KE$HA TOPS BILLBOARD HOT 100 CHART
Ke$ha tops the Billboard Hot 100 for a fourth straight week with “TiK ToK.” Meanwhile, another song off her number one album Animal, “Blah Blah Blah” featuring 3Oh!3, is this week’s biggest debut, coming in at number seven. Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” holds steady at number two, while “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys climbs up one spot to number three. Iyaz’s “Replay” slides one notch to number four and Owl City’s “Fireflies” holds the five spot.
LADY GAGA AND ADAM LAMBERT UP FOR GLAAD AWARDS
Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert are among the top music contenders for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s (GLAAD) 21st annual Media Awards. The event will be held on March 13th in New York, April 17th in Los Angeles and June 5th in San Francisco. AMC’s drama Mad Men, HBO’s hit vampire show True Blood and ABC’s new comedy Modern Family are also up for awards. GLAAD announced that Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon, will be honored with the Vito Russo Award at the New York ceremony.
JUSTIN BIEBER, MILEY CYRUS, JONAS BROTHERS & MORE TO PRESENT GRAMMYS
Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Norah Jones, Ke$ha, LL Cool J, Ricky Martin, Carlos Santana, Ringo Starr, Jeff Bridges, Josh Duhamel and Kristen Bell are the first announced presenters for the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards. They join previously announced performers Beyoncé, the Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, the Dave Matthews Band, Green Day, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Maxwell, P!nk, Taylor Swift and the Zac Brown Band. The show will air live from Los Angeles on Sunday, January 31st on CBS at 8 PM Eastern.
MADONNA TO RELEASE STICKY & SWEET CONCERT DVD
In March, Madonna will release a DVD of her Sticky & Sweet tour. The show, which will be available on DVD, Blu-Ray and CD, will include many of the Material Girl’s hits including, “Like a Prayer,” “Hung Up” “4 Minutes” and “Ray of Light.” The DVD was filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina over four days to a crowd exceeding 256-thousand fans. The concerts also include a show stopping moment when Madonna performed a version of “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” to a thunderous response from the Argentine audience. The discs also boast 30 minutes of exclusive footage filmed behind the scenes during the course of the tour. It hits shelves on March 30th.
DON’T PUBLISH ANY NUDE McCARTNEY PHOTOS!
Apparently, floating around the Internet is a nude photo of Jesse McCartney or someone who looks a lot like him. According to TMZ, if anyone publishes any nude photo of McCartney or one that even looks like him, they will be sued. McCartney’s lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley, has fired off a cease and desist letter to any Web site that would publish the photo. Holley said that the photo of McCartney has been manipulated and doctored by computer software and is not a legitimate nude photo of the young star.
ELTON TO REPLACE SIMON?
Simon Cowell is leaving American Idol after this season and many people feel he is irreplaceable, but there is one person who can nearly match the judge’s attitude and his name is being tossed around as a possible replacement. It’s Elton John, and insiders at American Idol revealed to TMZ that he is definitely being considered and he already has experience — Elton was a guest judge in season three. When asked if the singer was interested, his rep only said, “He’s on holiday.” Read more at TMZ.com. <DB>
RYAN TEDDER TALKS SONGWRITING
OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder is up for two GRAMMY Awards because of his work with Beyonce on her album I Am…Sasha Fierce, and he sat down with USA Today to discuss his songwriting skills. He said that he turns down 90-percent of his business opportunities because when he tries to write for “eight artists at a time” he doesn’t do his “best work.” Tedder says that he would “rather put out two year-defining songs a year than flood the market with eight or nine songs.” See what else Ryan has to say at USAToday.com.
KRIS ALLEN HEADS TO THE PHILIPPINES
Kris Allen is headed to The Philippines! The reigning American Idol will be performing there along with America’s Best Dance Crew winners Jabbawockeez on February 6th. Learn more at KrisAllenOfficial.com.
JORDIN SPARKS TALKS 2010
Jordin Sparks had a great 2009, and it seems like the former American Idol is going to be keeping real busy in 2010 as well. In an interview with Us Magazine, the “Battlefield” singer said that she’s going to be hosting an event at the Super Bowl, plans on touring, and just released a new single in the U-K titled “Don’t Let It Go To Your Head.” See what else Jordin has up her sleeve this year at UsMagazine.com.
LIFEHOUSE IS ON TV
Lifehouse is going to be all over the tube this week and next. The rockers will be performing on The Tonight SHow with Conan O’Brien tonight, and then, their song “From Where You Are” is going to be featured on a new episode of One Tree Hill on Monday. Late Night airs at 11:35 PM Eastern on NBC, while One Tree Hill is on at 8 PM Eastern on the CW.
DAVID COOK IS WATCHING AMERICAN IDOL
Just because you won American Idol doesn’t mean that there’s a guarantee you’ll be watching the show, but at least one former champ was tuning in on Wednesday night. David Cook took to his Twitter to write that he caught the West Coast feed of AI and that it was “priceless.” Follow David at Twitter.com/TheDavidCook.
KATY PERRY IS NOT PREGNANT
Katy Perry led people to believe she was pregnant by writing on Twitter, so perhaps it makes sense that the social networking site is where she went to let people know that she isn’t. According to ContactMusic.com, the pop star wrote very openly earlier in the week about being on her period, which means she in fact isn’t with child. Guess we’ll have to wait a little longer to see babies from Perry and fiancé Russell Brand.
3 DOORS DOWN CELEBRATE MARDI GRAS
Universal Orlando is going to be celebrating Mardi Gras starting on February 6th and running through April 17th. And 3 Doors Down will be helping the people of Florida celebrate, as the special musical guest on March 27th. Learn more about how you can party with the Mississippi rockers on Mardi Gras by heading to 3DoorsDown.com.
OMARION’S PROJECTED ALBUM SALES
According to HitsDailyDouble.com, Omarion’s third solo album, Ollusion, is projected to sell 18 to 22-thousand copies in its first week. The “I Get It In” singer released the effort via his new imprint on EMI Records. His previous disc, 2006’s 21, landed at number one in the Billboard 200, selling 119-thousand in its opening week.
MARIAH CAREY’S REMIX ALBUM DELAYED
According to her official fan site, Mariah Carey has opted to delay her much hyped Angels Advocate remix album. Mi Mi’s project was originally scheduled for a February 23rd release but now fans will have to wait an additional two weeks to get it. Be sure to pick up your copy on March 9th. In related news, you can purchase your passes for Carey’s Angels Advocate tour via Ticketmaster.com now.
JAY-Z TALKS EMINEM’S PRICE OF FAME
In the new issue of Interview magazine, Jay-Z recalls recording “Moment of Clarity” with Eminem and realizes what Slim Shady sacrificed for his success. Hova states, “It’s 2003, I think The Eminem Show had come out, and he was, like, the biggest rapper in the world – he sold, like, 20 million records worldwide or some ridiculous number. But when he came to the studio, I remember I hugged him and I could feel that he had on a bulletproof vest.” Jay adds, “I couldn’t imagine being that successful. I mean, he’s a guy who loves rap and wanted to be successful his whole career. Then he finally gets it, and there’s this dark cloud over him.”
OMARION: “HELP HAITI, DON’T BUY MY ALBUM”
With all the damage the earthquake that struck Haiti has caused, Omarion took to his Twitter account to urge people to help out — even if it means not buying his album. The former B2K lead singer wrote: “I’d rather you all take the time to donate to Haiti…get my album another time.” He then added he wants to organize a benefit concert and urges everyone to visit Care.org to help those in need.
SOME OF GAGA’S NEW JERSEY FANS UPSET
According to NBC, some of Lady Gaga’s New Jersey fans are up in arms over paying extra money for assigned seating, only to find out that her Saturday night show at the Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City is now standing room only. Tickets to the show sold out in just 90 seconds when they went on sale back in November, marking the quickest sell out in Borgata history. Many fans purchased tickets that were 10 dollars extra than general admission tickets just to have a seat at the venue. However, the floor plan for the show has since been changed by Gaga. The Borgata is apologetic and is willing to refund the 10 dollars for fans who had a seat or 100 percent of the ticket prices for those who now do not want to attend the show.
NEW MUSIC FROM KEANE
Keane will be releasing a new eight song EP on May 10th. According to NME.com, the effort will be titled Night Train and was recorded on the road when the trio was touring behind their 2008 disc Perfect Symmetry. Learn more at NME.com.
SWIZZ BEATS PRODUCES JAY-Z’S NEW ALBUM
According to MTV News, Swizz Beatz revealed that he has already begun producing new records for Jay-Z’s upcoming album. So far, the hitmaker explained that they’ve completed the intro and fans should expect a more global sound from Jay. Together, they plan to create “international vibes.” Beatz plans to do most of the “legwork” by linking with “the master composers, and we gonna pull this thing together.” No album title or release date have been given yet.
M.I.A. EXPLAINS MORE ABOUT HER VIDEO
Earlier this week, M.I.A. posted a video for a new song. She’s now announced that the tune is called “Space Odyssey” and will be on her forthcoming album which due out this summer. According to Pitchfork.com, the new tune was inspired by a New York Times article about Sri Lanka that M.I.A., who is Sri Lankan, didn’t like.
MUSE’S NEW VIDEO MIMICS LIVE SHOW
Yesterday, Muse debuted the music video for their new single “Resistance” off the album of the same name. MTV News reviewed the clip and were notably impressed with how much the five-minute video was reminiscent of the band’s live show. The outlet called the video very live, with bright lights and a massive sound. Check out MTVNews.com to learn more or to see the video. Muse are currently touring in New Zealand.
SEE MORE BEHIND THE MUSIC
You’ve probably seen the Behind the Music for your favorite artist, but since those episodes aired, much has happened to the musicians featured in them. Thankfully, starting next month, Vh1 Classic will air half-hour weekly episodes of Behind the Music Remastered, a show that picks up where the original episodes left off. The series will boast new interviews, footage and video clips that update the stories of classic rockers over the last ten to 15 years. Motley Crue, Metallica, Judas Priest and Def Leppard are just some of the rockers that Behind the Music Remastered will focus on. The series premieres on February 6th at 9 PM Eastern on Vh1 Classic and will air at that time every Saturday after.
TAYLOR SWIFT SURPRISES COUSIN AT SOUND AND SPEED
NASCAR and country music came together over the weekend at Sound & Speed and Taylor Swift was there as a fan. She wasn’t scheduled to be part of the event but she showed up with her family as a surprise to her cousin, Danny, who is a huge NASCAR fan. You can see pictures of Taylor and her family meeting drivers Tony Stewart, Kyle Petty and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. on her latest blog.
ROCK CAMP REALITY SERIES COMING TO VH1 CLASSIC
If you’ve always wanted to go to Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp but haven’t been able to, fret not because this year, Vh1 Classic will take you there. In a new series co-produced by Mark Burnett, viewers will get to watch 15 musicians from a variety of backgrounds and cities transform into rock stars. The show will be taped at the upcoming February Rock Camp and will air in July. To learn more about the camp, head to RockCamp.com. <DB>
Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Ace Frehley, Lita Ford, Dave Mason and many other rock stars will impart their wisdom on campers at the February rock camp.
JOURNEY LULLABIES
Looking for a new way to put your baby to sleep? Well how about with the gentle sounds of the glockenspiel, Mellotron, harp and bells playing the songs of Journey? Now you can thanks to the latest CD in the Rockabye Baby series. The album includes lullaby renditions of Journey hits like “Open Arms” and “Don’t Stop Believing.” It hits shelves on February 9th and you can learn more at RockabyeBabyMusic.com.
TEDDY PENDERGRASS FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
The official public viewing of Teddy Pendergrass will be held Friday, January 22nd at 10 AM at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia. The funeral will be held the following day at 10 AM at the same venue. Internment will follow at West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. The family is asking that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to The Joan & Teddy Pendergrass Memorial, P.O. Box 382, Gladwyne, Pennsylvania 19035.
