Posted by Sam on 20th November 2009 in Janet Jackson
Though reports have been going around that a reconciliation between Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri has gone down, the singer put them to rest when talking about her so-called ex on the radio. While fielding a question about the hip hop producer during a radio interview in Atlanta, Janet told the host “I’m not the type of girl that stay in touch with your ex like that.” After realizing that her phrasing could be misconstrued, Janet added that she and Jermaine are still good friends, saying “I love him to death. We’re still connected. We’re still good friends. We still talk.” To me, those two statements are so polar off each other. It makes you wonder.
Sting had some choice words for Simon Cowell and his show The X Factor, including the “appalling”, “bland” and “soulless”. The singer said “It’s a preposterous show, and you have judges who have no recognizable talent apart from self-promotion. Basically I was looking at televised karaoke where they conform to stereotypes. It is a soap opera which has nothing to do with music.” Simon shot back with a jab of his own followed by a joking invitation for the singer to appear on the show. Sting couldn’t take a joke and replied with “I wouldn’t get on The X Factor because I don’t sound like anyone they’re after. I sound like myself. I think they are basically aping pre-existing stereotypes of what singers should do and they’re not being themselves.”
Jedward will take the floor of The X Factor with Wham! – aka George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley – hit songs.
The 1980s medley, which is expected to include I’m Your Man or Wham Rap!, was noted by The Daily Mail to have the potential to “disguise their off-key voices”.
Wham Rap!, the paper claimed, was the perfect track for John and Edward Grimes, who prefer rapping over singing. Leather-jacketed Wham! sent it to number 18 on the charts in 1983.
George Michael is tipped to make a surprise appearance at the Saturday night show, while Mariah Carey and Susan Boyle will perform on Sunday night. Ratings should soar.
Jedward this week drew controversy over an allegation it was rigged by muted sound that was ordered by the show’s bosses and its own revelations of a bullying past at a boarding school in Ireland.
In the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Adam Lambert holds nothing back when discussing Gene Simmons’ stupid comments about his sexuality from earlier in the year. The American Idol runner up said “Gene Simmons spouted something, that he thought I’d ruined my career by coming out. He’s obnoxious, and what a hypocrite – all he talks about is his sex life. He was being a dick – and he’s not the greatest singer. I guess he’s a good businessman. I’ll give him that.” Well, Gene is kind of a diva. I wonder if the aging KISS rocker will bite his big tongue or come back with even more insults.
After partying it up at the Soho House in London this past weekend, Amy Winehouse was a little worse for wear. It’s been reported that the singer spent the next day at The London Clinic on doctor’s orders due to ingesting a mixture of incompatible substances. Apparently, Wino took cold medicine that did not mix with another medicine that she’s already taking. I guess Nyquil, Methadone and alcohol don’t exactly go well together. A friend said “Amy took over-the-counter stuff for a cold but it didn’t agree with medication she takes for her on-going recovery. A doctor came to the house and advised her to go the hospital to make sure she was all right.”
After only including releases from the previous 18 months to calculate the best selling albums on the Billboard chart, Billboard will now be incorporating catalog releases due to the massive sales of both Michael Jackson and The Beatles. The sales chart on November 25 will be the first tally of the comprehensive chart. In digital music news, 4 artists have already broken Rihanna’s track sales record of 9.9 million digital songs in 2008, including the late King of Pop, Lady Gaga, the Black Eyed Peas and Taylor Swift. The biggest news is probably that the country singer is the only artist that outsold Michael’s album this year in sales. Congratulations!
Rapper Gucci Mane was sentenced to 12 months in jail on Thursday for violating his probation. Back n 2005, the entertainer pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to a year in jail last September since he failed to complete his court-mandated 600 hours of community service. Gucci ended up serving for 6 months. The rapper worked hard on his music after he got released and even took his career to the next level. After gaining huge popularity in the underground scene, Gucci had just started to appear in more mainstream music in songs by Mario, Omarion, Mariah Carey and 50 Cent. He even has a new single featuring Usher called ‘Spotlight’. Now, he’s going to have to put his career on hold again for jail time.
Posted by Sam on 16th November 2009 in Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell’s sister June has said her brother is so ‘incredibly busy’ that meeting up for a chat is ‘virtually impossible’.
June, 59, now lives in Spain after marrying a Spanish officer in the merchant navy and she admitted that her brother Simon’s successful career means it is difficult for his family to get to speak to him.
June said to UK newspaper Daily Mail: “His wealth and fame are so beyond any sort of normality. He is busy in a way that even very wealthy people with high-flying careers are not.
“Simon is lovely, very family-orientated and I know he likes nothing better than to go home to his mum for a roast dinner. It is hard not to remember him as the cheeky, boisterous and mischievous little boy he once was.
“But these days it seems difficult for even family like myself to get to speak to him.
“He is surrounded by layers of people and so incredibly busy that even if I rang him to suggest meeting for a chat his schedule would make it virtually impossible.”
The list of exceptionally sought-after artists to perform at the American Music Awards seems to be growing more and more by the hour. It seems Janet Jackson will also be taking the stage at the prolific event. The event’s producer, Larry Klein said the following on the matter: “We’re thrilled about having Janet Jackson open this year’s show. She is an incredibly dynamic performer and I think the audience will be excited to see what she has in store.” What about the prizes? Is Janet Jackson nominated for anything… or is she just going to sing, smile and then shove-off?
Contrary to reports, Steven Tyler has not quit the band Aerosmith.
The rocker, who was widely reported to have quit his 40-year partnership with the band’s lead guitarist Joe Perry after a bitter rift, now says he does not intend to leave.
Trade daily The Hollywood Reporter cited unnamed sources that said Tyler is expected to make an announcement soon saying he didn’t quit the band and doesn’t plan to.
Joe Perry said he and the band were “positively looking for a new singer to work with”. Perry’s announcement came on his Twitter page after several weeks of hints from both Tyler and Perry. Tyler’s bouts of illness had caused the American rockers to shelve the rest of a North American tour. Perry and Tyler had been feuding after being songwriting partners for 40 years.
The Hollywood Reporter, meanwhile, said the band’s affairs were complicated lately by the fact of separate management and legal teams kept by Perry and Tyler.
Posted by Sam on 14th November 2009 in Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is featured on the cover of the December 2009 issue of InStyle magazine which will hit stands on November 20th. WWD reports that something special is up with that particular cover of the country singer. They say “Readers who hold up the cover to their Web camera will see Swift spring to life surrounded by snowflakes in a 45-second video that ends when she signs her autograph across the screen. ‘We’re using this in an interesting way; it will bring the issue to life,’ noted managing editor Ariel Foxman.” That sounds like such a sweet treat for everyone indeed.
If you are part of the Twitter world, I’m sure you would have noticed something a little off with Britney Spears’ page. Obviously, someone was able to hack into the pop star’s page. I have to give some props to whoever did it because it is pretty funny, albeit sick too. The hacker not only has the singer offer herself up to Satan but also has her warn us of the new world order. I wonder how Britney reacted when she saw her page when she woke up. I’m pretty sure she would have worn a face that I would have paid to see.
The Ting Tings are set to begin production on their sophomore album and they will be getting some very influential help. The British indie band has just signed on to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation record label, in which the famed rapper will make their follow up to ‘We Started Nothing’ something to talk about. A source said “Jay is hoping to lend his production skills to some of the new material. The Staccato rhythmic style of The Ting Tings sits well with what he does best, so that was the attraction. Jay can make them one of the biggest British bands in America.” The members of the group, Katie White and Jules de Martino, are said to be thrilled but are homesick. It will be all worth it I’m sure.
It really seems like Aerosmith is really over and done for. Joe Perry’s Guitar Hero bus and another white bus were spotted outside of the band’s recording studio in Massachusetts earlier this week. Equipment was being moved out of the studio all day. The guitarist has spoken that whether or not lead singer Steven Tyler has quit or is just taking a bit of a vacation, the band will go on with their music. I don’t care if he has a big ego. It just won’t be Aerosmith if Steven isn’t involved. Maybe they should just sit this out and just make a comeback when they’re 100.
After attempting to write and produce a mockumentary about their relationship and release some sexy home videos of his ex-wife, Ojani Noa just got slapped with a lawsuit from Jennifer Lopez. The singer/actress has filed a multi-million dollar suit against her ex and another defendant, Ed Myer, for marketing the proposed feature. Should a mockumentary and the home videos get released, it is in clear violation of the settlement agreement that contained non-disparagement and non-disclosure clauses. Plus, it’s very tacky and such a douche bag move. JLo is suing both guys for no less than $10 million. I’m pretty sure that she’s going to win this one.
The Jonas Brothers ended up cancelling their concert in Zurich last Saturday night because Nick Jonas got sick with an upper respiratory infection. The official announcement said “We are sad to announce the cancellation of the Jonas Brothers concert for this evening in Zurich. Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers is ill with an upper respiratory infection of the nose and throat and the doctor has advised that he not speak or sing… The band, the management, and the promoter apologize that the show must be cancelled on such short notice… Tickets can be refunded as of Monday, 9 November until 31 December 2009 at the presale agency.”
John and Edward Grimes, aka Jedward, have been moved to make an apology to rival X-Factor competitor Lucie Jones, a report claims.
The twins, whose performance on the latest round of X-Factor saw them narrowly pushed ahead while the Welsh singer Jones fell out of the race, have said: “We feel bad.”
The comment comes after the flood of protest that hit the ITV network after Simon Cowell’s deciding vote gave them the round. “We’re so, so sorry that you didn’t get through, you are an amazing singer. We think you are going to have a brilliant career and we hope you won’t blame us. It’s been incredible to perform on the show, but the last thing we want to do is upset anyone,” said Jedward.
Jones for her part had commended the Jedward act for its ability after losing out. She said:”They felt guilty and unnecessarily so. It is not their fault, they didn’t say to Simon ‘pick us, pick us’. They handled themselves very well. They were lovely and didn’t need to apologise.”
Co-judges Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole had supported her with their vote and Minogue, her mentor, was said today to be fuming with Cowell over the upset.
Cowell has lately found fault with Minogue and Cole for their judging and urged them to stop worrying about their fashion and on-screen image and start dishing out some constructive criticism. He maintained he had no idea what the public vote was when he made his deciding Jedward vote. He did say, however, that he knew the move would make him unpopular.
Beyonce is soon going to perform in Northern Africa for the first time and Islamic conservatives in Egypt are slamming her concert as an “insolent sex party” that threatens the country’s “social peace and stability” and encourages “vice and debauchery”. Some lawmakers are protesting the show, calling for a governmental ban on the singer’s so-called nudity concert. A Facebook campaign in support of the conservatives stand is actually at 10,000 members. The show will go on though. Beyonce will perform at the Red Sea Resort of Port Ghalib, 100 miles south of Cairo, and security will be tight to protect not only the singer but the fans as well.
Good Charlotte rockers Joel and Benji Madden stormed out of a Melbourne radio station after being shown a photo of Britney Spears without her underwear.
According to reports, Joel was shown the image of Spears alighting from a car sans underwear that earlier made headlines around the world during a game put on by two radio hosts on the Fox 101.9 breakfast show.
But the musician twins said they were under the weather from a night out and Joel later told a producer he was offended at being shown the image because he was a father.
“I think I’m a pretty laid back dude but you guys are getting on my nerves,” Joel, who has two children with partner Nicole Richie, told the hosts.
Vicky Heath of Fox 101.9 later said radio producers were forced to use the dump button to prevent the Maddens’ expletives going to air.
Joel left before Benji but his brother was quick to follow him.
He later tweeted: “Just walked out of a FOXfm interview in Melbourne not in the mood to be a clown.
“Most of the time I can put up with idiot morning show hosts but not today. I guess I have finally found some Aussies I don’t get on with.”
