Hot Music Beat

Amy Winehouse should be in Norway right now but she doesn’t feel like facing the music yet. The Grammy Award winner has reportedly asked a local district court to postpone her drug possession hearing scheduled for February 29th. The charges on her stem from an arrest last October. Wino and hubby Blake Fielder-Civil were arrested in the Norwegian city of Bergen for possession of marijuana. They were then released after each paid $715 in fines.

It’s being reported that the reason Amy wants to stay in London is because Blake is supposed to be in front of a judge the same day she’s scheduled to be in Norway.

Idol watchers are going nuts over 17 year old David Archuleta. His Tuesday performance of “Imagine” amazed fans and judges alike and placed David at the forefront of the Idol race.

Many are looking back and comparing this performance to Kelly Clarkson’s “Natural Woman” and Carrie Underwood’s “Alone”. Only difference – looks like this year’s winner will be a guy. David’s got an upperhand with the “tween” crowd of 10 to 16 year old girls!

America’s most famous trio of virgins, The Jonas Brothers, performed for 750 shrieking fans at Kimball Middle School in Elgin, Illinois on Friday morning. 15-year old Nick, 18-year old Joe and 20-year old Kevin want kids to eat healthy so they announced their new breakfast initiative with Breakfast Breaks. One lucky winner will get the chance to get to star with the brothers in a national commercial. Kevin says “Breakfast Breaks is an awesome product that is a nutritious way to make sure kids eat breakfast every morning so we are really excited to be working together with them on this initiative. Our fans always surprise us with how creative they are, so this contest will be awesome. We can’t wait to meet the winner.”

Everyone thought that when Paramore cancelled the rest of their European tour and after posting an ominous entry on their official blog that the band was on the brink of breaking up. But the group’s lead singer Hayley Williams assures everyone that it’s not the case.

She recently posted another entry saying that the previous post wasn’t a forewarning of a breakup but rather plain honesty that they were having trouble. The band apparently felt that they had a good enough support system that they can come out with the truth without any regrets. At the end of her post, Hayley also says that the band will see everyone on March 27 in Orlando, Florida.

Rihanna and Chris Brown are certainly heating things up in their rumored romance. The Barbados singer even took the R&B crooner home! Rihanna turned 20 on Wednesday in London and immediately flew to her hometown to meet up with her new paramour for what was dubbed ‘Rihanna Day’ by the national government on Thursday. She received a hero’s welcome as she was honored in a massive ceremony in Bridgetown and was named Ambassador for Culture and Youth for Barbados. She was then presented with a huge birthday cake which boy toy Chris helped her cut. I guess it’s meet the family, the town, the government and the country all in one.

Ever wanted the chance to meet and hang out with Ashlee Simpson? Fans can join her for a live chat in MTV’s Virtual Worlds on 2/26! The chat will begin here for info at 5pm EST.

“The strip came alive again that night, and Facebook Nation got its Bon Jovi,” wrote Artist Direct on Tokio Hotel’s SOLD OUT show at the Roxy on Los Angeles’ famous Sunset Strip (2/15). It does feel like the Facebook generation has found its Bon Jovi and media outlets are starting to take notice. TMZ.com, famous for dishing on Britney Spears and the rest of Hollywood’s happenings, found time to mention a Jay-Z and Nicole Scherzinger spotting at Tokio Hotel’s Roxy gig.

After rocking New York City last night Gawker.com posted that “It’s Official Tokio Hotel Day” on the site with multiple postings about the German superstars and their on-camera interview with The NY Post.

Nicole Scherzinger’s solo debut album has been postponed so many times that it has already been considered a flop. After lackluster singles failed to connect with the audiences and garner radio airplay, her record doesn’t even have a release date. Now, it seems it may never come out but if it does, it will never get the promotion and support that Gwen Stefani and Fergie got after stepping away from their respective bands.

So what can she do? Go back to where she came from! Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin has revealed that Nicole is back with the band and is quite focused on PCD. I guess Nicole’s eating her words about not going back now.

Season 7 of American Idol may have the most talented group since the inception of the show – though that’s what they always say every season – but it hasn’t helped with the ratings any. The ratings are so down that the show is finding some new ways to get the cash to roll in. In a first, FOX is partnering with iTunes to offer Idol fans the opportunity to download the performances, both in audio and video format, of all the contestants the days after the show airs. Here’s a bit of my mind for FOX: no one would buy into this ploy. This is what TiVo and YouTube are for.

If the 17-second leak of the song Madonna and Justin Timberlake did was any indication, then the Queen of Pop is going hip hop on her new album which will be out in April. The singer has changed her style numerous times over the span of her career – a few hits and misses but not so much problems. While many are anxious about this turn in her musical direction, there are also a lot who like the songs that have been leaked thus far. Just hope that she doesn’t rap on anything, otherwise, that’s a whole other story. But if it’s any indication, Rolling Stones magazine heard 5 songs from Madonna’s new album and their in-depth review of it is quite promising!

Celine Dion is pictured holding hands with her 7-year old son Rene Charles as they visit one of the centers of the African Children’s Feeding Scheme (ACFS) in Soweto, South Africa. The ACFS is an organization that provides meals for poor orphaned and abandoned kids. Now this is the right way to do some charity and not adopting a kid suddenly. The 39-year old Canadian singer was in Africa as she kicked off her world tour in Johannesburg, South Africa last week. Celine in the highest-selling female artist in South Africa of all time so it’s great to see that she’s using her name to do some good for the country.

Janet Jackson has a new album coming out soon and it’s poised to impact in a big way. However, if you go back in time, you can’t say so much about her last two albums. The singer recently spoke candidly about why she thinks her last two albums failed to sky rocket saying “I think it was the music. The albums weren’t right.” Okay. At least she didn’t blame the Super Bowl like what her main squeeze Jermaine Dupri likes to do. Well actually, he likes to blame Justin Timberlake but the blame for the Super Bowl is in there somewhere.

The band will play three sold out shows, two in New York and one in Los Angeles, to throngs of Tokio Hotel fanatics. Not to be turned off by “Sold Out” signs, fans have turned to on-line auction site Ebay to try and guarantee a spot in the crowd. With tickets auctioning for $800 with 78 bids, it is safe to say U.S. demand for these superstars is high! While fans bid and out bid each other for tickets, it is business as usual for Tokio Hotel. Sold out shows are nothing new for the band, they have played to millions of fans worldwide selling out countless venues. See what the buzz is about and check out the video for “Ready, Set, Go” from the forthcoming release Scream that is due in stores April 15th.

Tokio Hotel U.S.Tour Dates

2.15.08 Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy
2.18.08 New York, NY – The Fillmore at Irving Plaza
2.19.08 New York, NY – The Fillmore at Irving Plaza

See what the buzz is about and check out the video for “Ready, Set, Go” from the forthcoming release Scream that is due in stores April 15th.

Watch the making of Ashlee Simpson’s new video for “Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)!” The behind-the-scenes tour takes you straight to the video shoot and gives a glimpse into Ashlee’s experience on set. She explains the story behind the Salvador Dali inspired video, and she gives a peek into what it was like to film stunts on a harness and learn how to punch for her fight scene.

Natalie Cole talks about Amy Winehouse in a different light from how many others have done. Jealous much?

“I’m going on record as an artist who is able to critique [Amy Winehouse]. I think she has a great talent, but I don’t agree with the Grammys giving her those nods. I think it sends the wrong message, that even in the midst of her stupor of drugs she can get nominated for all these awards. It’s a slap in the face to musicians and artists who work very hard that they turn around and give it to someone who really obviously doesn’t have a grasp of what she has. I’ve been in this business over 25 years and I sacrificed five years of my own life on drugs and almost lost my life because of it. So I take great offence to almost see someone getting glory out of being in the position that they’re in – she needs to get her life together and embrace her craft, she will lose it if she doesn’t get it together.”

The 50th Annual Grammy Awards winners.

Album of the Year: “River: The Joni Letters,” Herbie Hancock.
Record of the Year: “Rehab,” Amy Winehouse.
Song of the Year: “Rehab,” Amy Winehouse
New Artist: Amy Winehouse.
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Mark Ronson.
Pop Vocal Album: “Back to Black,” Amy Winehouse.
Female Pop Vocal Performance: “Rehab,” Amy Winehouse.
Male Pop Vocal Performance: “What Goes Around…Comes Around,” Justin Timberlake.
Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: “Makes Me Wonder,” Maroon 5.
Rock Song: “Radio Nowhere,” Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen).
Rap Album: “Graduation,” Kanye West.
Rap Solo Performance: “Stronger,” Kanye West.

Miley Cyrus was at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards as a presenter. She rocked this look on the red carpet… I have no words. Well, maybe a few.

Who the heck are her stylist and her make up artist?! Why do they insist on making her look like a hooker?! She’s a Disney star! And she’s only 15 years old! She has porn star hair, mounds of extension and caked on make up that may be more than what a tranny puts on. Does her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, really let all this happen? At this rate, Miley may end up like Britney Spears by the time she’s 18.

A 17-second clip of the upcoming Madonna and Justin Timberlake song has been released. It’s the same song for which the two filmed a video for. The new track is called ‘4 Seconds to Save the World’. It was produced by hit maker Timbaland and Justin himself.

It looks like it’s all systems go for the promotion of the song. I personally haven’t heard it and am quite curious as to what it’s about. The title is catchy though. I wonder if Madonna is preaching something about Raising Malawi anywhere on it. And I wonder if all her new songs would sound like anything JT and Timbaland have done before.

The 2008 Grammy® Nominees CD has debuted at # 5 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart this week! This is the 15th edition of the compilation, and this year it features the likes of Plain White T’s, Justin Timberlake, and Foo Fighters, to name a few. Be sure to tune in to the 50th Grammy® Awards live this Sunday, February 10th at 8pm ET/PT on CBS.

Album Art: HERE

New advertisements for MAC’s Viva Glam campaign with Fergie as their newest face. The campaign actually began back in 1994 and has already raised more than $100 million for HIV/AIDS. Fergie says “I’ve been a fan of the campaign since the early days, and I remembered when RuPaul and Mary J. Blige did it. They pick controversial people who aren’t afraid to speak their mind, and that’s definitely me. I’m very proud to be a part of it.”

I’ll tell you what’s controversial. It’s the fact that this picture was photoshopped to the point that I’m not even sure if it’s still Fergie in the picture.