MTV RADIO’S MORNING FACTS FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 1st, 2010

JUSTIN BIEBER JOINS LUDACRIS ON STAGE

Justin Bieber made a surprise appearance during Ludacris’ set at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.   Bieber joined Luda for a version of their collaboration, “Baby.”   Justin took to his Twitter after the show and said: “Crazy night…got to surprise the crowd at the STAPLES CENTER with @Ludajuice 2nite!! Black Eyed Peas killed it too.”   Ludacris is on tour with the Black Eyed Peas.   Their Staples Center show was beamed out to movie theaters across the country.  

BIEBER’S BIG DEBUT

Justin Bieber debuts at number one on the Billboard album chart as his My World 2.0 sold over 283-thousand copies according to Nielsen SoundScan.   It’s the 16-year-old singer’s second album and first chart topper. His first album, My World, debuted at number six upon its release last November. This week it rises to a new peak, shooting five spots to number five.   Monica debuts at number two with Still Standing shifting over 184-thousand copies.   The 21-track collection of recent hits Now That’s What I Call Music! 33 arrives at number three. Last week’s number one, Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now,” slips to number four, She & Him’s Volume Two album debuts at number six, and Ludacris’ Battle of the Sexes falls four slots to number seven. Lady Gaga’s The Fame slides three rungs to number eight, Marvin Sapp’s Here I Am drops seven spots to number nine and the Black Eyed Peas’ The E.N.D. moves down two positions to number ten.  

DRAKE: ONE SONG AWAY FROM COMPLETING ALBUM

According to his official blog, Drake is currently putting the finishing touches on his much-anticipated debut album, Thank Me Later. The rapper wrote: “I’ve worked hard on this body of work and I feel like every artist involved has given me their absolute best. I cannot wait til it’s yours. The relief I will feel on release day will be euphoric” He ended his post with a quote from Winston Churchill that reads: “History will be kind to me…for I intend to write it.” Fans can expect Thank Me Later to drop on May 25th.

GAGA TO PEN THE NEXT BOND TUNE?

Could Lady Gaga be penning the theme song for the next installment in the James Bond franchise?   According to British paper The Sun, a source said that all the people in charge of the films, which currently star Daniel Craig in the title role, are “huge Gaga fans” and that “her sound and sense of drama make her the top choice.”   The forthcoming as-yet-untitled Bond movie has a tentative release date of sometime next year.

SEE A VINATGE PERFORMANCE BY TRAIN

Want to see a vintage performance from Train?   Well the San Francisco rockers just posted on their Web site a show that was filmed 12 years ago in Angel’s Camp, California.   Learn more and start watching now at TrainLine.com. <ZS>

MARIE DIGBY COVERS BIEBER

Justin Bieber has the number one album in the country and even celebrities are loving the effort.   PerezHilton.com has gotten their hands on a cover of Bieb’s song “That Should Be Me” by Marie Digby.   See the singer-songwriter doing her thing on the gossip site now.

MADONNA AND ELLEN ARE COUSINS!

Madonna just got a new family member, and no, she didn’t adopt another child!   Ancestry.com is reporting that the Queen of Pop and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres are 11th cousins!   Family history experts traced the lineage of both celebs and found out that they share a common 10th great-grandfather, whose daughters came over to America from France and settled in Nova Scotia in the early 1600’s.

WINEHOUSE MAKES MONEY OFF GLEE

Amy Winehouse had her song “Rehab” featured in an episode of the hit TV show Glee, and apparently, she was paid pretty handsomely for it.   According to British paper The Daily Mirror, the embattled singer got 55-thousand pounds, or around 75-thousand dollars, for the use of her song.   The paper says that this was the most that the program has paid any artist to use their song, beating out the likes of Journey who allowed the use of “Don’t Stop Believing.”

DAUGHTRY AND THE FINAL FOUR

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four takes place this weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Daughtry is going to be there to help out with the festivities.   The rockers will be performing as part of a three-day free music festival in the city.   Learn more about when and where you can see the “What About Now” band at DaughtryOfficial.com.

MICHAEL FRANTI INTRODUCES THE FAMILY

Michael Franti just posted a new video blog from his tour stop in Las Vegas, and he has some pretty special guests with him.   In the vid, you get the chance to meet both Michael’s mom and son.   Head to MichaelFranti.com to see the video from Sin City now.

DETAILS ABOUT GAGA’S MUSIC ON GLEE

It’s been known for a while now that there will be an episode of Glee that will be based around the music of Lady Gaga, and now we know a few of the songs that will be performed on the hit program.   According to EW.com, Lea Michele’s character of “Rachel” will sing a “stripped-down” version of “Poker Face,” while the whole group will be singing “Bad Romance” dressed in Gaga-inspired outfits.   Glee is back on FOX beginning April 13th.

JASON CASTRO ANNOUNCES TOUR

2008 American Idol third-place runner-up Jason Castro has announced his first-ever headlining tour.   The outing kicks off in his home state of Texas on April 17th in Dallas and will wrap in Philadelphia on May 16th.   Castro will release his self-titled debut on April 13th.   His first single, “That’s What I’m Here For,” is out now.   Learn more at JasonCastroMusic.com.  

USHER FEELS NO PRESSURE TO SELL RECORDS!

Usher sat down with MTV News U-K to speak about the assumed pressures he faces to have a big week for his new album, Raymond V Raymond. The “OMG” singer explained with “Confessions being the highest-selling R&B album of this decade, that is a lot to live up to. There are going to be some chapters of my career’s music that will be greater than others.” He added, “I don’t feel I have to live up to anything, I just feel I have to be as honest and as artistic as I can.” Raymond V Raymond is in stores now.

SNOOP WANTS TO BE THE NEXT SIMON COWELL

MTV News reports Snoop Dogg has his eye on claiming Simon Cowell’s position on American Idol. The Doggfather recently visited Larry King Live and stated “I think I would be the perfect host to fill in. I understand the dynamics of music and I see stars before they’re made.” Snoop also feels the judges have previously “pass[ed] up on some good people ’cause they don’t really have it together on their first try.” Do you think Snoop would be as harsh as Simon usually is? Or would the rapper have a soft spot?

U2 TO RELEASE DVD

U2 are releasing a DVD of the concert they streamed on You Tube. The gig was broadcast live on the Web site back in October of 2009 from California’s Rose Bowl. Fans can nab the 360 world tour performance on June 7th. Check out NME.com for more.

EMINEM TO ANNOUNCE BIG NEWS ON TWITTER

Eminem took to his Twitter account to announce to all of his fans that “some big news is very coming.” We’ve been checking his account all day to find out just what Slim Shady has in store, but the emcee is yet to update his page since Monday. Is he retiring? Does he know when Dr Dre will release Detox? Guess will all just have to wait and see.

Eminem’s official account: http://twitter.com/eminem

CARRIE UNDERWOOD: HOTTEST HOCKEY WIFE

Carrie Underwood has yet another accomplishment under her belt, as she was named “Hottest Hockey Wife” in an ESPN magazine poll. Fans thought Carrie was the hottest wife in hockey, even though she’s not even married yet! She won with 48-percent of the votes, beating out Hilary Duff and Willa Ford.

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