he will find success in leaving his addiction for good. Basically it?s the medical staff that should make him believe that he can do it his is on the right path and he is going to achieve it. If he remains on path he has a chance of quitting drugs
Blake Lewis is the popular runner-up on the sixth season of American Idol. Born in Redmond, Washington, Lewis started singing at age five and competed in statewide talent contests while in high school. He became a beat-boxer at 17, inspired by the then Seattle-based a cappella group M-Pact. Lewis was a member of the Pacific Northwest a cappella group Kickshaw for four years. He also recorded several music videos and wrote a number of original songs.
After “American Idol,” Lewis signed to 19 Recordings / ARISTA Records and started working on his debut album with a stellar line-up of producers and songwriters. Among the producers were Jonathan “JR” Rotem, who has worked with Rihanna (on her No. 1 single “SOS”) and Sean Kingston; Ryan “Alias” Tedder, who has worked with Timbaland; and S*A*M & Sluggo, who have worked with two of the year’s biggest new artists, Gym Class Heroes and Boys Like Girls.
Lewis’ debut album, Audio Day Dream (A.D.D), will be released on December 4. “Break Anotha” is the first single off the album.
TOKIO HOTEL have cemented their position as one of the biggest acts in Europe by picking up the ‘InterAct’ award at this year’s MTV European Music Awards. The band’s performance of their #1 hit ‘Monsoon’ on the show was watched by a television audience of millions worldwide, and was in the Top Ten of all music videos on Youtube the next day. MTV in the U.S. will be airing the performance during their broadcast of the awards Nov 11 @ 12 Midnight EST/PST, and M2 U.S. will air on Nov 16 @ 9 PM EST/PST, and 17th at 4 AM EST/PST.
The InterAct Award honors the band that has generated the most buzz and fan excitement through the internet. Tokio Hotel went on to win the award, beating out Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Depeche Mode and 30 Seconds To Mars.
The band made up of brothers Bill (vocals) and Tom Kaulitz (guitars) with Georg Listing (bass) and Gustav Schafer (drums). They were only 13 years old when they first laid down a record, and have since become the biggest German artist of the decade – with ‘Schrei’ and ‘Zimmer 483′ spawning four no 1 singles as well as topping album charts themselves.
As a beat kicks in that would not be out of place on a Scissor Sisters album, you may find yourself doing a double take and checking the name of the band once more, but then a muscular pop-rock chorus kicks in that is more familiar to Fall Out Boy fans.However, more is the important word here and the fact that it is not the same. There’s an organic power to the chorus here that is reminiscent of bands like the Strokes and the Vines leaving “Sugar, We’re Going Down” behind. It is a direction that holds promise for the boys from Wilmette even if they don’t sound completely comfortable and at peace in the new skin.
Lyrically, “Arms Race” is classic Fall Out Boy. Kicking off with the potent lines “I have the lyrics / I am an arms dealer / Fitting you with weapons in the form of words,” the song will have fans picking apart meanings for months to come. There is a touch of the sinister entertainment emcee about the song which seems to indicate a touch of influence from the band’s proteges Panic! At the Disco.
The best thing about this new single is the band is far from resting on their extensive laurels. They are willing to experiment, and we are happy to go along for the ride.
Nelly Furtado looked glamorous when she arrived for the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007 which was held at the Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany on Thursday. The 28-year old ?Promiscuous? singer looked mighty fantastic in her long blond tresses and brown gown. She looked gorgeous!
Apart from being a winner by looking gorgeous, Nelly also picked up the first award of the night for Album of the Year. When she accepted the award, she said ?I know I always cry but this actually means so much to me. Thank you so much, I love you.?
We love you too Nelly. And congratulations!
Miss Independent — that would be 25-year-old Texas pop-rock-gospel belter Kelly Clarkson — came to Toronto’s Massey Hall last night and blew the roof off the joint. Clarkson clearly knows how to make lemonade out of lemons and wrote a catchy song about the experience, Chivas, which ended up as a hidden track on My December.
Clarkson later had the audience judge a band pumpkin-carving contest in honour of Halloween that included one she co-designed that was inspired by Steve Carell’s chest-waxing scene in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and his now famous utterance “Kelly Clarkson!”
And can the girl ever sing, as she demonstrated on such pulse-pounding standouts as Behind These Hazel Eyes, Because of You, a gospel treatment of Patty Griffin’s Up to the Mountain, Miss Independent — with snippets of AC/DC’s Highway to Hell and Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love thrown into the mix — Breakaway, Walk Away, Sober, Chivas, and Since U Been Gone. The barefoot Clarkson dramatically opened the hour-and-20-minute show by recreating the album cover of My December, right down to wearing the same burgundy ball gown, which was quickly torn away to reveal a purple and black camisole and wide-legged black pants, while her seven-piece band maintained frozen poses
A white ruffled curtain sometimes acted as a barrier between Clarkson and her band and backdrop, which included a small staircase and a video screen, but it was really her connection to the audience and that powerhouse voice that was most impressive.
Even if demanding everyone “Jump!” as she did during Gone and Since U Been Gone didn’t always work.
I find it amazing that some people that can otherwise be considered child stars can still remain clean cut when they?ve become older. Those Hanson boys are proof of that. They?re such do-gooders. And no, it?s not a bad thing.
Isaac, Taylor and Zach were on a special mission to fight poverty and HIV/AIDS in Africa by walking a mile in West Hollywood. The walk was to help raise awareness. It was then followed by a performance by the band of brothers.
After the whole thing, Isaac talked about his recent pulmonary embolism. He was in high spirits and said that he?s ?feeling really, really good?.
Next Page »
